Wellness After 40
A podcast that empowers women in their 40s and beyond to embrace aging with vitality and purpose.
Wellness After 40
Wired, Tired & Gaining Weight? The Truth About Cortisol in Midlife with Gunjan Bhalla
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Cortisol gets blamed for everything in midlife—poor sleep, stubborn weight, feeling constantly on edge.
But it’s not that simple.
In this episode, we’re breaking down what’s really happening in your body when it comes to stress and cortisol—and more importantly, how to support your body so it can actually recover.
I’m joined by Gunjan Bhalla, who takes a more holistic approach to stress by focusing on nutrition, nervous system regulation, and sustainable lifestyle shifts that help your body come out of that constant “go” mode.
If you’ve been feeling wired, tired, or like your body just isn’t responding the way it used to—this one is for you.
Connect with Gunjin:
👉 Instagram: @gonatural_5
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Thank you for listening!
What is it about midlife that suddenly looks like this? Waking up at 3 a.m., holding on to belly fat no matter what you do, and feeling wired, but also completely exhausted. Today we're diving deeper into one of the biggest drivers behind that cortisol and what is actually happening in our body. Welcome to Wellness After 40: Health, Goals, and Manifestation for Women, the podcast that empowers women in their 40s and beyond to embrace aging with vitality and purpose. I'm your host, Katie, an older millennial navigating wellness, personal growth, and the art of intentional living. Each week, we'll dive into the latest in exercise, nutrition, mental health, goal setting, as well as actionable steps for manifesting the life you want. We'll also explore the science behind women's health at midlife and beyond, along with conversations with experts to keep you thriving in your body, mind, and spirit. Whether you're focusing on achieving health goals, mastering your mental clarity, or transforming your life, this podcast will give you the tools to feel your best at every stage of life. Let's dive into the journey of not just surviving, but thriving after 40. Well, welcome to the podcast Wellness After 40. I am your host, Katie. And today, before we get into the topic at hand, I wanted to go a little bit deeper myself in today's conversation. So I wanted to take a minute out to talk about cortisol because it's one of those words that gets thrown around a lot, especially in midlife. But most people don't actually understand what it's doing in the body. Cortisol is often labeled as the stress hormone, but that's a little too simplistic. It's actually a critical survival hormone produced by your adrenal glands that help regulate metabolism, blood sugar, immune function, and your body's response to stress. So cortisol itself isn't the problem. You do need cortisol. The issue is when cortisol stays chronically elevated. And this is where things start to shift for women in midlife. As we move through our 40s and beyond, we're navigating hormonal changes, especially with estrogen and progesterone, along with disrupted sleep, increased life stress, and changes in how our bodies handle blood sugar and store fat. All of this can make your body more reactive to stress and less efficient at coming back down from it. Over time, chronically elevated cortisol has been associated with things like increased increasement in your abdominal fat, blood sugar dysregulation, poor sleep, muscle breakdown, and higher levels of inflammation. And while we can't say the direct causes of cortisol causing disease, we do have very strong research showing that chronic stress can impact your immune function and your cellular health in ways that matter long term. So this conversation that we're having today isn't about fearing cortisol or trying to eliminate stress because that is absolutely not realistic. It is about understanding how to better support your body so it can respond to stress appropriately and then return to back to your baseline. Our ability to shift out of stress response is really where so many of the lifestyle strategies that we are going to talk today with my next guest. We're going to talk about sleep, nutrition, movement, recovery. And this will help start to make a meaningful impact. So that's exactly why I wanted to bring on today's guest. She specializes in supporting women through stress, nervous system regulation, and what we often refer to as cortisol care. And she brings an approachable practical perspective to this conversation. So let's get into it. Here's our episode. Well, welcome to the podcast Wellness After 40. I am your host, Katie. And today's guest is a very special guest, and I'm excited to introduce you to her. Our guest today is a holistic health coach, a devoted mom of two, and yoga and pickleball enthusiast. She's always lived an active lifestyle with moving serving as her medicine since a young age. After experiencing multiple joint injuries, the high-impact lifestyle she once thrived on was no longer sustainable. Around the same time, she began facing chronic fatigue, weight gain, heavy bleeding, bloating, and brain fog and realized something deeper was out of balance. Rather than settling for quick fixes, she turned inward, focusing on yoga, meditation, mindful nutrition, and truly listening to her body. Through that journey, she found healing physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Today, she helps women create bio-individual, holistic paths towards sustainable root-cause healing. What began as her own healing journey has now become her mission. So welcome to the podcast, Gun Jan Puri.
