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How Do Healthy Connections Improve Your Metabolic Health?

Post by: KATHY SKINNER in Metabolic Health
You may be wondering what does my social life have to do with my metabolic health?

Let’s start with what are healthy connections.
Your connections fall into basically three groups:  
Intimate Connections - close family & friends. These are the people that you know really well, and they know you really well.

Relational Connections - people you see on a regular basis that share common interests.  For instance people you go to gym with, a group you belong to, like Pickle Ball, Bunco nights, a quilting group.

Collective Connections - groups with a shared membership of affiliation, like religious group, political affiliation, a fb groups, or garden club to name a few.

When thinking about it, which type of connection are you strong in & which could you use a little help in?
 
What is the social connection impact on health?
We are biologically, cognitively, physically & spiritually wired to love, be loved, & to belong.
The quality of our relationships affects our mental, emotional, & physical health.
Wellness is a balance of the mind, body & spirit.
 
Effects of Loneliness
 In a recent survey it was discovered that 61% of adults reported feeling lonely.
What was really sad is that 79% of those between the age of 18- 24 reported being lonely.
  
Loneliness can have dramatic consequences for your health.
Loneliness leads to:
  • disrupted sleep patterns
  • elevated blood pressure
  • increased cortisol
  • risk of obesity
  • inflammation
  • elevated blood sugar levels
  • depression  
  • anxiety

Loneliness actually leads to metabolic dysfunction.
And Metabolic dysfunction eventually becomes metabolic disease.

Did you know that nine of the leading causes of death are in the metabolic health category?
 


Effects of Stress
Strained relationships can lead to high levels of stress which causes the body to overproduce the stress hormone, cortisol.
Cortisol:
  • increases appetite
  • slows metabolism
  • raises blood sugar levels
  • causes excess fat storage
  • can lead to insulin resistance
And this can also lead to metabolic dysfunction which leads to full on metabolic disease.
 
Fortunately there are things you can stat doing right now!

Tips for Building Healthy Connections
  1. Surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you – people that you see as a light.
    1. Write down 3 people that you consider to be a source of light. They can be in any of your connection groups that were mentioned above.
    2. Build a stronger relationship with them.
  2. Improve your communication skills.
    1. If you need help with any of those conversation that may need to happen to improve your relationships, this book will be helpful, by Joseph Grenny - Crucial Conversations 
  3. Create healthy boundaries. It’s not OK to let toxic people to constantly drain you.
    1. Forgive others for their imperfections. This can be so powerful for you.
    2. Need guidance setting healthy boundaries this book by Lysa Terkeurst - Good Boundaries and Goodbyes: Loving Others Without Losing the Best of Who You Are. should be helpful.   
    3. Seek to intentionally strengthen meaningful connections. Send little note in the mail, share a plate of cookies with a neighbor, do little meaningful things that intentionally strengthen your relationship.
  4. Have an accountability group. Form a group to help support you with a new goal or habit you want to achieve.
    1. Forming a small accountability group will provide you with a group of like-minded individuals who share similar interests and goals.
    2. Words of affirmations from an accountability group can help trigger the release of stress-reducing hormones.
    3. People in the group can become your light.
  5. Social Gathering. Host a social gathering once a month or so.
    1. Planning a fun social gathering will help strengthen your relationships with others while providing you with meaningful connections that help support you in life.
    2. Plan a luncheon, dinner, game night, or outing to help connect your local community.
  6. Acts of Service. Engage in an act of service at least once a month.
    1. Engaging in acts of service towards others is one of the greatest ways to strengthen your connections, lift others and improve your overall well-being.
    2. Acts of service help provide you with a daily DOSE of happiness.
 
Here are more ways to help improve your Metabolic Health
 
Comment below with your favorite takeaway
 
Blessing for Health, Joy & Laughter,
Kathy
 
P.S. If you found this helpful, you will want to get my free guide 10 Secrets to Age Healthier
  
I don’t like Spam either, YOUR privacy is always protected.


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