STRESS and the Vicious Cycle part 2

Stress is more than worry, fear, and anxiety.  It’s essentially anything that triggers your adrenal glands to produce more of your stress hormones, cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine.   It’s assumed, your Sympathetic nervous system, commonly called the Fight or Flight system only gets activated in time of real danger and fear.  But stress can push your adrenal glands in many different ways:

• Exercise
• Racing through traffic, kids to school
• Deadlines, hurry up, go-go-go
• Digestive Issues
• And Aches and Pain….can trigger the need for more cortisol.

EXERCISE and STRESS

Exercise is a double edge sword!  It can be mentally stress reducing, but the intensity of your workout matters. Yes, hitting the heavy bag, a good run or workout may help you blow off some mental anguish, but the more intense the workout – the more stress you threw on the body.

Maybe this could be why some people feel really good when they start an exercise program.  But a few weeks or months later, they’re not getting the same benefits.  Could it be the additional physical stress was more than their adrenal glands could handle?  This is why it’s important to TRAIN SMART!

This is Not meant to be a fitness article.  But one of the most common fitness mistakes people make is they don’t realize their workouts are more intense and draining on their body than they thought

Let me also add, your cortisol levels don’t automatically come down when you stop exercising or get off work.  What if you finish your workout (get off work), rush to the shower, rush to get dressed, wolf-down your food, fight traffic, deadlines, shuttle your kids, etcetera… how much do you think those stress hormones have dropped?

This is why a few minutes of deep breathing after a workout, at the end of the work, can be very helpful.

My Hurry-up, Go-Go Lifestyle

What about your constant go-go, hurry-up lifestyle – could that be adding more stress?  Absolutely!  If you’re always on the go, running out the door, traffic jams, deadlines, hustling from here to there… you’re constantly pushing your adrenals to produce more cortisol.

Take the Stress test…

Aches and Pains triggers Inflammation.  It doesn’t matter if the inflammation is coming from…

• Arthritis, tendonitis, bursitis in your joints
• A tough workout caused the inflammation
• Or if your tummy is inflamed and irritated

Your adrenals glands are having to produce more of your stress hormones.  This will effect your metabolism, because cortisol is looking for quick energy and that comes from breaking down carbohydrates.  And if there aren’t enough easily accessible carbs to breakdown, its next favorite choice are proteins, lean muscle, which are the last thing you want to burn if you are trying to lose weight and or add some lean muscle.

Let’s Add it UP

• Exercise triggers more inflammation….
• so does Arthritis, tendonitis and bursitis
• An inflamed and irritated gut also triggers inflammation
• What about my hurry-up, go, go lifestyle
• Let’s not forget worry, fear, anxiety and all the emotional stresses

 

 There’s ONLY So Much Juice in a Lemon

We all know an athlete needs to rest and nourish himself, and the same holds true after a hectic, stressful day.  The question is, are you giving your body the necessary rest and nourishment it needs to rebuild and repair itself?

Let’s not forget that a…

• Lack of sleep
• Poor diet and nutrition
• Electromagnetic frequencies (EMF)

,,,may not necessarily cause a surge in cortisol.  But they affect your body’s ability to recover from stress.  The question is can your adrenal glands handle all the STRESS?

Maybe you’re overtaxing your adrenal glands which is causing the blood sugar swings, achy joints, a slow metabolism, lack of energy, allergies, hormonal swings, and that’s how it starts.  Left unchecked, those minor symptoms could be the root cause of those chronic degenerative health issues that plague our society.

 

Breaking the Vicious Cycle

The key to breaking this vicious cycle is to recognize that STRESS is more than worry, fear, and anxiety.

• Is your inflamed, irritated gut depleting your adrenal glands?
• Are your workouts more exhausting on your body than you thought?
• Is your hurry-up, go-go lifestyle overworking your adrenals?

Think of your adrenal glands somewhat like your sweat glands.  A sweaty workout depletes you of electrolytes, which need to be replenished.  And constant stress depletes your adrenal glands, and if you don’t support them, they may not be able to pump-out what you need, when you need them.

There are some specific nutrients that support your adrenal glands such as vitamin C, ginseng, licorice root, ashwagandha, rhodiola, schisandra to name a few.

Lastly, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a patient tell me, I’m getting a good night’s sleep, but I’m still tired and struggling.  Maybe their adrenals need more than rest, they also need to be properly nourished.  This is why a good night’s sleep isn’t enough to help a depleted and exhausted body.