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Dr. Elissa Epel: Control Stress for Healthy Eating, Metabolism & Aging

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Apr 3, 2023

Guest

Elissa Epel

In this conversation with Dr. Elissa Epel, a professor and stress expert, listeners learn how stress influences eating behaviors, mental health, and aging. She shares effective interventions like mindfulness, breathwork, and environmental changes to combat stress and improve metabolism. Epel highlights how reframing stress can transform it from a threat into a challenge, ultimately enhancing resilience. Her insights into the links between stress, appetite, and obesity provide actionable strategies for healthier living.

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INSIGHT

Stress Definition

Stress is feeling overwhelmed, like demands exceed resources.
It's not the stressors but our response that matters most.

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INSIGHT

Hidden Stress

Many are so used to daily stress that they don't notice it.
Check for physical tension (clenched hands, tight shoulders) as a stress indicator.

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ADVICE

Overthinking Solutions

Manage overthinking with top-down strategies (mindset shifts), body-based methods (exercise), or changing your environment.
Create a 'safe zone' with comforting items like photos, pets, or music.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Enhancing Sleep and Focus Through Temperature Control and Supplements

03:52 • 3min

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Navigating the Complexities of Stress

06:35 • 20min

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The Positive Impacts of Managed Stress on Resilience

26:48 • 3min

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Navigating Stress: From Threat to Challenge Response

29:55 • 4min

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Transforming Stress into Empowerment

34:17 • 12min

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Understanding Binge Eating and Obesity Treatments

46:23 • 19min

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Mindful Eating and Stress Management in Pregnancy: Lasting Health Benefits

01:05:27 • 5min

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Mindfulness and Prenatal Well-Being

01:10:50 • 15min

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Mitochondrial Well-Being and Radical Acceptance

01:26:18 • 16min

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Navigating Uncertainty and Stress Management

01:42:19 • 20min

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Reflections on Stress, Aging, and Engagement Opportunities

02:02:01 • 4min

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Stress Prescription

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Alyssa Appel

The Telomere Effect

A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer

Elizabeth Blackburn

Elissa Epel

This book, co-authored by Nobel Prize winner Elizabeth Blackburn and health psychologist Elissa Epel, explains the role of telomeres in aging and how they are affected by daily habits such as sleep quality, exercise, diet, and stress levels. The authors provide evidence from scientific studies showing that changes in lifestyle can protect telomeres, thereby increasing the number of years one remains healthy, active, and disease-free. They also discuss how chronic stress, negative thoughts, strained relationships, and environmental factors impact telomere health and offer practical advice on maintaining healthy telomeres from pregnancy through adulthood and at the community level.

Altered Traits

Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body

Richard J. Davidson

Daniel Goleman

In 'Altered Traits,' Daniel Goleman and Richard J. Davidson delve into the scientific research behind meditation, highlighting its ability to alter personality traits and benefit both mind and body. The book distinguishes between 'altered states' of consciousness during meditation and 'altered traits,' which are lasting psychological changes. It discusses various levels of meditation practice, from beginner to 'Olympic-level' meditators, and presents findings from over 6,000 scientific studies, focusing on those that meet high methodological standards. The authors explain how meditation can reduce stress, improve emotional health, enhance focus, and even change brain pathways, leading to more equanimity and compassion[1][4][5].

In this episode, my guest is Elissa Epel, Ph.D., professor and vice chair of the department of psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and the author of a new book entitled "The Stress Prescription." We discuss her work showing how stress impacts mood, eating behavior, mental health, physical health, and aging. She explains stress intervention tools using “top-down” techniques (e.g., radical acceptance, mindfulness, reframing), body-based methods (e.g., breathwork) including the Wim Hof Method, exercise, meditation, body scans, and environmental shifts proven to help people cease unhealthy rumination patterns. We discuss how stress can positively impact psychology and sense of purpose, how stress affects cellular aging, how our narratives of stressful events impact our mood and biology, and how to effectively reframe stress. She explains science-based techniques to break stress-induced cycles of craving and overeating and thereby improve insulin sensitivity and metabolic health. Dr. Epel provides a wide range of tools shown to be effective in reducing stress and improving various aspects of our health.

For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com.