Greetings, Primals!
Cortisol gets a bad rap, but it's not the villain. In short, controlled bursts, it’s one of your most powerful hormones for performance. It helps you mobilize fuel, stay alert, and even burn fat when the pressure’s on!
Our stress response system we inherited from our ancestors was built for real, physical threats—like hunting or escaping danger. Today, most of our “threats” live in our heads. They're thoughts, stories, deadlines, and imagined worst-case scenarios. And when the mind stays under pressure, so does your biology!
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In today’s issue:
Why short, controlled bursts of cortisol can boost performance and burn fat—and why chronic stress does the opposite
The hidden way your body creates its own sugar under stress (even if you’re cutting carbs)
How misaligned choices create hormonal signals that push your body into fat storage mode
The daily shift from “survival” to “growth” through intentional, high-effort stress like morning workouts
WEEKLY DEEP DIVE
Here’s the physiology: When you’re stressed, your body produces glucose from within—through a process called gluconeogenesis. That’s your liver turning protein, fat, and metabolic waste into fuel to help you “survive.” Then insulin shows up to move that fuel into cells.
But if this keeps happening every day—just from thoughts and tension—you stay in a hormonal loop that favors energy storage, not energy use. Even with a clean diet and consistent training, it’s hard to make progress if your cells keep hearing “store fat, more hard times are coming.”
Stress isn’t just something we feel in our heads—it’s something our body responds to at a metabolic level. When we let go of low-quality thoughts and imagined worst-case scenarios that may never happen, we give our system the space to return to balance. When we make choices that are not in alignment with the person we want to become we carry stress all throughout our day.
Every morning, I choose controlled stress. I show up at Burn Boot Camp and push myself on purpose. It’s short, intense, and followed by recovery. This kind of chosen suffering does the opposite of chronic stress—it makes you better.
Here’s what happens after a quick cortisol spike in the morning:
Your circadian rhythm resets
Mood and motivation rise
Insulin sensitivity improves
Your body shifts into fat-burning mode
You build mental resilience by doing something hard first
The image on the left shows a man living in alignment with his conscience—disciplined, present, and connected to purpose. The image on the right reflects what happens when we drift from that alignment. Over time, the body reveals the weight of unmade decisions.
Here's what happens in your body when you live out of alignment:
Chronic internal conflict = chronic stress
Even if no one else sees it, your nervous system does. Your body senses the tension and releases cortisol —the stress hormone from your adrenal gland.Cortisol raises blood sugar
It does this by triggering your liver to create glucose through a process called gluconeogenesis. Your body is prepping for danger—real or imagined. So as you work to limit carbs to reduce dietary glucose your body will make its own!Higher blood sugar means more insulin
Insulin’s job is to move that sugar into your cells and store it for later use. When we are chronically stressed we move into energy storage mode for the tough times ahead.Insulin blocks fat burning
When insulin is high, your body holds on to fat. It’s no longer focused on growth or repair! It’s focused on surviving the threat it thinks is coming by keeping blood sugar elevated and fat stored away.
The Primal Takeaway
For years, I stayed stuck in a cycle that no diet, workout, or supplement could fix—because the root problem wasn’t physical. It was misalignment. I was living in a way that clashed with who I knew I was meant to be, and my body responded with stress, stagnation, and weight gain.
Things began to change when I stopped making deals with my conscience. I quit looking for quick hits of relief and started choosing actions that aligned with the future version of myself I actually respected. The discomfort of doing the wrong thing finally outweighed the comfort of staying the same.
As that internal shift took hold, so did the physical transformation. My stress levels dropped, blood sugar stabilized, energy returned, and fat started to come off. My strength didn’t just come from better nutrition or training—it came from making choices in alignment with the man I wanted to become!
With Gratitude,
Will Winston, PHC
“Our results always match our choices. Therefore choose to Keep It Primal!”
One on One Coaching ($300.00 Monthly)
The Primal Protocol isn’t a one-size-fits-all program—it’s a personalized strategy built for your body, your goals, and your lifestyle. We start with an InBody scan to get a clear picture of your current body composition, then we map out a targeted plan to shift it—through making sure your choices moving forward are in alignment with your desired outcome.
Body Composition Analysis ($50.00 per analysis)
Discover your body’s unique makeup with a Body Composition Analysis — a comprehensive scan that provides deep insights into muscle mass, fat distribution, metabolic rate, and more. From there sit down with Will and discuss daily macronutrient goals to change your body composition.
Get the insights you need to reach your desired outcome — schedule your scan today!
See you next week,
Will Winston
Certified Primal Health Coach
References
Sapolsky, R. M. (2004). Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
Gleeson, M., et al. (2011). The anti-inflammatory effects of exercise: mechanisms and implications for the prevention and treatment of disease. Nature Reviews Immunology, 11(9), 607–615.
Marik, P. E., & Bellomo, R. (2013). Stress hyperglycemia: an essential survival response! Critical Care, 17(2), 305.
