Your Adrenal Glands and You.

Todays blog post is by guest writer is my dear friend and biz partner -Janelle Tank - BUT most importantly gym owner/ personal trainer of Nell Nation Fitness in Lapeer, MI.

Have you ever felt like ( or had an actual realization) that excessively working out and restricting your calories was getting you NOWHERE?

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I’ve been wanting to address this topic for a while.

However, given the fact that I’m not a certified nutritionist or physician, it has been a little intimidating to share my (formal-credential lacking) views / ideas / theories / suggestions on the topic.

One thing I am more confident in, though (which is why I find myself sharing now), is that in almost all instances, I believe that practical application will almost always provide more teaching and conclusions than the reading of words on paper.

That’s wordy… So, what do I mean? For me, it makes more sense to study and understand and work with people who are living the situation than it does to read the situation.

And that’s what I’ve been doing.

And this is how I’ve really started to learn and understand and make sense of it all…

This being said… before you continue reading even one more line… I need to make sure this is clear.

I am not a nutritionist.

I am not a physician.

I am not an endocrinologist.

I am a gym owner.

One with passion and a calling for figuring out the best ways to help people (as individuals) to understand their bodies in ways that will allow them to pursue long term health.

That’s it.

So in continuing to read this, you (the reader) are acknowledging that I am not claiming this to be professional information, nor am I attempting to make any clinical diagnoses.

What I am doing is offering up the information that I have gathered, learned and practiced for myself.

The reason I feel comfortable sharing now is because after making the same suggestions with a group of clients who chose to implement these same practices and the substantial benefits that they experienced… it NEEDS to be shared because I don’t think anyone else is sharing it.

Here we go..!

Have you ever felt like (or had an actual realization) that excessively working out and restricting your calories was getting you NOWHERE?

Maybe, it even seemed like it was (or actually was) taking you further away from your health and fitness goals?

You might have felt like you were crazy.

How could this work for everyone else?

What more could you possibly do?

The whole situation leaves you feeling frustrated.

Hopeless.

You MUST do something different.

But what?

And why is this happening to YOU? That last question is what we are going to, hopefully, provide some clarification on.

YOU.

What makes YOU different from your friend Suzie that cleaned up her eating, started exercising, and had tremendous results?!

You were both following the same plan and going through the same grueling workouts…

The difference?

Suzie’s parents and your parents.

HUH?

You read that right.

What you got from your momma (and dad) is different than what Suzie got from hers.

Our chemical makeup.

Our perfectly imperfect hormonal balance.

Yeah… hormones.

But wait… isn’t your weight just a matter of calories in and calories out?

Sure, that’s a factor.

But it’s not the only one.

Pear shaped, apple shaped, bean pole, beer belly… if it were just a matter of calories in and calories out, what would then cause our bodies to pack on that weight in different areas?

The way the wind was blowing?

Come on… there has to be a better reason…

THERE IS.

The reason you and Suzie struggle with weight in different areas of your body and you lose it in different ways too, is because the hormonal makeup you inherited is different.

There are two kinds of hormones – fat storing and fat burning.

Here’s the best example (that we all love) that will start to put our minds into perspective.

It is easier for men to lose weight than it is (generally) for women, because men have more testosterone (fat burning hormone) and women have more estrogen (fat storing hormone).

Are we starting to get it?

The type and amount of fat storing and fat burning hormones you have present (and activated) is one of the, typically unspoken, primary determining factors when it comes to your weight… and your happiness.

Today, we are focusing on what I have observed to be the body type that’s seeming to become the most common…

Broad Shoulders

Lean Legs

Stubborn Belly Fat

Round Face

Dark Circles Under Eyes

Redness in the Face (weakened blood vessels)

Reddish purple striations (resembling stretch marks)

Working Tirelessly in the Gym with Less Than Typical Progress

Restless Nights

Hard Time Winding Down to Sleep

Constant Thinking

Excess Worry

Excess Anxiety

More Awake in the Middle of the Night than During the Day

Nighttime Urination

Insominia

Hard Time Getting Out of Bed

Caffeine Dependency

Chronic Afternoon Fatigue

Low Quality Sleep

Thus Resulting in Depression

Auto Immune Deficiencies (sickness prone)

