Dog Walking: The Ultimate Adrenal Energy Boost and Relief for Arthritis Joint Pain

Dog Walking and Dog Carrying

Dog Walking and Dog Carrying

I began dog walking at my neighborhood SPCA four years ago. I had recently relocated to a new town and was in the throes of recovering from an adrenal imbalance called adrenal fatigue.  Volunteering a mere two hours a week pawing around with pups seemed like the perfect way to make new friends, get a little more exercise, and feed my adrenal glands the “fun” endorphins.

Long story short – dog walking rebooted my physical and emotional well-being. My time slot was Wednesday afternoons from two to four p.m. Unlike the gym, this was a date I never missed. How could I when my brown-eyed, furry, exercise buddies were counting on me? I could walk in there feeling exhausted, with a migraine, or simply feeling blue. I’d always walk out with a smile and a volunteer’s high. (Yes, it’s real.)

I wasn’t looking to lose weight but dog walking did that too. In the first month I lost seven pounds! Since then I’ve read numerous articles about the benefits of a varied pace walking program. The pups led me through this naturally. I’d walk slowly with a senior Labrador Continue reading

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Feeling tired and the Skipped Meal Syndrome

Feeling tired and skipping meals go together. According to a study by NPD, the average person skips approximately one breakfast meal a week and the thirty-five to forty-nine age group is leading the pack. Another survey commissioned by Smoothie King reported that 43% of Americans view lunch as the least important meal to overall health and that 58% skip it if they feel too busy to break.

Feeling Tired Today?

Feeling Tired Today?

No wonder feeling tired is the #1 health complaint among Americans! Missed meals and poor eating habits top the list of reasons why fatigues from borderline anemia to adrenal fatigue are on the rise. Not to mention their tag along buddies: obesity, headaches, anxiety …

According to Sport and Lifestyle Nutritionist Molly Kimball, LDN, RD “Short-term effects like mood swings, headaches, mental and physical fatigue, and loss of concentration should be enough to convince anyone from skipping meals. There are also serious long-term effects that can stem from lack of proper nutrition, including obesity, high blood pressure, and heart disease.”

What do Americans grab for on-the-go meals? It tends to be sweet and starchy. The “Top Ten  Carried Breakfast Foods” are: Fruit, Breakfast/Snack Bars, Cookies/Brownies,  Yogurt, Bagels, RTE Cereal, Sandwiches, Toaster Pastries, Donuts and Muffins.

Tired people crave sweets like alcoholics crave alcohol. The high sugar food fix is followed by a low energy dip which drives the next fix and dip and fix and … You get the picture. Is this roller coaster your “normal” day?

Dr. James Wilson, a leader in adrenal fatigue research, has a plan to lead us off of  this exhausting roller-coaster ride. It includes small, frequent meals and snacks comprised of a fat, a protein and a starchy unrefined carbohydrates.  He also calls for a ban on caffeine and sugar oriented foods, including fruit and fruit juices, especially for breakfast. The above food combining technique yields body and mind fuel for hours.

When and how often you eat is almost as important as what you eat. Our bodies wake up in a fasting condition and should be refueled as soon as possible and decidedly before ten a.m. One symptom of people suffering from adrenal fatigue is a lack, even a distaste for a morning meal. If this is your case, “fake it till you make it.”

It only takes twenty-some days to form a new habit. The healthy breakfast habit will keep you energized, looking young and feeling great for a lifetime. Isn’t this a small price to pay for getting up a little bit earlier to sit down and enjoy a cup of the Fatigue Be Gone Oatmeal Adrenal Gland Boost with a cup of adrenal rejuvenating Licorice Tea?  Try it before you answer that question!

To keep your feel-good momentum going, follow breakfast, every two to three hours, with another whole food meal or snack, right up to bedtime. Because fatigue often triggers insomnia (not fair!) it is a good idea to eat a small bowl of a whole grain with a few almonds or walnuts and milk, whole, almond or rice, about a half an hour before going to bed.

