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Our 10 Steps to Feeling Fantastic

Ever wonder why you feel agitated, sweating the little things more, and becoming quick to anger? Perhaps you feel tired all the time, are struggling to fall asleep or worse, you struggle to stay asleep?

These signs could mean your adrenals are not functioning correctly leaving you with adrenal fatigue, but don’t worry, our experts here at The Six Pack Revolution, are about to change all that…

Let's find out more about our adrenal glands...

What are our adrenal glands?

Adrenal glands are small glands that produce hormones in your body.

While your adrenals may be small, they’re kind of a big deal. They sit on top of your kidneys and control a wide range of functions of the body, including stress response, weight loss or gain, blood sugar levels, immune response and blood pressure.

Beyond these obviously vital functions, our adrenal glands are unique in that they provide the basic tools we need to survive. Your adrenals release the hormones cortisol and adrenaline according to certain environmental or stress related situations.

Why do we need adrenal glands?

Your adrenals are there to help you avoid dangerous situations and allow you to respond accordingly. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors relied on them for their very existence. In their world, danger lurked around every corner and a surge of adrenaline helped keep them safe from those dangers. Once the danger had passed though, the adrenals switched off and those stress hormones would recede allowing the body to calm down to its natural relaxed state.

The problem today is that chronic stress is forcing our adrenals to remain switched on. These stressors are everywhere, from work and family pressures, financial instability through to environmental toxins from chemicals in our homes, food and personal products.

The result is adrenal fatigue, which can, over time, lead to major health issues and compromise your immune system.

In this article, we want to give you the tools to actively detox your adrenals and repair them naturally – giving you the best opportunity to start feeling absolutely fantastic!

Here are our top tips on giving your adrenals some love:

1. Eat regular meals throughout the day

Irregular meal timing can lower your blood sugar too much between meals. Your body responds by using cortisol to try and stabilize glucose imbalances which can affect your adrenal health. So it is important to think about when you eat as well as what you eat.

Never skip a meal and eat small and consistent meals and snacks.

GOOD TO KNOW

By including protein in all of your meals and snacks, it will have a stabilizing effect on your blood sugar, which, in turn, can help you overcome cravings for caffeine and sugars. Nuts, seeds, beans and other plant proteins are good choices.

2. Use food to restore your body’s vitamin and mineral balance

Adrenal fatigue is often a result of a lack of essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Each meal you have should be balanced. Complex carbs like whole grains and non-starchy vegetables paired together with lean proteins like fish and yogurt and healthy fats like avocado and seeds will help restore your body’s vitamin and mineral balance. Find out how to start eating healthy and feel fantastic in our beginners guide.

These nutrient-dense foods provide a steady source of energy throughout the day resulting in a rebalanced metabolism to combat fatigue symptoms.

Remember, avoiding foods high in refined sugars is a must!

GOOD TO KNOW

It’s not just white bread, cakes and sugary drinks like cola that are high in refined sugars; many of the nation’s most popular foods are harbouring these baddies so always check the label and avoid corn sweetener; high-fructose corn syrup; evaporated cane juice; agave nectar; cane crystals; invert sugar or any kind of fructose; dextrose; lactose; maltose or syrup.

3. Address your sleep patterns

Who doesn’t want to sleep longer and better. Waking up refreshed and ready to start the day can only be a positive.

It can be difficult to create a regular and effective sleep schedule as we get older. Things tend to get in the way, especially if you are a parent.

GOOD TO KNOW

There are some simple steps you can take to help improve your sleep health immediately:

  1. Limit blue light an hour before lights out. So instead of watching TV or worse, your phone before bed, try reading or listening to a meditation podcast.
  2. Limit caffeine and we are not just talking about coffee. Other drinks like tea, soda, chocolate and even some headache medication include caffeine so make sure you read the label.
  3. Optimise your sleeping environment. Use dark shades, reduce outside noise by using a fan or diffuser, wear an eye mask and make sure your bed is super comfy.

4. Reduce your sugar intake

Cutting down on refined sugar will help your body reconnect with your natural energy cycles and reduce inflammatory responses in the body. High sugar intake can create a cycle of addiction and cravings that can sap you of energy and create that dreaded afternoon slump.

Swap your sugar loaded coffee for a herbal tea!