Year-round Sinuses

Acid Reflux

Indigestion

Stomach Ulcers

Inflammation (Fibromyalgia)

Swelling

Chronic Pain

Weak Knees

Weak Ankles

Cheese Cravings

Salt Cravings

*Adrenals Regulate Salt in the Body

Dehydration (regardless of how much water drank)

Thus Resulting in Mild to Severe Constipation

Water Retention in the Ankles

Calf Cramps

Chocolate Cravings

*(Serotonin creates a sense of well-being and comfort that our bodies crave when they are stressed out)

Excessive Heart Rate

IS THIS RINGING TOO MANY BELLS..?!

WHY DOES IT SEEM THAT THIS BODY TYPE IS BECOMING THE MOST COMMON?

I think this is something everyone can agree on… never has there been a point in time, as a society, where we have been SO "BUSY".

Never has there been a point in time where we have engaged in such negative talk and thinking regarding sleep.

"Sleep is for the weak"

"Sleep when your dead"

"The Grind Doesn’t Sleep"

It’s become normal to feel GUILTY for getting 8 hours of sleep in a night..!

Never has there been a time where we have been so tuned into our phones and computer screens engaging in constant communication and comparison of our highlight reel next to celebrities and front row seats to every ounce of catastrophe and calamity happening in the world.

When was the last time we really allowed ourselves to be alone and RELAX for even 5 minutes?!

And never has there been a time where we have been so academically, professionally and financially pushed.

And even worse… all these things… primarily the immediate acquisition of them… have gained FALSE PRAISE encouraging us to pursue them even more.

1. "How have you been?"

"Busy."

2. "How are you?"

"Tired."

3. "I’ve worked for over 100 hours this week and only slept for 5..! But I’m Grinding towards my goals!"

*Insert 100 likes*

Need I say any more?

So now, even those of us who didn’t necessarily get it from our mommas… are becoming the ones who are going to develop the imbalance of…

STRESS.

Yeah… Stress is the big culprit behind it all.

But Janelle, I’m not stressed.

Well maybe not now.

But maybe you were.

Because even if you were physically or mentally stressed out 2-3+ years ago... the effects may just now be catching up with you...

OKAY… I’M A LITTLE STRESSED… AND I’VE BEEN A LITTLE STRESSED… BUT SO WHAT? HOW COULD THAT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH MY WEIGHT?

When your body becomes overwhelmed by stress, whether it be physical or mental… your body produces excess epinephrine… the fight or flight hormone… and excess cortisol… the stress hormone.

Cortisol is a fat storing hormone that is produced by our Adrenal glands (sitting in the upper portion or our abdomen) which will cause most of the gained fat to gather in the mid-section more than any other place on the body.

It’s important to understand that fat is not accumulated without reason… it is a survival mechanism and the fat gained will accumulate around the vital organ that is not functioning properly…

So… THEREFORE we hold weight in different places than our friend Suzie… Because we have different fat storing hormones being activated causing us to gain and retain weight in different places.

Is this making even more sense now?!

When this happens, the body gets stuck in stress mode and starts storing energy that it believes it will potentially need to combat stress. This "potential energy" is fat.

Why?

You know how squirrels will instinctively hide nuts before the winter? Every body (squirrel and human alike) have been wired and created with instinctive nature to SURVIVE. So what your body is doing is ensuring that it has enough food (stored fat fuel) around the vital organs that will need it.

Why would it need extra food?

The more time our body spends in fight or flight… the harder it has to work.

Let’s compare these two terms… "Rest and Relaxation" VS. "Fight or Flight" Pretty opposite ends of the spectrum, eh?

Anything that our body engages in will require fuel to do so (hence why we even eat food in the first place), but anything that is harder for our body to engage in will require more fuel (I.E. running 1 mile versus running 100).

So the more stressed out we become, the more fuel out bodies will need, AND if we are already not giving it enough fuel in the first place… it’s just gonna have to find a way to keep some on reserve in case something happens..!