Fatigue can be a friend or a foe. Befriend it. Use it to remind yourself not to skip meals, reach for a sugar fix or push through another sixty-hour work week without smelling a dozen roses. Our body talk to us all the time and fatigue is its built in alarm system. If your alarm is going off, take the time NOW to review, renew and revitalize. You, and it, will be happy you did.

(c) Viveca Stone-Berry, author, The Fatigue Be Gone Jumpstart e-Guide. http://www.FatigueBeGone.com

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Adrenal Fatigue. Does my daughter have “it?”

Concerned mom wants to know why her daughter is tired all the time
Letter from a reader
Hi Viveca,
I was searching the web trying to find some way to help my daughter and found your website.  She has all of the symptoms of adrenal fatigue.  She is 21 and has always been very skinny and energetic.  She has gained 40 pounds in the last two years and has terrible acne along with all of the other symptoms you listed.  I understand the emotional aspects, but I am wondering if you are taking anything for adrenal fatigue and if so, is it helping?  I am desperate to help my daughter.  She just moved to LA to persue a career in acting and this has the odds stacked against her.  The worst it gets the more stressed she becomes.  I would love to hear back from you.  Thank you very much.
– Concerned Mom

Dear Mom,

When I was about her age and going full throttle I use to regularly wear myself out and into bronchitis. A very wise doctor I had at that time would say to me “you can keep going and go into pneumonia and break your health and take a very long time to recover or, you can go to bed for a few days and get some rest.” That blunt style worked for me and I’d head to bed.

Left untreated, adrenal fatigue can go into adrenal failure in which you break your health. Unlike adrenal fatigue, adrenal failure can take years to recover. So, perhaps you could mention that you’d spoken with an expert who said she could either make a few changes NOW or take a few years off to recover. Blunt worked best with me then and now.

I am not a doctor and always recommend visiting a physician to determine if there are underlying causes. That being said, if your daughter decides to make changes I would recommend she do the following Continue reading

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Finish what you start. A taxing weekend is part of your recovery from fatigue.

One symptom of Adrenal Fatigue is that we sufferers are easily overwhelmed by everyday tasks. We operate in an exhausting world of “brain fog,” hyper-sensitivity and poor short term memory. It is easy for us to lose track of bank balances, anniversaries, personal commitments and to feel constantly “behind,” frustrated and angry.

overwhelmed feeling feed adrenal fatigue

overwhelmed feeling feed adrenal fatigue

Then, add in an unwanted seasonal project like … tax preparation … and in comes the rage, insomnia, anxiety and extreme a.m., can’t-get-out-of-bed, fatigue.

Have you seen that stop smoking commercial about how “quitting smoking sucks. “product name” makes it suck less.” I encourage to follow my lead and have one sucky tax preparation weekend then to put of off (but never out of mind) and drag it through weeks of evenings. That’s what I did last year and the year before and the year before.

This time I will gather everything I need in one room. (and avoid the Zig Zag Syndrome. See below.) I will close the door – light the scented candle – have all my favorite music and pets near at hand and FINISH what I started three weeks ago. My husband can take over breakfast, lunch and dinner duty (as I did for him last weekend and the weekend before and …) Did you know that most people stricken by Adrenal Fatigue tend to be “Type As” who have a difficult time asking for help? True.

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Understand Adrenal Fatigue.

Identify Adrenal Fatigue symptoms and make a change or two.

Adrenal fatigue is one of the most common types of fatigue. It is said that 80-percent of American women will experience it in their lifetime — that included me. You’re probably here trying to figure out why you feel so tired. Right?

I’d like to take this opportunity to “take you by the hand” and share some of my best Adrenal Fatigue treatment resources.

First, to better understand adrenal fatigue, its symptoms and causes, I’d like to share an excellent article written by Kathy Browning, Are You Constantly Tired? You May Be Suffering from Adrenal Fatigue.

Next, the result of our poll “When are your most tired?” is a must-read. In brief, we surveyed our visitors to find out what time(s) of day they felt most tired. Why? Because there are many types of fatigue and your specific symptoms, including the hours in which you feel extremely tired, is critical info for your recovery.

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