During periods of stress (physical or psychological), our adrenal glands are effected greatly. During these times they work in overdrive and, like anything else, can become tired. When they become overworked needing a rest, further stress is put on our bodies to compensate.

Some side effects of adrenal fatigue are feelings of being overly tired regardless of how much we sleep, low mood, low sex drive, lack of motivation, inability to focus and concentrate, changes in appetite, being incapable of inner stillness, and needing stimulants like caffeine to keep going.

This is really common with a lot of people and a lot times ignored since we're not really sure what's going on. After show prep it's really common as well.

This is another learning experience and one that is teaching me a lot. The first step was taking a break completely off of training (only doing light walking) the second was introcucing very light cardio and light weight training, then the Vitalizer program from Paul Chek was introduced as well as zone exercises (especially zones 1 and 2). This training can be found in How to Eat Move and Be Healthy by Paul Chek and is so amazing. The Zone exercises are very relaxing, energizing movements focusing on different body zones (some refer to them as shakras). These zones or regions of our bodies are correlated to organs and different areas where we may find more stress than others.

The vitalizer program has been great. It has been a very gradual progression and has really allowed for a little break from contest prep style training while still allowing most strength to be maintained. With the zone exercises, zones 1 and 2 were chosen to be focused on because they both relate to the adrenal glands. 

The next step was slowly tapering off of fat burners that have been used for contest prep. This week will be almost free of them, and by Friday none will be used at all. Fatburners and other stimulants (like coffee) are really hard on the adrenal glands. Before really being aware of the effect they can have, I was not very careful with them and believe this is where a lot of the fatigue comes from. Coffee drinkers are at high risk of adrenal fatigue. 

I do feel tired, but there is no underlying "edge" or feeling of "unease" that is really common with use of stimulants.  

A lot of times supplements are very overused and, in a lot of cases, uneccessary. These are the supplements I'm using but only through my own familiarity with them, research and carefully thought out reasons for using them. Be so careful with your choices and what you put into your body. Sometimes the things we think we are helping our bodies with actually can cause more problems.

Supplements currently being used for adrenal and other body system support:

Greens Supplement (with de-tox)

B complex

L-Tyrosine with added B6 and vitamin c

Fermented Glutamine

Multi-Vitamin

C complex

Milk Thistle

Oregano oil

Acidophilus and Bifidus

These were chosen to take some stress away from the adrenal glands, help support digestion, immune system and also do a bit of a detox.

The most important part of recovering is always rest :)

Preparing for shows is really awesome, you get to see your body transform, learn so much in so many different ways, and have the best time ever on show day. When it's all over there's a transition to "normal" life that can seem so wierd. It's a big change to go from training like a machine, dieting, most of us using supplements like fat burners, and just having this awesome day to work toward. Sometimes after the show is over we can get a little bit lost in wondering, what now? Or we start to gain weight back, we feel like we're "blowing up" even though in another person's point of view we still look lean and fit. Some of us get stuck in over-training mode, over-dieting mode, sometimes we keep taking fat burners not giving ourselves the rest we require (and not realizing the stress we're putting on our bodies). Transitioning to off season can be manageable, easier on the body, and a really valuable learning experience. This is something I'm going through right now, and knowing I've never really taken the time to do it properly myself, I'm definitely experiencing and learning a lot of different things.  

The most noticeable thing to me after contest is the difference in water retention and weight gain after each show. Each show it seems like more water is retained and it gets more and more difficult to keep the weight down to a desirable level. After the first set of shows it was not difficult at all to keep weight down and I did not retain much water. I also was still using fat burners after the show (ephedrine,caffeine), not really understanding the other effects that they can have on your body and also your mind. That's okay because it's another lesson and an opportunity to learn how to really repair. 

It's so important to taper off of the fat burners (if we choose to use them, which if things are done properly I don't believe is always necessary) and not take them in the offseason. They are so hard on the body. They can lead to things like adrenal fatigue, a metabolism that becomes dependant on them for function, and toxicity. 

Being a month away from the last show, a little bit more care has been taken to transition. Transitions can be more complex when different more harsh supplements are used but I am a natural athlete and (as a personal choice) have not used any banned substances or prescription medication (eg. anabolic steroids, clenbuterol or thyroid medications) to prepare for a show (common in a lot of physique competitions that are not labeled drug free). So this transition will be less complex than others. As a side note and in my opinion, choosing to compete as a natural athlete does not make one person better than another, but it sure is a lot safer. Each person can have their own reasons for choosing to be natural, for me It's just a choice that feels right with a lot less side effects and stress. Looking back at carelessness and unplanned transitions there is still a lot of care that needs to be taken. That is important. I think being a physique athlete means being a representation of true health and fitness. Neglecting our wellbeing and making careless decisions is a contradiction.

I'm really excited about everything I'm learning right now! Bare with me as I continue this transition mode and new experience. I'm off for now but have an awesome day and talk to you soon!

Hi! It is now 4 weeks into off season and week 3 of the Paul Chek Vitalizer program (from How to Eat Move and Be Healthy by Paul Chek). I feel really great and am noticing great improvements in concentration, focus and mood stabilization. It's amazing too because although I am not training as "hard" and heavy, I have not felt a loss in strength or muscle.

