Good Stress, Bad Stress!

Stress!

What is stress? Is stress always bad? How did I become stressed? How do I know if I am too stressed? What can I do if I am too stressed?

To begin, it is essential to state that there are an uncountable amount of things (stresses) in our daily lives that will cause us stress. The vast majority of these things are uncontrollable, that is to say that there is nothing you can do about them occurring. However, being aware of how the stress cycle works will allow you to manage or mitigate the stresses in your life. 

The Biological, Psychological, Social model of health is a good reference point to see what is causing you stress and what can be done about the stress in you life. Stress is caused by both internal and external environmental factors and these factors are almost always a derivative of Bio-Psycho-Social factors. 

Biological stresses are for the most part of an internal environmental cause. That means that the stress load occurred due to some factors in your body. For example; when ever you feel thirsty your body is under stress. The stress occurs due to the kidneys holding water and salts to maintain your blood plasma levels. If blood plasma levels drop too low you are said to be dehydrated. As the kidneys hold the water and salt the heart rate will increase, as the heart rate increases the blood pressure will increase too. If you don't address your need for water you body will become very stressed very quickly. Alternatively if you take some water fluids in the body will return to normal state in a matter of minuets. 

Psychological stresses can be of either internal or external environmental cause. These stresses are not as easy to resolve as the example of thirst and drinking water. A common psychological stress I come across in clinic on a daily basis in the phenomenon of pain. Although, it could be argued, that pain is a biological stress its outcome or effect will always have a psychological effect on a patient. This may present by a patient worrying about the cause of the pain, worrying about the loss of function as a result of the pain or catastrophising the the cause is more serious or sinister that perhaps it might be. 

One of the greatest barriers to resolving muscular or joint pain is fear avoidance. If a patient fears using the injured limb or fears returning to the activity the previous caused pain the pain process will be prolonged and in some cases worsened. Patient understanding the injury and cause of the pain is vital for recovery and mitigation of the psychological stress being caused by the pain. 

There are many common symptoms associated with psychological stress and the usual symptoms i hear reported clinically are; poor digestion, poor sleep and anxiety. Pain is a great suppressor of appetite. Poor sleep is a facilitator of pain. Pain and poor sleep is a driver of anxiety. This is a viscous cycle of stress and ultimately ill health if not addressed correctly. 

Social stress is usually an external environmental cause. Clinically this most often presents as work or family related stress. Trying to meet deadlines in work, being expected to work longer hours or having to attend work engagements at short notice. All of these examples will cause physiological change in the body that will drive the body into a stressed state. 

The stress of having to meet a deadline in work will elevate cortisol levels in the blood and put the body into a state of unease. Breathing will become shallower, heart rate will increase, sleep will be poor and like above, digestion will suffer too. This will have the knock on effect of causing psychological stress too. 

So far I have discussed the negative impacts and outcomes of stress. However, there are many positive impacts too. 

Biological stress from exercise and exertion has a long term positive effect on the body and all of its organs. During exercise the stress of exertion will cause the heart rate to increase and be held at a higher rate than at rest. Long term this will make the heart more efficient and therefore a lower heart rate is achieved after a couple of weeks regular exercise. The breathing rate and rhythm will increase too. Like the heart, the respiratory organ will function much more efficiently after just a couple of weeks exercise. Physical exertion will make you more tired and sleep usually improves as a result, as sleep improves the digestion will improve too. Both of those factors will reduce anxiety or mitigate some other stress. 

Psychological stress of task completion at work, doing a crossword puzzle or playing a musical instrument have widely know positive outcomes in patients.This type of stress has been shown to reduce the risk of memory loss, maintain cognitive function and mitigate risks of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Our bodies thrive on stress and when it comes to psychological stress the old adage of "Use it or lose it" proves true. 

Social stress of organising to meet friends and family for social outings in a positive environment are widely shown to reduce the symptoms of negative stress and anxiety. Allowing yourself time to break away from the monotony and worry of day to day chores, work life and limitations of pain and illness is a positive way to help you gain perspective of what is important. It can help you identify the stress in your life and time away might be all you need to find a way to deal with these stresses. 

