I’ve recently started to focus on
heavy lifting in the gym in order to look and feel better, and also so that when the
time comes to intensify my running workouts for a race- I can ward off injuries
through the additional bone density, musculature and joint strength which
strength training is adding to my body.
My hope and understanding is that
just like we buy cushioned shoes to attenuate the shock our legs receive from
running- I’m building the cushioning within my legs through heavy lifting.
But this extra gym work coupled
with regular running and bouts of cycling is affecting my performance at work and also making me
look bloated/puffy. Yes, I look fatter by exercising more, even though I’ve
dropped about half a kilogram in weight and I’m maintaining my food macros.
Ever since the heavy lifting
started at a higher weekly frequency-- at work, I have lower energy; I have to
focus harder on reading and analyzing documents; and I can also feel my
attention span reducing. This is unacceptable in my field! Insecurities loom
large and stakes are (unnecessarily) high; mistakes are not easily pardoned- a
few slips and you’re out of the game.
So I’ve decided to blame Cortisol
for this problem (after some research). Now that a finger has been pointed
towards Cortisol, a simple solution has also been researched- Vitamin C
chewable tablets. After a lot of reading up, it seems to be the key for maintaining an “intense exercise-work” balance.
Cortisol is a steroid hormone
which is released when our bodies are under stress, and high intensity exercise
coupled with work and family pressures translates into acute stress. Excess
cortisol in the body negatively affects normal bodily functions such as protein
synthesis, immune system response, metabolism/fat burning etc. It’s a vicious
cycle- train more but look and feel worse, and also risk the chances of
over-training.
One way to reduce Cortisol is to
decrease exercise intensity, but that is blasphemy, especially for someone who
is training for longer races or faster than average race times.
In a 2008 study, twelve
participants were given high doses of Vitamin C and the data from the study suggests
that vitamin C supplementation can decrease post-exercise Cortisol in
individuals performing exercise similar to that of a half-marathon or marathon
in hot conditions (Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2008 Dec;3(4):516-30).
A 2001 study demonstrated a
transient attenuation of Cortisol in runners who ran for prolonged times and supplemented
with 1500 mg vitamin C per day when compared to < or = 500 mg per day (Int J
Sports Med. 2001 Oct;22(7):537-43).
However, there are more scholarly
articles to demonstrate that Vitamin C does not help in reducing Cortisol. But
at Rs. 1 per 500 mg table, which is easily available at local pharmacies, it’s worth a
shot.
I’ve started a 1000 mg per day
dose divided into twice a day. It is advisable to not have all of it at once
and rather spread the dose across a day since Vitamin C is readily absorbed and
the effect in reducing cortisol is transient.
For the hippy herb preferring people, Amalaki (amla powder) capsules are available from Organic India, Himalaya and other decent brands. I’ll be trying these too soon.
Great Post
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