Excess cortisol causes belly fat because "Fat" to the body, is "potential energy." Belly fat accumulates as energy "reserves". Your body works in this cycle: the more stress, the more cortisol, the more energy reserves. This results in more fat storage.

So back to the calories in calories out thing

(CAUSE #1)

Why is typical dieting not providing typical results?

BECAUSE THE PROBLEM IS NOT REALLY A WEIGHT PROBLEM… IT’S A H0ROMONE PROBLEM.

AND

LOW CALORIE and LOW CARB dieting (aka starving your body and depriving your body of its primary energy source…) puts your body through additional PHYSICAL STRESS.

(CAUSE #2) Why is it that typical exercising (and let’s be real for some it may be excess exercising) isn’t providing typical (or excess) results?!

Exercise without DEEP, RESTORATIVE SLEEP puts your body through additional PHYSICAL STRESS.

Most, if not all, of the restoration our bodies NEED to go through only happens during deep sleep.

Most of the fat burning processes occurs while you sleep.

So if you’re not getting into deep high quality sleep, minimal to no fat burning can or will occur even if you exercise.

In addition, the more we exercise (breaking the muscle down) and more cardio (fat burning) calls for more recovery (sleep is when muscle tissue is repaired and when most fat burning processes take place!).

For example, I have learned over my 4 years of training that when I do an intense leg workout my body demands more sleep because I worked out a bigger muscle group, requiring more from my body to recover it.

Certain adrenal hormones are responsible for making you feel awake mentally.

Others are responsible for the sleep cycle.

The adrenal hormones are on a timing mechanism which is controlled by the circadian rhythms—waves that affect sleep and awake cycles. With adrenal problems everything is backwards; you are tired during the day yet despite being exhausted you can’t sleep through the night.

The body just won’t let you get into the deeper sleep cycles. The adrenal hormones make it impossible to attain the deep, restful sleep which you need to properly rejuvenate the body for the coming day.

So here lies the main problem, sustained stress and the loss of enough recovery sleep. If the body can’t recover it wears out.

Our muscles and brain alike.

Fatigue comes from the accumulation of poor sleep.

Depression comes from the accumulation of poor sleep.

Excess physical and mental stress therein comes from the accumulation of poor sleep.

Finally, excess weight stored primarily around the abdomen therein comes from the accumulation of poor sleep.

(Cause #3) ANYTHING that adds STRESS (mental or physical) just makes it worse.

And here’s the thing… your adrenals don’t know the difference between physical or mental stress.

They treat both forms of stress the same, so every type of stress influences the production (or overproduction) of cortisol.

• Injury

• Infection

• Divorce

• Financial Stress

• Job-Related Stress

• Home-Related Stress

• Being Around Stressful People

• Stressful Environment

• Loss of a Loved One

• Drugs

• Medication (A lot of steroids, like cortisone and prednisone, are a cortisol hormone…)

• Surgery

• Pain

• Illness

• Poison Ivy

• Giving Birth

• Being the Middle of the Night Caretake and Milk Machine for Your Babies

• Menstrual Cycle

• Staring into Computer, Phone or TV Screens

• Eating Junk Foods

• Starvation Diets

• Excessive Exercise

• Excess Consumption of Stimulants (Caffeine, Appetite Suppressors, Nicotine, Adderall)

• Years of Not Sleeping

SO… NOW WHAT?

1. SLEEP - 7/8 hours.

Sleep is the number one thing that will allow the body to begin to properly repair and recover. Once this starts happening (it may take some time) you should notice a difference not only in your energy levels and mental clarity, but in your body composition as well!

2. Don't Starve Your Body.

Overstressed state and starved for natural energy, it’s so important to eat balanced portions of proteins, fats and carbs to ensure that your body is receiving basic nutrition and not feeling starved. When it comes to carbs, remember that they are the boy’s primary source of energy, exactly what stressed out adrenals are craving!

3. AVOID EXCESSIVE EXERCISE

Remember that for a stressed-out body… it may perceive that it has already ran 100 miles today… and now you’re asking it to endure another 60 minutes of high intensity exercise… THAT’S A LOT. If you’re able to get well rested sleep and provide proper nutrition so support your body the way it needs, this may be okay… but if you’re unable to get well rested, quality sleep then something you may want to consider is dialing it back a couple notches. Keep your heart rate lower (if you wear a myzone belt… use it to stay out of the red zone with limited time in the yellow zone) and this will allow you to continue to exercise (because for most of us it is one of our favorite sources of stress relief) while still promoting strong bones and muscle tissue.

