Stress in Fitness

Stress can make or break ones fat loss goals. There are two types of stress, positive and negative. Positive stress, like the pressure of competition, or the desire to reach certain goals in a strict time limit, can give you the motivation and push to get to the gym and push until the end. Negative stress can come in the form of feeling overwhelmed by the demands of training and dieting, over training, personal or emotional issues, the demands of everyday life and the list goes on. Everyone experiences stress in their life. This is especially true for fitness competitors. 99% of the time fitness competitors have full time jobs, families and commitments that do not go away once contest prep is started. It is extremely important for each of us to understand, recognize and learn how to appropriately deal with this stress, especially during contest prep time.

Stress does not only have negative effects of the mental state of the individual, but also affects the physical body, through cortisol production. Cortisol is the hormone produced in the body during stressful times. The body is smart, but every type of stress, be it physical, psychological, emotional etc. elicits the same hormonal response from the adrenal glands. Under stress, the body initiates the “fight or flight” response. The fight or flight response means that all the unnecessary organs for survival are “shut off” and the survival reserves come to the rescue. That means that all the store glycogen and fat stores are released and circulated through the blood stream. This extra sugar and fat stores then spikes insulin and is ready to use as fuel to “fight or flight”. If the extra stores are not used, they are then stored as fat on the abdomen. 

It is also important to note that this extra glycogen reserve that is released during “fight or flight” is derived from the stores we continuously strive to maintain: in the muscle. Therefore, in short, stress holds fat AND burns muscle. Think about how detrimental long term stress can be to the physique you have put so many countless hours and reps into! 

That being said, we must find a way to become aware and avoid the build-up of stress in everyday life. How one deals with stress is an individual factor. The first step is recognizing the strain of stress on life then taking small steps to relieve that stress. Sometimes it is necessary to take time off from training. Rest is not a bad thing. Know when to rest, and when to go hard. When you do grant yourself a day off, enjoy it and do not stress about it. Oftentimes we as fitness competitors are too hard on ourselves. Take the time to give yourself credit. Praise yourself for your efforts in the gym, or staying on point with the diet, or your results you see in the mirror etc. Focus on positive things, instead of the one day you took off from the gym will have positive, long term, happy results. Not to mention low cortisol levels, aka maximum muscle growth and minimal water retention!

Last but not least, during your rest day, learn to “be productive when you are not productive”. So you can’t make it to the gym today. Use this extra time to “be productive” towards your fitness goals. Use the time to prep some healthy meals for the week, review your training plan or write in your training journal to help evaluate your progress. Practice posing in your living room. Make the arrangements you need to make for the competition you are looking to compete in. Do some laundry and prepare for the week ahead. Anything! Keep the diet tight, and I guarantee you will feel refreshed and more prepared to hit your training goals the next day with force. 

Sometimes stress is unavoidable in our daily lives so it’s important to know which steps can be taken to reduce stress and counteract excess cortisol production.

·         Exercise  - as mentioned above cortisol will increase blood sugar levels sending glucose out to be used as a defense mechanism. Exercising during stressful times can reduce the excess blood sugar bringing glucose levels back to homeostasis. The downside is the potential to produce more cortisol from exercise which brings us to our next step.

·         Supplement – Vitamin C in doses of 500-1000mg have been shown to reduce cortisol levels. Taking a healthy dose of Vitamin C prior to, during or after exercise will help slow and stop cortisol production. Minerals such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, chromium and more have all been shown to reduce cortisol levels as well. Be sure your daily supplements include a good multivitamin and consider Cal-Mag and/or ZMA.

·         Reduce Caffeine Intake – Caffeine has been shown to increase cortisol by up to 30% with doses as low as 100-200mg (1-2 cups of coffee). Cortisol levels can remain high for 12-18 hours after caffeine intake.  Consider trying decaf or limit your caffeine intake as best as possible.

·         Get plenty of rest – Individuals with poor sleeping patterns can have cortisol levels up to 30 times higher than those who get lots of rest. Try supplementing with Melatonin or ZMA to get higher quality sleep.

·         Stay organized – No matter what your fitness goal; be it a fitness competition or just staying in shape being organized will help you avoid stress and meet your goals much easier. Keep a to-do list, cook your meals in advance, give yourself plenty of time to do the tasks of the day and take a deep breath whenever you need it!

By: Celia Hodder and Ricky Goodall