I love sharing my efforts to live well but I think I have to finally accept that I don’t have a book in me and I don’t even have a normal organised pattern to my thoughts.
It’s time that I just write about whatever I am working on.
My wants and needs are very similar to lots of older women. I want to thrive. I want to enjoy life. I need to set some routines. I need to stop thinking that someone else does it better.
So, this week’s newsletter is about my desire to stabilise cortisol and insulin.
I happened upon Victor. It is obviously a newsletter written by AI but I like the style. It is all about the affects of not stabilising your hormones, how you can stabilise them and the results you can expect.
I have quite an extensive knowledge about hormones and how they work. I wasn’t worried about the AI being misleading or just plain wrong. I could tell what I was reading was pretty accurate and worth taking notice of.
I particularly liked the model it used about cascading affects to explain how one step in our day can result in continual overload and burnout.
I immediately asked my Chat GPT to come up with some good ideas to get my cortisol and insulin under control. There is always room for fine tuning.
Me:
I’m looking for some good ideas for getting my cortisol and insulin under control. What I have read is that they need to be tackled together but I should concentrate on the cortisol to start with. Make suggestions for morning and evening routines to help control cortisol.
Chat GPT:
You’re on the right track—cortisol and insulin are tightly linked. Chronically high cortisol can push blood sugar up, which then drives insulin higher. So starting with cortisol regulation is a practical, effective entry point. Rather than extreme changes, what works best is predictable daily signals to your body: light, food timing, movement, and wind-down cues.
Morning routine (set your cortisol rhythm properly)
Cortisol is supposed to rise in the morning. The goal isn’t to suppress it—but to make it rise at the right time, then fall naturally later.
1. Get light in your eyes within 30–60 minutes
Go outside for 5–15 minutes (even if cloudy)
This anchors your circadian rhythm and regulates cortisol timing
Indoor light is too weak to have the same effect
Why it matters: Proper morning light helps prevent that “wired at night” feeling later.
2. Eat a protein-focused breakfast
Aim for ~20–30g protein (you’re already tracking this well)
Examples: eggs, Greek yogurt, leftover chicken, protein oats
Avoid: Starting the day with only carbs (e.g. toast alone)
→ This can spike insulin and keep cortisol elevated
3. Gentle, not intense, movement
Walking, stretching, or light strength work
Avoid fasted high-intensity workouts first thing if you’re stressed
Why: Hard training + already high morning cortisol = overload
4. Delay caffeine slightly (optional but powerful)
Wait 60–90 minutes after waking before coffee
Why: Caffeine stacks on top of your natural cortisol spike
5. Create a “predictable start”
Same wake time (±30 mins)
Same basic sequence each day
Why: Your body thrives on rhythm → lowers baseline cortisol over time
I already do steps 1 to 5.
What I’m doing now is tightening up the routine. No matter where I am I get up about 6:30 and have glass of water with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of sea salt then walk outside to get light in my eyes.
I am getting enough protein most days but now I am more strict about staring with a few bites of protein from my plate first. I am also more strict about including some healthy carbs towards the end of every meal. I am also much more determined to avoid carb only snacks. A banana or apple is not a healthy snack for me.
Evening routine (this is where most people fail)
If cortisol stays high at night, insulin regulation never stabilizes properly.
1. Dim lights 1–2 hours before bed
Reduce overhead lighting
Use lamps, warm light
Why: Light suppresses melatonin, which helps bring cortisol down
2. Eat dinner earlier and keep it balanced
Finish eating ~2–3 hours before bed
Include protein + carbs (yes, carbs help here)
Why: A small carb presence can help reduce nighttime cortisol
3. Low-stimulation wind-down (non-negotiable)
Pick 1–2:
Reading
Sewing (this actually fits your lifestyle perfectly)
Journaling
Gentle stretching
Avoid:
Intense problem-solving
Doomscrolling
High-stakes decisions
4. “Close the stress loops”
This is underrated but extremely effective:
Write down:
what you did today
what matters tomorrow (3 items max)
Why: Reduces mental load → lowers cortisol before sleep
5. Consistent sleep time
Aim for the same bedtime window nightly
Why: Irregular sleep = dysregulated cortisol = insulin instability
I already do the evening wind down steps but I am more determined not to snack after my evening meal and I have been trying some relaxation exercises. I have a wind down alarm on my phone for 8:30. I don’t look at screens or do puzzles after this. I get ready for bed and read until about 9:30 - 10. I read my kindle on dark mode as dim as possible in the dark bedroom)
A simple version (if you want something realistic)
If you only did this, you’d likely see results:
Morning
Go outside for 10 minutes
Eat protein within 1 hour
No phone for first 15 minutes
Evening
Dim lights after dinner
Do one calm activity (sewing is ideal for you)
Write tomorrow’s top 3 tasks
One important pushback (because it matters)
You mentioned focusing on cortisol first. That’s useful—but don’t ignore insulin completely.
If meals are:
very low protein
highly processed
or irregular
…you’ll keep triggering the same cycle no matter how perfect your routine is.
The sweet spot is:
stable meals + stable rhythm
A final word from me
If you missed my comments in the middle -
I already do the above morning routine.
What I’m doing now is tightening up the routine. No matter where I am I get up about 6:30 and have glass of water with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of sea salt then walk outside to get light in my eyes.
I am getting enough protein most days but now I am more strict about staring with a few bites of protein from my plate first. I am also more strict about including some healthy carbs towards the end of every meal. I am also much more determined to avoid carb only snacks. A banana or apple is not a healthy snack for me.
I already do the evening wind down steps but I am more determined not to snack after my evening meal and I have been trying some relaxation exercises. I have a wind down alarm on my phone for 8:30. I don’t look at screens or do puzzles after this. I get ready for bed and read until about 9:30 - 10. I read my kindle on dark mode as dim as possible in the dark bedroom)
The take-away
Set up a routine that stabilises your cortisol and insulin.
Routine is good. Our life is made up of our habits. That is the way it is meant to be.
Rising at 6:30, having a drink, getting outside and having a protein rich breakfast are the non-negotiable parts of my morning routine.
8:30 wind down is the non-negotiable part of my evening routine.
Journaling, planning, exercising and being productive are habitual parts of my daily routine.
Relaxing, doing nothing and being totally unproductive are also parts of my daily life.
Being completely spontaneous or not having a plan does not help us thrive.
Cheers,
Val
What struck me is how often we assume the answer is complicated when it’s really a handful of habits practiced consistently. After years of intense stress, I’ve become more interested in routines than optimization—not because routines are exciting, but because they reduce decisions when life is already demanding.
I also appreciate your point that routine isn’t a cage. Especially in midlife, a little structure can create more freedom to enjoy the rest of life.