Are you fatigued often? Do you feel like your progress is slowing down and maybe even heading in reverse ? You might be headed down a path of adrenal fatigue. You may or may not know what this even means. Adrenal fatigue as a collection of signs and symptoms, known as a syndrome, that results when the adrenal glands function below the necessary level.
The adrenal glands are responsible for balancing and regulating hormones in your body – namely cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone that helps you deal with the stress you have in everyday living. If you think of all the little stressful moments your life has, such as sitting in traffic, working out a lot with little rest, not enough water or food, work and relationships, you can see how easy it is to become stressed out.
While stress is normal and a guarantee in life, when you experience constant stress over a prolonged period of time, your body can only take so much before breaking down. Try as your body may to fight, with little relief in sight, adrenal fatigue manifests in some of these common signs and symptoms:
Suppressed immunity
Difficulty losing or gaining weight
Feeling wired and tired at night
Loss of appetite
Poor recovery between workouts or plateaus in progress
Running on fumes every day
Anxiety, stress, and depression
Digestive distress
Cravings for foods high in salt, sugar, or fat
Hormonal imbalance
Muscle and bone loss and muscular weakness
Shortness of breath
Chronic headaches
Autoimmune disorders
Increased PMS or menopausal symptoms
Lightheadedness when getting up from sitting or lying down
Decreased ability to handle stress
Trouble waking up in the morning (despite a full night’s sleep)
Now this is a short list of things for you to consider. However if you do feel you are suffering from many items on the list, you might want to try to change some of your life habits.
-Go to bed at a consistent time
-Drink and eat enough to support life
-Get rid of processed foods and eat all real foods.
-Add in extra rest days during the week.
-Add variety to your workout routine for what is hard medium and light.
If you experience constant fatigue or a plateau in your training, you might find yourself saying things like, “If I just dial in my diet some more,” or “If I just add in a little cardio…” But what you really need is rest, permission to de-stress, a careful look at your nutrition, and education.
The majority of us will experience adrenal fatigue at some point in our lives. Knowledge is power, so take steps today to prevent problems in the future