Why Managing Your Stress Level is Key to Managing Blood Sugar Variability

High blood sugar is a factor in many chronic diseases and in this episode, Angela shares the results of tracking her own blood sugar levels. She explains what blood sugar variability means for your body and shares great practical advice that can be used immediately to manage blood sugar levels. Stress is present in all our lives and Angela explains how cortisol impacts the body and the actions you can take, to control your levels of cortisol, manage your blood sugar variability and optimise your life and longevity.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Keeping cortisol low is important for blood composition. Stress leads to the elevation of cortisol and cortisol raises blood sugar. Exercising in the morning means you are making the best of the ketones that are available and potentially increase fat burning. To keep your body in a fat-burning mode you need to avoid eating a diet high in carbohydrates and refined sugar. When blood sugar rises and insulin is released it triggers the body to store fat instead of burning it. Exercise has been shown to help move sugar into the muscles for storage and causes an immediate increase in insulin sensitivity Research has shown that both aerobic and resistance training increase insulin sensitivity but a combination of both is the most effective and high-intensity interval training is the most time-efficient way to achieve this. The immune system does not perform as well when you are under stress its ability to fight infection is reduced. There are actions you can take to lower your stress levels,  social connection and getting outside along with mediation and breath work will all make a difference. Your breath is your superpower, it’s the easiest way into your parasympathetic nervous system and using breathwork can bring a sense of calm and lower cortisol levels.   BEST MOMENTS ‘Chronically stressed people can be skinny fat because high-stress levels cause fat to be stored in the abdominal area’ ‘It is more beneficial to focus on low carbohydrate and polyphenol-rich fruits such as berries and avocados’ ‘Resistance training has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity’   VALUABLE RESOURCES High Performance Health podcast series\ Transform your sleep DNA optimization  High Performance website Christian Thomson website    Superhuman Experiment Facebook   ABOUT THE HOST Angela Foster Angela is a Nutritionist, Health and Performance Coach. She is also the Founder and CEO of My DNA Edge, an Exclusive Private Membership Site giving individuals the tools and bio hacks needed to optimise their genetic expression for optimal health and performance. After recovering from a serious illness in 2014, Angela left the world of Corporate Law with a single mission in mind: To inspire and educate others to live an energetic, healthful and limitless life. Angela believes that we can truly have it all and has spent the last 5 years researching the habits and routines of high performers, uncovering age-old secrets, time-honoured holistic practices and modern science to create a blueprint for Optimal Human Performance.   CONTACT DETAILS Instagram Facebook LinkedIn High Performance Health FB Group