Three Keys to Opromize

Metabolism: Stress, Sleep

And Diet
Metabolism accounts not only for weight loss and weight
gain, but also for immune system function, energy levels,
mood and emotional health, hormonal balance, skin
quality, body shape, elimination... In fact, every function
you can think of in the body, physiological or mental, can
be related to some metabolic process. Thus, conditions
like diabetes, obesity, cancer, heart failure, chronic
inflammation, depression, and even epilepsy - all of those
(and many more!) can be linked to an underlying
metabolic issue.

In truth, we metabolize much more than what we eat and

drink. We metabolize our own hormones and the waste
created as byproduct from physiological processes
(including metabolism itself). And of course, we
metabolize thoughts and emotions (some of which are
often highly toxic) much the same way we metabolize
food and drinks.

On the face of it, metabolism turns out to be at the core

of our physical, mental and emotional health. Therefore,
to optimize health, we must optimize metabolism.
Importantly, there are three equally important factors to
look at in order to improve metabolism: stress, sleep and
diet.

Stress creates free radicals, i.e. more waste to be

metabolized. The other problem with stress is that it
turns on the fight-flight mechanism which leads to
shutting down the healthy metabolic pathways. As a
result, blood sugar and insulin levels go up making us
store more fat (and fat cells, in turn, hold on to more
physical and emotional toxins). Therefore, de-stressing
practices such as meditation, physical exercise and some
form of therapy are crucial to maintaining optimal
metabolic health.

Lack of sleep also raises blood sugar and insulin levels

and prevents the parasympathetic nervous system to kick
in. Thus, instead of the parasympathetic rest-digest-
metabolize-repair mode, we stay in fight-flight which, as
already explained, leads to fat and toxin storage. To avoid
that, make sure you are asleep by 11pm at the latest, and
get at least 8 hours of sleep.

Last but not least - diet. Now, there is a way to eat to

increase metabolic heath, and there is a way to eat to
destroy it. If you want to help your metabolism, you need
to stay away from: sugar (especially fructose which is
highly fattening and inflammatory), flour and starch, poly-
unsaturated fats (especially seed oils), and alcohol and
cigarettes. You also need to stay away from snacking:
limiting your food intake to two or three meals a day will
raise your metabolism and help you burn your own fat
and toxins; constant grazing, on the other hand, will do
the opposite. Lastly, don't eat after 7pm for everything
you put into your mouth after that time gets stored as
visceral fat around organs (the worst fat of all).

In conclusion, eat right, love and pray, and sleep, and you
will feel and look beautiful on the inside as well as on the
outside.

Vyara Bridgeman is an Advanced Certified BodyTalk

practitioner who works with patients from all over the
world suffering a variety of physical, mental and
emotional conditions. To find out more about Vyara's
BodyTalk practice, what her clients say about her, and
how she can help you achieve a balanced body-mind,
visit: http://www.BodyTalk4Life.com