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#112: The Hidden Reason You're Struggling to Lose Weight (and How to Fix It!)

• Episode 112

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Ever feel like you're doing everything right—eating healthily, working out—but the scale won't budge? You might be missing a hidden piece of the puzzle: stress.

Here's the thing—when you're constantly stressed, your body thinks you're in danger. And when that happens, it holds onto fat (especially around your belly) and slows your metabolism. But the good news? In this episode, I share a simple, quick way to help your body switch out of survival mode.

I'll break down how stress may be sabotaging your weight loss—and how a few small changes can make all the difference.

What You'll Learn:

➡️ Why Stress Loves to Store Belly Fat

➡️ How Stress Slows Your Metabolism

➡️ Why Stress Intensifies Cravings for Sugar and Processed Foods

➡️ The Quick Fix You Can Start Today

If you're tired of working harder and not seeing results, this episode will give you the missing piece to finally get things moving.

Click The Breath Checkup to check how you're breathing for FREE 

To find out more about my membership The Inner Space go to: https://www.pollywarren.com/theinnerspace

Email me at: info@pollywarren.com
https://www.pollywarren.com/
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Speaker 1:

Are you like me, riding the rollercoaster of midlife and menopause and eager to get back to living your best life? Are you tired of low energy, a short temper and endless self-doubt? It's time to stress less and shine more. It's time to ditch the worry, reclaim your mojo and unleash your inner brilliance. It's never too late to transform, and you're certainly not too old and, in my opinion, midlife and menopause provide the perfect opportunity to do just that. Join me each week for uplifting stories and expert insights on how to feel as good as you can and create a joyful, purpose-driven life you truly love. So when you're ready, let the beautiful menomorphosis begin again. Hello, hello and welcome back to Mnemorphosis. I hope you've had a great week.

Speaker 1:

I've had a busy week, actually this week. I flew off to Dubai just for three nights this week, which was great. I was invited to help facilitate some breathwork sessions for the senior leadership team of Coca-Cola who are based in Dubai, so it was a great experience. I was treated like absolute royalty. I stayed in a really lovely hotel, was picked up, was fed, it was so nice to be totally looked after, and it was just a really great experience and definitely something I'm keen to do more of, mainly because I realized just how stressed so many people are and how it's affecting so much of their lives, particularly their everyday breathing. I mean also, it's just meaning how exhausted these people are. I did a breathwork, we did a breathwork session and they lay down. They were on a sort of a team building couple of days and when we had a room of 30 of them and literally in about a minute of lying down, five of them were snoring. They were fast asleep. But also what I noticed because I'm slightly geeky and obsessed by this I was just noticing their everyday breathing, how they were breathing and how these people were breathing so high up into their chests.

Speaker 1:

Stress affects how we breathe on such a deep level. It's such a vicious cycle because once you get stuck in a stressed breathing pattern that continues to signal to your brain and to your body that you are stressed, you stay in that stress response which then keeps your breathing in a way that is stress so high up in your chest. Short, shallow breaths and you get stuck in this loop. And when you're breathing in this way, not only does it use so much energy to just keep the breathing going, because you're not utilizing oxygen effectively, you're wearing out your diaphragm muscle and actually when you start tiring out that muscle, because it's absolutely fundamental to your survival, your energy gets drained from other parts of your body, so it just makes you feel absolutely exhausted and so much more tired. There is obviously out there such a need to do this work, and it really has fueled me actually even more to really keep doing what I do. There is such a big umbrella term for breathwork and actually I've kind of trained in all of it, but what I'm really doubling down on at the moment is just helping people to breathe well in everyday life, because that is such a key to reducing everyday stress.

