Adrenal Fatigue: 3 Tips to Make Your Weekend Count

Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo

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Adrenal fatigue is estimated to affect 80% of women at some point in their lives.  That’s 4 out of 5 women who’ll experience exhaustion of a key gland pair – the adrenals.

You’re not alone if you feel frazzled and exhausted by the end of the work week.  While our fast paced age of technology has done wonders for keeping us connected like never before, it comes with a price.

Used to be you only got your adrenals fired up when tigers and lions were chasing you.  As soon as the threat was handled, your adrenals would settle down and you’d return to a calmer and more steady pace.

When you’re at work, managing the tigers of deadlines, unhappy customers, unruly students and the abundance of stressors that frequent your day to day life, your nervous system operates from a state called sympathetic dominance. When you meditate, rest, do yoga and take time to “smell the roses”  you operate from parasympathetic dominance.

Who cares?

You need to if you desire to be focused instead of foggy, energetic instead of exhausted and  fit instead of fat.

You see, in sympathetic dominant mode, your digestion slows down, the valves between the various parts of your digestive tract tighten (leading to constipation and abdominal discomfort), and the high level thinking part of your brain, the prefrontal cortex, is inhibited, your hippocampus, gate keeper of your short term memory,  gets damaged and DHEA, sometimes called the anti-aging hormone, decreases.  The end result is you feel bloated, foggy headed and worn down.

In parasympethic dominant mode, the opposite happens.  Your digestion becomes more efficient,  your prefrontal cortex is enhanced, your hippocampus repairs and DHEA increases. As a result you feel calm, clear headed and focused and young.

By you may be wondering how to lengthen your stay in parasympathetic dominance.

Start by using my 3 tips to make your weekend count.  They will put you into parasympathetic dominance and enable you to rejuvenate before starting the hectic pace all over again on Monday.

Make the weekend count by using it to regroup and give yourself the gift of self care.

1- Set aside 30 minutes for you! Go ahead and look at your calendar and schedule it in.  And KEEP the appointment with yourself.  Do something you love to do.  Take a bath, lay in the sun, read a book…just do something that’s strictly for you.  You’ll feel rejuvenated as a result.

2- Take time several times a day to express appreciation to someone, to yourself or to the universe for the blessings in your life.  Studies have shown that 30 seconds of appreciation is the most effective means of restoring balance to your system.  The Institute of Heartmath has performed dozens of studies on the benefits of appreciation.

3- Take some extra time to sweat. Yes, sweat.  When researchers analyzed the sweat of participants after exercise,  they found it loaded with toxins.  Exerting to the point of a good sweat has many benefits with regards to cardiovascular health, hormone balance and detoxification.  And surprisingly they found that the sweat after running for 30 minutes was more full of toxins than the sweat produced in a sauna. If you use your weekend to sweat away toxins, you’ll feel more focused and peaceful when you start the week again.

If you find yourself thinking, “I already know that”  in response to the simplicity of these tips, ask yourself this:  “Am I taking action?”

Many of the people I work with in group programs and individually are looking for the more glamorous solutions to their health challenges and fail to handle the underlying sympathetic dominance.

Sympathetic dominance is a real problem. No matter what herbs, supplements and foods you eat to support your tired adrenals, if you just keep forcing them to work hard, you won’t be able to restore them.  And burned out adrenals can lead to thyroid issues, hormone imbalances, insulin resistance –which contributes to excess belly fat— and chronic fatigue.

I urge you to slow down and use the weekend to restore balance.  Once you get that piece wired, we can talk about how to increase your parasympathetic dominance during the week.

To find out the impact of sympathetic dominance on your health, you can answer a set of questions, check physical signs, look at a few markers in routine blood work and even order specialized hormone tests.

In my new course, Assess Your Own Body Chemistry I teach how to evaluate for signs of nutritional deficiency and hormonal imbalance.

Love, Health and Gratitude,

Dr. Ritamarie

Tags: Adrenal Fatigue, appreciation, chronic fatigue, detox, detoxification, digestion, digestive tract, Dr. Ritamarie, DrRitamarie, health challenges, heart math, HeartMath, hormonal imbalance, nutrition, self care, supplements, thyroid, tired
Posted in Adrenal Fatigue, Chronic Fatigue, Chronic Stress, Detox Program, Exhaustion, Fatigue Treatment

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What would your life be like if you had more energy?

Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo

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Have you ever asked yourself that question?  Ever wonder what you’d do differently if you felt more alive, energetic and Healthy?

Take out a piece of paper and brainstorm. What WOULD you be doing differently? I hear it all the time, both professionally and in my private life.

