Your Body Isn’t “Behind”

Your Body Isn’t “Behind”

By: Marcy Schoenborn

You’re not late.
You’re not failing.
And your body isn’t broken.

What your body is doing right now makes sense.

From a biological standpoint, the body is always responding to inputs — not intentions, not effort, not wishful thinking.

Those inputs include:

• how consistently it’s been fueled

• how well it’s been rested

• how much stress it’s been under

• how predictable daily routines have been

Your current symptoms, energy levels, weight trends, digestion, and cravings are not signs of failure. They are feedback.

The Body Is an Adaptive System

The human body is designed to adapt to its environment. This is called allostasis — the process by which the body maintains stability through change.

If food is inconsistent, the body becomes efficient and conservative.
If stress is high, the body prioritizes survival over repair.
If sleep is poor, hormones shift to protect energy reserves.

These are not malfunctions.
They are protective adaptations.

Why Shame Never Fixes Biology

Shame activates the stress response.

When stress hormones like cortisol remain elevated, the body:

• impairs digestion

• alters blood sugar regulation

• slows tissue repair

• increases fat storage signals

This is why beating yourself up never leads to better outcomes. It adds another stressor to a system that is already compensating.

Healing requires lowering the threat signals, not increasing them.

Change the Inputs, the Outputs Follow

Biology is responsive.

When inputs change consistently:

• blood sugar stabilizes

• hunger and satiety hormones recalibrate

• inflammation markers decline

• energy production improves

This does not happen overnight, but it does happen reliably when the body is given the same supportive signals again and again.

No extremes required.
No punishment needed.

Just better information.
And calmer, steadier consistency.

The Truth Most People Need to Hear

Your body is not behind schedule.
It’s operating according to the information it has been given.

When the inputs improve, the outputs follow — because that is how the human body is designed to work.

References

1. Sterling P, Eyer J. Allostasis: A new paradigm to explain arousal pathology. In: Fisher S, Reason J, eds. Handbook of Life Stress, Cognition and Health. Wiley; 1988.

2. McEwen BS. Stress, adaptation, and disease: Allostasis and allostatic load. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1998;840:33–44.

3. Herman JP et al. Regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical stress response. Compr Physiol. 2016;6(2):603–621.

4. Cryer PE. Mechanisms of hypoglycemia-associated autonomic failure. N Engl J Med. 2013;369(4):362–372.

5. Adam TC, Epel ES. Stress, eating, and the reward system. Physiol Behav. 2007;91(4):449–458.

6. Spiegel K et al. Impact of sleep debt on metabolic and endocrine function. Lancet. 1999;354(9188):1435–1439.

7. Hotamisligil GS. Inflammation and metabolic disorders. Nature. 2006;444(7121):860–867.