Four factors that help maintain healthy blood sugar … and one easy way to make the most of them
By Dr. Emilie Wilson, Owner, Sanos Wellness
“What’s the connection between blood sugar and weight loss?”
Healthy blood sugar levels are so essential to weight loss. Inside RESTORE, we use CGMs (continuous glucose monitors) to provide women real-time feedback on what’s happening with their blood sugar, so they can identify and repair the causes for high blood sugar. Healthy blood sugar levels are necessary for weight loss, because lowering a high blood sugar level unlocks your fat-burning potential.
When a person’s blood sugar level gets high, her body releases insulin to clean it up. Insulin opens up a one-way door into fat cells, shuttling sugar inside for fat storage. When insulin levels climb, we get stuck in fat-storing mode. That’s why lowering blood sugar is the key to healthy weight loss.
High blood sugar also drives inflammation, which causes our adrenal glands to secrete cortisol, another fat-storing hormone. As if that weren’t enough, inflammation can also turn on certain estrogen-processing pathways, creating an over-responsive and inflammatory form of estrogen that worsens symptoms like PMS, mood swings, water retention and weight gain, breast pain, hot flashes, night sweats, etc.
Like everything in our bodies, reaching optimal blood sugar levels is not always simple.
More than 40 factors influence our blood sugar levels! And while diet is a foundational factor in weight loss and blood sugar control, it’s not the only thing that matters.
Unlocking a woman’s fat-burning potential also relies on addressing her stress, sleep, and exercise. Supporting all three of these areas opens the doorway to lifelong weight loss (even if you drink wine or eat dessert!).
One of my favorite ways to support all three of these areas in the summertime is to go outside. Spending time outdoors every day to get some exercise is a great way to stay healthy and lean!
There are so many outdoor activities to engage in around Prescott that there’s really something for everyone. We have access to miles of hiking and biking trails, as well as rock climbing, kayaking, and paddle boarding. Any of these, or even just going for a long walk, are excellent ways to lower blood sugar and get into fat-burning mode.
Outdoor exercise is also a phenomenal stress management tool. A fun way to get out of a stress response (fight or flight) and into a relaxed state is to stop and take in the view; expanding our gaze to the periphery of our visual field naturally stimulates a relaxed state.
Getting daily sun, especially in the early hours, regulates our circadian rhythm and naturally sets us up for healthy sleep at night, which is essential to lower blood sugar and regulate hormones.
Lifelong weight loss is all about finding the self-care habits you love.
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Dr. Emilie Wilson is the owner of Sanos Wellness, where she works with women inside RESTORE, her exclusive five-month program for sustainable weight loss through natural hormone balance. Learn more at www.sanoswellness.com. Follow her at @sanoswellness.