How Stress Actually Impacts Your Results

 

Have you ever had one of those seasons where you are doing the things you are “supposed” to do, but your body still feels like it is not catching on? You are showing up for your workouts, trying to eat well, doing your best to stay consistent, and yet your cravings feel stronger, your sleep feels off, your energy feels all over the place, and your progress feels slower than it should.

If that is where you are, I do not want you to jump straight to blaming your discipline, because there may be something much deeper going on. It may be that your body has been living under more stress than you realize, and when cortisol stays elevated for too long, it can change the way your body holds fat, protects muscle, manages hunger, recovers from workouts, and responds to the effort you are putting in.

In this episode of Embrace Your Real, I’m breaking down what cortisol is actually doing in your body, why stress and undereating can quietly keep each other going, and what it looks like to support your body in a way that helps your results finally match the work you are doing.

What’s Discussed:

  • Why cortisol is not the enemy and what happens when it stays elevated for too long

  • How chronic stress can affect fat storage, muscle, sleep, cravings, and recovery

  • Why undereating can become a hidden stressor that keeps your body in survival mode

  • Why “just stress less” is not realistic advice for women carrying full lives

  • How fueling consistently can help your body feel safe enough to change

  • Why sleep, intentional movement, and simple nervous system support matter more than you think

Ready to have every 30-minute session pre-planned, pre-programmed, and built around exactly this structure? Head to movementwithjulie.com and get started inside the Movement With Julie app. 

If you loved this episode, you'll also love: Episode 540: Why Beating Yourself Up Isn't Helping You Reach Your Goals 

If you want more from me, be sure to check out… 

Website: www.juliealedbetter.com

Transcript

(0:00) Hey there, beautiful human. You're listening to Embrace Your Reel with me, Julie Ledbetter, (0:05) a podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I give you a dose of real (0:11) talk and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally (0:16) loving your authentic self.

Stay tuned if you're ready to Embrace Your Reel. Let's get it. Let's go.

(0:28) Hello, and welcome back to another episode on the Embrace Your Reel podcast. I'm so grateful (0:33) that you are here today because this one has been one on my heart for a while, and I think it's (0:37) going to be explaining a lot for you. Here is the scenario that I keep hearing.

You're showing up, (0:44) you're training consistently, you're trying to eat well, you're doing everything that you know (0:48) how to do, and the results are just not matching your effort. You feel like your body is stuck, (0:52) your cravings are out of control, you're exhausted in a way that sleep does not just seem to fix, (0:58) and somewhere in the back of your mind, you're starting to wonder if something is actually wrong (1:03) with you. Today, I really want to give you a different lens to look through because for so (1:09) many women, what is getting in the way really has nothing to do with their workouts or their (1:14) food choices.

It's really happening at a hormonal level, and it starts with one word that gets (1:20) thrown out a lot, and I don't think that it's ever really properly explained on a regular basis, (1:27) but you probably hear it. Any guesses? The answer is cortisol, and I'm sure you've heard about it, (1:33) but you likely don't know why it's important, and so by the end of this episode, I hope that you (1:39) can walk away with three things. Number one, a clear understanding of what cortisol is actually (1:44) doing in your body when your stress stays elevated.

Number two, an honest look at how (1:49) under eating and stress really do feed into the cycle that most women don't realize that they're (1:55) in. And number three, some practical tools that you can start using today to support your body (1:59) instead of fighting it. Before we dive in, though, I want to share this review.

She gave (2:03) a five star review and said practical and inspiring. My favorite part of the Embrace Your (2:07) Podcast is the variety yet consistency of every episode. There's a great variety of very (2:12) practical tips and information that can be used to grow in physical and mental health, (2:16) but also many episodes focusing on mindset and inspiration.

This podcast is a great place to (2:21) come for both physical and mental tips and easily implemented hacks as well as more long-term work. (2:28) Julie melts all aspects of health and happiness beautifully. Regardless of episode topic, (2:33) I always finish listening with a sense of peace as well as a little fire under my (2:36) booty to keep progressing and growing.

I also love her voice. I find it very soothing. (2:41) This podcast is definitely worth a try, whether you're just starting on your health and fitness (2:44) journey or you've been at it for a while.

I love this so much. Thank you so much for taking time (2:49) out of your day to send in this review. I'm so grateful that this podcast is helping you (2:53) and this is exactly why I do what I do.