SPEAKER_00Thank you so much, Katie, for such a wonderful introduction. And I'm happy to be here. Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER_01Yes, absolutely. I am thinking about so many questions that I want to ask you, but we talked prior about the theme for today, and we are going to talk about a topic that I find is a little bit of a hot button. It is kind of getting a lot of buzz. It's getting a lot of um eyes on it, I guess is the best way to say it. But we're talking today about cortisol and cortisol levels in women in midlife. And so, you know, I read with a little bit to the audience about your background, but what happened in your life that led you to focus specifically on the topic for today, on the topic of cortisol and hormone health in women in midlife?
SPEAKER_00So um, I will start with uh what you just said. I had always been an athlete and I had constantly been uh doing high impact activities, being in the college team and playing for to the state level, and um just even continuing to doing my workouts and uh crossfits after having two kids, just so I could shift that extra weight because I was almost 185 pounds when I delivered my second child, and I wanted to get back in shape. So that stress was a lot on me. And I thought the best way to do it is doing what I always did. Apparently, the body had shifted, which I didn't realize. And uh so it all started with the stress on my body physically when I went and did those exercises and had multiple injuries, which I will tell you about in a in a while. But when I had those injuries, the first was the ACL hit, and then I had a couple of meniscus in the same knee. And so I realized that after those three hits, that it's a lot of strain on my body that I'm putting just to look good. During that same phase, I started going through perimenopausal symptoms, um, missing periods and brain fog and having pains here and there, and getting those anxiety attacks, and just not knowing what is changing and what is happening in my life because everything just seems okay. But it's just me not able to take care of it. And um gradually I shifted towards yoga, gradually I shifted uh inwards because I was uh a person who would only see myself through somebody else's lens. And I started realizing I need to turn inwards, and uh with that, my journey of healing my ACLM meniscus hits, which were obviously told by my doctors that had to be healed only through surgery. And I made it a point that I don't want to go through surgery only because I had two very little boys to take care of. That was my main reason I didn't want to go in surgery, and I started uh learning and self-educating myself for a path which was unknown to me, but I knew had worked for many. And uh so slow, slowly and gradually I got into yoga, I got into holistic living, I got into foods and lifestyle changes that could help me be a better person and be available for my kids who were just uh, I believe, um, six and two at that time. That started the journey into holistic living. That started the journey into looking inwards for answers and not looking outwards.
SPEAKER_01And so, since we're talking about stress and specifically cortisol, can you tell us a little bit about what cortisol is? Because I think that the education or the narrative out there about cortisol is a lot of fear base. But what actually is cortisol?
SPEAKER_00So, cortisol is a good hormone. We all need cortisol to be able to get out of bed and be motivated and be inspired to do something. We need a purpose to get out of bed and do something. So cortisol gives us that purpose. So we are able to get up and do what needs to be done in the morning, but in the night, it needs to come down, it needs to um come back to the levels where it helps us um sleep through the night. Now, the issue happens when the cortisol stays high even in the evening, and that consistently happens for days, for weeks, for months, and after a few years, when that cortisol does not come down, as the sun comes down, that's when the autoimmune happens, that's when blood pressure issue happens, that's when diabetes happens, that's when depression happens, that's when everything happens that we go to get fixtures from our doctors. That's when we go get the band aids. Um, so our motive is actually to bring that cortisol up, which automatically comes up in the morning, but be able to come down as we go to bed. So that fight and flight mode is cortisol.
