Stress and it's effects on our fitness

Hello there!

This week was a great week! I am so grateful for all of my clients, my co-workers, and my family! I am making a living doing what I absolutely love to do! How fun and exciting!

This week I definitely witnessed the effects of stress on my clients and even myself. We are all so absolutely busy and it continues to increase exponentially. This stress, unless managed intelligently and successfully, will wreak havoc on our body and it's systems. Stress and sugar will utterly affect and even destroy our fitness goals. One can be working out consistently and with great intensity, however, if not properly nourished and rested, the body will not respond to exercise. Instead, if in a constant state of stress and fatigue, the body will produce hormones, especially cortisol, that will enable fat to be stored, in turn preventing lean body mass to be produced. So our efforts then are denied! This is why some of my clients, though working hard in the gym, are not seeing physical results, other than strength gains. I am witnessing the frustration, but most importantly, I am witnessing the complete and utter effects of stress on our bodies! We need rest from not only exercise, but from work, family obligations, technology, and anything else that wreaks havoc on our bodies!

Let's take care of ourselves with great diligence. Adequate exercise, proper nutrition, and sufficient and efficient rest are the key to our success in the gym and in life!

Exercise Goals: Consistency and Intensity

• 2-3 resistance training workouts (include a kick butt class)
• 2-3 cardiovascular workouts

Nutrition Goals: 80% of the exercise equation: Burn more calories than consumed

• 1600-1900 calories a day, 3 meals, 2 snacks
• 400-500 calories a meal with less than 9g of sugar, 200-300 calories a snack with less than 9g of sugar
• Lean protein: chicken, pork, turkey, fish, lean red meat
• Complex carbohydrates: brown rice, sweet potatoes, whole grain pasta and grains, oatmeal
• Low fat dairy: 2-3 servings a day, 2% cheese and milk, low fat cottage cheese, plain yogurt
• Dark, leafy veggies: Eat up!!!!!!
• Fruits: 2-4 servings a day - berries and apples are great!

Rest and Recovery: The body needs to rest in order to rebuild and grow muscle tissue and to restore homeostasis in body after exercise, work, and daily stress
**** Let's think of our bodies as a tank of gas! We have to constantly think about filling it rather than depleting it!*********

• Limit and Filter daily stress because Stress=Production of the hormone Cortisol=Fatigue=Stored fat (Please check out link below)
• 7-9 hours of sleep daily
• 2 Complete days off from exercise to repair body from physical and mental stress and exertion
  

Cortisol, Stress and Your Bodyhttp://stress.about.com/od/stresshealth/a/cortisol.htm

Let's make it our goal this week to use exercise as a stress reducer. Stress wreaks havoc on our bodies and contradicts our effort to reduce fat and build muscle. We cannot always burn the candles on both ends and use up all of our energy. Hey I know this personally!!!!!! Our bodies will hold on to fat and even produce it if we are not rested enough and properly nourished. Think of food as our power and think of rest as our strength!

Have a great week and see you in the gym!