I pray that you can get these practical tips and you (2:58) can feel inspired and you can feel educated. And so that's always my hope and prayer by the (3:02) end of each podcast episode is that you can either feel educated, empowered, or inspired in (3:08) some way, shape, or form. So thank you again for taking time out of your day to send this in.

(3:13) All right, let's get right into it. So before we talk about what goes wrong, (3:16) I really want to start with what cortisol actually is because it gets a bad reputation (3:20) online. And I think that framing is making things worse a lot for women.

(3:24) Cortisol is not your enemy. It's a hormone produced by your adrenal glands and it's (3:28) genuinely an essential hormone. In the short term, it's what gets you out of bed in the (3:33) morning.

It's what helps you power through a hard workout, respond quickly in a stressful (3:37) moment, or function under pressure. So your body is designed to produce cortisol in bursts. (3:42) It rises, does its job, and then comes back down.

The problem most women face is when it (3:47) doesn't come back down. So I want to talk about what happens when cortisol stays elevated. So (3:52) chronic stress is going to keep your cortisol running at a consistently high level.

And that's (3:57) when things start to work against you in ways that just feel completely disconnected from (4:02) anything that you're doing wrong. Number one, your body really starts to hold onto fat, (4:06) especially around your midsection. So high cortisol signals to your body that it's under (4:11) threat.

And when your body thinks that it's under threat, it really does prioritize survival. (4:15) It stores fat, especially around your abdominal area. And that's just a part of the survival (4:21) response, especially in women and in our bodies.

But this is why you can be eating well and (4:27) training hard and still see that area not responding the way that you want it to. (4:31) It's likely your body's responding to a hormonal state, not a reflection of your commitment (4:37) or your consistency. Number two, you experience muscle breakdown.

So cortisol is catabolic, (4:43) which means that in a prolonged stress state, your body actually starts breaking down muscle (4:48) tissue for energy. And this is exactly the opposite of what you're working towards. (4:54) Less muscle means a slower metabolism, less strength, and results that feel increasingly (4:59) hard to come by no matter how consistently you show up.

And number three, your sleep takes a hit. (5:05) So cortisol and melatonin are essentially opposite. So when cortisol is high at night, (5:10) which can absolutely be that you are in a chronic stress state, your body cannot produce enough (5:17) melatonin to get you into this deep, restorative sleep.

You lie there, you're tired, but you're (5:23) wired. Like you wake up in the night, you never feel fully recovered. And then the next (5:27) day, because you're running on poor sleep, your stress hormones run even higher, (5:31) and it becomes this cycle that feeds off of each other.

Number four is that your body shifts (5:37) into a fat storing mode instead of a fat burning mode. So when cortisol stays elevated, (5:43) your body is not focused on changing your physique. It's really focused on keeping you alive.

(5:48) And in that state, your body becomes less efficient at burning fat and more likely to (5:53) even when you're doing all of the right things. It's not just about how much you're eating or (5:58) how hard you're training. Your hormonal environment really does determine what your body does with the (6:03) effort.

So instead of using fuel efficiently, your body's going to hold onto it, especially (6:08) in times where it just feels uncertain or under stress. And this is why fat loss can feel (6:14) so resistant during high stress seasons, even when your habits look solid on the surface. (6:20) Number five is you trigger crazy cravings.

So high cortisol is going to raise your blood sugar, (6:26) which eventually is going to crash out. And that's going to trigger these intense cravings (6:30) for high sugar, high fat foods. Women in this cycle oftentimes tell me that they just feel (6:35) completely out of control around food in the evenings.

Like something literally takes over in (6:40) their body and they blame themselves for thinking that they just have no willpower. But this, (6:45) again, is not a willpower problem. It's your body responding to a hormonal state that was (6:50) just never addressed.

And this cycle gets so much worse for women who are also under eating, (6:55) which is more of you than you probably realize, because chronic stress is very commonly something (7:01) that leads to under eating. And sometimes it's because stress genuinely does suppress your (7:07) appetite. When your nervous system is in this high alert state, digestion and hunger signals (7:13) get pushed back.

You go through the whole morning without eating because you genuinely did not feel (7:17) hungry and you almost feel productive doing it. Other times it's because you're so busy and (7:22) overwhelmed that food just keeps getting deprioritized. Like you meant to eat lunch (7:26) and then something came up and then something else.

