066: Slowing Down to Speed Things Up

Episode 66: Slowing Down to Speed Things Up
Guest: Laura Moore

Welcome back to the Women Rocking Wall Street Show! This week’s show is all about how slowing down can actually help you speed things up.

Laura Moore has a very interesting business story. Having moved to Australia from the UK several years ago, she fell into the health and wellness industry. Starting as a personal trainer she found that she loved it and therefore threw herself into her work. With several years under her belt, Laura started her own gym, which became her pride and joy. Eight months into the business, and just as it was starting to become profitable, Laura received a call that changed everything. Unfortunately her gym had caught fire and she was faced with a whole host of challenges. She was able to relocate her gym to another location but at that point she had come to the realization that it wasn’t working for her anymore. She also found some changes were happening with her body that put her on a new journey. Eventually she came to the realization that her mind was causing her health issues. This forced her to learn where the problems were stemming from and how to change her behaviour. Today, Laura is the founder of Uppy, a performance and health coaching program that aims to help professional and driven women to make changes in their life to achieve what they want.

When we're busy and on the go all the time, our body thinks that we’re in danger, and releases adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones release energy so that we can fight or run. The problem is, if we’re not actually running or fighting, these hormones don’t get used and are left cycling through our system, which results in the extra fat in our hips and belly (known as a cortisol belly). Unfortunately, this fat likes to attract more fat. There are other side effects, including erratic energy, causing extreme exhaustion and moments of high energy, especially at night. Our body can also stop anything that isn’t necessary to function, including digestion, which is what leads to bloating.

If these symptoms resonate with you, perhaps it's your body telling you to slow down. There are several things that Laura recommends that you can do to make subtle changes. The biggest thing is becoming aware again with your body and how it responds to different situations. Second, allow your brain to take a break, sometime in the day, so that your body knows that you're not in danger. You can do this by breathing deeply for several minutes. Third, determine what is important to you and identifying your real, deep level goals and values. Finally, she suggests setting boundaries that create more space for you to do the things that meet your goals and values.

If you would like to learn more about Laura and Uppy, visit Uppy.com.au. Thanks for listening. If you liked what you heard, be sure to hit subscribe, share it with others and write us a quick review on iTunes.