Is your body putting the “fat” in “adrenal fatigue”?
October 30, 2016 Ashley 0 Comments
Gaining weight again? And seemingly for no reason?
Sometimes it’s tough identifying the cause. ’cause fitness is typically pretty simple: you make the effort by making quality choices when it comes to both your food and exercise. And, ya know, maybe you’ve been doing great with that already. But, suddenly, you’ve hit this indescribable wall of weariness and weight gain. You’re tired all the time. Your mind unabatingly races. You crave crappy food like you’ve got neverending PMS. And – worst of all – fitness disinterests you now (whereas it was formerly your sanctuary). And, even if you hadn’t spontaneously fallen out’ve love with it… it just not working anymore. You’re gaining weight even though you’ve tweaked your fitness routine by precisely zero degrees. So, it makes zero sense. You’re even eating healthy. But something’s clearly amiss. What gives? Is the fat fairy visiting you in your sleep?
Mayhaps.
But, more likely, it could just be that your adrenal glands’ve gone a bit mad. (Or, as the experts call it “adrenal fatigue”) Here, let’s quickly diagnose you (but not really ’cause I’m not a digital doctor and that’s not a legit thing that exists). Are you dragging all the time? Focusing poorly and suffering sore muscles? Losing hair and craving sugar? Brain going haywire? These’re just a handful of nasty symptoms that often can go hand in hand with adrenal fatigue.
Sound like you?
Well, then maybe (emphasis on the maybe; see a f’real medical profesh to confirm) adrenal fatigue’s what’s ailing you. But, even if it is, the good news is that there are a litany of fixes. Starting with some DIY Rx’s I’ve heard work. First? Try lowering your upper intake (AKA caffeine in all forms). This does a number on your adrenals, throws off sleep, and can foster that zombie feeling you’re getting that’s making staying healthy all the harder. Second? Sub in some in some stevia for that refined sugar. Third? Fire from your diet any food that’s processed. The less natural your nosh is, the more challenging it is for your body to process. And that contributes to bodily exhaustion ’cause its having to do so much work to push that faux food through you. And, finally? Get smart with your oils and fats in general. Equally somatically taxing as processed foods are trans fats. So, stick with the monos.
But, wait. Maybe you’re doing all of that already. You’re abstemious with caffeine. Sugar and trans fats’ve never seen the inside’ve your kitchen. And 90% of everything you buy came straight outta the ground. So, what now? Does this mean it’s not adrenal fatigue? Well, maybe – but not necessarily. Because, in some cases, it’s not about subtracting dietary vices so much as adding dietary niceness.
Example?
First comes food: Coconut and cruciferious stuff’s proven excellent for healing adrenals. Similarly, avocado, olives, and nuts have demonstrated the same. Then, there are all’ve those little add ins that add up: seeds, chia, flax, seaweed, and celtic sea salt. Little additions like these can all contribute collectively when it comes to your adrenals. And if they don’t make a dent in your symptoms? Then, lucky for you, plenty’ve supplements and holistic scripts are sitting right in your local OTC pharmacy:
(Here’s a brief starter kit):
Ashwagandha
Holy basil
Fish oil (EPA/DHA)
Magnesium
Vitamin B5
Vitamin B12
Vitamin C
Vitamin D3
Zinc
See, normally I’d say “you can get all’ve those vitamins from a well-rounded healthy diet”. While I stand by that, a caveat was brought to my attention recently. A healthy, plant based diet can indeed supply you with everything you need. The problem? With all the chemical additions and soil depletion big agriculture’s imparted onto the growing process of our greens, we aren’t getting as many of the vitamins as we used to. And, especially if you’re finding that you’re eating all the right things and your daily menu gets high marks across the smorgas-board, that could be the case for you, too. It might simply be a nutrient deficiency.
My advice? Well, first things first. Before acting like Alice in Wonderland and popping random things with odd monikers into your mouth – holistic or not – do your research. Yes, on the suggested supplements, but also on yourself. Because, believe it or not, adrenal fatigue can also come from you. That’s right. Your own thought cycles can cause cortisol (the stress hormone) to skyrocket. So, is there anything in your life that’s particularly stress inducing? Can you change it? And, if not, can you try out the right kind’ve mind-body exercises (meditation, yoga, tai-chi) to manage your internal reaction to it? Something to help curtail the cortisol levels leading to adrenal fatigue and weight gain?
If so, then investigate ‘n try out that.
“I am the tranquil third eye of this boardroom storm”
After you do your inner work, then go down the supplement list, mayhaps. I’d almost suggest trying one at a time, just to see who’s the culprit. Give each the spotlight for a few weeks. The ones that make no difference, you can nix. And then (obviously) keep the ones that correlate with changes in your stress levels and scale numbers (or dress sizes, if you like). That way you aren’t spending a small fortune on some at-home holistic pharmacy that mostly does nada because you’re already meeting those needs with your food.
Try these tweaks over the next few weeks. The hope is that your energy’ll suddenly soar, sore muscle’ll disappear, and that that truculent blubber will bail. (It’s always nice when a DIY works in your favor. You save yourself a copay and get to backpat yourself for both self-diagnosis and natural treatment) But if not? If you’re still suffering and seeing upward numbers on the scale? Then, definitely drop in on your doc to rectify whatever’s wrecking your weight loss efforts.
Best’ve luck my lethargic friends.
And, just remember: help and hope is on the way – but only if you meet each halfway!