This article stems from a challenge I issued to several of my co-workers for the month of December. I do this every now and then at work. One month the challenge was to avoid gluten, high-fructose corn syrup and processed vegetable oil. It is good for camaraderie, plus it means I am not alone.
Okay, the challenge was to make December a “Recovery” or “ Reset” Month. The focus is to manage stress and allow the body to heal and recover for the next year, especially the PT/CT staff or anyone who has been training hard for the last few months.
Okay, the challenge was to make December a “Recovery” or “ Reset” Month. The focus is to manage stress and allow the body to heal and recover for the next year, especially the PT/CT staff or anyone who has been training hard for the last few months.
Humans are well
adapted for acute, short term stress and not well adapted for chronic stress.
Unfortunately, most of us are exposed to chronic stress. This simply means
that, for whatever reason, our adrenal gland is in overdrive making cortisol (the stress hormone) around the clock. This is bad. Cortisol increases our risk of just about every
degenerative disease, including cardio vascular, makes us fat, diminishes our
memory (makes us stupid), increases anxiety and keeps us up at night. But it is
great in an emergency situation. Still confused what cortisol is? Well reach down and grab the roll around your stomach and say hi. That is cortisol at work. Are you one of those folks who works out, eats right and still has the fat around the middle and wonder why? Yep, that's right...good ole cortisol.
What increases
stress or cortisol? Well, a bunch of stuff. For the sake of keeping this as
short as possible, I will put it into two categories: Voluntary and Involuntary
stuff. The voluntary stuff is the stuff we control like exercise, nutrition and
our perception. Involuntary stuff is the stuff we can’t control.
Voluntary
stuff
- Exercise
- High intensity exercise releases cortisol, a little goes a long way (listen up you hardcore MetCon folks)
- Too much causes overtraining and adrenal fatigue
- Signs of overtraining
- Cant sleep (tired and wired)
- Dealing with chronic injuries, always sore
- Joints always hurt
- Sick often due to weakened immune system
- Feeling burned out
- Irritable
- Feel "need" or addiction to exercise
- Tired
- Our bodies respond to stress by making adaptations. It needs adequate rest and building material (food) to do this. The trick is stressing it just long enough and with enough intensity to signal a hormonal response and then give it the rest and nutrition it needs to support the change. There is no “one size fits all” regarding this. It requires some experience, planning and common sense (which is usually the missing ingredient) or simply knowing someone or a coach who is smarter than you and getting them to help. If the stress is not intense enough, we are just spinning our wheels. If it is too much, progress stalls or reverses, injuries occur and we feel like crap.
- Folks, its not the training that will make you better, it’s the recovery that will. If you fall into this category of overtraining, exercise should not be the priority, managing sources of chronic stress should be. Now some may argue that exercise can be a way to manage or control stress. In general, I would agree if the intensity is low enough…like a slow walk or jog listening to the birds sing. But if we are talking about exercise that elicits a physiological change, then that exercise is going to require a high degree of intensity and will not be successful at reducing stress.
- Nutrition
- Foods high in sugar, carbs, gluten or that are processed, which usually have a lot of high fructose corn syrup, elevate insulin which elevates cortisol
- These foods are harmful to gut flora which further weakens our immune system
- Inflammatory foods such as processed vegetable oils and hydrogenated oils add to the problem
- Reduce stimulants such as coffee and/or energy drinks loaded with taurine
- Far too often, I see folks with good intentions, that already have chronic stress issues, take too many “energy” supplements or drinks, which also release cortisol, and decide they are going to start working out to make some improvements and then wonder why it doesn’t work and wonder why they feel like crap and can't get rid of their "belly." Usually, they fix it by training more, eating less and taking more energy boosters...not a good idea. See a problem here?