What is stress?

Stress is the grind of day to day life. Stress is hunger, tiredness, pain and worry. Stress is walking, swimming and meeting a friend for coffee. Stress is everything you encounter daily and stress is something you conjure up in your head. Stress is inevitable, it should be met and greeted. Sometimes it can blind side you and when it does you need to identify it, address it and deal with it to ensure your health. 

How do I become stressed?

The Tea Cup on the Saucer might be the best analogy here. The Tea cup is holding the stress. I am the type of person who likes there Tea Cup fairly full most of the time. Sometimes the Tea will spill over onto the Saucer. That's OK. So long as you recognise this, stop the spillage and clean up the Saucer. Illness thrives on a messy Saucer.

How do I know if I am too stressed?

There are many signs of being too stressed but perhaps the most obvious and possibly the most common sign is when you find yourself unable to cope with small and minor problems that previously wouldn't have bothered you that much.

What can I do if I am too stressed?

Identify the primary and secondary stresses in your life. You might not be able to resolve all your problems or stresses short term but pick the problems you can address and resolve them. That should help you cope with the remaining issues.  

Apps, gadgets and equipment.

There are a plethora of fitness equipment, apps, supplements and gadgets out there that can be very useful in keeping fit and maintaining health. Some of this stuff works very well and some of it is designed solely to make some budding entrepreneur a quick buck.

So what works and what doesn't?

Well it depends. Most people I would argue are approaching health and fitness the wrong way round. I see lots of people buying all the gear and downloading all the apps only to fail after a few days or weeks at best. Hardly a week goes by that a patient, family member or friend doesn't ask me for advice on the newest gadget or craze in the industry.

We are in the age of bio-hacking, people want the maximum results available with the minimum effrot. I've stated before on this platform that the 'journey' is the most important part of any process. The journey is far more rewarding than arriving at any destination. If the journey is challenging and you've given it your best effort, the destination or your results will always make you happy. If you bio-hack your way to a desired weight, shape or goal you can be certain it won't make you happy for any period of time. 

Over a twenty year period I've evolved into a chronic runner. I no longer work out in a gym. Having been a personal trainer for 15 years the thoughts of running on a 'dreadmill' or 'pumping iron' doesn't excite me anymore. I run at almost every opportunity I get. I do some basic yoga at home and in work. I foam roll my body whenever I get a spare few minuets at home and I meditate. That's it!

I've learned, as my family has grown, to keep it really simple. I have limited time and these few devices keep me in shape. 

What apps, gadgets and equipment do I use?

Garmin 620

Running is my escape. I find answers, problems and inspiration when I run. I record every single meter on my Garmin 620 sports watch. When I am training for a specific event, I use a method of heart rate training involving zones, see here. 

All the data that I collect when running, distance, speed, elevation and heart rate is uploaded to a web site called Strava. Strava is best described as facebook for runners and cyclists. You can follow your friends and athletes and monitor their training regimes. 

I find this very motivating. Some days when I'm feeling tired or lazy I browse the feed on this app. After seeing friends have been out pounding the pavement I guilt myself into running too.

Daily Yoga
I use the 'daily yoga' app for,,, you guessed it, doing yoga. I always joke that if a day had 25 hours I'd do yoga in the extra hour. I recognised this as a feeble excuse and found this great app. I confess to not opening this app every day but if I get a free 10 minuets I try and bust a few moves.
I wrote a post before about the ineffectiveness of static stretching, see here.

Foam roller
To stave off the threat of injury I do two simple things. I predominantly eat a plant based diet, no animal products. And, I foam roll. Foam rolling doesn't always prove to be successful. I do this at home usually after a long run which, most often takes place on a Sunday morning. On returning home my two young boys are usually waiting gregariously to mob me as I fall in the door. Laying on the floor and rolling my body usually involves one of them climbing on me while the other jumps on me. Foam rolling in my house can cause more injuries than it prevents.

