<strong>Today’s post reviews the effect of lifestyle stress on health, exercise, and personality.</strong>

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<a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/strss.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-2429 size-full" src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/strss.jpg" alt="strss" width="293" height="172" /></a>
With his full permission client <strong><em>Adrian Gleeson</em></strong> allowed me to post his journey over the past 6 months.
While Adrian originally approached me to help him improve his half marathon time, it became obvious early in the piece, his management of lifestyle stress would continue to sabotage his running interests unless he addressed his lifestyle balance.

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<blockquote><span style="color: #008080;"><em><strong>Here’s why.</strong></em></span>
<strong>Age:</strong> 47 – so he’s still a baby!
<strong>Weight:</strong> 81kgs @ 6’00” – so he’s in perfect proportion.
<strong>Body Fat %</strong>: 12.7% - so he’s ripped!
<strong>Blood Pressure</strong> – 145/94 – hmmmm, not great!
<strong>Resting ECG</strong> – 86 beats per minute – that’s odd, higher than I would have thought!<a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/stresss.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-2426" src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/stresss.jpg" alt="stresss" width="161" height="97" /></a>
<strong>Blood Sugar</strong> – 7.1mmol – oops, that’s weird!
<strong>Lifestyle</strong> – works 55+hrs pwk, much it under the pump, has 2 kids (9 &amp; 4yrs), aims to hit 3-4 exercise sessions a week, and supports the Cronulla Sharks (ahhh, I think we’ve found the reason!).</blockquote>
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OK, let’s start with the <strong>adrenal glands?</strong> They are 2 tiny little organs that sit on top of your kidneys and control a number of significant actions in your body including your stress response, weight, blood sugar, blood pressure, and immune system. The adrenal glands are essentially are key survival organs.

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The adrenal glands control our fight or flight mechanism. When we are in danger, or think we are (as in: work stress, worried about money, worried about your kids, your marriage, Paul Gallen is injured again...), they mobilise all of our resources to fight or get away from that danger.

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Historically, as humans, the immediate dangers we faced were typically short-lived. When this system got activated, we pumped out a hormone called cortisol, which m<a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/streee.png"><img class="alignright wp-image-2427 " src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/streee.png" alt="streee" width="172" height="129" /></a>ade our thinking sharp, gave us energy, and mobilised blood sugar to fuel our muscles. Our breathing escalated, our heart rate rocketed, which lead to high-energy action. Once we were safely out of harm’s way, the chemical process resolved and we went back to normal. Insulin, another hormone pumped out in the fight or flight response, mopped that extra mobilised blood sugar back into your cells, your breathing and heart rates went back to normal, and all was once again well in your world.

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<h5><em><span style="color: #008080;"><strong>What Is Adrenal Fatigue?</strong></span></em></h5>
In nature, constant stress is rare. But in the human world – well, we’ve managed to create all kinds of constant stresses for ourselves! And our health (and athletic pursuits) pays the price – first because of adrenal overdrive, and then because of adrenal burnout, or “adrenal fatigue.”
One of the many consequences of constant adrenal overdrive is that we pump out too much blood sugar and insulin, eventually becoming insulin resistant and gaining weight – however not in Adrian’s case. We also get cravings for processed fat, refined sugar, processed salt, and alcohol, the fuel our adrenal system needs to make this whole reaction work each time.

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<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em><strong>10 Common Signs that you might be challenged with adrenal overdrive!</strong></em></span></h5>
1) You’re having trouble falling asleep even when you’re tired (“tired and wired”) and even when you do sleep, you’re not rested when you wake.
2) You get irritable or angry really quickly or more often than you want to.
3) You’re craving sugar/carbs, fat, salt – or all of the above!
4) You get tired around 3-4 most afternoons, and that’s when you really want something <a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/strsssssss.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-2425 size-full" src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/strsssssss.jpg" alt="strsssssss" width="213" height="237" /></a>sweet or some extra caffeine.
5) You’ve been gaining weight, perhaps noticing a spare tire growing around your middle.
6) You feel anxious.
7)You’re getting sick more often than you used to.
8) Your hormones are all over the place, you’re having fertility problems, and perhaps your libido is nowhere to be found.
9) You’re memory and focus are not what you think they should be.
10) Your digestive system is a mess – eg gut aches etc

Adrian ticked 7/10.
<h5><em><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>• Of course your Doctor could assess your hormonal status more thoroughly.</strong> </span></em></h5>
<h5><strong><em><span style="color: #008080;">Here’s the 5 things Adrian focussed on for 4 weeks.</span> </em></strong></h5>
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<span style="color: #993366;"><strong>1) Simply relax – schedule time outs to chill.</strong> </span>
Believe it or not, the best treatment for adrenal stress is not supplements or herbs or fancy diet strategies – it is simply learning to practice relaxation. Relaxation techniques such as meditation, mindfulness, and active stress reduction help to let your adrenals know that you are safe – and this allows your system to recalibrate to a lower stress state, including <a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/stressssssssss.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-2424 " src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/stressssssssss.jpg" alt="stressssssssss" width="308" height="209" /></a>pumping out fewer stress hormones. If you have already progressed from adrenal overdrive into adrenal fatigue, relaxation techniques can help your adrenals to heal and restore themselves.
Adrian used the 2minute Head Space App twice a day.
<strong><span style="color: #993366;">2) Do everything you can to improve your sleep.</span></strong>
I know I’ve said it before, but quality sleep truly is King. While you might be feeling wired, especially if you are in adrenal overdrive or if adrenal fatigue led you to a 4 pm cup of coffee, your body actually needs 6-7 hours of sleep each night to restore your body and for your adrenals to have time to rebound.
Adrian’s tip – clean sheets and pillow EVERY week.
<strong><span style="color: #993366;">3) Keep your blood sugar steady.</span></strong>
When your blood sugar drops, it tells your body you are starving – and this is perceived as danger by your adrenal system. Keeping your blood sugar, or more so energy steady lets your adrenals know you are not in survival mode and that they do not have to go into action. Allowing your blood sugar to dip by skipping meals, living on coffee, and then spiking it up with sugary foods when you’re famished, taxes your adrenals. The most important step to blood sugar balance is starting your day – every day – with a real fat. protein breakfast, and then eating a diet protein, good quality fats, and vegetables regularly throughout the day.
Tip - Personally I find a small spike in real sugar like honey just before bed, helps me get too sleep.
<strong><span style="color: #993366;">4) Cut back on caffeine.</span></strong>
I love and generally champion coffee. But in Adrian’s case – at 4 per day, this allowed himself to push past his natural energy limits which triggered the same adrenal chemicals (adrenaline, for example) that get fired up when he’s under stress, leading to increased cortisol production and adrenal overdrive.
Adrian swapped to green tea for 4 weeks – well, after his first 2 cups of coffee anyway!
<strong><span style="color: #993366;">5) Exercise – but not TOO much!</span></strong>
Exercise is so healthy for the body and the spirit – but many are getting too much of a good thing. Over-exercising actually contributes to adrenal fatigue, which is why many runners find that they get sick easily and why many over-exercisers have trouble losing weight. I know I find it difficult to sleep post an Ironman race. While my body is wiped out, my brain just feels like wires are a mishmash.
Adrian’s left the garmin at home and cruised for 3 x 40min jogs at conversational pace.
Relax already.
BP