Why Does One Workout Wipe Me Out?
What happens when you feel like you are doing all the right things but your body just isn’t cooperating? When you are showing up for yourself in the gym and not seeing results or WORSE, you feel WIPED OUT from one session, your body is signaling for some help. It can feel discouraging when we are unable to interpret these signals: am I pushing too hard? Is this something I just need to push through and let my body adapt?
Exercise is a form of stress on the body, but it is eustress or a ‘good’ stress stimulus that allows our body to adapt over time. You know your body best: if you are experiencing some major barriers getting through the workout or your recovery is miserable, this is not the time to ‘suck it up’ and push through. Instead, let’s dig a little deeper and give your body the support it’s asking for!
Do I need fats or adrenal support?
When your recovery is truly suffering, there are two main culprits at play: a deficiency of essential fatty acids and/or adrenal dysfunction & stress. We will address both here, but it is important to remember that the body is an intricate system; there can be overlap and sometimes one deficiency can feed into another!
What they look & feel like:
|
Fatty acid deficiency When chronic inflammation is your ‘norm’. |
Adrenal dysfunction: When you feel like you have to choose between your workout or your work.
|
|
|
If both of these lists sound familiar, you’re not alone. As previously mentioned, there can definitely be crossover! Fatty acids help to support structure and integrity to our tissues and cells; if we are having trouble in this department, it can trigger some major stress to the body. When the body experiences stress, guess who comes in to respond? Your adrenals!
How do I support my body? We can start with food! When the body is experiencing stress & inflammation the food we eat can support or hinder our healing process.
First, PROTEIN: are you eating enough? If not, you may be adding more stress to your system! When our calorie intake is in a deficit, protein needs to be increased to prevent loss of our hard-earned muscle. Making sure that we get enough protein throughout the day helps our body to have amino acids available both for our physical activity and for recovery. Not sure if you’re getting enough protein? If you have severe delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), getting enough protein is going to help you recover. Check out this video from our founder, Emily Schromm, for some quick info on how to calculate just how much you need!
Reducing pro-inflammatory foods (sugar, bad oils/fats, processed foods, other foods you are sensitive to) is an excellent place to start. Next, increasing anti-inflammatory foods to help your body recover. Turmeric can help your body’s ability to reduce inflammation and Omega-3 rich foods (grassfed beef, wild caught fish) gives our muscles critical fuel to prevent soreness.
Sometimes food alone isn’t going to cut it, but you have resources! Let’s break down some of our favorite Empirica supplements to support your body’s ability to reset, repair, and recover:
|
If you’re experiencing THIS: |
It’s time to try… |
|
Feeling tired & wired High stress/anxiety Difficulty falling asleep ALWAYS sore when you workout Not seeing results in the gym |
Adrenal Relief! |
|
Always exhausted/Very low energy Extreme difficulty ‘getting going’ in the AM
|
Adrenal Reboot |
|
General difficulty with tissue inflammation (the best place to start)
|
Our Athlete bundle! Includes: Zinc Essential- the ‘rehab’ mineral to support overall tissue repair BCAA’s – Great for fasted workouts or in between workouts for supporting your muscle recovery Omega 3’s – cell tissue recovery (to reduce systemic or chronic inflammation) Tri-mag-for muscle cramps, poor sleep, and tight muscles.
|
|
|
|