My foam roller is most often used as an additional tunnel for my boys train track.

Head Space

I can not stress the fact that a healthy body can only be found with a healthy mind. I use the 'HeadSpace' app to train my mind to slow down. I have a busy work week, traveling between clinics and meeting and treating many different individuals each week. Family life is hectic since the arrival of my beautiful daughter on New Years Eve. By the time I get to run its difficult to focus on goals with so many thoughts, chores and to-do lists in my head. I use this app to find some mental space which, allows me to focus and get the best available gains form the dwindling amount of time I have to run!

A final piece of advice

If you are unhappy with your body, your health or your fitness you must want to change before you can change. Start small but plan big. Invest in the journey and find enjoyment in the process. Don't measure yourself against anybody but yourself. You can achieve anything you want, you just have to want it. It really is that simple. However, simple doesn't mean easy. If it's worth having you can bet it will be difficult but the difficulty will provide the enjoyment. Trust me!

"If you do what you always did, you'll get what you always got" Chinese proverb.

If you want to change you will have to change. If you are not willing change then you'll never chan ge. 

Run far, run fast but most of all RunSensible. 

Neil

@RunSensible

Misnomers in weight loss!

Most people who exercise are trying to lose weight in one way or another. Most people believe that, if they don't "smash it" or get a real good sweat on, then they are not going to lose any weight or burn any fat. That is strictly speaking not true!

Fat burning can only occur during aerobic activity. Aerobic activity means doing some sort of continuous activity while maintaining a steady and only slightly elevated heart rate. Most people consider cardio or namely; running, cycling, walking or swimming to be the most effective forms of fat burning exercise. Strictly speaking this is not true. 

Most people consider weight lifting or resistance exercise to be muscle building. Strictly speaking this is not true either.

The reason this is not true is multifaceted. If you elevate your heat rate too high while you walk, run, swim or cycle then you are still doing cardio but you are not burning fat. If you lift or push light weights with minimal rest and a steady heart rate, you won't build any muscle mass. You will however, burn a lot of fat.

My point is, doing cardio does not mean you are burning fat and lifting weights does not mean you are growing bulging muscles. These are probably the biggest misconception in the world of fitness.

Too many people get hung up on misnomer when discussing or planning an adequate exercise regime to lose weight or get in shape. The most common misconception is the thought that hard heavy cardio means big fat loss!

What is cardio?

Cardio is a misnomer for exercise that burns fat. Cardio or cardiovascular exercise is a activity that is designed to stress the cardiovascular (heart and blood vessels) system with the desired outcome being increased or improved function. Most notably measured by blood pressure or heart rate. As your cardiovascular strength improves your heart rate and blood pressure will decrease. Thus making you more healthy.

Strictly speaking cardio has nothing to do with burning fat. However, doing cardiovascular exercise in a manner to improve the cardiovascular system will burn a lot of fat.

How do you get the cardiovascular system to improve and therefore burn fat?

The most effective way to improve cardiovascular function is to exercise in an aerobic zone. Aerobic zone means most of the fuel you are using to perform that exercise is fat. This type of exercise should feel very comfortable and you should not be 'killing yourself' or 'smashing it', remember sweat does not equate to fat burnt.

Your efforts need to be consistent. You should only increase either distance or intensity week on week if you are a beginner. The importance of consistency can be seen here.

For a runner you should be aiming to run in what is called Zone 2! If you are unfamiliar about Zone training see here.

Is that it?

Unfortunately No! You absolutely must reduce your calorific intake of fats if you want this fat loss and cardiovascular improvement to be sustained. This does not mean a diet that curbs calories or puts you into calorific deficit which will cause ketosis.

The ONLY diet which has been scientifically proven to improve cardiovascular function is a plant based or vegan diet. That's right! A high carb diet is the best way to moderate your weight while staying healthy. Sure there are thousands of diets which will help you lose weight fast but you can also be sure your health will decline fast too.

Run far, run fast but most of all RunSensible!

Neil

@RunSensible