4. AVOID CAFFEINE OVER-CONSUMPTION

The stimulation from caffeine acts like an artificial energy booster. If you ever measured body stress in these cases the person either in total burnout or full hyper mode. In either case, adding caffeine to stimulate or boost the body when it’s already over boosted burns out the adrenals even more.

5. ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IT WON’T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT

We’re not talking about a couple little hormones that de-railed…

And, we’re not talking about fixing it once and being done with it.

We’re talking about HEALING the state of our bodies.

And just like a broken ankle, just because we put a cast on it and it’s starting to feel better… doesn’t mean it’s ready to do backflips.

HEALING takes time.

If you have assessed that this could be your bodies’ "natural" inheritance, then this is something that you will have to be cautious of, ALWAYS. However, I will say with confidence (not guarantee) that once under more control, it won’t feel so uphill.

EVERY body type has it’s struggles and ways in which we need to cater to it, so it’s not a matter of being "doomed" it’s a matter of learning how to make it work!

6. UTILIZE SUPPLEMENATION TO YOUR BENEFIT

If our body, one of the only things that can seriously dictate the quality of our entire life, was compared to a race car…. Food would be our fuel and supplementation (filling the gaps of food) would be the oil. Have you ever thought of it that way? Supplements were never designed to replace food, however they fill the gaps that food doesn’t get to because let’s face it… NO ONE eats 100% perfect 100% of the time (it’s called being human). So that’s where supplementation comes in… where our humanness falls short.

In this case, specifically, the right supplements can play a huge role in allowing your body to recover and repair much faster than just changing food alone and trying to get better sleep.

Especially with sleep, in this case, for many the reason that 8 hours isn’t being achieved is because of the over stimulation and tossing and turning. Again, introducing supplementation can help to naturally relax and reduce unnecessary stimulation.

When you’re looking over this regimen you may be saying to yourself that it’s too much… too much to take… to much to spend… I get it.

But I also get how tiring it is to have sleepless nights, constant brain fog, daily ups and downs and a sense of hopelessness as to what could possible be done. So considering that, I think it’s worth a shot. A better, happier, brighter, more rested life is worth a one month shot. If it doesn’t work… cross it off the list as one less thing you’ll be left wondering "what if" about… but if it DOES (and I’m telling you confidently that it will) work… then… hell… yeah… 😊😊

Here’s the regimen that I have suggested (with awesome success by the way) for others and myself.

*All listed below are products by Advocare.

Before Breakfast:

3 Omegaplex

3 Catalyst

1 Clear mood

2 Calcium + D3 (Optional)

Before Lunch:

3 Catalyst

1 Clear mood

Before Bed:

3 Omegaplex

3 Nighttime recovery

1 Clear mood

1 Oasis 2 Calcium + D3 (Optional)

Omegaplex – Omega Fatty Acids (and essential fat in general) play a huge role in combatting stress and helping to repair and support cognitive function that may have suffered or suffer from lack of sleep. Our brains are approximately 60% fat, so the consumption of essential fatty acids (especially omegas) will help significantly for healthy cognitive function. In addition, most nutrients are fat-soluble meaning unless within the presence of essential fatty acids your body has a hard time making use of them properly (hence why most vitamin bottles suggest being taken with a meal because they assume that the meal will have essential fatty acids in it)

Catalyst – A combination of branch chain amino acids. Our muscles are made up of protein and the proteins are bound (glued) together by BCAAs. So we know that when it comes to supporting our muscle tissue that we need to eat protein, but even more importantly without the "glue" that holds the proteins together it’s pretty hard for proper recovery to take place. Outside of how good Catalyst is for anyone who works out, it’s especially helpful for someone who hasn’t or isn’t getting proper sleep because our body engages in primary recovery and repair processes during our sleep, so if we aren’t getting enough, our body can use all the extra help it can get! Consistent consumption of Catalyst should result in increased energy (the less work and energy our body has to put into recovering and repairing muscle tissue, the more energy it can devote to other things… like LIVING!) leaner muscle tissue, fat burning and over time a faster metabolic rate (because the more muscle tissue we have – muscle is active tissue, fat is not – the faster metabolic rate we naturally have!).

