We know that stress causes high cortisol, that famous stress hormone that is oh so necessary for survival, but causes us to gain weight around the mid-section, crave sugar and makes us anxious. But did you know that eventually, if stress is unaddressed and chronic, the adrenal glands, which produce that cortisol as well as the stress neurotransmitters epinephrine and norepinephrine, finally fail to be able to keep up with the demands placed on them. At this point they cannot produce enough cortisol and levels become persistently low and you are officially in burnout. You really cannot function properly and feel like a shadow of your former self. This is a major wake up signal from your body that you need to slow down and start taking care of yourself.

Here are some of the symptoms you might be experiencing with burnout and low cortisol:

• Severe fatigue or burnout
• Stressed
• Poor memory and concentration
• Frequent sickness
• Easily upset
• Weepy
• Lack of motivation
• Lightheaded
• Salt cravings
• Low sex drive
• Low stamina
• Insomnia or waking during the night
• Low blood pressure
• Unstable blood sugar
• Coffee cravings
• Excess sweating

 
To learn more about how best to recover, take a look at my workshop Nourishment for Hormonal Harmony.  You’ll find out more about what you are doing now, that is messing up your adrenals and cortisol, how cortisol concerns can impact your other hormones and how to nourish yourself back into harmony.

 

Here is a guest blog from our Women Wine, & Wellness - Lowry speaker for June, Jess Bonasso.

Are you holding space better for OTHERS than you do for yourself?
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If the answer is yes, you’ll definitely want to check out this month’s newsletter & article on how to hold space for yourself!

Here’s the deal. Not only is it in our nature to give to others, but for women in particular it’s also a social norm and expectation!
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The result? A stressed-out, exhausted, and overwhelmed human being on the verge of burnout because they don’t know how to hold space for them self.

So why is holding space for yourself so important?
Well, the sad truth is that often we rely on our happiness and fulfillment to come from things OUTSIDE of ourselves.
You know… our significant other, our family, our friends, the car we drive, the house we live in, the money that we make, the things that we can afford to buy, etc.
We often rely on these things as a gauge for our happiness or fulfillment!
But what if true LASTING happiness and fulfillment actually needed to come from INSIDE of us and had everything to do with how well we are taking care of ourselves?
After all, at the heart of self-care is ultimately SELF-LOVE and if we unconditionally loved ourselves (i.e. NO self-judgment whatsoever), we wouldn’t search for happiness and fulfillment OUTSIDE of us.
We’d be happy and content from the INSIDE.
As you already know, I believe self-care is one of the most important things you can do for yourself and is a GREAT way to hold space for yourself to heal, grow, blossom, & THRIVE!
But often I’m asked by people how to do that when we lead such busy lives!
To help you learn how to hold space for yourself more effectively, I’d like to share the 9 crucial keys to being there for yourself, which are as follows:

1. Embrace your imperfections. Self-judgment is the highway to hell. Instead, look at your imperfections as gifts. How might these imperfections SERVE you or be of benefit in some way? The beautiful thing about imperfection is that it’s very unique from one individual to the next, which means YOU are beautiful and unique!
2. Learn how to say no to others. Saying yes to others when they ask you for help can be rewarding unless you are sacrificing yourself. Instead, check in with yourself if someone is asking you for help. Do you feel resistance to saying yes? Would saying yes mean you’d have to say no to yourself in a way that dis-empowers you? 
3. Set better boundaries with your time and energy.  This begins with learning how to say no to others. Beyond that, take a look at your daily schedule and routine. Does it feel like you’re on the go all the time? Do you never have time for yourself? Are you regularly and consistently running on empty? Checking in to how you FEEL can help you gauge your energy and learning how to load balance energy fueling and energy draining activities more effectively is crucial to setting better boundaries.
4. Spend time with yourself. If you never spend time alone, it means that you are constantly actively engaged and in “doing” mode most of the time. Because your nervous system needs to have regular intervals of relaxation in order to function properly, it’s crucial for your stress levels and your sanity to make sure you regularly scheduled time to yourself. Be creative and come up with ways to just “be” in free flow mode with yourself without doing a thing.
5. Listen to the story that you’re telling. What kind of self talk do you engage in? Do you look on the bright side or are you a negative Nelly? If you’re the latter, it’s important to catch those moments when you are being negative with yourself, mentally “cancel” the statement, and re-frame your toxic thoughts with empowering self-affirmations.
6. Reach out for support. Having the courage to ask for support when you need it is a tremendous form of self-care and a great way to hold space for yourself when you are in over your head. Human beings are hardwired for connection so to think that you can do everything on your own is essentially shutting off your capacity for connection. Also, learn how to graciously receive support when it is offered to you. You do not have to do it all alone!
7. Be authentic. Vulnerability is a large part of authenticity. No one is perfect, so embracing your imperfections (see #1) with kindness and compassion gives you the power to change aspects of yourself or your life that you don’t like. Being open, honest, and vulnerable with yourself and others fosters connection, requires tremendous courage, and allows others to see you as your true authentic self. Share this part of you with those who respect & hold space well for you!
8. Be a good parent to your inner child. Do you beat yourself up when you make a mistake? What would it be like if you could be gentle and loving when mistakes get made? Ideally, a good parent helps their child learn from their experiences and expresses unconditional love. To help your inner child grow, it’s important that you treat yourself the same way.
9. Develop rituals that support you. Don’t like certain aspects of your life? Develop daily or weekly rituals to help fill in whatever might be missing in your life. And remember, the only way to become the master of something is through repetition and consistency. Having rituals in place that support you is a great way to recondition yourself for greatness!