SPEAKER_01Cortisol is a hormone and it is used in the body to promote the body to for some type of function movement, right? And so when cortisol is high, why is that a problem? Like what does that do to us?
SPEAKER_00So when cortisol is high, it's actually good because it gives you motivation to work towards finding solutions to issues around you, to just keep going and be motivated to do well and be well and be productive to the people around. However, when cortisol stays high and your body doesn't know how to shut down from the stress mode to a more relaxing mode, then you gain weight and it all comes in the belly. You're you get moon phase, so the weight comes up here, you get brain fogs, you're always anxious. Every tiny little thing will make you angry. So having that cortisol is good, but when it stays up constantly, it leads to problems with women. And so I feel the body responds to what your mind cannot take anymore. And when you exhaust all your resources and you still have to-do list, that does not deplete, that does not change, and only keeps increasing. As a woman, you are an emotional being, and you attach the well-being of others. Actually, you give more value to that to your own self. Because we define our well-being as as long as my kids are happy, my husband is happy, my friends are happy, my parents are taken care of, I'm good. But no, we are not. The ability to continue to go on when you can't creates problem in women. And in midlife, things that did not uh give you stress at the age of 35, at 45, that's gonna be stressful to you because your body cannot take that stress anymore.
SPEAKER_01So you mentioned some symptoms of dysregulation, like uh weight gain, uh gaining uh maybe fluid in the face, um, around the belly, brain fog. Are there any other types of signs that we could be overlooking that our cortisol level is high?
SPEAKER_00Pains. When you have pains around migraines, migraines come much later. It starts with a small headache that you just wake up with in the morning because you couldn't sleep. Those small headaches eventually unnoticed over the period of a couple of years turn into a migraine. And that migraine becomes a part of every second woman that I know of. So migraine, autoimmune, why do you think uh autoimmune, 80% of autoimmune happens to women? There is a reason. And the reason is that we don't know how to say no and we take up the responsibilities that which are hard for us to manage, especially at the age of 45, and we still think like we're a 16-year-old girl, we're not anymore. The body is telling you in its own way, I can't take it anymore.
SPEAKER_01Signs that or misconceptions in like the wellness space that you could see that are ways that we're handling our cortisol that are not really ways that are helping us at all?
SPEAKER_00Few of them. Uh, number one is uh the high impact activities that we do when you go hit the gym, when you do those crossfits, and if your cortisol levels are high, it's only gonna put your body in more stress. Whereas what you need is more relaxation, you need to flow with what's happening around you, you need to flow with what's happening within you. So that is why yoga, that is why breathing exercises, that is why small rituals that um make you feel that you're caring for yourself. So high impact, second is uh intermittent fasting works for a lot of us, brings great results. But if a woman is in a very high cortisol state, intermittent fasting is also gonna stress her body because those long hours of not eating and yet you are constantly working on something is putting an impact in your body. So you need to eat every two, three hours, but you need to eat more nutritive, um uh dense food than just the calorie intakes. So that's where you bring in some snacks, which are nuts. Nuts are great. Soaked nuts overnight is the best way to begin your mornings with. It's 20 times better than that black coffee you have empty stomach. Coffee. So people think that my energy levels are going down. Let me have another cup of coffee. That coffee is actually poison for your body. And I say it all the time. Coffee is great. One black coffee in the morning is actually great for your system. However, two to three coffees in a day, just so you can get on with the day, is actually putting more stress in your body. And that is why the jitters, that is why the anxiety happens more. And uh, some you would notice that some people they panic more than the others in small little changes that happen around them. It's that coffee, it adds to it. And uh one more thing I would say is waking up with the anxiety to what's on my phone, what's that next email I need to answer? That's not the way we want to start our morning.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I had read that you already have like cortisol is already in your body, and you use cortisol to wake your body up in the morning. So your body naturally starts to produce cortisone early in the early morning hours to start to wake you up to get you moving for the day. And so that makes a lot of sense, adding in these other exterior things that are going to also push more cortisol, like looking at social media first thing, having lots and lots of coffee on an empty stomach. Like that makes sense to why you're not feeling your best. Like if you are, if you start your day out with your body naturally is going to add in cortisol to get you going, and then you add in these huge spikes that continuously spike your cortisol, it makes sense why those things are these misconceptions that are not really healthy for you and are really adding to your high cortisol levels. And so you mentioned some foods. So I know that nutrition is one of the things that you work with clients on. So, what are some key ways diet can really support, or maybe diet disrupts or cart or cortisol levels?
