S T R E S S
I once heard of a corporate personal trainer, who had established a very lucrative business working with a large law firm. His days were filled training successful and driven attorneys. Their company was aware of the importance of physical fitness and of the good health of their employees, indeed more and more corporations realize that if they are to demand a high work ethic in a high pressure environment, then they need to make available health and fitness benefits.
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Why then, after almost a decade of this work did the trainer give up such a lucrative position? To quit a secure and financially rewarding position in which, one would think, you would be working with determined individuals, people that are motivated by success and are able to follow a course of action in order to achieve the desired outcome.
Why? The trainer eventually threw the towel in the ring because he felt his work was futile. In one aspect he provided a great service, but what was desired by the majority of his clients was physical improvement, body composition changes, that is a reduction in body fat, to create a more metabolically active physique that is leaner and stronger. The trainer was not getting these results and he knew why, he was up against an obstacle that he could not control or work around ...... STRESS.
In this case the demanding workload that the attorneys had to address meant a lot of stress. Stress an accepted part of life and to some extent an advantageous element of life that when sporadic and in moderation can challenge us to do our best. The adrenaline response of stress can enable extra power to be available to the muscles and it can help us mentally focus on the task in hand. An example of each would be the pressure to perform at a sporting event and the mental focus needed to recall and concentrate in an important exam.
Once the cause of the stress is removed the chemicals produced by stress (epinephrine, nor epinephrine and cortisol) are washed away in the blood and safely removed from the body, much the same way as lactic acid - a by-product of muscle contraction is safely removed from the muscles after a workout..
Stress is not necessarily a problem, our response to stress is immediate, it serves a purpose and the body can easily restore its own natural balance and so continue to pre stress behavior.
TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING
The problems start when we overload the system with stress. When it is coming at you many directions then ' Stress becomes Distress,' The situation is prolonged and the reactive chemicals continue to be produced, instead of being reabsorbed and discarded they continue tobuild up in the system. A person in 'Distress' is vulnerable on many levels; the link between stress and a variety of health issues from heart disease to infertility is already well established and widely discussed.
Back then to the fitness trainer. The attorney clients obviously have stressful jobs, but the trainer found that in around 80% of his cases not only did his clients not reduce their levels of body fat, but their body composition changed with a negative swing.
"Moderation is the key", "it's not the use but the abuse" we have heard these phrases thrown around to describe the consumption of dietary fat or the use of alcohol even exercise routines , it is a general way of thinking that allows "most things in moderation". There are exceptions, however stress is not one of them.
CATABOLIC CORTISOL
Cortisol, released from the adrenal cortex in response to stress can suppress the immune system and the inflammatory reaction. This can be good thing as damaged cells release chemicals that cause inflammation.
Also cortisol has the affect of increasing blood sugar levels. It can do this as it enables the body to convert amino acids (breaking down protein stores) into glucose, a process known as 'gluconeogenesis', it also trys to preserve glucose by attempting the shift of using glucose stores for energy to using fatty acid stores for energy instead.
In the short-term cortisol helps us cope with internal and external environmental changes, although not fundamental to life cortisol does play a huge part in managing stress.
MORE IS NOT NECESSARILY BETTER
Back again then to the attorneys. In seeking the physical gains they are up against self-sabotage. With skipped meals and late nights added to the stress of work, this doesn't diminish unless you are able to make a conscience effort.
The cortisol keeps doing its job and so the breakdown of protein continues. The stored protein is from muscle tissue and you become "Catabolic" - instead of increasing your lean body you are decreasing it, muscle is being broken down to form glucose, an unusual process except in the situation where the body recognizes stress and the need to increase blood glucose stores.
Muscle is also the furnace of fat burning. When fat is broken down it travels in the blood stream to working muscles where it is burnt up for energy. As you lose muscle you so reduce your ability to burn fat. This is where many diets for fat loss fail. The perseverance of muscle tissue is crucial to fat loss. With very low calorie diets weight (not fat) is initially lost, but your ability to burn fat has been reduced, this explains the all to common rebound or "yo yo diet." If you return your calories to their previous level (or more) fat storage will increase as during the calorie deprivation stage you lost muscle weight and so reduced your ability to burn fat.
The more cortisol produced as a by-product of stress creates a catabolic environment, you lose muscle, your ability to burn fat is reduced, you find yourself heading in the wrong direction. This causes some to train harder and longer .... more stress, this time physical stress.
Add to this any family problems or health concerns and we begin to see how after many years of the same pattern the fitness trainer considered his efforts futile as so moved on.
MITIGATING STRESS
The law firm is just an example of a well-told story, the story however runs deeper and stronger throughout our society. Stress related conditions include heart disease, obesity, cancer, depression, anxiety, substance abuse and numerous immune and infectious disorders.
Maybe the first step is recognizing where stress lies, it is not always in the most obvious places. Consider over-training, under or overeating, smoking, drugs and alcohol, poor nutrition and poor sleep. Then consider grief, finance, and moving, children, school, work or hostility and arguments as well as the demands and expectations of others.
Stress that leads to distress may seem unavoidable but by identifying where it lies you can then work on the areas where you have some control, consider those below
1. Nutrition eating every 3-4 hours, learn to be prepared and carry snacks with you. Eating balanced meals avoiding the spices and limiting your fat intake.
2. Vacation take it ! If you cannot afford the time, then plan a break in the future, maybe a day trip or a long weekend. Just knowing you have some down time in the near future can help.
3. Alcohol look at how much you drink, what you drink and why you drink. Is it purely social, or do you use alcohol to wind down? The 'moderation' comes in here, be sensible and choose your poison wisely.
4. Compromise. Sometimes you have to. If you are deadlocked with someone just as thick skinned as yourself then look for some middle ground. Take a time out, don't let anger drag you into a battle that need not happen.
5. Your own space. Make a space your space, it could be a room in the house, it could be the garage or the garden. For those that work at home it sometimes gets overwhelming, your home is no longer your retreat its just one big office. Find a space, put some favorite things in there - books, TV, music, plants, whatever it takes for you to make your mark, then make it off limits to everyone else. Try to get into your space several times a week, even if its only for 15 minutes and DON'T take your cell phone or your pager.
6. Communicate. OK so those at work may not want to hear about your stress, but some people can help and when asked they feel special and are usually more than happy to help, Show them your list if need be or simply explain that all the demands made on you are wearing you down. If it is a partner and if they are also a cause of some of your stress, explain the whole picture, how overwhelming it is and ask for their compromise and understanding.
Now we should mention here that once you communicate your stress with a partner then you could be opening the flood gates. It is a two way street, you may be oblivious to stress in their life. If so ask them to write down a list, sit down together and see where you can help each other. How apt is that saying "A problem shared is a problem halved."
7. A pet. Research has proved that having a pet can be a great stress reducer. Obviously stress should not be the sole reason for getting a pet, but there are benefits to having a companion that doesn't talk back.
Living a stressful live is not conducive with living a happy life and as a scientist at Duke University Medical Center pointed out "a man living in this constant state of stress is unpleasant to be around, but absolutely lethal to himself."
References American Institute of stress (www.stress.org)
Textbook of Medical Physiology 9th edition 1996 guyton A C & J E Hall Saunders
Human Physiology 6th edition Vander AJ, JH Sherman & DC Luciano Mcgraw & Hill
Duke University Medical center c/o CBS News Radio
Joanne Lee
joannelee.com