It's the end of the cycling season, and you have no excitement for the bike. You feel gray, tired and struggle to get through a regular day. If this is you, there may be a culprit you haven't considered: adrenal fatigue.
Adrenal fatigue is a form of hypoadrenia and its most obvious symptom is, of course, fatigue. Most people believe that fatigue is normal, especially after hard workouts. But there may be more to it, so don't just shrug it off. More often than not, adrenal fatigue is missed during diagnoses of your symptoms.
One of the reasons why adrenal fatigue goes unnoticed so frequently is because today's blood tests are not sensitive enough to detect a decline in cortisol associated with your symptoms. No adequate test means no diagnosis and no interventions to treat the disorder. Of course, the human body is sensitive enough to notice the changes that are occurring.
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As an athlete, it's important to understand what your adrenal glands are, what they do and how you can support them.
Your adrenal glands help your body cope with stress and can't differentiate one source of stress from another. Your resiliency, energy, endurance, ability to cope with stress and your joy for life, depend on the proper functioning of your adrenal glands.
No bigger than a grape, each of your two adrenal glands sit on top of one of your kidneys. These small glands affect the functioning of every tissue, commanding powerful hormones to influence the entire body. They also affect how you think and feel. The adrenal glands are responsible for releasing four major stress hormones: cortisol, DHEA, norepinephrine and adrenaline.
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When it comes to fuel, adrenal hormones affect the utilization of carbohydrates and fats as well as the conversion of fats and proteins into energy. The adrenal hormones affect the distribution of stored fat, and more stress (cortisol) promotes storage of fat in the belly.
Stress comes in many forms. Often we don't put two and two together and realize that stress is piling up. Most people just consider stress to be normal.
The following is a list of factors that affect your adrenal response.
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In addition to the above, your dietary lifestyle can drain the adrenals. Many nutrients not found in typical fast food meals are required to make necessary hormones in the adrenal glands.
If you're surviving on processed and pre-made foods and eat very few fresh fruits and vegetables, your adrenals are not getting the nutrients they need to function optimally and respond well to any of the stresses above.
I know many athletes who feel that since they exercise frequently, they can eat whatever they want. Think again. Want to be full of real energy? Proper nourishment is a key element. When it comes to healing from adrenal fatigue, a proper diet is a must.
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Athletes with adrenal fatigue suffer from blood sugar irregularities, often referred to as hypoglycemia. The adrenal hormone cortisol helps keep blood sugar at adequate levels to meet the body's needs for energy.
When your adrenals are fatigued, cortisol drops lower than normal. This makes maintaining proper blood sugar levels more difficult. In order to regain energy, athletes will reach for sugary snacks for a temporary high. This creates a vicious cycle of highs and lows and perpetuates the adrenal issues at hand.
To top it off, low blood sugar is recognized as "stress" to the adrenals. This means that when you eat becomes important as well. Eating natural healthy foods at regular intervals can help to heal your adrenals. Every time your blood sugar gets low, you need to release more cortisol to help normalize it. So part of the treatment is regular doses of healthy nourishing whole foods to maintain blood sugar.
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Many people with adrenal fatigue appear normal, yet they use coffee or other stimulants to get them "going" and often feel flat and "grey," which they see as normal. Try asking them to quit coffee and they will come up with a million reasons why they can't. Truth be told, they need it.
Those with adrenal fatigue tend to struggle more with anxiety, depression and difficulties concentrating. They also have a lower tolerance in dealing with daily frustrations. If you pay attention to your moods, you'll be able to notice when your adrenals are becoming fatigued.
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Adrenal fatigue can make people appear lazy and to have lost motivation, but oddly the exact opposite is often the case. They have to push through the fatigue and work harder to complete ordinary tasks in order to get through each day. If this you, here's my advice: Be nice to yourself.
Be patient, rather than pushing through. This is not meant to be one more sufferfest. For once, give yourself the rest you need, and trust that with the right rest and nourishment the body can and will heal itself.
A healthy diet is not a fad, but a key to overall health and athletic performance. Neglect your diet and the costs will have long-term effects on many systems in your body. This will mess up not only your cycling, but the overall balance of your physiology.
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