Speaker 1:

Which leads me on nicely to today's episode, which I have entitled the Hidden Reason You're Struggling to Lose Weight. So, yes, this episode is about weight loss and it is something that I'm always very reluctant to talk about because I myself have never really had a problem with weight and so I often feel like I'm not best placed to talk about it. Said that I have noticed since my 40s, and definitely since my 50s, my body shape has changed. I'm heavier than I have ever been, particularly at this moment in time, and although someone might look at me and go oh my goodness, you haven't got excess weight. I feel different and it does affect how you feel. So I have come to accept that we are all going to experience some weight gain at menopause and I think we've really got to accept that, because that's what happens and I have accepted that my body shape has changed, despite the fact that I don't particularly like it, but I really do feel that that is something that we all need to do more of. We are being really rather delusional if we think we can still get into the same pair of skinny jeans that we once wore in our 20s. So there is definitely an element of acceptance here. However, I also appreciate that when you're carrying more weight that you want to, it really does impact on how you feel about yourself. So and I know that I really do understand that. So this episode isn't about saying you must lose weight this way or that way. It's not that at all.

Speaker 1:

My aim is to help you understand why, perhaps, despite doing all the things like eating well, exercising more, all the things that you believe are helping you with weight loss but I want you to try and help you understand that why perhaps your body is still actively resisting to release the weight and then also providing some ways to fix that. So if you are eating already a pretty good whole foods balanced diet, you're aware that eating protein is good for you. Perhaps you've reduced the amount of processed foods and sugary foods. Perhaps you're exercising when you can, but you still can't seem to shift that on unwanted weight, or you're even finding that you keep actually gaining more belly fat. There is perhaps something you haven't yet considered and, by the way, if you haven't done, if you're not doing all of those things, then obviously, yes, those are things to consider as well.

Speaker 1:

But what we're going to talk about today, I think, has to be part of the equation to understand how your body holds on to weight, but also how it releases weight. So what we're going to be talking about today is stress, and that often your stress levels can be a reason why you are continuing to hold onto the weight and struggling to let go of it, and can often be the missing piece, particularly if you are doing all the things I've just mentioned. And when I say stress, okay, let's be clear what we mean by that. That could be back-to-back meetings, tight deadlines. It could also be not sleeping well. It could be that you're over-exercising. It could be you're putting your body in loads of different stressful situations ice baths all the time, it could be relationship issues, it could be just juggling kids, teenagers, home life and despite all of your best efforts, you are still feeling exhausted. You perhaps are craving carbs, you're craving sugar, perhaps you're getting energy crashes throughout the day and often feel really wired but seriously tired, and you just can't seem to sleep, despite feeling exhausted, and maybe, yeah, you're always feeling hungry. Those could all be signals of stress.

Speaker 1:

And if this is you, you know. Perhaps this is what is happening. Your body is stuck in survival mode and that can sound quite dramatic, but that is probably what is going on. Even sometimes you may feel stressed, but you might not notice quite how stressed you are. So I've just mentioned some things which you might have noticed. But then sometimes our nervous system well, quite often our nervous system adapts to the feeling of stress. So there are other signs to look out for. So that could look like feeling particularly anxious or more anxious than usual. You may also find that your difficulty in taking full breaths. That's another sign that you might well be stressed, because when we're stressed, as I said, but at the beginning you tend to breathe more from your chest. Perhaps you find that you're becoming a little bit more startled than usual. Your muscles are really tense, perhaps your shoulders, your neck. That feeling of restlessness won't go away.

Speaker 1:

Another big sign of stress are digestive issues. So if you get bloating or you know, you might think, oh, I have IBS. But actually very often those are signs of stress. We cannot digest food properly when we are stressed. It's not possible because your body prioritizes survival over digestion. Maybe you also have noticed changes with your hormones and if you're listening to this, it's highly likely you're in that perimenopause or menopausal phases.