And suddenly it's three in the afternoon (7:29) and you've had nothing to eat since breakfast. Sometimes the restriction is more intentional (7:34) than that though. When you feel like life is out of control in every direction, (7:38) controlling what you eat or what you don't eat really does become the one thing that feels (7:44) manageable.

And so the restriction tightens not because you're trying to hurt yourself, (7:48) but because it feels like the one lover that you can actually pull. (7:51) But here's the problem with all of these scenarios. Under eating is itself a stressor.

(7:57) So when your body does not know when food is coming next, when it goes these long stretches (8:02) without fuel, especially without carbohydrates, it's going to read that as a threat and (8:07) produces more cortisol to compensate. So your body is not punishing you, (8:11) it's just trying to keep you alive by mobilizing whatever energy it can find. (8:16) So what ends up happening is this.

You are stressed, which suppresses your appetite (8:20) or makes you too busy to eat. So you under eat, which raises your cortisol even further. (8:24) And again, high cortisol makes your cravings more intense and your sleep worse, (8:29) which makes your stress higher.

And the whole thing just keeps compounding (8:32) on itself in a way that just makes it feel like your body is completely working against you. (8:38) But this is your body's way of just trying to protect you. And what it needs is support, (8:42) not more pressure.

Okay, so going back to what cortisol does to prevent results, all in all, (8:48) here are some of the biggest signs that elevated cortisol might be getting in the way of your (8:52) results. You feel like you're doing everything right, but your body is just not responding the (8:57) way that it used to, or you you're doing more and more trying to see results. But (9:01) it feels like the harder you push, the less your body responds.

You're holding on to fat, (9:07) especially around your midsection, like I mentioned, and it just feels unusually (9:10) resistant, no matter how consistent you are. Your energy feels very unpredictable, (9:15) like you're exhausted during the day, but then wired at night and struggling to fully relax, (9:19) or you fall asleep fine, but you're waking up in the middle of the night, (9:22) or you're waking up in the morning, just feeling like you're never really recovered. (9:26) You're relying on caffeine to function.

It just never feels like you have enough caffeine, (9:31) no matter how much coffee or how many energy drinks you're drinking throughout the day. (9:35) You deal with these intense cravings, especially later in the day, and it feels like your hunger (9:39) is really all over the place. You find yourself thinking more and more about food or feeling just (9:44) out of control around certain foods, even when you quote unquote know better.

(9:49) Maybe your strength or your progress in the gym or in your workouts has plateaued. (9:53) Your workouts just feel harder than they used to, and you just feel sore longer than usual, (9:58) or like your body is just not recovering the way that it should. (10:01) Maybe you're getting sick more often, or your body feels run down more easily, (10:05) or you're feeling anxious, overwhelmed, on the edge, even when nothing major is going on in your life.

(10:10) Maybe you're noticing that your mood is a lot more reactive, (10:13) or these small things just feel way bigger than they normally would. (10:17) You feel like you're constantly on, and it's really, again, hard to fully relax, (10:22) even during that downtime. And lastly, you're skipping meals without realizing it, (10:26) or maybe you are skipping meals with realizing it.

(10:29) You're going these long stretches without eating, and then you're feeling the effects later. (10:33) So if you're listening to this and you're thinking, wow, that is me, (10:37) I want you to hear this clearly. Your body is not broken.

(10:40) It's actually, again, responding exactly how it's designed to under stress. (10:45) And when you start giving it what it actually needs instead of punishing harder, (10:50) this is when things can actually start to finally shift. (10:53) Okay, so I need to touch on one more important thing before I share some practical advice, (10:58) because it really does bother me.

Because I know a lot of you guys have been told (11:02) when you bring this up, like, just try to stress less. (11:05) So I want to be really honest with you, and this is why this is almost never (11:09) actually useful advice, but telling someone who is a new mom, (11:13) or running a household, or building a business, or showing up for everyone in their life, (11:17) whatever that may be, to just stress less is not a solution. (11:21) Like, let's be real, most of us cannot just remove the sources of our stress.

(11:25) I mean, honestly, I wish it were that easy. (11:28) What we can do, though, is give our bodies the tool that they need to handle it better. (11:32) And that is a completely different conversation.

(11:35) And I want you to know that I say this from experience. (11:38) After having my son Blake, I was running a business, (11:40) navigating what it meant to be a mom sleeping less than I ever had in my life, (11:45) breastfeeding, still trying to show up for myself, my husband, my son, (11:48) my business, my Moot with Julie community, it was just layers and layers of stress. (11:53) And it's a lot to handle.