Nighttime Recovery – Branched Chain Amino Acids (yes, like catalyst) paired with Magnesium. Magnesium helps to induce deeper sleep without next day drowsiness. The deeper sleep we get, the more restorative sleep we get. The more restorative sleep we get, the better recovery we get. The better recovery we get, the better energy we have the next day!

Oasis – A primary source of B Vitamins (6 and 12) that a stressed-out body is typically deficient in (one of the things allowing cortisol to run rampant and resulting in chronic fatigue). More importantly, a primary source of polyphenols (super fruit) and antioxidants. Both of which play a huge role in boosting immune system (as a stressed-out body is more susceptible to sickness) and cognitive function.

What may be an even better explanation…The months before and after the gym was opened as I was taking on my biggest financial risk… I swear that Oasis (and prayer of course) was the only

thing preventing me from multiple emotional breakdowns 😊😊 For me, it relieves stress and anxiety (and that overthinking we do when we lay down to go to bed at night).

Clear Mood – Provides important neurotransmitters to help lower effects of stress, nervousness and worry. One of the main agents is known as 5-HTP which is vital to produce serotonin. The adrenal glands are responsible for producing serotonin and when they are not functioning properly, production of serotonin is negatively impacted (insert chocolate cravings!). Serotonin is responsible for a sense of well being and nervous system function. Helps brighten mood, supports sense of well-being and provides nutritional support for relaxation.

Calcium + D3 – An over-stressed body can also become deficient in Vitamin D (Have you ever noticed how much happier you become when it’s sunny out?!). Vitamin D must, however, be taken with Vitamin K and Calcium to be properly used by the body and all 3 are present in this formula.

THE WRAP UP

My hope is that in reading this you had your "AH-HA" moment where things started to make sense.

My hope is that you found a new sense of direction and that you too, found hope.

***If you would like to seek out further confirmation and opinion it is best practice to consult your physician (which you should do regardless before making dietary changes)… 😉😉

More Adrenal-Adrenal-Driven Symptoms

• Pendulous abdomen (sagging and hanging)

• Midsection weigh

t • Buffalo hump (fat pad) at the upper back, lower neck area

• Thinner legs and arms

• Weakness

• Fatigue

• Lethargy

• Depression

• Sleepiness

• Insomnia

• Difficulty getting out of bed in the morning

• Need for midafternoon naps

• Nervousness

• Anxiety (worry); frequent feelings of stress

• Can’t tolerate stress

• Thinning skin

• Acne or poor skin

• May have white or discolored patches on skin

• Reddish purple stretch marks on the stomach, thighs, buttocks, arms and breasts

• Red cheeks

• Round or moon face

• Puffy face and eyes

• Dark circles around eyes

• Double chin

• Facial hair

• Full eyebrows

• Receding hairline

• Deeper voice

• Sparse hair on forearms and lower legs

• Atrophy of breasts

• Tightness in chest, or chest pains

• High blood pressure

• Lax ligaments—weak ankles and knees

• Weak or brittle bones (due to a loss of calcium and protein)

• Difficulty absorbing calcium

• Needs coffee to wake up

• Salt, cheese, chocolate and sugar cravings, late afternoon and evening

• Inflammation or pain in joints, back, neck

• Heel spurs

• Overreactive immune system—allergies, chemical sensitivities

• Autoimmune conditions

• Fibromyalgia

• Asthma

• Increased susceptibility to viruses

• Dehydrated (intracellular) despite amount of water drunk

• Fluid retention in between cells

• Pitting edema (especially in ankles)

• Gets out of breath when climbing stairs

• Legs feel heavy, especially when exercising

• Moodiness and irritability

• Brain fog or dullness

• Ringing in ears

• Low sex drive

#adrenalglands #bodytypes #weightloss #fatstoring #cortisol #stress #hormones #NellNationFitness