I just thought I'd do a quick post about energy levels and being sugar-free!
I find it all very fascinating the changes that happen when one is sugar-free, I have been witnessing the changes in my own body over the last 6 months as I have been completely sugar and processed carbohydrate free. I'm still loving whole fruit and wholegrains and to be honest this way of eating feels very automatic now, no cravings or anything, such freedom.
What I am also noticing is how my energy levels are changing. I have generally kept myself fit through my life but the last couple of years has seen me forgo my daily walk and weekly exercise classes that I love and then of course I put on weight and then I didn't feel like it... you know that cycle?
Well what I have learned is this pattern is often directly linked to the amount of sugar and processed carbs that you are eating. Here is why; when our blood sugar is raised through eating processed carbs and sugar, we produce insulin. When insulin is high our body switches into fat storage mode which to our primitive body means slowing our metabolism and conserving energy i.e. we feel like being a couch potato.
On the flip side when we reduce/cut out processed carbohydrates and sugar our blood sugar goes down, our insulin levels also reduce.
When this happens we flip the switch into fat burning mode; this switch is controlled by the hormone leptin which is produced by our fat cells; the more fat we have the more leptin we produce. When we produce leptin this speeds up our metabolism and we want to be more active. Our primitive body is saying, woohoo we have spare energy reserves let's go out and 'spend' it.
For me over the last 6 weeks or so I have noticed that all of a sudden I 'need' to have some exercise everyday, that I want to walk and even run up hills, I'm not pushing myself at all, my body wants to do it, it feels the strangest thing 🙂
I love how are body will work with us if we just give it the right ingredients. Love Cxx