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Stress Or Menopause Which One Is Causing Your Belly Fat · Create The Best Me

• 0:00
  If you have been eating clean, cutting out sugar and exercise, but your midsection just won't budge, I want you to stop beating yourself up right now.
• 0:12
  Because I used to be exactly where you are, and I thought I just lacked willpower.
• 0:18
  I thought I had to try harder.
• 0:21
  But I wish I had known years ago that in our fifties, our body stopped reacting to calories the same way they used to and they start reacting to stress.
• 0:35
  I am not a doctor, but as a transformational coach, I learned the hard way that my go-go-go lifestyle was keeping my body in starvation mode.
• 0:46
  Today, I'm sharing three major stress mistakes I made that kept the weight on, and the simple, gentle shifts that finally helped me let go.
• 0:57
  Mistake number one was believing that more sweat equaled more success.
• 1:04
  I used to think if I wasn't gasping for air on the treadmill, it didn't count.
• 1:09
  But here is the science I missed: high-intensity cardio can spike your cortisol levels.
• 1:17
  When we're young, our bodies recover from stress quickly.
• 1:21
  But during menopause, our adrenal glands are already working on over time.
• 1:27
  When I pushed my body to the limit, my brain didn't think, "Wow, what a great workout!" It thought,"We're running from a tiger! Store fat to protect our organs!"
• 1:41
  The shift: I stopped pushing my body, and I started walking.
• 1:46
  The shift: It sounds too simple, right?
• 1:48
  The shift: But studies show a 20- to 30-minute brisk walk actually lowers your cortisol.
• 1:55
  The shift: I swapped the "boot-camp" mentality for a gentle strength training and walking.
• 2:01
  The shift: I did less and my body finally felt safe enough to release the weight.
• 2:08
  The shift: Mistake number two was treating busyness like a badge of honor.
• 2:13
  The shift: I was proud of multitasking.
• 2:16
  The shift: I thought stress was just a "part of life." But here's the truth: your nervous system doesn't know the difference between"I'm excited about this project" and"I'm terrified I'm going to be late".
• 2:33
  The shift: It registers both as stress.
• 2:36
  The shift: I was living in a state of chronic, low-grade alarm.
• 2:40
  The shift: And a body in alarm mode holds onto belly fat as fuel for the energy that never ends.
• 2:50
  The shift: I had to learn to create internal "off switches." I started by doing something called 4-4-4 box breathing.
• 3:00
  The shift: You breathe in for four seconds, hold for four seconds and exhale for four seconds.
• 3:10
  The shift: It literally tells your nervous system,"You are safe." And I didn't need a spa day; I just needed five minutes of doing nothing to signal safety to my body.
• 3:23
  The shift: The third mistake was the biggest one.
• 3:26
  The shift: I used to stay up late to catch up on things, or just doom-scroll because I was too wired to sleep.
• 3:34
  The shift: I treated sleep as a luxury.
• 3:36
  The shift: But sleep is the only time your body fully processes and flushes out cortisol.
• 3:43
  The shift: If you aren't sleeping, your cortisol level stays high and your belly fat stays put.
• 3:50
  The shift: It's biological.
• 3:51
  The shift: The shift I made my bedroom a sanctuary.
• 3:55
  The shift: No phones, cool temperature, and a consistent bedtime.
• 4:00
  The shift: I realized that protecting my sleep was more effective for my waistline than cutting carbs ever was.
• 4:08
  The shift: It wasn't lazy; it was metabolic repair.
• 4:13
  The shift: Here's the transformational takeaway I want you to leave with.
• 4:18
  The shift: This journey isn't about looking 20 again, and it certainly isn't about punishment.
• 4:24
  The shift: It's about safety.
• 4:26
  The shift: Your body is your partner, not your enemy.
• 4:30
  The shift: It's holding onto weight because it thinks it needs to protect you.
• 4:35
  The shift: The way to lose weight isn't to attack your body — it's to show your body that it is safe to let it go.
• 4:42
  The shift: Treat yourself with kindness.
• 4:45
  The shift: Prioritize your peace.
• 4:47
  The shift: That is the real secret.
• 4:50
  The shift: If you suspect that stress is your culprit, you need to start your day differently.
• 4:56
  The shift: I have an episode right here or here on my anti-stress morning routine, that will help you lower your cortisol before you even have your coffee.
• 5:09
  The shift: Click right here, here or down in the show notes, and I'll see you over there to help you start your day with peace, not panic.
• 5:20
  The shift: If you would like to read more about today's episode, you can find that at createthebestme.com/ep149.
• 5:29
  The shift: Until then, thank you for watching.
• 5:31
  The shift: Catch you next week.
• 5:33
  The shift: Bye for now.