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If there is one thing that has been hard for me while dealing with sluggish adrenals, it has been exercise.
I have never been one of those “gym rats” who loves to “work out”. But, I do enjoy moving my body and lifting heavy things.
I love seeing the muscle tone I develop when lifting and nothing that sparks my metabolism like weight training.
That said, in January (2015), my adrenals took a hit from a long period of stress and just letting life get the best of me.
Since then I really haven’t been able to do much in the way of heavy lifting. I do a little bodyweight training here and there, but honestly, I get so fatigued sometimes that I know I just can’t handle it.
I know I’m not alone here either.
One of the most common things that happens when your thyroid and adrenals slow down is you gain weight.
When that happens, the first thing you want to do is work out harder to try to lose it, or at least keep your body from gaining more.
This, my dear friends, can do way more harm than good and I discuss the importance of MINDFUL movement in my recent video. Allowing myself time to rest — even if it means not picking up my beloved kettlebells for awhile — is the best thing I can do right now.
I so hope this video is helpful and inspiring for you if you’ve been struggling with the same issues.
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Further Tips for Those with Adrenal Fatigue or Exhaustion
Here is some advice from my NTP, Lydia from Divine Health. She is one super smart cookie and has been my biggest wellness advocate and supporter during my journey. The other day she posted the following on her Facebook page and I thought it was too excellent not to share:
Your lifestyle is so key when you are in adrenal fatigue (which most people are to varying degrees).
It should include self-care, time for rest and relaxation, a healthy bedtime routine ensuring adequate and quality sleep. Learning to say no, cutting out activities that are not vital, doing more things that bring you pleasure and joy are all important for adrenal health.
Your adrenal glands are sensitive to stress. They won’t know the difference between real danger or imagined danger (anxiety/worry/fear). It will be key to minimize stress as best you can. Anxiety over anything is a stressor to the health of our adrenals. Our thoughts, worries, cares all require energy that can undermine our health. The situations we find ourselves in are not always controllable, but stress is. If you can’t reduce certain stresses in your life – like moving, a death in the family, structural issues, etc., then reduce the ones that you can so you are better able to handle the stresses that crop up.
Focus on the positive, look for the comedy in everything and by all means consider therapy/counseling. Finding a safe place to talk to someone who is there to listen to JUST you could make all the difference in the world. I’ve done it myself and I highly recommend it.
Exercise in adrenal fatigue can be tricky. First off, if you are not yet getting quality sleep -do not think exercise is the answer to making you feel better. While movement is critical for optimal health, exercise can take too much of a toll on an already taxed/tired system. My recommendations for fitness are with this very thing in mind. If you are able to test and find you are in Stage 2 or 3 adrenal fatigue – avoid intense exercise and stick to more gentle movements. Water therapy, hatha yoga, walking, gentle rebounding -leisurely hikes are all great. So long as you do not feel run down from these activities include them.
Do not exercise to the exclusion of rest. Many people look at exercise as a way to get themselves healthy, however exercise could rob you of your health if you are not careful. If you have adrenal fatigue, focus more on relaxation and rest. If there is a form or movement that enables relaxation and rest for you then try that and see how you feel.
Lydia has written a ton of articles on this site, so if you want to read more of her work, click here. She also has a great website with a ton of info on it as well, so if you want to check that out, click here. You can also find her on Facebook here.
If you want to read more about health, wellness, and my own personal healing journey, click here.
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I am so glad to hear that if I feel exhausted after exercise that it may be my adrenals and not laziness. I have been through a lot these past two years with anemia, surgeries(3),and digestive disorders (hiatal hernia repair). I have gained back nearly 18 of the pounds I lost and am trying desperately to lose them. I have put a lot of stress on myself to do so. I know diet has a lot to do with it plus I am reading all I can to help balance my hormones naturally. It is overwhelming to me as what to do for adrenal and thyroid health to be consistently moving forward. Any tips of where to start?
Oh Becky! You are not alone and I can totally relate! I’ve regained some weight too and it’s so frustrating. What’s even more frustrating is what used to work for me to shed pounds (low carb high fat), no longer works. It actually makes me GAIN weight. I am learning to make peace with the weight issues right now in hopes that at some point my body will decide it’s ready to shed it. My NTP always reminds me that we “don’t lose weight to get healthy, we get healthy to lose weight”. Sometimes it’s hard to remember though! 🙂
Hi Jessica, I love your video on mindful movement. I am at the beginning of my healing journey and I know intuitively it is not a time to push my body with a hard workout. But what is working for me (prepare for weird) is belly dance at home. I am not in training to perform so the bar is low when I dance, but it seems to give a beautiful stretch to the muscles in my entire body. It feels good to move to music and a reasonable elevation in heart rate can be achieved. I feel good with a bit of dance, it is fun, it feels more healing to me than yoga, or other things I have tried. It is my mindful movement during my healing process.
Thank you Annette! So glad it was helpful! I don’t think belly dance is weird at all! It’s good exercise and fun from what I’ve been told! It sounds like the perfect mindful movement for you! 🙂
Hi Jessica,
Thanks for the great video! I used to be an avid martial artist- like 5 to 6 days a weeks, several hours at a time. Last fall, I started noticing that I just didn’t have the same energy that I used to, and it has just gone downhill since. Since about March of this year, I have almost entirely quit exercising at all! This summer, I have been trying to get back into it (at a gym this time, rather than at a martial arts studio), but still feel the need to try and push myself like I used to. I end up feeling so tired afterwards that I go days (weeks, even) without exercising again. Thank you for reminding me that it is OK to take it easy when I exercise. I don’t need to make my entire body sore in order for me to have a good workout. I’ve been loving following your site, and love your herbal coffee blend!
Hi Sarah! Thanks for stopping by! I hear you on the exercise. All I do now is walk and yoga. I tried doing kettlebells (just 10-15 minutes) a month or so ago and completely drained myself with that little bit. I guess I’m not ready for much more than what I’m doing. OH! T-Tapp is another thing that I started earlier this year. I kind of forgot about it until recently and need to give it another go. It looks so silly, but it really did work. Thank you so much for commenting and stopping by! I appreciate your kind words and support! <3 🙂