Speaker 1:

Stress also continues to disrupt hormones because it produces cortisol, cortisol, adrenaline. These are stress hormones and can disrupt with other hormones. So if you've got worse PMT, if you've got worsening perimenopause symptoms, that again is all exacerbated by stress. And then other symptoms which often are associated with menopause, things like memory issues, not sleeping properly, brain fog, not being able to concentrate. They are also all symptoms of stress. And stress is obviously also something which so many midlife women experience because we are, as is well known now, that sandwich generation where we might still have kids to be looking after Our parents are getting older, we might be at the height of our careers, we are managing everything, all the WhatsApp groups, it's full on. So, yes, stress is real at this stage of life and whenever, wherever it's coming from, whether it is from work or if it's from poor sleep or if it is over exercising and I think we don't talk about over exercising enough, because I know for one, I was stuck in an over exercising cycle. Loads of high intensity workouts your body is releasing cortisol. However, your stress is coming in. Your body releases cortisol and also adrenaline. But let's focus primarily on cortisol, because this is your primary stress hormone. In short, bursts.

Speaker 1:

Cortisol is extremely helpful, is extremely helpful. It gives you the energy to react quickly in dangerous situations. So when you, for example, if you were to put your foot out in the road and a car came speeding by and suddenly your heart rate increases, you suddenly get that real sense of quickening of breath, of maybe sweaty palms. That is your stress response kicking in and it is super important because it gives you those reactions to be able to keep yourself safe in those dangerous situations. But the problem is when that becomes chronic, if we get stuck in that stress response over the day, over weeks, months. That is when your body gets jammed in this survival mode. It's not able to easily toggle back into the relaxed state mode, rest and digest mode, into what's known as your parasympathetic mode. What's known as your parasympathetic mode?

Speaker 1:

And when we're jammed which so many of us are these days in that survival mode, it causes at least three important physiological changes in the body, and I'm going to talk about those three today, because these are the reasons why your body can be holding on to fat and sometimes, in some cases, cases actually adding more fat rather than letting it go, even if you're doing all the things you feel should be helping your body to lose weight. So let's dive in to each of these things. So the first one we're going to talk about is about how stress increases fat storage, especially in the belly. Second one is how it slows our metabolism, and the third one is how it intensifies our cravings for sugary foods, for processed foods. So let's dive into these. I'm then going to give you some tips on what you can then do to really help reduce cortisol so that your body can shift out of survival mode and into fat burning mode. So the first one let's talk about is this increased fat story.

Speaker 1:

So why does stress make your body hold on to fat? And it's not just anywhere, it is especially around your middle, especially around your belly. Well, your body is incredibly smart. Well, it thinks it is because it's always working to keep you alive, always working to keep you alive, to keep you safe. And when you are stressed, your body doesn't know the difference between a work deadline, a shouting match you're in with your teenager, or actual physical danger, like running away from a wild bear. So, in response, as we know now, it activates your survival mode, and that means holding on to fat, especially in the belly. So this is because your body thinks it needs to save energy, because you're in an emergency.

Speaker 1:

So imagine your ancestors thousands and thousands of years ago, when food was seriously scarce or they literally did have to run away from a predator, a bear, a lion. Their bodies adapted by storing extra fat to survive the next crisis. There might also have been famine. They didn't know where their next meal was going to come from. So their body's adapted by storing extra fat. So this is because the cortisol which is released, your stress hormone, tells your body that we might need some extra energy soon.

Speaker 1:

So I need to store this fat. It slows down your metabolism to conserve those really precious resources so that you've got enough in case you do need them in the future. And it stores it especially around the belly because that's the most efficient place to keep it. So a good analogy I like to think of here is if you think of your body like your phone when it's on low battery mode. So when your phone hits, for example, 10%, it dims the screen, it slows down background activity so that it can conserve energy to make the charge last longer. And your body's exactly the same. It does the same thing with fat. When it's under constant stress, it thinks it's being super clever by conserving your energy source, which in other words, is your fat, and it stores it around the belly for efficiency. So belly fat is the quickest source of energy when your body needs fuel in an emergency. So your belly has more cortisol receptors than any other part of your body. So fat is stored there first and again it just thinks it's been really super clever because it's storing fat near places like your liver, so it makes it really so much easier to access when the energy is needed. So your body thinks it's being super, super, super clever here. There's loads of studies done on this. There was a study in 2017 that found that chronic stress was directly linked to that deep abdominal fat, the visceral fat around our middle, and unfortunately, this is the fat which does increase things like heart disease, diabetes. So this is why it's so important to start taking action. I'm going to give you some things we can do a bit later on.

