Dearest Reader,

This information is for educational purposes only. You’ve likely landed here following your results of my quiz at YourBloodSugarQuiz.com. My aim is to support and empower you on your journey to feeling and showing up your best, so you have the health & well-being to realize your wildest dreams. Take what you need, leave what you don’t. No judgement here, just good honest support.

XO, Laurie

Your score on the Blood Sugar Stability Spectrum explained

Did you know: the state of your blood sugar is directly connected to the state of your health?

Yep. That’s right.

I’m not just talking diabetes here either, though wonky blood sugar can certainly lead you down that path.

Our blood sugar has an influence on every single system in our body. Your blood sugar status can either lead you closer to or further away from optimal health (you know, that glowing, cheerful, resilient, clear-headed and energetic you).

It’s connected to the health our immune system (helping to fight off the bad guys), cardiovascular system, nervous system (brain health & nerves), endocrine system (libido & hormones), our reproductive system (periods & fertility), urinary system (got leaky pee?), detoxification system (skin & gut), lymphatic system (cancer prevention)…

You get the idea.

Knowing how to keep your blood sugar in check (and by that I mean in the optimal zone) is a skill for a lifetime of feeling, and even looking, your best. It’ll help you keep both your body and mind in its best shape for years to come.

Your score on the blood sugar spectrum

If you’ve taken the blood sugar quiz, you’ve gotten a score between 0 and 100. The closer to zero, the better things are going. The closer to 100, the sooner you’ll need immediate and intensive assistance to turn things around.

My guess is that you landed here because your blood sugar could use some help.

Blood sugar imbalance is all too common

It could have you feeling hangry or peckish throughout the day, often feeling energy lows, and needing snacks to keep you going. It’s characterized by energy ups and downs, afternoon dips, an insatiable appetite, carb or sweet cravings, dependence on caffeine or carbs for energy, gut, yeast or fungal infections, headaches, interrupted sleep, hormone rollercoasters, and more.

Blood sugar imbalance will present itself differently in different women.

Getting to the root of blood sugar issues

Blood sugar dysregulation and insulin resistance is often at the root of other health and hormone frustrations. And even more often, unstable blood sugar and chronic stress go hand in hand. As stress comes in so many packages, it’s not always apparent what stressors could be impacting one’s blood sugar regulation (some might even be “invisible” stressors), or if it’s blood sugar dysregulation that’s a primary cause of stress.

Longterm fluctuations can lead to poor health, increased aging, or type 2 diabetes. Which is why now is the time to turn things around, and I’m always happy to help!

What are the signs of blood sugar issues or insulin resistance?

Blood sugar dysregulation will present itself differently in different women. You might find you have a few or many of the below signs and symptoms while someone else could have completely different ones. We’re all wonderfully unique like that.

Have any of these been showing up for you lately?

• Fatigue or energy highs and lows
• Unable to easily go more than 4 hours without eating or drinking (a caloric beverage)
• Craving sweets after dinner
• Feeling hangry
• Frequent carb cravings
• Dependence on caffeine or carbs for energy
• Poor sleep or trouble waking up feeling rested
• Waking up hungry during the night
• Gaining weight around your midsection
• Difficulty with weight loss
• Anxiety or depression
• Losing muscle mass and/or gaining fat
• Frequent gut, yeast or fungal infections
• Hives, allergic reactions, asthma or seasonal allergies
• Headaches
• Reduced or low libido
• Infertility or miscarriages
• Dry dark patches of skin in your underarms, groin or neck
• Frequently needing to pee

How does blood sugar get unbalanced?

You might be thinking: So Laurie, how does this happen?  Most often, blood sugar dysregulation or insulin resistance is multifactorial.

Women arrive at it for multiple reasons, not just one. Working with a knowledgable practitioner could help you get to the root of it and figure out your unique needs for better balance.

Some of the reasons for blood sugar gone wild could be:

• Chronic stress stress of any kind (could be things like high expectations, stressful or unsupportive thoughts, toxic relationships or environments)
• Diet high in processed foods, refined carbohydrates or unhealthy fats or refined oils
• Unaddressed food intolerances or allergies
• Gut or digestive issues
• Lack of movement or exercise
• Chronic, excessive or strenuous exercise for your body type or current hormone status
• Timing of meals, snacking or eating throughout the day and in between meals
• Inadequate quality sleep or lack of rest or downtime
• Circadian rhythm disruption (sleep that’s out of balance with the natural daylight cycle)
• Being overburdened with everyday environmental toxins either due to our over-exposure or our bodies ability to efficiently eliminate these toxins, or both
• Steroid medications or other pharmaceuticals
• Viral infections, chronic inflammation, pain or illness
• Low estrogen or progesterone, estrogen and progesterone help manage our metabolism and regulate our blood sugar levels
• Perimenopause or menopause — as our estrogen levels begin to naturally decline, women tend to notice changes in blood sugar regulation. This can be better managed with supportive tweaks in diet, movement and lifestyle.

