Own Your Blood Sugar
Do you know your blood sugar numbers? You should.
Blood sugar is one of the most powerful markers when it comes to your health.
How your body metabolizes blood sugar (glucose) is directly related to your energy, mood, sex drive, weight and hormone health.
Ideally you want your fasting blood sugar levels to be 85 or less - and surely under 100 mg/ dL.
Sugar and Your Body
As we hit our midyears and beyond, our bodies change. Many women and men have a hard time metabolizing the sugar coming in from the food and alcohol they are consuming. This can then lead to a host of health problems including: diabetes, pre-diabetes, high blood pressure, weight gain, high cholesterol, unhealthy hormones and erectile dysfunction. I'm here today to help you take back control of your blood sugar and your health.
Blood Sugar 101
Our body uses glucose to create energy within our cells. In order for glucose to enter the cells it needs insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced in your pancreas. It’s best known effect is to lower your blood sugar by driving glucose and other nutrients into cells. Think of insulin as the “key” that unlocks the cell membrane door. As we age, our bodies may respond less and less to insulin.
When the body is no longer responding to the insulin signals, it is called insulin resistance or “weight loss” resistance.
What causes insulin resistance?
Inflammation is a major cause of insulin resistance.
Inflammation can be a result of many things including: pro-inflammatory foods (like gluten and dairy), heavy metals, low grade infections, too many refined sugars and high amounts of chemicals.
With insulin resistance, your muscles are not fully responsive to the insulin. As a result, your blood sugar starts to rise. Your pancreas responds by releasing more insulin.
When the degree of insulin resistance outpaces the ability of your pancreas to produce more insulin, diabetes occurs. Whether or not you actually develop diabetes, high levels of circulating insulin can have seriously negative effects.
High insulin levels make your kidneys retain fluid, raising your blood pressure and creating that feeling of being bloated and swollen.
High insulin levels prevent cells from breaking down fat, making it harder to lose weight through dieting.
As inflammation increases, your brain sends a signal to your adrenal glands to produce more of a hormone called cortisol.
Cortisol is a stress hormone and has a direct effect on inflammation and health.
Cortisol is made in your own adrenal glands in response to stress. Cortisol naturally combats inflammation, but at a high price.
Cortisol increases the amount of belly fat.
It also causes fluid retention, muscle weakness, memory loss, high blood pressure, and further raises your blood sugar.
The increase in blood sugar then stimulates a further increase in insulin.
Over time this can lead to metabolic changes and insulin resistance. If kept unattended to, this becomes a vicious cycle.
Below are 3 things you can do today to lower your blood sugar and reverse “weight loss” resistance:
Reduce the Sugar Load: Eat real whole foods, mostly plants. Be mindful of how much refined sugar you are consuming. Less sugar equals less insulin needed. Less insulin needed equals better metabolism and less stress on the body. Less stress equals less inflammation. Less inflammation equals less cortisol being produced. And less cortisol equals better health.
Move More: This can include anything you love to do like walking, cardio, barre class, yoga, swimming, tennis, free weights etc. Just move! Exercise helps shovel the glucose into the cells and makes the membranes more responsive to insulin.
Take Alpha Lipoic: Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) is a powerful antioxidant. It’s found in small quantities in food. ALA helps support better blood sugar, slower aging skin, increased energy and better nerve health. I like to take one in the am before meals.
Lots of love,
Marlyn xoxo
The foundation of my work with clients is improving weight loss and insulin resistance. Once we do that most everyone feels better. They also sleep better, have a higher libido and function better overall. This leads to happier, healthier lives.
If you need extra support reach out today and let’s schedule a conversation.
To learn more about the aging metabolism and other topics, join me at the next Project Radiance on May 5th, 2019. I’ll be sharing information about weight loss, estrogen detoxification, optimal thyroid health, beauty foods and vital well-being.