Speaker 1:

So the second thing I was going to talk about was a slow metabolism. So how does stress slow your metabolism? Well, your metabolism is, quite simply, it's a bit like the engine in a car. So it's your engine. It's what keeps your body running, converting food into energy, and the stronger and more efficient your metabolism is the more calories you burn. So it's a bit like you know, the stronger an engine, the more fuel it's going to burn, even when you're not moving, and that's when that's called your resting metabolic rate. So that's the number of calories your body burns just to keep you alive. So if you're sat still, you still need energy for processes like breathing, like digesting your food, for circulation.

Speaker 1:

But when stress becomes chronic, your body's stress-forming cortisol throws a real spanner in the works. It slows down your metabolism. It lowers your resting metabolic rate, making it much easier to gain weight and harder to lose it. So this is for a few reasons. So, firstly so, firstly, stress breaks down muscle and muscle is your body's natural fat burner. So muscle is really important for a good functioning metabolism. So the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest. So it really is like your body's natural fat burning machine, always working in the background. And unfortunately, high cortisol levels caused by stress break down your muscle tissue because they use it for the much needed energy. Because, as I mentioned before, when you're in your stress response, your body thinks that it may well need to run for your life to survive. That better it makes sure that it's got lots of energy waiting ready for that burst of activity. But also just to keep you in.

Speaker 1:

Your stress response requires a huge amount of energy. Your mitochondria in your cells is being used up at a much quicker rate when you're in your stress response. So you're getting the energy by breaking down the muscle tissue. And this process is especially triggered if you're skipping meals or if you're over exercising, which again just require more and more energy from your body. And the problem is, with less muscle, your metabolism slows down, it becomes slower, it becomes weaker and it burns fewer calories. And the fewer calories that are burned, that obviously is going to lead to excess energy being stored as fat. If you're not using the energy, it's going to be stored as fat. So if your body thinks it's constantly needing more energy because it's preparing to run away and not then using it, it stores it as fat. And you might think that you're going to use it in a workout, which to a certain extent, you do. But the problem is, if you're not down regulating after a workout because you're still, you're still in that stress response, you are still going to be burned, you're still going to be producing more energy than you need.

Speaker 1:

So it's also important to be aware that normally, when you exercise, your body repairs and grows muscles, making your metabolism stronger, which is what we want. But chronic stress interferes with this process by increasing your cortisol levels, as we've said, and that blocks protein synthesis, which is really how your body rebuilds muscle after workouts. And so, even if you work out, even if you eat enough protein, the stress can prevent you from gaining muscle. So I've already said that it can actually make you lose muscle, but it also prevents you from gaining muscle. So I've already said that it can actually make you lose muscle, but it also prevents you from gaining muscle. That is not something. That's something also to bear in mind, because you might think gosh, why is it? Despite all this exercise I'm doing, I'm feeling more tired, I'm not feeling stronger? That is cortisol at work, because it's preventing your body from repairing and growing muscle.

Speaker 1:

So just to kind of summarize that, if you think of two people who weigh exactly the same and person A has more muscle, their body burns calories a bit like a Porsche, a bit like a high performing sports car, and then person B, who is the same weight as person A, has less muscle. Due to stress, their body burns calories more like a very small Fiat Uno, like a small car that doesn't need as much fuel. So the long and short of it is, even if both eat the same amount, person B, the person with less muscle, will gain weight more easily because their metabolism is running slower. So what do we do about this? How can we reverse this and boost your metabolism again? Well, strength training is really important here. So lifting weights, resistant exercise, do help build back muscle. It can also help speed up metabolism.