- Perception, this
is a big one
- On a day where things were weighing heavy with me, a good friend told me “you just need a new pair of glasses” huh? Well it means, we all choose and have the choice of how we look at things
- We can choose how we look at things and what we focus on
- Remember, negative attitudes affect
those around us and add to our stress and others
- Negative attitudes usually are a deflection method due to fear, lack of confidence or internal dislikes that are being projected.
- Attitude of
gratitude
- By finding something to be grateful for everyday, we change our focus to positive things and reduce our stress
- Choose to be happy…yes it is a choice, if you are not, it is your choice
- Sleep
- Make this a
priority!!!!
- Try to get 7-9 hours per night
- If your sleep is messed up, high intensity exercise will only add fuel to the fire
- Sleep deprivation increases cortisol and increase carb cravings
- This is why we always crave sugary foods when we are sleepy
- Make this a
priority!!!!
Involuntary
Stuff
- This one is easy, don’t worry about
stuff beyond our control…because we can’t change it, plus worrying increases our
stress, which makes us fat and stupid which means we are less prepared…a calm
mind is a prepared mind.
- Prepare as best as possible for
events
- Don’t stop living for the fear of dying
- Deal with them as they occur
- Prepare as best as possible for
events
So
what can we do to make December our “Recovery”
month? or to just take a break?
- No high intensity exercise this
month
- Participate in active recovery such as stretching or yoga
- Low intensity cardio
- Let the injuries heal
- Avoid
these:
- Wheat or gluten
containing foods
- This is a tough one but can be done
- Yes, that means just about all breads and pastas
- Processed
foods/oils
- Anything that is partially or fully hydrogenated
- Any vegetable oil that is not cold-pressed
- Any corn or soy oil
product
- Any soy product for that matter
- Any food from a box or can
- I know this is a tough one also
- High fructose corn syrup
- Farm raised fish
- Wheat or gluten
containing foods
- Reduce alcohol consumption, especially before bed
- Reduce coffee/energy drink consumption
- Avoid high carb meals before dinner
- Since elevated cortisol depletes the
body of essential vitamins and especially minerals, consider supplementing with
magnesium
- Most people are already magnesium deficiency
- Magnesium deficiency is linked
to
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Migraine headaches
- Neurological disorders
- High blood pressure
- Cardio vascular disease
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Gut permeability
- It is inexpensive
- It aids in sleep
- Have an attitude of
gratitude
- Make an effort to find something each day to be grateful for
- Choose to be happy and positive
attitude this month
- If you are grumpy or unhappy, that is your choice
- You may need a new set of glasses
- Focus on what you have vs. what you don’t have
- Focus on what can be done vs what
can’t be done
- This can be exhausting
- Find time to “decompress” every
day
- This can be just 10 min out of each
day to have some quiet time
- Meditate
- Read a book
- Listen to music
- Burn a candle…whatever helps you focus on something else
- This can be just 10 min out of each
day to have some quiet time
- Don’t worry about things you cant
control
- They will happen whether you like it or not
- Make sleep a priority!!!!!
Know the signs of
overtraining, recognize sources of chronic stress, be responsible enough to make
fixing them a priority, train just enough to send the right signals to the body,
provide the appropriate nutrition and give your body the time and rest it needs
to make the changes. Yes, this requires planning, preparation and a little
practice…and sometimes taking a vacation!
If you can apply some of this for the month of December or if you think you are overtraining, you can significantly reduce your stress levels and potentially increase you life span…plus Christmas is right around the corner, that’s a good reason to be happy.
If you can apply some of this for the month of December or if you think you are overtraining, you can significantly reduce your stress levels and potentially increase you life span…plus Christmas is right around the corner, that’s a good reason to be happy.
These are some simple, yet effective guidelines that can help any of us. I think it is important, plus working around people
who are not stressed makes my life easier. I included some references below for the nerd type like myself. Until next time! Don't forget if you are interested in hosting seminars, please contact me at primalhealthsolutions@yahoo.com.
References:
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- Siddle, Bruce K. PPCT Defensive Manual. PPCT Management Systems, Inc. February 2005.
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