SPEAKER_00Well, disrupts would 100% be the packaged food, the processed food, or defined sugar, coffee, as I mentioned, uh, too much coffee. Those are the main factors. Basically, anything that has a longer shelf life, that's what I always tell my clients. Anything that you see that has a longer shelf life will give you a low quality of life within you. So as long as you get fresh food, fresh, um, freshly made every day, that is gonna give you a lunch, uh long and a nice quality of life, always. A longer shelf life where you see, you want to stay away from it because it's gonna bring your life quality down. Almonds give you vitamin E, great for your skin. Um, walnuts, omega-3, great for your brain, just as it appears. Nature is just beautiful in itself. All you have to do is consciously see how it can make the quality of my life better. And food has the potential to do that.
SPEAKER_01And you mentioned movement being one of the things that can cause higher cortisol levels. Like I definitely have heard a lot of research about like the high-impact types of movement patterns that are there are harder on our system as we get into midlife. And so you did mention some movements like yoga and other maybe like lower impact types of movements. What would you recommend the most for someone to still get in movement, but do it in a way that helps reduce their cortisol levels, if that's even possible?
SPEAKER_00Dance. Easy. Just put a music on and move your body. Your body has so much stress within it that we don't even realize. Just to get that to-do list out of our way, we put a lot of stress on our body. And if you just move freely, put some good music on and just dance to those beats, even 10 minutes will release that tension off your body and your mind. Taking a walk outside, listening to those birds chirping while the sun is out, you're getting your vitamin D. And there is something so magical about nature. I personally am passionate about just being out. So it gives you so much joy when you're out walking in nature, listening to those birds chirping and the green trees and the tulips outside. It's such a wonderful sight. If you like playing pickleball, go play pickleball, be with your friends, even with your kids. Even if you get that half hour, go play pickleball in your um wherever you live, if there is a uh community park, go play there, go take a walk with your girlfriend, or just listen to a good podcast while you're taking a walk. So those tiny little efforts that you make, pick a pick a phone and call a friend. A friend that gives you a good dopamine rush. Make sure you have a friend like that. So pick a phone and just call a friend. Talk for 10 minutes. Surround yourself with people who bring the best in you.
SPEAKER_01So lovely. Well, I know one of the services that you offer are bioindividual plans. What does that look like in practice?
SPEAKER_00The bioindividual plan is just the perfect kind of meal, lifestyle change, um self-awakening that you require to become the best version of yourself within your life and in your life situation. Things that you like and things that you don't like, things which are harming you, and things that can bring the best in you to be more aware of it. And so I talk to my clients, and then after listening to everything that they like, don't like, can, cannot do, hope to do, wish not to be doing, I create a bioindividual plan depending on their symptoms. And then we talk through it and then we move through it, and I tweak it as and when required. So it includes nutrition, it includes lifestyle changes, it includes your morning and night rituals, and it includes your non-negotiables.
SPEAKER_01So to recap, high cortisol levels are could be showing up in your body in lots of different ways, from uh autoimmune issues, belly fat, brain fog, joint issues. Like there's a huge list of things that we could be seeing. And so if a client were to want to work with you, you would work on nutrition because you said that you know it could start a lot in helping your body and bringing it neutrally dense foods, movement patterns that reduce your stress, but get to your body in a healthy state, and then working on the the mental side of stress. Like how are we de-stressing from the day? How are we adding stress into our day? And how can we process through them? So that's a little bit more about like how your plan would work.
