Adrenal Fatigue

Overview: What is Adrenal Fatigue?

Adrenal Fatigue is a syndrome that causes a wide variety of symptoms all stemming from an imbalance of an individuals hormonal systems. Specifically the hormones secreted by your Adrenal Glands (also known as your Suprarenal Glands located on top of your Kidneys).

Your Adrenal Glands regulate your stress response (fight or flight instinct) through the release of 2 hormones: Cortisol and Epinephrine (also known as Adrenaline). They also produce DHEA, Progesterone, Estrogen and Testosterone.

Imbalances of these 2 primary Adrenal Hormones can lead to problems in the human body.


Signs and Symptoms:
For a quick quiz check out the adrenal fatigue quiz @ adrenalfatigue.org

Anyone under stress, be it physical from a chronic pain condition, emotional or mental is at risk of the burn out of Adrenal Fatigue.

Feeling tired all the time isn't normal! relying on coffee or other stimulants to get going would be a classic sign.

Weight gain for 'no reason' is another symptom. Especially when it outwardly appears that the person is doing all the right things with their diet and exercise.

Muscle weakness, absent minded behaviours, mood swings and food cravings are also signs.

Adrenal Fatigue often closely mimics a Thyroid Disorder.


Treatments:

Relaxation!
Sleeping 8-10 hours uninterrupted.
Regular meals (every 3-4 hours).
Nutritional Supplements such as B-complex, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Magnesium and Minerals.
Avoiding highly processed foods and refined carbohydrates.

Calories?!

Working in health and nutrition I can tell you that a lot of people think they are eating the right amount each day. Well... they're not.

Find out how many calories you should be eating to lose, gain or maintain weight and then see if you match up.

I started an account at http://www.myfitnesspal.com to see how well I do on a daily basis!

Spring for some Veggies

Through out the year people often complain that their favourite vegetables are not in season.
So... what IS in season now?

Spring time veggies you should try:
Spinach
Asparagus
Snap Peas
Green Beans
Radishes

Some awesome recipes from diabetes.org

Keep in mind that the bulk of the fruits and veggies will be just around the corner!
Summer is on its way.

Antioxidant Awareness

Many people have seen this word flying around for the last few years... I think you'd have to be living in the woods to have missed it completely. It's in our magazines, flyers and leaflets, news broadcasts, commercials, product labels and all over the internet. Most people I've spoken to however seem to have NO idea what Antioxidants are or what they do.






So, What is an Antioxidant?
Some examples of Antioxidants are; Beta-Carotene, Vitamin C, E and A.
There are other compounds that act as antioxidants as well; flavinoids, lycopene, lutein and lignan. As well as CoQ10. Check out this article: Antioxidants 101 for a great list.

Why do I need to eat Antioxidants? Clinical studies have shown that Antioxidants can prevent damage to cells by stabilizing 'Free Radical Molecules'.

WTF is a Free Radical?!
A Free Radical (or radical) is an atom which as a result of having unpaired electrons is extremely reactive with other atoms. Sit down in a high school Chemistry class and learn a bit about chemical reactions, basically these free radical atoms will interact with anything near them. Including our DNA....

Where can I find Antioxidants?
They can be found in loads of foods, (see the link above for a neat interactive list).
My personal favourites are cranberries, blueberries and granny smith apples. Mmm tasty!
** sounds like breakfast... **
But you can also find them in all sorts of common vegetables, carrots, tomatoes, dark leafy greens, nuts, grains and even spices like cloves, cinnamon or oregano.



Why the Hype?
Because Free Radicals interact with cells and DNA they wind up causing genetic mutations - these mutations become apparent in the form of Cancers, Alzheimers, Parkinsons and other health problems. The Antioxidants stabilize these atoms and don't allow their reaction with our genetics - reducing the risk of these illnesses.

So stay healthy! Eat up!

2009 - aspire!

Took me long enough to set up my 2009 'resolutions' but here's the plan of attack for me.
Share your thoughts for 2009 (or anytime!) in the comments section!

Things I'm doing differently:
1. Exercise every 2nd day. (v-sit, plank, squats, yoga stretches).
2. Run 3-5km 3 times a week and average 10,000 steps per day.
(I track my steps on a pedometer - but it should work out to about 1 hour of brisk walking for most people).
3. Tracking my meals - breakfast, early snack, lunch, afternoon snack, supper.
4. Tracking my water intake. Trying to get 8-10 glasses per day.
(I also count herbal tea towards my water intake).
5. Making healthy choices for snacks, and avoiding boredom and binge eating.
6. Remembering to take vitamin supplements every day.

**I find that writing down what I'm doing helps me keep better control of it.
So even though I did have a cinnamon bun and a small coffee yesterday I don't feel guilty or out of line because I wrote it down and I'll make healthy choices for the rest of the week.

Give it a try for a couple of weeks and perhaps you'll see a difference.




Ever wonder where you can get great recipes?
These are some of my favourite sites:

http://allrecipes.com
http://www.cooks.com/

Or get creative and build your own balanced meals. Lean protein, Good fats, and Healthy carbohydrates!!

FOOD for thought.

Found this article today so I thought I should share.
The Top 5 Brain Health Foods - by BrainReady.com

They're just preaching to the choir here, I'm all over that!
(Any excuse to pamper myself with the occasional organic espresso or chocolate hah!)

Bloody Sweet!

Today's entry will be all about your blood sugar levels and insulin hormone.

With Diabetes (especially Type-2) and Hypoglycemia becoming increasingly frequent in our society it's important to understand how your blood sugars work. Most people know that their bodies will store extra energy as body fat, but they don't understand the process behind it.

I think almost everyone has had the experience of eating a food high in fats and sugars and getting that immediate boost of energy - followed by that devastating crash that makes you want to crawl under your desk and take a nap. So why does your body do that?

Quite simply it's due to the excess fats and sugars we're taking in. We do not get an appropriate balance of fat, carbohydrates and proteins with each meal. Fats and simple carbohydrates break down quickly and are rapidly absorbed by your body causing an increase in your blood sugars and a release of insulin. Protein releases more gradually and allows your body to release the correct amounts of hormones at a more gradual rate. Barry Sears developed a great healthy eating plan called the ZONE DIET and I work on achieving a similar balance with clients at the lifestyle clinic.

I love how they state it on their website,

"Any diet that uses the word high or low to describe it is hormonally unsustainable. The only diet that can maintain hormonal balance for a lifetime must use the word moderate to describe it." source: the zone diet explained.

Ideally in my own life I aim for half of my meal to be made up of carbohydrates (healthy vegetables and fruits, whole grain pastas or brown rice) and an even split of lean protein (lean beef, fish, chicken, eggs or soy substitutes) and healthy fats (unsaturated fats from low fat dairy, extra virgin olive or flax oils, nuts, and combined sources like omega-3 rich wild salmon). When I'm trying to build more muscle, or recovering from stress and illness, I'll change the ratio up so that I get a bit more protein into my system.

Another simple way to keep your sugars more balanced and make sure you have the energy you need to get through your day (no matter what you come up against) is to make sure that you are eating approximately every 4-5 hours. A quick balanced snack of high fiber crackers with some cheese and nuts would do it. Or a small fruity smoothie with flax seed oil and protein powder. Once you start remembering what foods you should combine for the healthiest you this sort of thing will just come naturally.

I hope this helps those of you with big plans in 2009 have enough energy and vitality to make every day count!

Happy New Year.
M.