Speaker 1:

However, you must reduce your stress first. Reducing stress first is going to maximize that strength training Because, as I said, if you're still super stressed you're not going to build muscle. So there are so many ways you can reduce stress so getting outside in nature, healthy connections with others, switching off your phone, putting boundaries in place, learning to say no these are all important stress busters which I'm sure you've probably heard of. But for me, the easiest hack to reduce your stress is to use your breath, is to get quiet and use your breath. Take control of how you are breathing, because it is like a direct line to your autonomic nervous system, which is what controls your stress response. You can literally change how you are breathing and toggle between your stress response and your relaxed state. It's literally as simple as that. Your breath can switch you into a more relaxed state.

Speaker 1:

It's really really hard to think your way out of stress, which is why you can actually get into the body and use a tool like your breath to down-regulate, and then everything else follows. So by introducing a 10-minute breath practice each day to down-regulate your nervous system, what you're doing, then you're reminding it and helping it to return back to that rest and digest state. So what you're aiming for here is flexibility in your nervous system, for your nervous system to be able to return to a state of homeostasis, to that parasympathetic state after any type of stress. There's always going to be stress in our lives. You know, whether that be exercise, whether that be post-relief, whether that be an argument with your boss, the problem is that so many of us just get stuck in that state of high arousal, in that stress response. So, for example, breathing in for four and out for eight is going to really help shift you out, because every time you lengthen and exhale, that talks to the parasympathetic side of your nervous system.

Speaker 1:

Obviously, when you do these sorts of breath patterns, it's really important to ensure correct breathing mechanics because if you don't, you're going to continue a stressful pattern. So it's super important to really be aware of how you're breathing. Be aware of how you're breathing. Always downregulate after a workout. If you go from a workout into then your everyday normal life, rushing from one thing to the next, you're going to stay in that really high elevated state. Your body's going to keep stuck in that flight or fight mode. But actually, if you do a down regulation breath practice, just even for five minutes afterwards, you're going to remind your body again to just return back to a less stress state, back to homeostasis. So that's really important. And then obviously, once you are out of that stress state, make sure you're eating plenty of protein. That helps rebuild muscles, stabilize your blood sugar, which will keep cortisol in check.

Speaker 1:

And obviously sleep is massively important. Poor sleep increases cortisol. It also prevents muscle recovery. So you really need to get some quality sleep. If you're struggling with your sleep because of menopause, try and just give yourself opportunities to rest for sleep. Maybe extend the time you're actually in bed by Try going to bed earlier. That early sleep actually is when we have our deep sleep. The earlier you can get to bed before midnight, the better. So stress isn't just in your head. It literally physically changes how your body burns calories. So if you're struggling with weight loss, you might not need to eat less and exercise more, but instead focus on reducing stress and preserving the muscle you've got. And once you calm your nervous system down and your metabolism naturally speeds up, making weight loss easier as well as giving you better energy levels. Okay, so we've talked about the increased fat storage, the slower metabolism.

Speaker 1:

Let's now talk about the third thing, which is stress intensifies your cravings for sugary food. Now, this has always been a big one for me. I love sugary things, I love donuts, I have a real sweet tooth. So let's just have a think about how stress hydrates these cravings and then just I'll give you some pointers of what you can do about it. I don't know about you. When I am stressed, I reach for something sugary. I'm just looking in the cupboard searching, and I tend not to try and keep too much sugary stuff here in my house because I have a real urge sometimes. And often it's not lack of willpower, it's biology which is what is making you eat the sugary foods.

