We cannot honestly kid ourselves that it is okay, even when we give it cute names like muffin top or love handles. Spare tires are best stored in a trunk. But more importantly than the aesthetics is the role it plays in poor health.

High stress and erratic eating produce excess amounts of cortisol. One role of cortisol is to keep energy (sugar in your blood stream) available for your brain, heart and muscle tissue in the event you need to fight or fly. The body’s most accessible source for sugar (not derived from food) is the breakdown of muscle into proteins, then amino acids and finally sugar. With the blood sugar being elevated by stress, calories from food are stored as fat! It seems like a design flaw to melt muscle and turn it into fat but the design flaw is actually living with unrelenting stress.

As fat accumulates around our middle some is visible under the skin but some builds up around our internal organs (visceral adipose tissue, or VAT). Accumulations of fat produce hormones and signalling molecules that lead to inflammation and insulin imbalances so even higher amounts of sugar are needed to fuel our cells. In turn this can lead to type II diabetes and increased inflammation which is a major contributor to heart disease!

What can be done? Eating the right food at the right time is key. Eliminating simple carbohydrates and balancing complex carbohydrates with proteins and healthy fats takes a little getting used to but provides sustainable results. Finding outlets for stress plays a big role. Exercise is a must, for metabolism, detoxification and to keep bones strong. (It is also one of the best ways to manage stress!)

Toxins accumulate in fat cells so as they break down, a guided detoxification may be necessary.

We would be happy to guide you through optimizing your body composition, maximizing your energy and mapping a healthy future!