It’s not always food. It’s not always exercise. It’s stress. When cortisol (your main stress hormone) stays high: • Your body stores fat around your midsection • Sugar and carb cravings shoot through the roof • Sleep and recovery take a hit Think of your body like a business. When overheads are too high, profits shrink, no matter how good the product is. Your body works the same way. Stress drives up the costs, and fat loss stalls. 🤓 A 2014 study in Obesity found men with the highest cortisol levels were 43% more likely to store stubborn abdominal fat, even with controlled calories and exercise. 💡The Thrive Tip: Lower cortisol with simple daily resets: • Take 5 deep breaths before each meal (switches you into digest mode) 4-4-6 breath: inhale 4, hold 4, exhale 6. • Walk 10 mins after work (flushes stress faster than opening emails) • Cut caffeine after 12pm (protects deep sleep, your #1 fat loss tool) • Strength train 3x per week (balances testosterone and cortisol) Lower stress = lower belly fat. Simple as that. Where does stress hit you hardest... your sleep, your cravings, or your energy?

Some fun facts about me: I’m a lifelong Liverpool supporter (yes, even down here on the south coast of England!). I lived in the USA for a while but moved back to the UK in 2020. I’m married and have four grown-up kids, so life’s never dull. Why are you here? I am 52. I’ve just hit an all-time high of 113.2kg and I know it’s time to change. I want to take back control of my health and start building better habits. Where are you from? I’m from the south coast of England. Went to university in Bristol. Lived in Yorkshire and Idaho, USA. Now living in the Cotswolds. What would you like to achieve in the next 30 days? I’d love to lose 5 kilos, but more importantly, I want to be consistent with exercise, eating healthier, and feeling more energetic. What do you enjoy doing in your social time? Spending time travelling, messing about with new tech, and watching sport. Which team or sport do you follow? Liverpool FC — been a Red all my life! Let’s go! 🚀

Hi All, hope everyone is having a lovely weekend! I’ve just started the 10 day clean and feeling better already! A few weeks ago I tried to start the 30 day challenge but struggled massively! Stress played a part! I had a lovely chat with Mark this week and he really unpacked why I want to do this for myself and my family! So I went shopping Friday and Saturday Morning and really planned well to enable me to start this challenge and get out of the traps well! It was the first day yesterday, and I have to be honest, I feel so much more alive! I have more energy I feel lighter on my feet I’m more present today than I was yesterday An added bonus I’m down 1.5 lbs in a day and all from just eating better! Don’t give up guys and remember your Why’s! Have a blessed week! Ibby

Today we had our yearly neighborhood day. It was fantastic. A lot of people. You don’t talk to everybody during the year, just day hi, and now you have time to talk with eachother. During building up everything I already made the complete 10.000 steps. ✅ Normally the beer starts early on those days, but not this year for me. During the day I drink only 2 beers without alcohol. ✅ Also after the advise from Mark I skipped the Bread from the hamburger and did also not take the bagette with butter etc. I only took the tomato, carrots and pepers. ✅ I had some dessert; those looked too good to say no…… ❎ But overal a good day, and mostly the best thing; you also feel good the day after 😂😉

Hi All, It has been while since I posted., work has been super hectic. It was hard having to travel for work. However, I have managed to keep up on my food choices though 95% and taking the whole food way. It crazy how the reset effects you, normally in high stress my go too was chocolate. Now it refined to the dates and 100% or just an apple. My gym time is also improved with heavier sessions all round. Thanks Mark for helping to get to this point.