The Adrenal Fatigue Journey: The Return To Working Out

In case you haven’t stumbled across my information on Adrenal Fatigue, here is a little background on what Adrenal Fatigue is.

WHAT IS ADRENAL FATIGUE?

(Also referred to as HPA dysfunction).

Adrenal fatigue is basically when your adrenal glands are exhausted and unable to produce adequate quantities of hormones, primarily cortisol, due to chronic stress or infections.

Chronic stress is not just the emotional or mental stress that first comes to mind. It also includes physical stress, exposure to toxins (pollution in our environment, what we consume, cosmetic products we use, etc.), candida overgrowth and parasites, physical injuries, gut issues, eating a diet that is high in processed foods, sugar and caffeine, not getting enough sleep, and more.

CAUSES OF ADRENAL FATIGUE

• Prolonged, emotional/mental stress: relationships, workplace, poor coping skills, unresolved trauma (can include suppressed trauma), constant worrying.

• Prolonged physical stress: injuries, chronic inflammation in the body (not always obvious), parasites, undiagnosed food allergies, candida overgrowth in the gut and system, over- exercising, hyper- or hypoglycaemia, poor dental health.

• Diet: processed, refined foods, caffeine, fried fatty foods, gluten, dairy, animal products. Hormonal imbalance, specifically, estrogen dominance.

• Pollutants, endocrine disruptors found in various consumable products.

• Parasites and candida overgrowth.

You can go on to read about symptoms, related diseases and the impact on your menstrual cycle here.

So back to you, someone who is at a stage in their healing journey where you feel ready to get back into exercise. That’s great! Congratulations on making it to this point.

Here are some things from my research, training as a HMI Health Coach, and personal experimentation of my adrenal fatigue healing journey that you need to know:

1)    When you are even a LITTLE bit healed of adrenal fatigue, you are going to feel amazing. But don’t mistake that for being fully healed and raring to go. No, this is actually a dangerous point in your healing journey because you are most likely to push yourself to limits that your body is not yet ready for, and can end up in a worse position than when you started.

2)    Make sure your diet and supplementation is AIR-TIGHT. If you’re not working with a coach who has experience in healing adrenal fatigue, get yourself one. There are plenty of copy and paste adrenal fatigue/chronic fatigue diets out there, so be careful. Some quick tips I can offer you in this space without knowing your full history: eat plenty of fruits and vegetables (preferably organic), supplement with a high quality, non-GMO vitamin C (I’ll touch more on this in the next paragraph), have a small amount of protein with each meal which helps to stabilise your blood sugar, drink plenty of pure/filtered water, and ensure you are eating PLENTY of calories. If you are under-eating, even unintentionally, you are stressing your body, which means rising cortisol levels, which means burdening your already over-burdened adrenals. Not good. Also cut out foods that are known to be inflammatory, such as gluten, dairy, and highly refined carbohydrates.

3)    Multi-mineral, Vitamin C & Vitamin B-complex supplementation. It’s important to get medical clearance from your GP before taking any additional supplements to ensure that it won’t impact any medications you are currently taking. But let’s say that you are in the clear, B-complex vitamins, vitamin C and a good quality multi-mineral supplement are CRUCIAL in healing adrenal fatigue, ESPECIALLY when you are getting back into exercise. I was taking vitamin C 4x a day at dosages that I knew were appropriate for my body.

4)    Sleep quality is important. Be super strict with your sleep and wake routines. Consider supplementing with magnesium to replenish your nervous system.

5)    When you are working out, choose non-explosive activities. You want to give your nervous system and muscles time to ease into it. Examples of exercises to avoid: plyometrics, sprinting, running/jogging, CrossFit, olympic weightlifting, fight camp training, aerobics. Really, anything that involves explosive movements or activities that will puff you out.

6)    Put your ego aside – you’re going to start with workouts/weights that feel relatively easy to you, and you are going to progress ever so slowly. Slower than what you are used to. Your mind will mock you or convince you that you’re ready to amp things up. Tell it to shush, because it’s your mind that got you in this mess to begin with; constantly overriding the signals your body was sending you so you could continue to push it, eventually developing adrenal fatigue.

7)    Keep your rest periods between exercises at 90-120seconds. This gives your muscles AND nervous system time to replenish its ATP-PC and lactic acid energy systems. You want to feel ready to go for your next working set.

8)    Monitor your yawning. If you are yawning throughout your workout, that is a sign that your body is under stress and you are pushing too much. Don’t just rely on sweating or puffing as a sign that you’re working hard, in a body that is recovering from adrenal fatigue, it’s the subtle signs that you want to keep an eye on.

9)    You should feel clear-headed, energised and in a good mood when you are leaving your workouts, not dizzy, spent or smashed. This might mean that you only do 20-30mins of exercise for now, and that’s perfect for you! If you don’t feel too good on a workout day - listen to your body and rest instead. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

10) Monitor your energy levels throughout the day – if they remain unchanged and you don’t crash and burn at some point during the day after a workout, or the next day, this is a great sign! DO NOT be in a rush to increase your workout days to 3-4x a week, or make them longer just yet. You might need to stay at this level for 2-3 weeks before progressing ever so slightly.

11) Be honest with yourself and how you’re feeling. There is no point in denying when you are feeling tired. I understand the frustration, I really do. You just want to get back to doing things the way you wanted. Give yourself grace. Your body is in healing mode. In the grand scheme of your life these months are WORTH IT. Would you rather 6-12 months of healing your adrenal fatigue, or the rest of your life in zombie mode? You’ve already been robbed of your energy for so long. You deserve better.

If you follow these tips, you WILL get back to where you were at physically, emotionally and mentally.

Having healed from my own candida overgrowth, adrenal fatigue and leaky gut (all were interrelated by the way), I understand the emotional rollercoaster that is this healing journey, as well as the setbacks because we let our ego take over again.

I want you to know that you CAN totally heal from this. After you fully believe this for yourself, take the steps you need adjust your diet and lifestyle habits, and keep at it. Consistency is key; for this and for anything in life.

If you have specific questions, or feel you need support on your journey, you can reach out to me and book in your FREE 30min Discovery Call. Custom Strength Training Programs can be made just for you, or you can check out this pre-made program specifically for home workouts and suitable for adrenal fatigue recoverers

— Amya