DailyOM: Why did you decide to make your course on the vagus nerve and belly bloat?
Sadie: As I've created courses over the years, one of the biggest requests I get is how to help people handle belly bloating, fatigue, and what seems like unnecessary weight gain. This can happen at any age due to diet, of course, but what if the diet is pretty good, and it's still happening? What most people don't know is how powerful the vagus nerve can be when it comes to how your belly works, and therefore how your body looks and feels.
The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in the body and governs everything from breathing, swallowing, heart rate, blood pressure, vertigo, headaches, nausea, digestion, and immunity. The role of the vagus nerve in the body is important as it switches your entire central nervous system from the anxious, stressful, "fight-or-flight" sympathetic side into the peaceful stillness of the "rest-and-digest' parasympathetic side.
Without this switch, people are fighting against the tide to bring their bodies back into equilibrium. If your vagus nerve isn't functioning properly, we call this "low vagal tone," and it can cause digestive issues, hormone imbalances, and a host of other negative symptoms.
DailyOM: How does the vagus nerve impact our digestion?
Sadie: People with low vagal tone can't control the destructive stress hormones like cortisol, which can block their workouts from being effective, keep them exhausted, and even imbalance hormones. Since the vagus nerve communicates the needs of your gut to the brain and brings commands from the brain to the gut, we call it the gut-brain axis, like a superhighway between the two.
If your vagus nerve isn't working well, your brain can't tell your gut to process food properly, which means it will not release happy hormones like serotonin, dopamine, or endorphins that help you rest and digest more easily. If you don't process your food correctly, you bloat. If you don't sleep properly, you bloat. You won't feel well overall — and much of this can be avoided by doing one thing.
DailyOM: What's the one thing?
Sadie: The biggest secret to blocking the bloat and feeling great from day to day is to stop working out harder, which can trigger cortisol dumping. Instead, work out, move, and restore yourself smarter — for vagus nerve optimization and for all your other fitness and wellness benefits.
In fact, when you incorporate belly and vagus nerve-focused movement into your workouts, yoga practice, restorative sessions, or meditations, you will gain strength, flexibility, reduce bloating and whole-body inflammation, and feel more toned and energized all day. Then you'll also sleep better at night, which gives you even more energy.
DailyOM: Does belly bloat increase as we age?
Sadie: It's a common misconception that people, especially women, become bloated as they age. The idea that our metabolism slows down every year after 40 is a myth. We don't lose much metabolic function until around age 60, and even then, we only lose about 10 percent — if we stay active. In addition, the idea that we lose muscle mass as we age is not true. If we move mindfully and sometimes strongly, we can stay fit for a lifetime!
In this same way, we don't have to let stress hormones get the best of us. Our lives are often based on stress. And let's be honest, life can be a challenge. But if we allow stress to lead the way, we set ourselves up for exhaustion, bloating, accelerated aging, less movement, and eventually less mobility. We call this "aging," but really it's just a lack of the right types of movement, stress release, and self-care.
DailyOM: How can we turn this around and ensure we stay fit?
Sadie: I made the program to address all the areas we need to focus on to have a high-functioning vagus nerve — and a strong, flexible, relaxed body and centered mind. To help you accomplish this, I designed seven sessions, from vagus nerve-toning self-massage and breathing techniques to help your vagus nerve switch into your rest and digest state, to a workout and yoga practice for core strength, cardio and muscle tone to restore and target belly bloating and deep rest.
These sessions are all you need for a holistic renewal of body and mind — and to rescue you from a puffy, sluggish belly and body. I'm excited for you to find out just how powerful this simple shift can be!
DailyOM: Thank you, Sadie! Her wisdom and support about the vagus nerve is intertwined in every lesson as you learn to strengthen and relax your body. Plus, you'll gain strategies and insights to rid your body of belly bloat and recenter your mind. Until next time, be well.
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