GOOD TO KNOW

Look out for herbal teas that include:

  • Astragalus is perfect for when you’re under constant stress.
  • Licorice helps regulate stress hormones, such as adrenaline.
  • Ginseng has been used for thousands of years to treat issues like low adrenals, fatigue and lack of energy.
  • Spices and warming herbs such as ginger and cinnamon can increase energy, boost metabolism, and help to stabilize blood sugars.

5. Add vitamins and supplements

It is well known that adding daily vitamins and supplements to your diet will help boost your mood and improve your energy.

Certain vitamins and supplements will also help your body combat stress. Vitamins B and C and magnesium supplements are extremely good at supporting healthy adrenal glands.

Check out our article on which vitamins and supplements are great at keeping your body regulated.

GOOD TO KNOW

It is recommended that you always ask your doctor before taking a supplement.  Your doctor can recommend a blood test to find out which (if any) vitamins or minerals you may be deficient in.

6. Nurture your well-being

It’s important to identify and talk about what might be causing you stress. Maybe you are spending too much energy on others, and neglecting care for yourself.

By engaging in activities that nurture your well-being, you are giving yourself time to focus on what is good for you. Maybe it is as simple as taking time away from people to walk the dog or to exercise. However, if you really want to nurture your well-being, we suggest taking up a form of meditation practice.

GOOD TO KNOW

If you choose Yoga as your form of meditation practice, Remember, it is not about extreme flexibility or contorting your muscles and spine into fancy shapes. It’s about breathing, finding inner strength through meditation, and creating freedom in the body with basic yoga poses. It’s truly that simple.

7. Get your diffuser on

Aromatherapy has a long history of use in helping calm the effects of stress. An oil diffuser is a modern way to allow gentle scents release into the air to help with sleep and anxiety. Lavender essential oil is prized for its calming effects on the body and mind and ability to lessen anxiety.

GOOD TO KNOW

Oil Diffusers have long been used to relieve pain and cramping, improve respiratory health, and heal skin conditions. They also relieve congestion, promote healthy sleep patterns, and boost your mood.

8. Stay hydrated

We can’t say this enough. By drinking a glass of water as soon as you wake and then regularly throughout the day you are allowing your body to flush out toxins and, improve your memory and your mood. Not only that, water helps weight maintenance and improve exercise performance.

GOOD TO KNOW

The best way to tell if you’re hydrated is the colour of your urine. If it’s very pale in colour, you are probably hydrated. The darker the colour of the urine, the greater the hydration you require.

9. Exercise

That’s a given right? But long term excessive high impact activities could have a negative effect on your adrenal glands. It is important to include low-impact exercise like Pilates or Yoga into your weekly exercise routine and make sure you have at least one full rest day.

GOOD TO KNOW

Chronic overtraining is what leads to serious health problems, including adrenal insufficiency. Severe overtraining over an extended period can result in adrenal depletion.

10. Avoid fasting or super low-carb diet

Fasting and extremely low-carb diets can put additional stress on the body which, in turn, will unbalance your adrenals.

It can take up to a year to rebalance your adrenals if you have spent years’ yo-yo dieting and avoiding high carbohydrate foods.

GOOD TO KNOW

Remember, balance is the secret key to unlocking your healthy eating programme and feeling fantastic!

Final thought

When you start your journey into repairing your adrenal glands, remember you are in this for the long haul.

Depending on how healthy or unhealthy you currently are will determine how long it takes to you feeling better.

Be patient, be kind to yourself and allow your body to do all the healing, you won’t regret it, we promise!

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The Six Pack Revolution is a 75 day transformation programme, where we coach you on fitness, mind-set and nutrition.

Founded by Scott Harrison, the programme includes everything you need to get you into the best shape of your life. You’ll learn how to cook delicious recipes, and complete daily and weekly fitness challenges within a group of like-minded people, all looking to achieve the same outcome as YOU!

All our Six Pack Revolution coaches have been through the programme. They started where you are today and are proof that the programme works, and proof that anyone can do it too!

One of the best things about The Six Pack Revolution is the support network. You’ll get to know your new fitness family through a private Facebook Group. This is ‘The Hub’ where others in the group share their experiences, results and tips on overcoming obstacles.

We believe in you, and can’t wait to welcome you to the revolution!