Speaker 1:

Because when stress is high, cortisol literally rewires your brain to crave quick energy foods. So, like the sugary foods, the refined carbs, and this happens for three key reasons. So, firstly, you get this craving for the quick energy. So cortisol's job, as we've discussed, is to mobilize energy fast because your body thinks it's going to need it. And since sugar is the fastest energy source, stress is going to make you crave those high carb, high sugary foods. Again, it thinks it's being super clever. So that is why you will suddenly need the chocolate or the sugary snack when you're feeling really overwhelmed. You're working hard. It's not because you're starving, but because your brain wants quick energy to keep going. Yes, reducing your stress is important, but also so is eating balanced meals with protein, fiber and healthy fats. That's all going to keep your blood sugar stable and, obviously, keep the breathing going.

Speaker 1:

Go for a short walk before turning to the food. A really good one is if you notice that you're reaching into the cupboard for the biscuits, can you just take a breath? So a good one I like here is the physiological sigh. So it's two inhales in through the nose and then just a sigh out through the mouth, making that really lovely and long, so you're breathing all the way out. Do that a couple of times and that can actually really really help.

Speaker 1:

We also crave more because, annoyingly, stress disrupts our hunger and fullness signals. Stress disrupts our hunger and fullness signals, so naturally your body has two key hormones that regulate your appetite. So one of them is called ghrelin, that's your hunger hormone and that's what makes you feel really hungry, and the other is called leptin, which is otherwise known as the fullness hormone, and that's what tells you when you're full. But when stress is high, the cortisol increases ghrelin, your hunger hormone, making you feel hungrier, and it reduces and lowers your leptin so you don't feel full as quickly. It's so unfair, isn't it? So that is why sometimes you just feel like you can't stop snacking, even if you've just eaten. That's because it's cortisol tricking your brain into thinking you're still hungry.

Speaker 1:

So what can you do about this? Well, one thing you can do is just really chew more to slow down while eating. So chew more, just breathe slowly and let your body register the fullness a little bit easier. If we're gobbling everything down, it just doesn't get a chance to register fullness. So just slowing everything down can really help. Slowing everything down can really help. Also, again, sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep. It's also it's so important. You know, poor sleep increases our hunger hormone and decreases the leptin, and that can make the cravings worse. So I don't know about you when I've had poor sleep, I just seem to be wanting to eat the toast, the biscuits, anything sugary.

Speaker 1:

Also, another reason why we crave foods when we're stressed is because sugar and processed foods don't just fuel your body, they also trigger dopamine, which is our brain's feel-good neurotransmitter. So that's why eating the comfort food makes you feel better, but it's only temporarily. So this can become a stress craving cycle. You are feeling really overwhelmed with the amount of work you've got going on. You've got a project with a deadline to complete. You're not sure if you're going to complete it, so your cortisol rises.

Speaker 1:

This is when you crave that sugary food that you reach for the biscuits or you reach for the donuts for some quick relief, because your body's signaling that you need the sugary snacks, body's signaling that you need the sugary snacks. You then eat the sugary food. You get a surge in dopamine which temporarily helps you to feel really so much better. You feel good. But that effect quickly wears off and guess what happens? You crave more sugar because you want that dopamine hit again. And this cycle just keeps going, on, repeat. So that is why you just want to keep on eating the comfort food, the ice cream, the pizza. It's your brain seeking dopamine to counteract the stress.

Speaker 1:

So what can we do about this? Well, we can try and find the dopamine elsewhere, in a healthy way. So we can do that through movement, laughter, dancing, anything which makes you feel good. We can obviously swap the sugary snacks for a healthier alternative. That's easier said than done when you're just craving the sugary snacks, but we can go for things like maybe the darker chocolate or more protein-based treats or some really delicious fruit.

Speaker 1:

Uh, but again, really focusing in on eating the good, eating regular meals. You know, skipping meals does spike cortisol, whereas when you're eating balanced meals with enough protein, fat and fibre, it does really help stabilise your blood sugar. Aiming for those seven to nine hours per night of sleep. But all those things, I think we know those things, but those things can be difficult, which is why I love breathing so much, because it's something we can actually do, not only in the moment, but it's something we can take control of. We can use our breath in the moment.

