Adrenal Fatigue

MWF 9:15AM Women's only class at CrossFit Central Downtown

 

You always feel tired for no reason. You have difficulty getting out of bed even if it’s not for the 5:30am CrossFit class. You feel rundown or overwhelmed. You struggle with bouncing back from stress or illness. You feel more awake and focused after 6pm than you do all day. These are all signs and symptoms of adrenal fatigue.

WHAT IS ADRENAL FATIGUE

Adrenal fatigue is a collection of signs and symptoms that results when the adrenal glands function below the necessary level. It is most commonly associated with intense or prolonged stress. As the name indicates, its number 1 symptom is fatigue that is not relieved by sleep. You may look and act relatively normal with adrenal fatigue and may not have any obvious signs of physical illness, yet you live with a general sense of unwellness, tiredness or melancholy feelings. People experiencing adrenal fatigue often have to use coffee, cokes and other stimulants to get going in the morning and to prop themselves up during the day.

BALANCE TRAINING & REST

What I love about coaching is the focus on the overall health of an individual. Getting people ripped, strong, and lean is what I love to do; however, I will not allow this to come at the expense of one’s health. I have been coaching CrossFit for over 4 years and one thing I have learned is that sometimes less is more. Yep, I said it. You do not have to train 7 days a week to get the body you want.
If your body is beat up, run down, and simply not recovering, then take a day. Sleep. Completely rest. Our bodies are smarter than we give it credit. You will not put on 10lbs and lose all your strength by taking a rest day. It actually will help you reach your goals more quickly.

WHY REST

The body repairs and strengthens itself in the time between workouts, and continuous training can actually weaken the strongest athletes. Rest is physically necessary so that the muscles can repair, rebuild and strengthen. For recreational athletes, building in rest days can help maintain a better balance between home, work and fitness goals.

Building recovery time into your training program is important because this is the time that the body adapts to the stress of exercise and the real training effect takes place. Recovery also allows the body to replenish energy stores and repair damaged tissues. Exercise or any other physical work causes changes in the body such as muscle tissue breakdown and the depletion of energy stores as well as fluid loss. Recovery time allows these stores to be replenished and allows tissue repair to occur. Without sufficient time to repair and replenish, the body will continue to breakdown from intensive exercise.

TAKE HOME

My advice is not to compare yourself to the person next to you. Everyone is on a different fitness journey with different fitness goals. If someone has what you want, then ask what they are doing daily. I guarantee it is plenty of sleep, proper nutrition and supplementation. Listen, give back, and take care of your body. It is a gift.