(11:54) And to be honest, I noticed that things were just not working the way that they used to. (11:57) My body felt different. (11:58) My recovery was slower.

(12:00) My energy was unpredictable. (12:01) I was doing the work and not seeing it reflected back at me. (12:04) It was genuinely so frustrating, but it took me a while to really connect the dots (12:09) and understand that my body was operating under a level of stress that had never experienced before.

(12:14) Not bad stress, necessarily. (12:16) Like, I love Blake. (12:17) I love my husband.

(12:19) I love my business, but real sustained stress nonetheless, right? (12:23) I was literally sleeping less than I ever had in my entire life. (12:26) And my body was just, I was demanding so much of my body, (12:29) especially when I was breastfeeding. (12:31) So like lack of sleep, breastfeeding, trying to show up in all these different areas of my life.

(12:36) And that's not how it looks. (12:38) You know, like, even if that's not how it looks on the surface, (12:41) there was just so many things going on. (12:44) Anyways, what changed for me was not pushing harder.

(12:46) It was actually not adding more things to my routine (12:50) or trying to be more disciplined in that season. (12:53) I want to make that clear because I know that so many women's first response (12:56) when they don't feel the way that they wish they did (12:58) is they think just adding more is going to be the solution. (13:01) But what I learned was the solution was literally something so different.

(13:05) It was learning how to support my body intentionally (13:08) so that it actually felt safe enough to change. (13:12) And I know that that sounds nice, but what does that actually look like? (13:15) I want to talk about it. (13:15) So number one is really fueling your body consistently.

(13:19) And yes, this is where I believe macro counting matters. (13:23) And this is, to me, one of the most important pieces. (13:26) And it's also one of the most overlooked.

(13:28) A lot of women are unintentionally under eating. (13:32) Maybe you're skipping breakfast because you're not hungry. (13:34) Maybe lunch gets pushed back because you're busy.

(13:37) Maybe you're trying to be quote unquote, (13:39) good all day and eat as little as possible. (13:42) But your body does not interpret that as discipline. (13:44) It interprets that as a lack of safety.

(13:47) So when your body does not know when food is coming (13:49) or not getting enough of what it needs, (13:52) it increases that cortisol to compensate. (13:54) And it's trying to keep your energy stable and keep you functioning. (13:59) And this is why you can feel okay during the day.

(14:01) But by the evening, your cravings just feel so intense. (14:04) Your energy is crashing. (14:05) It feels like everything is just harder to control.

(14:08) When you start eating consistently and actually including enough protein, (14:12) enough carbohydrates, enough fats, (14:15) you're going to be sending a completely different signal to your body. (14:18) You're going to be telling it that you are safe, you are supported, (14:20) and you don't need to stay in this high alert state. (14:24) And this is when things start to stabilize.

(14:26) Like your energy evens out, your cravings calm down, (14:29) your workouts feel better, (14:30) and your body can actually start responding the way that your effort deserves. (14:34) And this is exactly why I'm so big on understanding macronutrients. (14:38) Because it really does take the guesswork out of it.

(14:41) You're no longer skipping meals under fueling (14:43) or trying to piece things together randomly. (14:46) My Macrokinetic Need Simple Online Academy (14:48) is going to walk you through exactly how to figure out what your body needs (14:52) and how to apply it in a way that fits your life. (14:54) So you're not unknowingly keeping your stress hormones elevated.

(14:59) Number two, training smarter, not harder. (15:02) This is a mindset shift that I think a lot of women need to hear (15:05) when results feel slow. (15:06) The instinct is to usually do more, (15:09) like more workouts, more cardio, more intensity, (15:12) more days in the gym, or just more days working out.

(15:15) But if your body is already under stress, (15:17) adding more on top of it can actually keep your cortisol elevated (15:21) instead of helping it to come down. (15:24) Training every single day, (15:25) stacking intense workouts back to back or lying heavily on cardio, (15:29) that can leave your body in this constant state of stress (15:32) without enough time to recover. (15:34) And when your body is not recovering, it is not changing.

(15:36) What your body responds best to is intentional training, (15:41) like strength training that is going to challenge you. (15:43) It's going to build your muscle. (15:44) It's going to support your metabolism.