So ask yourself… have I been holding space for others more than I hold space for myself?
If the answer is yes, I encourage you implement the 9 crucial keys listed above to experience happiness and fulfillment from the INSIDE out. I promise they will make a huge difference! 

Contact Jess: www.RadiantSelfCare.com | [email protected] | 720-333-6796

Who Doesn’t Love Bacon?
 
Certain foods just get more attention than others, don’t they? Bacon is definitely one of those foods. (Sorry, vegans and vegetarians, but it’s true.) Most people think it is delicious, many people consider it an unhealthy indulgence because of the high levels of saturated fat and salt and some Paleo followers eat it at every meal considering it a health food.

So where should bacon fit within a healthy lifestyle? Let’s address some key points to help us figure that out.
 
Bacon is processed! Shouldn’t I avoid processed food?
If you think about it most of our food is processed. Unless we only eat raw meat and unwashed fruits and vegetables then our food needs to be “processed” in some way to make it edible. We need to consider the specific steps in processing bacon to determine whether they impact your health.
 
Traditional curing with sea salt
Traditional curing of bacon was carried out using sea salt to preserve a pork belly. The sea salt helps prevent the growth of dangerous bacteria, which helps keep it safe to eat, pulls moisture out of the meat making it more flavorful, and helps to “cook” the meat via controlled fermentation.
In addition to sodium chloride, sea salt contains other chemical compounds including saltpeter or potassium nitrate. During the curing process the nitrates get converted to nitrites by salt resistant bacteria. It was determined that these nitrates and nitrites were a key in the curing process to keep the meat safe as well as contributing to taste.
 
Artificial nitrates and nitrites
Modern day curing typically uses curing salts that contain artificial nitrates and nitrites, usually sodium nitrite. There have been some scares around the safety of nitrite and nitrates but the evidence now suggests that they are not carcinogenic and it is definitely important that the meat is well preserved to keep it safe to eat. It is also worth noting that including bacon in your diet would likely be only one of many sources of nitrates and nitrites in your body including your own saliva and vegetables. No one is suggesting we avoid those!
 
Uncured bacon
Nevertheless, I prefer to stay clear of artificial ingredients wherever possible and so look for bacon that is made using natural curing techniques. This bacon can legally be labeled as “uncured bacon” although this is clearly a misnomer. Often these natural techniques involve the addition of spices like celery salt that are inherent sources of nitrates and nitrites that preserve the meat.
 
What about sugar?
Sugar is often an ingredient in bacon. Sugar aids in the fermentation process that cooks and preserves the bacon. It provides food for the probiotic bacteria. Nevertheless it is possible to make bacon without adding sugar or other sugary sweeteners and that’s the bacon I look for.
 
Bacon is salty! Isn’t that dangerous?
For people eating mostly natural and home cooked foods there is nothing wrong with eating some salt, especially sea salt, and it will not be harmful for them. In fact too little sodium can be a problem. For those eating more highly processed and packaged foods they may need to be more careful about adding to their sodium load. Adding bacon to an already sodium packed diet may just be exacerbating problems.
 
Bacon is fatty! Shouldn’t I avoid animal fat?
Yes, bacon is fatty but the myth that we need to avoid saturated animal fats for our heart health is now at an end. What is important for our heart though, is that we make sure we avoid a lot of sugary foods and highly processed grains like white flour and that we also keep our intake of anti-inflammatory fats called Omega 3s at good levels. We want to balance them with our intake of Omega 6 fats. Bacon does contain more Omega 6 fats so we should take some steps to make sure we don’t over do it.

Eating pasture-raised pork will make sure there is a better balance with more Omega 3s as compared with factory-farmed pork. Also, eating bacon in moderation only is what I recommend.  Let’s not treat bacon as a primary source of protein but on the other hand there is no reason to avoid it completely.
 
If you’re looking for a convenient way to access high quality meat, including great bacon, then I highly recommend ButcherBox. Their meat is all hormone and antibiotic free, grass-fed and grass-finished and gets delivered to your door! I hope you enjoy it!