We are what we eat, digest and absorb.
The quality of all of those 3 aspects has a determining factor on our health and fitness.
These factors can be adversely effected by external inputs (stressors). Modern day stressors elicit the fight or flight response to survival, the only thing is, dealing with stress these days compared to our club wielding ancestors of yesterday are very different, we can’t run from, hide from, or attack predators, we don’t have to hunt, we dealt with threats as they cropped up.
Modern day living is not the same, we can’t run away from ill health, we can’t attack people who threaten us in one or another, we are unable to fix modern day stressors by avoiding them. If unmanaged, they follow us around and drain our batteries. Imagine running from a predator the whole time.
Our physiological reactions to these stressors of today and of prehistoric times ARE THE SAME.
Our way of living is different and our strategies of management must follow suit to keep up with the change of environment in order to successfully manage the ‘threat’.
It’s down to the understanding of our Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) which regulates our unconscious actions. The ANS has two branches:
- Sympathetic Nervous system (SNS) – Fight or Flight – Slows metabolism and shuts down digestive processes, appetite is out of sync and the need for food during this activation is not a priority as the body is saying RUN RUN RUN! We don’t need to stop and eat when we are being attacked, this process also has a long term effect of muscle degeneration (not healthy weight loss) and body fat preservation. This is linked to famine and energy preservation…Again, we don’t have that problem (in most places), but the body still acts the same as if it did.
- Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) – Feed, breed and relax – This is the opposite effect – This doesn’t mean that we want the PNS overactive either, because we need a balance of both systems for homeostasis.
it’s a process of balance, we require both of these systems for healthy living. Just as we require one, we require the other.
Only, constant stress exposure in excess, SNS activity creates imbalances with hormones, cognition and digestive health for day to day living
This inhibits the body’s ability to digest and absorb the nutrients we need to fuel our bodily systems due to the underlying unmanaged stress…Yes this has an impact on on your weight loss goals, fat loss goals, muscle building goals and all other health and fitness related desires.
So, of course the right amount and intensity of exercise is key, the correct amount and selection of a variety of foods is important, enough rest, sleep and recovery is key…But but but, a process of stress management is fundamental to enable consistency with everything else.
It prepares the body for balance. This helps with choices, nutrient absorption, a healthy metabolism, better physical results.
Areas to reduce stress excess SNS activity:
- Routine for familiarity and execution…the notion of knowing helps with adherence and consistency.
- Planning and preparation to reduce overwhelm and to create clarity.
- Attention to the positive things in your life, the ‘everything is hard’ mentality encourages stress.
- Do you need to say ‘no’ more frequently? Are you working more than you’re not being paid for or than your hours suggest (context).
- Areas for self-care improvement – (sleep routine, exercise, nutrition, hydration, daily motivation and mindset management), all of which in context, there’s no use in exercising more frequently and intensely accompanied with a ‘low cal diet for weight loss’ because that will add to the stress response. Learning of these are crucial for managing this area of life.
- Getting Enough daylight – This is directly linked to mood.
Main takeaway, learn how to chill out as well as equally getting the balance of life in sync…involving all areas of your life self-care, family, friends, profession, hobbies.
This will help balance that SNS and PNS relationship which will enable you to achieve more efficient living and enable you to achieve better health and fitness success.