Staying with a protein type meal plan has felt fantastic, I feel very energetic and have no cravings. Since the show I have stayed within 6lbs of contest weight, feel functional and have a healthy body fat percentage.

The past couple of weekends (especially this past birthday weekend!) I have been having not so good things while watching what kind of effect it has. Digestion has not been that bad even with cheat days, whereas last off season introducing any kind of food that was not on the in season meal plan would cause big time stomach upset. Discovering a gluten intolerance (gluten is found in wheat, rye and barley) and cutting gluten down to virtually none as well as cutting out dairy has made a very big difference. Being intolerant of certain things and still eating them can cause damage to your digestive system, making it difficult to process other types of food as well. Example: Taking in Gluten while being intolerant leading to lactose intolerance. Elimintating dairy at the same time as gluten will allow your system to heal. Eventually (amount of time depending on the damage caused)  you may be able to take in dairy. Following the 80/20 (atleast 80% without gluten, 20% or less with, like on cheat days)  rule you may be able to have gluten as well, and have little or no symptoms of intolerance. 

Another really great pointer to the fact that something may need to be changed is how our skin appears and feels. If it is dull, dry, breaks out and just doesn't feel right it's our indication that something may need to be changed. Eat clean and give your body the right fuel and you will look and feel as great as you were meant to.

Feeling very sensitive to how different foods make my skin feel, artificial sweeteners have been very noticeable. Using them makes my skin feel irritated and unclean. Your body does not recognize it and does not know how to process it. Intolerances to sweeteners are very prominent, those are in people who notice them, but no body is built to be able to deal with them. For a sweetener alternative try Stevia. It is natural, not toxic and also has the benefit of assisting in stablilizing blood sugar. You can find it in most health food stores and some grocery stores are beginning to carry it as well. 

**** This weekend is the Ontario Fitness, Figure and Bodybuilding Championships! These are the top Ontario Physique Association Competitors from all over Ontario. It's going to be an amazing show with lots of booths set up to visit! Make sure you come by the Fitfoods Ltd. booth to say hi and get some free treats!

Check out the Serious About Fitness (SAF) Fitness Model show. Iin the afternoon. Keep an eye out for Meaghan Terzis for her 2nd big Fitness Model show :) She looks awesome! More info on the show and ticket info at www.jamor.com.***

Hi!! Last weekend was the Northern Cup Challenge(NCC) in Sault Ste. Marie a level 1 Ontario Physique Association show hosted by Kieran Foley. It was awesome:) Everyone looked absolutely fantastic. It was a first show for a lot of people but by the condition and stage presence, you definitely couldn't tell. Everyone was so nice and welcoming and all came by the booth to introduce themselves, and were amazing to talk to. Cindy Van Empel-Popowich was an awesome mc and Carl Cheung did such a great job guest posing. His speech after showed how completely humble, hard working and supportive he is. I am very proud of him :)

This weekend is the Sudbury level 2 show where a lot of the top 3 placings from the NCC will be competing. It's gonna be great to see pictures and see how the posing and stage presence gets even better as they become more relaxed. Good luck guys!!!!

Thank you for being the most welcoming awesome group ever and I really look forward to seeing everyone again next year:)

I'm not really thinking of this "off season" as an off season really, more of a transition and learning phase. It won't be like taking a year to see results purely for preparing for a show (although the results could also benefit this) the focus is going to be more on training for function and to feel more energized, not drained. I'm also eating not with the focus and intention of staying as lean as possible while putting on muscle, although that may happen, but to be balanced and healthy. It's amazing that when we switch the focus from looking better to feeling better it actually turns out to be a quicker road to a better more vibrant appearance!

This week has been great and training and eating is going really well.

An amazing book where this training comes from, and also gives a really awesome outline of metabolic typing, including food selection, is How to Eat Move and Be Healthy by Paul Chek.

The program I'm following right now is the "Vitalizer Program" from the book and some light cardio (switching machines every 5 minutes for 20 minutes)

Here's a sample light day: 

Day 1(first day back to the gym): Multi-directional lunge (body-weight)

-zone 1 exercises (more on zone exercises later!!)

-elyptical for 5 min, Tread Mill- High incline walk (Both at slow paces- Repeat both x 2)

-stretching (stretch test from How to Eat Move and Be Healthy)

This was the most relaxing session ever, but also challenging in a very different way. If you're training while using an MP3 player consider going without it for even a little bit. Without music it's so much easier to feel a connection with your body, focus and maintain control. Although the music provides a distraction from exertion and can help the time pass by faster, this is your time with your body and you may find that focusing and really paying attention to how everything responds ends up being a more enjoyable way to spend that time.

After completing the stretch test, overall flexibility can use improvement especially in my lower body (hamstrings and hip flexors are ridiculously tight!) With this program stretching is done everyday so it'll be great to see the improvements.

After doing the multi-directional lunge my focus and balance definitely needs some work. When I was listening to an MP3 player it did kind of take away from my concentration and, like everything else, it's just time to see it improve again:)

More soon!!

***This weekend is the Northern Cup Challenge in Sault Ste Marie!! Come out and support the athletes!!! Visit: http://catalystfitness.typepad.com/northern_cup_challenge/

for ticket and venue information. See you there!!***