What causes adrenal fatigue?
Adrenal fatigue is caused by an overload of stressors for a prolonged amount of time. Not fueling your body well can cause your body to go into starvation mode, which is a constant state of stress. This is particularly common in women who diet regularly and exercise too much. They are causing their bodies to live in a constant state of stress, and after a while adrenal fatigue sets in. This causes their body to continue to store fat, which brings many women to a weight loss plateau even though their behaviors haven’t changed.
So, how do you avoid adrenal fatigue?
Eat Enough of What Your Body Needs. Avoid low calorie diets, and eat to fuel your body well. Do your best to eat as clean as you possibly can to avoid taking in any further toxins. Ensure that you get enough carbs, particularly after a workout. Watch your caffeine, sugar, alcohol and processed food intake. Stay hydrated. Carb cycling is a great way to burn fat, without causing too much stress on your adrenals.
Get plenty of sleep. Most people need 8-10 hours of sleep per night. Do your best to get as close to that as possible. Sleep is a restorative time for your body, which is super important to your overall state of mind and your adrenal health.
Manage your stress levels. You can’t keep yourself from experiencing stress, so learning to cope effectively with stress is your next best option. Find a way that works for you to relieve stress and practice it daily!
Avoid overtraining. Cortisol levels increase significantly after 45 minutes of high intensity exercise. So stop spending hours on the treadmill and do 30-40 minutes of high intensity interval training, or strength training, that is more effective at burning fat without making your adrenals work too hard. Be sure to work in rest days in order to give your body time to repair itself.
Adrenal fatigue is common for women who juggle a lot. We live in a society with tons of demands on women, and most of us have countless stressors thrown at us every day. Doing what you can in terms of food, exercise, sleep and stress management will go a long way in decreasing the likelihood of adrenal fatigue and helping you stay on track in your weight loss journey.
XO,
Allie
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