The Secret of Vigor: How to Overcome Burnout, Restore Metabolic Balance, and Reclaim Your Natural Energy is a proven and powerful, cutting-edge, 7-day program that can counter the effects of chronic stress to help people:
1. restore balance in the body
2. improve mental/physical energy
3. reduce fatigue
4. alleviate depression
5. sharpen mental focus
6. lose weight
7. manage their risk of diabetes, cancer and heart disease
Millions of North Americans complain of feeling tired, stressed, or depressed.
Their daily routine is hectic and stressful, they suffer from constant fatigue, rarely sleep well, continue to gain weight, and at least occasionally are moody. In short, they are lacking in something that psychology researchers call "Vigor."
Vigor is defined as "a 3-tiered sustained mood state characterized by physical energy, mental acuity, and emotional well-being." Vigor is a true measure of wellness because it encompasses much more than simply feeling energetic or being in a good mood or having a sharp mind. People with high levels of vigor are those can-do individuals who get things done - they're motivated. For many people, however, vigor is a state that they have not experienced in many years.
Chronic stress plays a major role in disrupting vigor. Talbott explains that we can dramatically reduce stress, cut fatigue and improve vigor by achieving Oxidative Balance, Stress Hormone Balance, Blood Sugar Balance, and Inflammatory Balance which he refers to as the "Four Pillars of Health." His approach to achieving this is similar to the highly practical and approachable nutrition and supplementation plan in his earlier book, The Cortisol Connection, but is based on his last ten years of research helping people feel and perform better.
The "Four Pillars of Health" - Oxidation balance, Glycation balance, Inflammation balance and Metabolic balance - are closely linked and affect each other. The program in this book addresses each in turn and also describes how to monitor them all and keep them working together.
Oxidation balance - balancing the free radicals and antioxidants in the body - is necessary to limit cell and DNA damage in every tissue and organ in the body. We can control free-radical exposure and the cellular oxidation (damage) that it causes through a balanced dietary intake of antioxidant nutrients.
Glycation balance - balancing the inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines
- is needed to prevent sugar (glucose) molecules becoming attached to protein molecules, inhibiting their normal functioning. Simple nutritional steps to control blood sugar help to restore blood sugar balance and reduce glycation throughout the body.
Inflammation balance - balancing insulin activity and blood glucose levels.
Inflammation is a normal metabolic process with many life-sustaining benefits. However, if it becomes overactive or misdirected, our bodies can fall into a hyper-inflammatory state leading to pain, stiffness, gastrointestinal problems, and brain fog. Controlling inflammation also helps to balance oxidation, glycation, and cellular stress.
Metabolic balance - correcting imbalance between cortisol and testosterone.
Cortisol is the body's primary stress hormone. Cortisol overexposure leads to a reduction in testosterone levels, and this metabolic imbalance invariably leads to a cascading "domino effect" of increase oxidaton, glycation, and inflammation. In many ways, Metabolic Balance (the ratio between cortisol and testosterone) is the "master controller" among the Four (metabolic) Pillars of Health
What most of us understand as "aging" - wrinkling skin, thinning hair, spreading waistlines, diminished sex drive and decreasing mood and energy levels- is in fact basically a progressive fall in our Vigor.
The Secret of Vigor: How to Overcome Burnout, Restore Metabolic Balance, and Reclaim Your Natural Energy contains a "Vigor Self-Test" for testing the reader's level of vigor, and Talbott also suggests easy tips everyone can do to counteract stress such as "leave the cellphone behind" or "get a pet," among others. Perhaps most important is Talbott's 7-Day Vigor Improvement Program (VIP) where he challenges readers to put their new knowledge to the test through his SENSE approach: Stress management, exercise, nutrition, supplements, and evaluation.
Burnout and chronic stress are epidemics in the United States. Both conditions affect millions of men, women and children, and the numbers of those affected are growing. The Secret of Vigor: How to Overcome Burnout, Restore Metabolic Balance, and Reclaim Your Natural Energy will help the reader combat these two conditions and their complications. This 7-day plan for improving vigor has proven results. Thousands of men, women and children have seen its quick results.
