The link between stress and weight

If you find it hard to lose weight, particularly around your middle, then it may be that you are under too much stress. When we are stressed the body produces a hormone, cortisol, which allows us to be alert to danger - this was fine when we were faced with sabre-toothed tigers and needed to get very quickly into fight or flight mode - but in modern life we don't have that sort of danger any more, so the stress hormone is left in our bodies.

The stress hormone cortisol layers fat around your middle of your body, almost like a protective cushion. The body stores fat here because it’s near the liver and the major arteries, and close at hand if you need that extra energy supply quickly. Obviously it may have come in handy to primitive man, but, now that we can get our food at the supermarket whenever we like, this is not needed, and in fact extremely unhealthy. 

Putting on weight around the middle is very unhealthy and linked closely with diabetes, heart disease, as well as some cancers.

For this reason it's a really good idea to link any weight loss plan with activities which you can do to reduce stress. Hypnotherapy can be a doubly powerful tool because it is known to help with weight loss, as well as being deeply relaxing, and helping to dissolve away the stress hormone.

Do call me on 01449780352 or 07817158429 if you are concerned about your weight, and would like a safe, comfortable and relaxing way to get rid of that tummy once and for all.

Best wishes,

Wendy x

The statin debate

Whatever your own personal views on the issue, the statin debate seems to rage on, with - on one side those who believe that we should all be given them as a preventative measure against heart attacks and strokes and on the other side those who feel that they are a drug which should only be prescribed when absolutely necessary, as their side effects are unpleasant to say the least.

Medical research continues to persuade us that these side effects occur only very rarely, but I'm not so sure as I know quite a few people who have suffered with the most appalling muscle cramps, depression and skin conditions, to name a few. My poor mum was put on statins (despite having no history of heart disease or stroke) and developed polymyalgia, a disease which affects the muscles. She had to be treated with steroids for this for a number of years. I believe that the statins triggered this condition.

On the other hand my dad takes statins since having a heart bypass some years ago, and he now tolerates the drug very well - it is quite possibly keeping him alive as without it, his cholesterol level was very high indeed and good not be brought down by diet alone. However, when first prescribed it he did suffer from side effects too, notably a really distressing skin rash.

So, whilst it is true that - prescribed well, and to those who really need it - it can be a life-saving drug, what I tend to object to is the way that very little attention is given to lifestyle by our medical profession. It's almost as if it doesn't matter if we have an unhealthy lifestyle, drinking, eating too much and smoking, as there is a drug to counteract all of that.

A dear friend had to go into hospital for an operation recently, and she told me that the doctor was absolutely amazed when she told him about her healthy lifestyle, not drinking or smoking, eating a good diet and taking regular exercise, as well as being a healthy weight. It's almost as if the 'norm' is somebody who is overweight, very sedentary with a bad diet, and perhaps smokes and drinks heavily.

Conversely, I spoke to an acquaintance last week who was a heavy smoker, but believed himself to be quite healthy as statins had brought down his cholesterol level to 3.

This is quite clearly nonsense, but seems to be a commonly held belief. Live an unhealthy life, but whatever you do, don't let your cholesterol go to more than 4.

Until the medical experts start to really push home the importance of a healthy lifestyle, and this does not just mean having some orange juice and a couple of bananas every day, then sooner rather than later we are going to be faced with an almighty health crisis, which no amount of statins or gastric bands will fix.

As well as practicing hypnotherapy I have a particular interest in nutrition, so if you think that your lifestyle could do with an overhaul, do please get in touch on 01449780352 or 07817158429, or email me on wendy@wendychalk.co.uk, and we could work out an individual programme for you which you will find easy to stick to.

Modern drugs are amazing in what they are able to do, but the importance of a healthy lifestyle should not be ignored.

Best wishes,
Wendy x

Performance anxiety

One of the areas where I have witnessed hypnotherapy working very powerfully is helping people to overcome performance anxiety. This can be related to exams, both written and spoken, as well as job interviews, work presentations, sporting competitions and also musical/stage performances.

It was interesting to speak to my son about this recently when he was back from university for a short trip. As a jazz musician and student at Birmingham Conservatoire, he is immersed in a highly-charged musical world where everyone around him has already achieved a certain level of excellence.   So the pressure, as you can imagine, is immense. I have learnt that jazz musicians can be particularly hard on themselves, as they have to be at one and the same time master of their craft, but also somehow get into that 'zone' where their creativity can flow freely. It's that unique combination of discipline and 'letting go' which is such a challenge. If they get the balance right, then it can be sublime.  As my son explained to me, someone who plays music simply for fun CAN relax and let themselves go. However, for him, it's so important, its his life and means absolutely everything, so one can understand how this balance can be hard to achieve. He has told me that sometimes he just says to himself 'it's only music', and then he allows himself to relax.

Hypnotherapy is an excellent way of calming the mind before a performance of any kind and in addition visualising how you would like things to go - as vividly as you can - in order to, in effect, give a preview of how the performance is actually going to be, can be extremely powerful. Sports people are particularly good at this, the golfer visualising where exactly he wants the ball to go, the footballer about to take a penalty and actually seeing the ball in the corner of the net, the runner seeing himself crossing the line first. These simple techniques do work - and when used in conjunction with hypnosis - can have the most amazing consequences.

Do get in touch if you feel that hypnosis could help you to overcome performance anxiety - I can be contacted on 01449 780352 or 07817158429. Alternatively, you can email me on wendy@wendychalk.co.uk.

Best wishes,
Wendy x