Tired much?

 

1st contest, 2008.

I've always considered myself a very optimistic and determined person.  Anytime someone has told me I couldn't do something, I jumped into it headfirst.  I once had a trainer at a gym tell me (when I was overweight) that I couldn't get in shape on my own.  That was all I needed to hear.  I decided to prove him wrong and after entering my first bodybuilding show, I felt I had.  Athough my determination is what has contributed to my success; it also has become a fault of mine.  I began competing in 2008 and never took a break until May of this year.  But even on my so called "break" I bust my butt in gym 5-6 days a week striving to become a top pro competitor in this sport of bodybuilding/ women's physique.  I lift hard and push heavy weights with the determination of a little pit bull.  I want gains and the only way I know I can get those naturally is to push, push, push...  

The night before contest 2012.

But what happens when my body disgrees with my new regimen?  Being a competitive bodybuilder, I have a deep connection with my body and how it's feeling.  Using that mind to muscle connection has given me insight into how it's feeling and what may be lagging.  but, lately my body has just been giving me the middle finger...meaning that it's tired and something is wrong!  I usually come home from the gym feeling uplifted and excited about my progress, but lately I leave there feeling defeated and run into the ground.  You know that surge of energy you get from working out and feeling strong?  Well I haven't gotten that in a while.  In fact, I'd rather sleep than workout.  That's a sure sig that something's is wrong!

So I went to see a women's hormone specialist.  My husband found this women through one our clients that had similar symptoms as I have: extreme tiredness (even after a full night's sleep), irritability, forgetfulness, aches and pains all over, and weight gain despite my good diet.  I called this doctor the minute he gave me the phone number and have since seen her and done some blood and saliva tests.  The first culprit was low thyroid and I'm waiting on the final results for my second test for Andrenal Fatigue Syndrome.  My doc told me to check out Dr. Lam's website and read up on AFS so I would have a better understanding as to what my body is going through.  Dr. Lam says that, "Adrenal Fatigue is a decrease in the adrenal glands ability to carry out its normal function. The chief symptoms are fatigue, excitability, or depression.  Adrenal Fatigue is commonly caused by chronic stress from any source (including emotional, physical, mental, or environmental) that exceeds the body's capacity to adjust appropriately to the demands placed on it by stress. It is a condition that afflicts children as well as adults. It can be diagnosed by laboratory tests, if only the physician pays greater attention".  After reading up on this syndrome, I realized that sounded just like me!  I had every symptom he mentioned...

I wrote this blog to call attention to something I feel may be prevalent in the fitness community- not just bodybuilders.  So many blogs I read are about how great training's going, how much they've leaned out, and how they can't wait to step on stage.  But for me, I use this blog to share what's really going on- whether it's good or bad.  I'd never heard about AFS until a friend on Facebook commented on one of my posts.  I mentioned how tired I was after waking up in the morning and he told me to Google "Adrenal fatigue".  It's crazy to think that I was having an energy shot at 5am, an energy drink at 9am, green tea at noon, a pre-workout drink at 2 pm, and I still wanted a nap!  I've since quit drinking caffeine and my head's been pounding for over a week now, but I'm hoping they will subside soon.  I figure that ridding my body of extra stimulation is a good thing right now so it can start repairing itself. And, after I see just how bad my Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome is, I can work on feeling better and getting back into the sport I love!  But for now, I think I'll go take a nap...