“I’m so exhausted”.

“I’m too tired to go out tonight”.

“I’d love to get a better job, but I’m just so fatigued, I’m not sure I can handle it.”

“I’d like to exercise, but I just don’t have enough energy.”

Have you ever said (or thought) any of these statements?

If you’re thinking “I don’t have an energy problem.  I have lots of energy.”, think again. Fatigue accounts for 80% of all doctor visits. 80% of women are expected to experience adrenal fatigue at some point in their lives. Many people are fatigued and they don’t even know it. What about you?

Take this quiz and find out your energy quotient.

1. Do you need caffeine to get you started in the morning?
2. Do you drink diet cola on a daily basis?
3. Do you experience a dip in energy mid afternoon?
4. Do you have persistent muscle pain or discomfort?
5. Do you find yourself waking up unrefreshed in the morning, wishing you could sleep another hour or two?
6. Do you have problems with short term memory?
7. Do you frequently say no when you want to say yes to social engagements?
8. Do you get less than 8 hours of sleep a night?
9. Are you exposed to toxins on the job or at home (ie pesticides, chemicals, unfiltered water, non-organic food)?
10. Do you feel very  tired after exercise?
11. Have you been under stress for a  prolonged period of time?
12. Do you have difficulty concentrating or with memory?
13. Are you frequently moody or irritable?
14. Does fatigue prevent you from doing things you’d REALLY like to do?
15. Does fatigue interfere with work or family life?
16. Did fatigue and other symptoms that trouble you begin after an acute illness, trauma, infection or emotional stress?
17. Do you overeat on a regular basis?
18. Have you been diagnosed with any of the following (please circle)
    1. Gulf War Syndrome
    2. Alzeheimer’s
    3. Parkinson’s
    4. ALS
    5. Autism
    6. ADHD
    7. Depression
    8. Bi Polar Disease
    9. Schizophrenia
    10. Chronic fatigue
    11. Fibomyalgia
    12. Chronic infections
    13. Anxiety

Count up all the yes answers.  Score yourself as follows:

0:  Congratulations. You are an energizer  bunny!

1-5:  You’re likely experiencing a mild loss of energy.  Optimizing your diet and removing the energy zappers in your life can help restore you and prevent you from ending up with a more serious fatigue problem down the road.

5-10  You’re likely experiencing a moderate degree of fatigue or loss of energy.  Restoring balance to your body, mind and spirit through diet, lifestyle and spiritual practices is a good idea to nip it in the bud and start restoring your energy reserves.

Greater than 10: You are showing signs of a severe loss of energy and fatigue and should begin to address it right away

Any surprises?

If you scored anything other than 0 on this quiz you are at risk for developing or already have a fatigue problem.

I’m here to offer my assistance to you in jumpstarting your tired body to the success and joy you deserve.

I’m excited to be offering a very special workshop that’s just right for you if you are fatigued, exhausted or just don’t have the energy to live your life the way you’d like to. It’s called, “3 Myths About Fatigue Every Woman Should Know”.

I’m offering it in Austin on May 29 and June 24. A teleseminar version of it being offered on June 1.   The workshop is very interactive and experiential as well as very informative. If you can, I encourage you to attend live to get the full benefit of the workshop.

I’ve written a very detailed events page all about the workshop. Seating is limited, so register early. As an incentive for registering early, I’ve decided to give full scholarships to the first 30 people who register. Yes, you heard right!  This very valuable workshop will not cost you a single dime...if you act fast. Last time I offered this I had 20 people sign up in the first hour.

http://www.TheWomensFatigueExpert.com

I encourage you to bring at least one friend who you think could benefit.

In fact, I’d love it if you would send this email message on to everyone you know who could use to have more energy. If you or someone you love is suffering from chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, adrenal exhaustion or hypothyroidism, you’ll learn tools and techniques to release them from the debilitating fatigue they experience daily.

The information needs to be spread and I’m on a mission to share what I know so that you and those you love can live a life of joy, passion and prosperity. My life has been forever changed by applying what I’ll be sharing with you in this workshop. I want you to experience the great joy and fulfillment that I experience daily. You deserve it. Don’t wait.

So go to http://www.TheWomensFatigueExpert.com to learn more and to sign up.

I am looking forward to connecting with you soon.

Love, Health and Joy,

Dr. Ritamarie

Tags: Adrenal Fatigue, depression, fatigue, fatigue symptoms, irritability, lethargic, overweight, tired
Posted in Adrenal Fatigue, Fatigue Treatment

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