Speaker 1:

As I mentioned before, you can do that physiological sigh, you can extend your exhales, but if you're someone who is in chronic stress state, the likelihood is that your breathing is perhaps not as efficient as it could be, because when we are stressed, we tend to breathe high up into our chest, known as thoracic breathing, and many of us have developed the habit of breathing high up into our chest, breathing in short, shallow breaths that stay up in the chest, and this is often linked to our body stress response. So, unknowingly, what you could be doing is adding to your own stress, your own anxiety, through the way that you are breathing. So, on the other hand, when you breathe slowly, gently, more expansively, using the full extent of your diaphragm, using the full expansiveness of your intercostal muddles, your rib cage, we should be feeling that 360 lateral expansion of our rib cage. What we're doing, then, is we're activating a more calming and relaxing response, and when we deepen the breath in that way and, by the way, it's not taking in more air. And when we deepen the breath in that way and by the way, it's not taking in more air. That's not what we're looking to do here. It's about breathing deeper into your lungs a small amount of air. It's about using the air more efficiently. So we're looking to use the correct breathing muscles. We're always going to be using our diaphragm, because that's what we use to breathe, but are we using it properly? So, when we're using those muscles properly, we're helping regulate the nervous system through our vagus nerve, because it stimulates the vagus nerve and that's what helps us shift back into that parasympathetic, relaxed state. So, slow, gentle and expansive breathing, it's not just calming, it's so important for better oxygen delivery Because when we breathe deeply, we breathe slowly.

Speaker 1:

The air we take in and we don't need as much air by the way the air we take in, it reaches the lower parts of our lungs, where oxygen is more effectively absorbed into the bloodstream, and it means that we can then get the oxygen into the cells and if we're not over breathing like we are when we're in our breathing into our chest, we have a better build buildup of carbon dioxide in our bloodstream, which helps release that oxygen into our muscles, into our cells, which gives us more energy. So everything is connected with each other and it is honestly probably one of the missed pieces of the puzzle to do with reducing stress is improving how we breathe. Yes, we can do it in a moment, but how we do it, how we breathe every day, is absolutely vital, and I see this firsthand so much, and I really do feel that this is something. It's such an easy fix. It doesn't take long to change how you're breathing. It's something that you can learn to do.

Speaker 1:

So that is why I have put together a free little mini course of videos there's about six videos, very, very short which is to help you assess your own breathing. I've called it the breath checkup. It's a really simple way just to check are you breathing from an inner stress state? Are you breathing efficiently? Could you improve how you're breathing? To improve how you're feeling, to reduce your cortisol levels in your body, which was gonna ultimately help you lose weight. So if you're interested in checking out your breathing and I suggest you do it will take I think it's to watch the videos from start to finish is something like 18 minutes. The link's in the show notes work your way through. If you then find that you do need to improve your breathing, I'm just in the process of putting together another little mini course of videos which is going to talk you through how to breathe efficiently. Again, it's going to be quick, it's going to be easy and something that you can practice in your own time. So there we go, gosh, gosh.

Speaker 1:

Sorry rant over on breathing, but it is more important, I think, than any of us really realize. So if your body is stuck in survival mode, it won't prioritize fat loss. Instead, it's going to want to hold on to that fat. So the first step to losing weight really obviously is eating well, but it's not not harder workouts. It really is reducing stress. Hope this has been helpful. I hope you have got something out of this episode. Remember that link is in the show notes If you want to go and check up how you're breathing. Let me know how you get on. I'd love to hear from you. Come and give me a follow on Instagram at HollyWarrenCoaching, and, if you've enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend, and I'd be so grateful if you could rate it, subscribe to it, follow it, all the things. Thank you so much for listening. Have a wonderful rest of the week and, yeah, I'd love to hear your comments. Lots of love, bye.