Ahoy there, wellness adventurer!

It's the last day of our journey together as we scrape the surface of the immensely beautiful and life-changing world of Nutritional Therapy! We're finishing this class with the Foundation that we know all of us can deeply relate to: Stress.

Stress happens when our body reacts to real or imagined threats, throwing off our internal balance, or homeostasis. Whether it's physical, psychological, or environmental, these threats can shake things up.

The Impact of Stress on The Body:

A stressor is anything that messes with your body's balance. Stressors can be internal or external. Internal ones might include the fear of public speaking or negative thoughts, while external ones could be a sudden temperature drop or a candy bar causing a sugar spike. Stress and stressors can be categorized into physical, psychological, and cellular types.

Our body has a bunch of processes it adjusts to keep things running smoothly, like core body temperature, blood glucose levels, blood pressure, pH levels, nutrients, and hormone balance.

🥶 For instance, if you step outside into freezing cold weather without proper clothing, you'll start shivering. That's your body's way of warming you back up to 98.6 degrees.

🩸 Another example is when your blood sugar spikes, your body releases insulin. Insulin tells your cells to absorb the glucose for energy, bringing your blood sugar back to normal.

Are you running from invisible tigers? 🐅

Living with long-term chronic stress is like spending the whole day running from a tiger! 🐅

This can happen when you lead a sedentary lifestyle, skimp on sleep, rely on too much caffeine and sugar, deal with a toxic relationship or job, or never get outside.

A national study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that 60-80% of doctor visits are stress-related. The American Psychological Association reports that 44% of American adults say their stress has increased over the past five years.

Even more shocking, 75-90% of human diseases are linked to stress! Unfortunately, doctors often don't have the ⏱️ time or training to provide proper stress management advice, making it the least common type of counseling in primary care.

This is where nutrition professionals can step in and help! 💪

QUICK TIPS:

The Three M's of Stress Reduction:

• Meditation: Meditating at the beginning of the day puts you in a calm, collected, focused state that infuses the quality of everything you do the rest of the day.
• Mindfulness: Being aware of what's happening in the present moment or practicing gratitude for what you have right now.
• Movement: Movement can help with balancing the stress hormone cortisol, potentially minimizing inflammation and reducing the body's overall experience of physiological stress.

CONGRATULATIONS!

You finished Nutritional Therapy 101! We've got something special for you....

Are you ready to become a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner so that you can help your community and future clients reclaim their health? Here's your chance!