Stress Can Be a Fitness Killer

I am not a fan of stress and how it can make me feel.  Unfortunately, stress is part of the life package deal with no opting out button.  Stress can become a chronic ugly thing with negative physical and emotional side effects.  Studies are also linking stress to hypertension, heart disease, and weight gain.  Who the heck wants a whole bunch of extra fat with the heart attack waiting to happen sign sitting on our stressed out shoulders?

So many of us are living in a constant state of stress whether from family problems, illness, financial strain, or unhappy marriages and are accepting it as our normal way of life.  Stress places wear and tear on our body as cortisol is leaking out of the adrenal glands in abundance and causing increased blood pressure and waistlines. Stress, straight up is a fitness killer.  I for one refuse to live in a constant state of stress and do implement healthy strategies to eliminate it from my life.

The way stress is handled is the answer to maintaining our health and fitness.  Some use stressful situations to make excuses to eat crappy, give up on themselves, and have a bitter resentful attitude about life.  This of course leads to all that "comfort food" over-eating, no exercise, and blaming everyone for self-induced problems.  Chronic stress behaviors like this lead to the ultimate fitness killer and eventual body riddled with illness and unhappiness. Stress can be either out of our control which we need to learn to let go, or fixable.

"Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we respond to it." I love this true statement and live this philosophy to reduce stress and maintain my fit and healthy life.  Learning to let go and remove stresses not within our control is important to healthy boundaries and improving the quality of our life.  Also, reviewing our priorities and eliminating things creating a "too busy" life will make for a happier, healthier you. Focusing on how to become a better you is the only thing that falls under the "fixable stress" category.  We tend to put undue stress on ourselves and from un-meaningful things in life.  Who cares what others are thinking, saying or even doing that may be about you?   Learning to let go, walk away from unimportant things, and picking up positive growth from the stresses in life will create a stronger, healthier person.

I enjoy a great workout when I feel stressed or anxious and use it as "cheap man's" therapy for self improvement.  God and I have pretty good talks during that time as well and usually within that sweaty hour, I have put the stress behind me and ready to move on with a positive day.  I also do not reach for  "junk" food to comfort me or fill some sort of empty void during times of stress.  I am a mindful eater and think before throwing just anything in my face.  My body, mind, and spirit are worthy of more than trash in the form of food or a bitter attitude.  I also like to deep breathe during my stretch time and contemplate everything about life.  I choose to be happy and healthy and that calls for action and choices to respond to stress in a healthy way.

Read my recent article "Is Stress and Cortisol Making You Fat"  on the about.com network for great information on how stress contributes to increased fat.

IS STRESS MAKING ME FAT?

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Darla

I am Struggling with Orthorexia: a True Testimonial

After writing an article on the topic of Orthorexia Nervosa, an undiagnosed eating disorder where healthy eating is taken to an unhealthy extreme, and on the about.com network, I received an outpouring of emails from people struggling with the disorder or tendencies to the behavior.  I was deeply moved with the many thanks for addressing the issue and providing awareness of the Orthorexia condition.  Upon sharing the article on my Stay Healthy Fitness Facebook there was also quite a bit of backlash and reference to Orthorexia being "bullshit" and just another money making disorder for the doctors.  I did provide a follow-up blog as I do fall under the category of a "clean eater" but there is a difference in healthy eating and healthy obsessive eating.  I ended the blog write with this statement:

"Orthorexia is a mental health issue not a clean eating issue, although sparked by "pure" foods.  It is an issue that requires us to look past the food and into the mind of a struggling person."

With that I now want to introduce you to a struggling Orthorexic who has offered to share her story with privacy conditions and I have agreed to do so.  Her story is authentic and her struggle is real:

"I really appreciate your article on orthorexia. I have those tendencies, but I am not sure if I fall into the orthorexia category or anorexia category. I am 50 years old and mother of two children. I have a degree in advertising and passionate about the health and fitness field.  I do most of my work from home so I can spend time with my kids.  For the last 25 years, I have worked-out faithfully and followed a relatively healthy diet.  When I turned 38, however, things seemed to "fall apart". I began having joint problems and acne issues. My thyroid issues worsened. After some research, I eliminated gluten and found relief in my joints, but not my skin. After further research, I found the paleo diet. It helped somewhat with the thyroid issues. I now eat a diet free of all grains/soy/beans/sugar/potatoes and most dairy.  Basically, I eat eggs, meat, veggies, fruit, nuts, and fats. I tried AIP to clear my acne but it did not produce the desired results. My acne is worse and I lost about 15 pounds. (I am below 100 pounds.)  I am 5'1" tall. I am not quite sure how to pull myself out of this one but I am trying to. After "eating clean" for so long, it is a bit hard to add things back so that I can gain the much needed weight.  My weakness is anything chocolate, peanut butter and/or ice cream.  It is hard, but sometimes I have to give myself permission to indulge. I still have to work on the guilt afterwards. But baby steps...