(15:46) Pair that with rest days and recovery so that your body can actually adapt. (15:50) This is exactly how I structure my workouts inside my Moot with Julie app. (15:55) You're not training seven days a week.

(15:57) You are training up to five days a week max (15:59) with programming that is designed to build muscle, (16:02) support recovery, and avoid overtraining. (16:04) Because building muscle helps regulate your metabolism (16:07) and your hormones in a way that endless cardio just does not. (16:11) Number three, protect your sleep like it's a part of your training plan.

(16:16) Sleep is where your body actually resets. (16:18) It's when your cortisol naturally comes down, (16:21) your body recovers, your muscles repair, your hormones rebalance. (16:24) When sleep is inconsistent or it's cut short (16:27) or you have poor quality, your body does not get that reset.

(16:31) So you wake up already feeling behind, (16:33) like your stress hormones are already elevated. (16:36) Your energy is lower. (16:37) Your cravings are higher and your body is working harder just to keep up.

(16:41) And then that cycle just continues. (16:43) This does not mean that you need perfect sleep every single night, (16:47) but it does mean that treating sleep as something (16:50) that is a part of your training plan, it actually matters. (16:53) Like going to bed at a consistent time when you can, (16:57) giving yourself enough time to actually rest (16:59) and not constantly sacrificing sleep to fit more into your day.

(17:03) Because every time that you cut into your sleep, (17:06) you're making it harder for your body to regulate stress. (17:08) And I know that's hard as a mom, (17:10) especially when you just feel like you're going, (17:12) going, going all day. (17:13) And the only time that you get is after your baby goes to sleep.

(17:16) I know it's easy to be like, okay, well, (17:18) I'm just going to stay up for four or five more hours. (17:20) But I'm telling you like your body will feel so much better. (17:24) And I just have found that I'm able to get more done (17:27) in a less amount of time when I have gotten that sleep (17:30) and my body is regulated.

(17:32) Number four, stop stacking stressors without realizing it. (17:36) This is one of the biggest things that I see. (17:37) Individually, your habits might not seem extreme.

(17:40) Like you're working, you're training hard. (17:42) Maybe you're not eating enough. (17:43) You're relying on caffeine.

(17:44) Your sleep is not great. (17:45) You are consistently stimulated throughout the day. (17:48) Each one of those on its own might feel manageable, (17:51) but your body does not separate them.

(17:53) It just adds them up. (17:54) So even if nothing feels that bad, (17:57) your body is still operating from this (17:59) under a high total of stress, right? (18:01) Sometimes the shift is not about doing everything perfectly, (18:04) but it's about recognizing that when you are (18:07) in a heavier season and pulling back in a few areas (18:10) so that your body can actually keep up. (18:12) Maybe this means reducing intensity (18:14) in your workouts for a bit.

(18:15) Maybe it means prioritizing meals more consistently. (18:18) Maybe it means saying no to something (18:19) that is like adding unnecessary stress. (18:22) Those adjustments matter more than you think (18:24) and they add up more than you think as well.

(18:27) Number five, adding more low stress movement to your week. (18:30) So not all movement needs to leave you (18:33) feeling completely exhausted to be effective. (18:36) In fact, when stress is already high, (18:38) constantly pushing your body harder (18:39) can keep that cortisol elevated.

(18:42) And this is where lower intensity movement (18:44) really can become valuable. (18:46) Think walking, stretching, Pilates, (18:48) or even just moving in a way that's more relaxed, right? (18:52) These types of movements can actually help (18:54) to bring your nervous system down (18:55) instead of adding to the stress load. (18:57) They can support recovery, improve circulation, (18:59) help your body feel more balanced overall.

(19:02) This does not replace your workouts, it complements them. (19:05) And for many women, this can be the missing piece (19:07) that helps everything start to feel better. (19:10) Number six, creating a slower, (19:12) more intentional start to your mornings.

(19:14) How you start your day matters more than you realize. (19:17) I actually read this post on Instagram the other day (19:19) and it said there's like six to 10 minutes (19:23) of your child's day that's the most important. (19:26) And that is when they first wake up in the morning, (19:28) when you get them up from their nap, (19:30) and then when you put them down to sleep, (19:33) like those are the most important times throughout the day.

(19:36) And so really just trying to incorporate (19:38) like just the slow time to their mornings (19:41) when they wake up to their, (19:44) right before they go to bed (19:45) and right when they wake up from their nap (19:47) and then right before you put them to bed, (19:49) like those couple of minutes. (19:51) And it all adds up to about 10 minutes total, (19:53) but that is, it's so important. (19:55) And this is similar to that, right? (19:57) How you start your day matters.