SPEAKER_00100%, yes. We cannot leave the mental aspect of it because it all begins there, it all begins with our thoughts. Sometimes we over-exaggerate, exaggerate the situation that we're in, and sometimes we underestimate. So it's just keeping the balance and knowing what we can do in terms of what we put in our body and in our mind, and knowing what is out of our hand. That self-awareness is very critical for your well-being. And sometimes you have the self-awareness, but you don't have the tools or the capacity to apply it. And that's where it's okay to need help, it's okay to come for help and seek that help from somebody who can show you what is important and what you can let go of. And sometimes a third person can do that better for you.
SPEAKER_01So if someone who is listening would like to work with you, how can they get in touch?
SPEAKER_00Well, I um have my Instagram page, of course, and that's what I primarily operate from. It's go natural, as the word defines go natural. So it's all about um natural ways of healing yourself, whether it's food, lifestyle shifts, and um just to align yourself with what's going on in your life and in nature. So, yes, go natural is my handle. And uh um I'm on Instagram and I do definitely one-on-one sessions with uh many of my clients. I am about to start a group session soon. It's in the making, but um one-on-one is uh the way, like I said, I love to hug.
SPEAKER_01Well, be sure to put your Instagram handle in the show notes. So if someone's on the go and they want to be able to reach out to you, it'll be in the show notes. So someone will be able to click on that and connect with you further. Thank you. Well, to wrap up our conversation today, I had just kind of a fun question, or maybe two, that I wanted to ask you before we wrapped up. So if you had just one healthy habit that you swear by that's completely changed your mind over time, what would that be?
SPEAKER_00Being grateful for things that I have. And to practice it every single day, especially before going to bed, that changes everything. Because it brings your shift from what you're lacking to what you have. And I feel that shift is very important for your well-being.
SPEAKER_01And is there something that you personally do now in your midlife age that your younger self would have totally dismissed?
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah. Ability to say no. Oh, yeah, good one. It's a girl girl syndrome. I always had good girl syndrome, and if I don't consciously curb it down, I would still have that because I want to please everybody around me all the time. So, yeah, but consciously I have learned with experience and as the time goes by.
SPEAKER_01I had heard a phrase once and it said it reminds me that of that power of it is okay to say no. Because the the phrase was, what you say yes to, you are already saying no to something else. So just be very careful with your yes, because all the yeses that you say, there's a lot of no's that have to come to get to that yes. So being judicious about what you actually say yes to, because you know, you should really want to do that. Because if you say yes to that and you didn't want to, there's all these no's that you have to say just to continue with that yes. So I do like letting go of the good girl syndrome and 100% no is a full sentence. It was such a pleasure speaking with you today. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast and sharing your wisdom. And I hope that everyone can connect with you and just feel the love that you just give. I mean, I already feel calm after speaking with you today.
SPEAKER_00Thank you so much, Katie, for giving me this platform to be able to discuss this very important aspect of women's life. And uh, you do a great job, and I wish you the best of luck. So thank you for having me again. Thank you so much.
SPEAKER_01Such a great conversation, and I really want you to take this away. Cortisol itself isn't the enemy, it's about how your body is handling and recovering from stress over time. We talked at the beginning about how chronic stress can impact things like sleep, metabolism, and overall health. And what Goon Jin brings in is this practical side of how, how to actually support your body through nutrition, nervous system regulation, and intentional movement. Because it's not just about knowing that you're stressed, it's about what you can do to come back down from it. If this is something you're struggling with, I have all of Gun Jin's information in the show notes so you can connect with her and learn more about her work. And as always, thank you so much for being here and listening. It truly means a lot. If you found this episode helpful, make sure you're following the podcast and share it with someone who might need it. And if you would like to go a little deeper, I do offer a subscriber-only content with more insights and strategies that you can find links to in the show notes as well. Alright, that's it for today. Thank you again so much for listening. And this is Wellness After 40.