I am currently seeing a naturopath for my under active thyroid.  He has been a God-send.  He is aware of my anorexia tendencies and intercepted what could have been a much more serious situation than I am in right now. He accepted me as a patient in the middle of a tailspin. The MD that I had been using for years decided to make a HUGE adjustment in my thyroid medication. The end results were not what he expected and told me to see a specialist. I chose to find a naturopath instead.  He is wonderful.  But sometimes, it is hard to stop the tailspin mid tailspin!  I have dealt with anorexia since I was 18 years old.  That is a whole other story that I hope to share someday in hopes of helping those in the same situation.  In the past, I just starved myself.  This time is different.  I am eating but I am eating so cleanly and never deviating--until recently.  Anorexia restricts food--plain and simple, no explanation needed when I refused food.  This time it feels like life is restricted. How do you try and explain that I eat good-for-me food not THAT?!  I am not saying that eating healthily is a bad thing.  But there needs to be balance.  Of course, if you have sensitivities, then stay clear of the trigger foods.  I have, through all this, found some sensitivities (gluten and soy) and I avoid them to the best of my ability.  But relaxing and enjoying a not-so-good-for-you treat is still a struggle.  I somehow feel that I have failed because I "gave in".  Shouldn't the important thing be that I am enjoying a rare treat with my children?  Believe me, they have noticed that I no longer share in the special times.  What kind of example am I setting for them?  I do not want them to think that it is all or nothing. They eat pretty healthily.  They now eat more fruits and vegetables and much less processed foods. Beyond that,  I am so uncomfortable in my own body because I finally was "able to see" how thin I was thanks to my husband hurting my feelings.  I thank God he was just plain honest even though it hurt.  My acne is embarrassing as well.  I never thought that I would be fighting acne at my age even with all the positives changes that I have made.  It is worse now than when I was in my teens.  

Thank you for addressing this issue and giving me awareness.  I hope to get myself back.  My dream is just to be healthy and be able to help others suffering like I do.  If you feel that my story can help someone, then please use it. I feel like we all go through things for a reason. If my story would bring awareness, I would feel blessed!" 

Sincerely,

An Orthorexic

READ THE ARTICLE

If you have not had the opportunity to read my article on "Orthorexia: Clean Eating Gone Wrong" , take a few moments to become aware of an issue that is more problematic than realized. I am thankful to this beautiful woman who reached out completely vulnerable sharing her life and struggle with orthorexic tendencies and I pray for her recovery.  I also hope that her story has touched you as it did me.  Orthorexia is definitely not "bullshit" and bringing this issue to the forefront is timely.  Awareness of the condition is important so that we may be able to help those who are struggling or at the very least understand the mentality of someone suffering with Orthorexia.  

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Darla

I Maintain a Healthy Perspective About Fitness

I love being healthy, eating healthy and how I feel as a healthy woman.  I have been living this lifestyle most of my life and at 51 have a healthy handle of what being healthy means.  I teach health and fitness as my occupation and since it is my passion really do not consider it work.  There is something to be said about the existence of living a healthy lifestyle.  My clients know that I don't teach perfection, but progress and it is not a lifestyle of complete restriction, but a healthy balance of eating right 80 to 90 percent of the time and regular exercise.

I do not believe in taking things to extremes and making health feel like a burden for me or anyone else.  My mental game is what I want to address here and keeping health in perspective.  I am all about eating organic, non-GMO, and cooking at home to be in control of what I am eating 80 to 90 percent of the time.  I am human and will indulge in occasional adult beverages and will not turn down a slice of my Mom's lemon meringue pie. I enjoy partaking in my treats now and then and do so guilt free.  I also do not spend endless hours in the gym to maintain my physique and believe an effective workout can be completed in 60 minutes or less.  I also feel my workouts are a healthy outlet and not a punishment for eating crappy. I make sure to get in 5 workouts per week with two recovery days.  I would call my healthy lifestyle realistic, maintainable, and mentally positive.

I do the best I can to eat healthy and realize that I will not be GMO free. None of us will be able to accomplish this task unless we are growing our own foods, and even then, what is in the soil?  Is it truly GMO free?  Did a bird carry over tainted corn or other seeds into my garden?  What about pesticides flying over into my garden?  I would not be able to eat at all if I began over obsessing about my healthy foods and started eliminating essential nutrients because my focus was on purity and quality of food instead of what my body needs to function daily.  What if I began eliminating my Mom's pie and stopped going out with my husband and friends because I was afraid of the food?  This would not be healthy thinking or healthy living.

READ THE ORTHOREXIA ARTICLE

In addition to being a fitness trainer and coach, I am a freelance writer and Sports Nutrition Expert for the about.com network.  I recently researched and wrote an article on Orthorexia, an undiagnosed eating disorder that takes healthy eating to an unhealthy extreme.  I was surprised to see such negative comments and backlash exposing orthorexic behaviors.  It appears that the "meat" of the article was missed and a nerve was touched for those who are "clean" eaters.  I fall into the eating clean category and as I shared earlier, there is a difference between eating healthy and "obsessive" eating healthy.

The article was an exposure of the mental thinking surrounding eating clean or "pure" not that eating healthy is a bad thing ... that would be ludicrous.  Would you say that binging and purging, over-eating, anorexia, and exercise addiction are unhealthy and mentally and emotionally related?  I welcome knowledge as power on all subjects related to health and we should not be birds with our heads stuck in the sand avoiding up and coming issues surrounding the health and fitness industry.  When food phobia becomes so severe that it affects quality of life in an unhealthy way, I would agree it warrants time and attention.  Orthorexia is a mental health issue not a clean eating issue, although sparked by "pure" foods.  It is an issue that requires us to look past the food and into the mind of a struggling person.

The article posted on the about.com network is a very informative read on the subject of Orthorexia.  I hope that is can also be re-read with a more open mind.

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I Keep it Healthy

Stay Healthy!

Darla