(19:59) If you wake up and you just immediately go into reacting mode, (20:02) you're checking your phone, (20:02) you're jumping into your emails, (20:03) you're rushing into your day, (20:04) your body's going to go straight into a stress response. (20:07) There's no transition, no grounding, (20:09) no movement where your body just feels settled. (20:11) Even just a small shift here can make a huge difference, (20:15) giving yourself just a couple minutes (20:16) before diving into everything, (20:18) getting some sunlight or eating breakfast (20:20) instead of delaying it, (20:21) moving your body lightly (20:22) or just having a quiet moment with God (20:24) before the day starts.

(20:25) You're not being unproductive. (20:27) You're helping your body and your mind (20:29) and your soul start the day in a more regulated state, (20:32) which is going to impact (20:33) how you handle everything that comes after. (20:36) Number seven, regulating your breathing.

(20:38) This sounds simple, (20:39) but it's actually one of the most effective tools (20:41) that you have. (20:42) Your breath directly impacts your nervous system. (20:45) So when you are stressed, (20:46) your breathing becomes really shallow and fast, (20:49) which keeps your body in this high alert state.

(20:52) But when you slow your breathing down, (20:54) especially your exhales, (20:55) you're signaling to your body that it's safe. (20:57) Even just a few minutes of slow controlled breathing (21:00) before meals, before bed, (21:02) or when you just feel overwhelmed, (21:03) that can help to bring your cortisol down in real time. (21:06) It's not complicated, (21:07) but it's extremely powerful when you actually use it.

(21:11) Number eight, getting regular sunlight exposure, (21:14) especially in the morning. (21:16) Your body is going to run on a natural rhythm (21:18) and light really does play a huge role (21:20) in regulating it. (21:21) Getting sunlight early in the day (21:23) is going to help to regulate your circadian rhythm, (21:26) which actually directly impacts your cortisol in your sleep.

(21:30) It's just like babies, right? (21:31) When you tell, when you, I don't know for me, (21:33) like when I first had Blake, (21:35) I was learning all these things (21:36) and it was like, make sure that the baby (21:37) is getting out in sun. (21:39) Make sure that the baby knows when it's dark, (21:41) like really just trying to get that circadian rhythm (21:44) imprinted in their body. (21:46) It's the same thing with us.

(21:47) And we go off of that as humans. (21:49) It helps us and it helps our body know (21:51) when to be alert and when to wind down. (21:53) Without that signal, your cortisol rhythm is going to feel off, (21:56) which usually shows up as low energy during the day (21:59) and being wired at night.

(22:00) So even five to 15 minutes outside in the morning (22:03) can make a huge difference. (22:05) Number nine, reducing constant stimulation. (22:08) A lot of people never really give their brain a break, (22:10) like they're scrolling, they're notifications, (22:12) there's music, there's talking, there's podcasts, (22:14) there's a YouTube video, there's noise, (22:16) there's multitasking.

(22:17) Your brain is constantly processing something (22:19) even if it doesn't feel stressful, (22:22) it all adds to your overall load. (22:24) So giving yourself small pockets of time without stimulation, (22:28) even if it's just 10 to 15 minutes, (22:30) is going to allow your nervous system to reset. (22:32) And this could look like walking without your phone, (22:34) sitting quietly, driving without music, (22:37) just not filling every moment with input.

(22:40) It sounds small, but it adds up. (22:41) And especially if you have kids (22:43) that are just now starting to talk, (22:45) or you have kids that are already talking. (22:47) Blake's just now starting to talk (22:48) and I'm starting to realize, (22:50) wow, I'm stimulated almost 24 seven.

(22:53) Like the amount of time that he's awake, (22:54) it's just constant stimulation. (22:57) So if he's sleeping, or if he's away, (22:59) or if I took a trip to the grocery store, (23:01) just sitting in silence for even five minutes of that trip (23:04) can be so life-changing and it can help so much (23:07) in just helping your body to slow down. (23:12) Number 10, strengthening your ability to handle stress, (23:15) not just trying to remove it.

(23:17) The goal is not to eliminate stress (23:18) because come on, that's just not realistic. (23:21) The goal here though, is to build a body (23:23) and a mind that can handle it better. (23:25) And this comes from accommodation (23:26) of everything that you're doing.