How many of these could be affecting your blood sugar balance?

What’s happening physiologically when blood sugar gets unbalanced?

What gets you there can be complex but what’s going on in our bodies is actually pretty simple.

Our body aims to keep homeostasis and is often continuously working to keep our blood sugar level balanced, especially in those with blood sugar issues. When we eat, exercise, or experience stress, our blood sugar will rise initiating the release of insulin from our pancreas.

Insulin’s job is to get the blood sugar (called glucose) into our cells, for energy. It’s like a key, opening up the cells to let glucose in. When our cells don’t need the glucose for energy at that moment (perhaps there’s too much blood sugar or not enough activity), insulin helps store it as fat.

The higher or faster glucose rises in our body, the more insulin is released. And in certain situations, insulin could spike even if blood sugar stays stable, such as when drinking alcoholic beverages.

Sometimes, a rush of insulin release can lead to the body tucking away too much blood sugar, resulting in a blood sugar dip. This is often visible after eating a sugary snack, such as candy. The high is followed by a low. Overtime, these highs and lows can lead to cells becoming resistant. In this case, our baseline blood sugar levels begin to rise, creating a situation of insulin resistance. That’s not a place we want to head if we want good health.

Is your blood sugar affecting other hormones?

If you haven’t been feeling or showing up your best, there’s a good chance that answer is YES.

Blood sugar irregularities and insulin resistance can impact our sex hormones, our stress hormones, our body’s metabolism and ability to burn fat, as well as key neurotransmitters that help stabilize our mood, mind and concentration.

In addition to insulin, we depend on the hormone glucagon for blood sugar regulation. It assists in raising blood sugar levels when they drop too low, helping to find homeostasis. But when rapid or big shifts in blood sugar take place, instead of glucagon, our body will often call on cortisol and adrenaline — stress hormones — to bring blood sugar back up. This is useful in a stressful situation but not ideal on a regular basis.

This kind of dependency on our stress hormones can lead to more stress and other hormone issues, which is why blood sugar regulation is often at the root of many hormone frustrations.

The body prefers blood sugar levels to be stable so  it doesn’t have to work as hard calling on hormones to bring it up or down to balance it out. Other hormone imbalances or genetics, however, can make blood sugar balance more of a challenge.

Regardless, there is something we can do about it to help better support our body’s balance.

What can we do about blood sugar imbalance or insulin resistance?

When dealing with blood sugar issues, it’s important to address what’s causing it. Dealing with the root cause is essential and working with a knowledgable practitioner can help.

Restoring balance most often requires — first and foremost — reestablishing a strong foundation with a supportive diet and lifestyle.

This includes optimizing nutrition and sleep, finding exercise and stress management techniques that work well for you, reducing toxic exposures, and working on mindset and social support. Optimizing nutrition could also mean bringing in supplemental support unique to your genetics and needs.

I highly recommend working with an expert who can help personalize it for you.

Not sure where to start? Book a Better Balance Strategy Session.

If you’ve scored less than a 90 on my blood sugar quiz, I invite you to book a call with me to go over your results.

It’s not always easy to figure out the best next step when it comes to our health. No need to feel lost, confused or overwhelmed. I’ll help break it down into easy-to-digest bits, and simple to follow next steps.

You’re likely already doing a good job of looking after your health but my guess is there’s room for improvement. And it can be hard to see the whole picture when you’re in the frame.

Find out how your health might be holding you back from your bigger goals and vision.

If you’re like my amazing clients, you’ve got places to go, a business to run, and dreams to achieve. Don’t let your health keep you from showing up your best and enjoying yourself along the way.

Book your Better Balance Strategy Session to learn how your blood sugar could be the connecting factor to how you’ve been feeling, and your best next steps to turn things around.

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, manage, or treat disease or serious conditions. Always check with your doctor before making any changes. It's important to consult a well-informed health practitioner for personal advice about your situation before relying on general information — we're all wonderfully unique.