(23:28) Fueling properly, recovering well, (23:30) building muscle, getting sleep, (23:31) and supporting your nervous system. (23:33) When those are in place, (23:34) your body becomes more resilient. (23:36) The same stressors will not hit you as hard.

(23:39) And last but not least, (23:40) number 11, creating consistency (23:42) instead of constantly changing things. (23:44) This one is really underrated. (23:45) Like if your routine is all over the place, (23:47) your meals are inconsistent, (23:49) your sleep is unpredictable, (23:50) your workouts are random, (23:51) your body is never gonna fully settle.

(23:53) Consistency does create stability (23:55) and stability is what allows your nervous system (23:58) to calm down. (23:58) It's not about doing everything perfectly. (24:01) It's about doing the basics consistently enough (24:03) that your body starts to trust (24:05) the environment that it's in.

(24:07) Okay, I know that that was a lot. (24:09) So I kind of want to wrap this thing up (24:11) so that you can just get you the main key takeaways. (24:13) So when you just think back on this episode (24:16) in a week or in a month, (24:17) you can think about these things.

(24:19) Number one, cortisol is not your enemy. (24:21) It's a hormone that is designed to help you. (24:23) However, it's gonna cause problems (24:25) when it never gets a chance to come back down.

(24:27) Number two, chronic stress affects your body composition, (24:30) your muscles, your sleep, (24:32) and your cravings in ways (24:33) that have nothing to do with your effort (24:35) or your willpower. (24:36) Number three, stress and under-eating (24:38) is gonna feed each other into a cycle (24:40) that is genuinely hard to see from the inside. (24:42) Fueling your body consistently (24:44) is one of the most powerful tools (24:46) that you can do to start breaking it.

(24:49) And last but not least, number four, (24:50) the answer is not to stress less. (24:52) It's to support your body better (24:54) so that you can actually handle (24:56) the stress that it's under. (24:58) If you want to take the nutrition piece seriously (25:00) and understand what consistent structured fueling (25:03) actually looks like for your body and your goals, (25:05) the macro kind of made simple online academy (25:07) is exactly where I would send you.

(25:08) It's the clearest, most practical way (25:10) I know to take this out of the abstract (25:13) and into something that you can actually do (25:15) on an everyday basis. (25:16) And if you want your training to work with your body (25:19) instead of adding more stress on top of it, (25:21) that's why I created my Moomoo with Julie app. (25:24) This is exactly what it was built for.

(25:26) The workouts are intentionally programs (25:28) that you're never guessing how hard to push (25:30) or when to pull back. (25:31) The structure is doing the thinking for you (25:34) so that you can literally just show up (25:36) and let your body do what it's designed to do. (25:38) Both of those links are in the show notes below (25:41) so that you can easily go check those out.

(25:43) And if you love this episode, (25:44) I know you will also love episode 436, (25:47) Six Ways to Reduce Stress Daily. (25:49) It's gonna pair really well (25:50) with everything that we covered today (25:52) and gives you even more practical tools to work with. (25:55) If you're not already following the podcast (25:57) on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, (25:59) please make sure that you do (26:00) so that you never miss an episode.

(26:01) It would mean so much to me (26:02) if you left a quick review. (26:04) It really does help us reach more women (26:06) who need to hear this. (26:07) All right, this is all that I have for you.

(26:10) Your body has been trying to tell you something (26:12) and I hope that today you finally actually heard it (26:15) and you understood it. (26:17) I love you so dang much. (26:18) I mean it.

(26:18) I'll talk to you in the next one. (26:26) All right, sister. (26:28) That's all I got for you today.

(26:29) But I have two things that I need you to do. (26:33) First thing, if you are not already following me (26:35) on the Gram, be sure to do so Julie A. Ledbetter. (26:38) Yes, it's with an A in the middle (26:39) for that daily post-workout real talk.

(26:42) Healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability (26:44) to keep your mind and heart in check. (26:47) The second thing, be sure to subscribe (26:49) to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. (26:52) Thank you so much for joining me.

(26:55) It means the absolute world (26:56) and I'm going to leave you with one last thought. (26:58) The most beautiful women that I have met in my life (27:01) are the ones who are completely confident (27:03) and secure in being authentically themselves. (27:07) Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface.

(27:10) So go out there and embrace your real (27:12) because you're worth it.

 
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