The Need for Salt on STRESSED Adrenals

I've written alot about salt, adrenals & thyroid and found this little tid-bit in the latest issue of First for Women magazine.  I have Adrenal Fatigue and even though I know that I need to have a full glass of water upon waking with 1/4 tsp of salt added to it, I hadn't found any further information about it till now.  I know that those that suffer from CFS, Low Thyroid and/or Adrenal problems have difficulty "holding" onto vitamins/minerals in particular sodium so we are suppose to add salt to our diet.

Sodium gets a bad rap in today's society.  Salt is Bad...Fat is Bad...both ideas are actually false but I'll just talk about Salt right now.  Our body needs sodium along with other electrolytes to function each day.  To "fuel" our cells.  Especially if you live in a hot climate or workout extensively.  We lose salt via sweating and through our urine.  Which is good but can also be bad if your body isn't getting enough to function in the first place. 

Hormone disorders are increasing at an alarming rate.  Cronic Fatigue Syndrome, Metabolism Syndrome, Low or High Thyroid, Adrenal Fatigue and many more "syndromes" and diseases have a root in our hormones.  If our hormones are out of balance, then the body becomes unbalanced and disease takes hold.  If you are experiencing fatigue, weight gain and general "blah" make sure to find a medical professional that recognizes metabolism & hormone issues. 

Oops, I'm getting sidetracked again.  Salt.  The last several decades we've been told that Salt is Bad.  Eat food that is salt free...don't add salt to cooking...eliminate it from your diet.  For some people, especially those with blood pressure issues or those that have certain medical reasons to eliminate salt from their diet this is a good rule to follow.  But for most people and especially for those that have adrenal issues, added salt is necessary to live. 

Adrenal issues cause a depletion of sodium levels.  Like our bodies can't hold onto the salt that we take in "naturally" so we need to supplement with more salt.  The problem is finding that balance.  Again with the word, balance?  Yes...because if you've ever had not enough sodium in your body, you know what I'm talking about.  I wrote about this a couple of months ago when I wasn't getting enough sodium, and drinking way too much water.  About ended up in the E.R...I didn't realize that too much water & no salt was bad.  I think by day 4 I was absolutely delirious and so foggy that I kept drinking more and more water thinking this would solve my foggy thinking and fatigue.  Because all we hear in the media is that H2O solves fatigue...and that SALT is bad, right?  Well for some people maybe this works but for many of us this is pretty dangerous advice.  The more water you drink, the more salt you need otherwise the body is "flushing" out the sodium levels faster and faster causing even more problems. 

So the fix?  It's simple.  Each morning have a good 20oz glass of water with 1/4 tsp of non iodized salt.  The perfect salt is himalayan salt just because it has so many more minerals then other salts.  Drink that each morning and you'll feel energized.  Now if you live in a hot/humid climate or your workout 45-60 minutes each day then you should have another glass of salted water in the afternoon.  My experience is that with my adrenal fatigue, I'm not "awake" in the mornings so my workouts are in the mid to late afternoon.  That's when I have my 2nd glass of salt water..while working out. 

Sort of our version of an energy drink.  A sugar-free version.  Good ol' salt water.  That's what a Gatorade drink is...electrolytes.  That's why they are so important for workouts.  They contain not only sodium but also potassium & other electrolytes that we naturally lose while sweating. 

So below is the info about hormones and salty cravings that goes hand in hand with what I'm discussing.  Any questions just contact me at teri@body-systems.net or leave a comment below.

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Excerpt from First For Women - Nov. 8, 2010 Issue

What Food Cravings Reveal About What's Really Bothering You:

We're old pros at tending to our pressing to-dos through just about anything - sniffles, the flu, back pain...What's harder?  Those days when a vague feeling of restlessness comes on for no good reason, or at least no reason we can pinpoint.  But Nutrition scientists have found an easy way to identify what's behind the funk.  Listen to your gut literally.  "Cravings act like an alarm bell for the subconscious," asserts David G. Edelson, M.D., a certified weight-management expert and founder of HealthBridge in Manhasset, New York. "The areas of the brain where hormones are stored are next to those where higher-level thought processes occur, so over time links form between cravings and emotions."  Read on to discover what's behind your down moods and how to tend to the feeling rather than feed it.

Salty Cravings Signal Stress

Stress inhibits the adrenal gland's production of aldosterone, a hormone that helps maintain an optimal  level of sodium in the body, says Dr. Edelson.  He explains, "Having low levels of aldosterone creates a salt deficiency, which in turn prompts cravings for foods like pretzels or french fries."

8 Ways to Burn More Fat, Faster

News flash: You don't have to overhaul your life to work off mega calories. Here are our eight simple rules for squeezing the most out of your everyday routine to score the silhouette you've been sweating for.

 By Caroline Hwang, Fitness Magazine Nov/Dec 09

So you think you know the drill on getting a good body. But we're not after good; we're after great.


Rule #1: Be an early bird to get the workout.


Lace up first thing and you'll increase your odds of exercising today threefold. A study of 500 people at the Mollen Clinic, a preventive medicine and wellness center in Scottsdale, Arizona, found that 75 percent of those who worked out in the morning did so regularly, compared with just half the afternoon exercisers and a quarter of the post-work crowd. "At the beginning of the day, you have the fewest excuses for skipping exercise," says clinic founder Arthur Mollen, DO. Not waking up early enough, of course, is the main one. "Limit using the snooze button to only five minutes so that you don't fall into a deep sleep again," Dr. Mollen advises. Bonus! You'll go to work feeling focused: A recent study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that 20 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise improved concentration, reading comprehension, and cognitive function.

Rule #2: Hit the metal before the pedal.


Instead of going from zero to 60 to sweat off the calories, consider this: Doing a quick sculpting routine pre-cardio could increase the amount of fat you melt. Exercisers in a study at the University of Tokyo who biked within 20 minutes of lifting weights tapped more of their fat stores than those who rested longer or didn't tone at all.

The firm-then-burn order is also good for your heart: Arteries stiffen during resistance training, increasing blood pressure, but a cardio chaser such as a 20-minute run counteracts these effects and expedites your arteries' return to normal, explains Rohit Arora, MD, chairman of cardiology at the Chicago Medical School. Plus, strength training "takes coordination and good technique, so you get more out of it if you come to it fresh," says Kent Adams, PhD, director of the Exercise Physiology Lab at California State University, Monterey Bay. "Meanwhile, cardio is a rhythmic, low-skill activity that's the easier of the two to do in a fatigued state," Adams says.

Rule #3: Push your pace, rev your metabolism.


Finished toning and ready to get sweaty? Gun it a bit for a bigger afterburn. "High-intensity exercise increases the release of growth hormones, which mobilize fat to be used as fuel, plus it causes your metabolism to stay elevated about 10 to 15 percent above its baseline, so you're burning more fat for several hours post-workout," says Arthur Weltman, PhD, director of the Exercise Physiology Laboratory at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. In other words, if you worked off 300 calories during your session, you'll get a bonus burn of about 45 calories even after you've toweled off.

To net the effect, stick to a speed you consider challenging: In a 16-week study that Weltman conducted with obese women, those who worked out at what they felt was high intensity (a brisk walk or jog in most cases) three days a week and at low intensity for two whittled an inch and a half more from their waists than the low-intensity-only group. Or try alternating between sprinting (racewalking, pedaling fast, swimming at top speed) for one minute and slowing down enough to recover for the next minute.


Rule #4: Give up your seat to trim your bottom line.


Even regular exercisers could benefit from extra toning of their tush, the largest muscle group in the body, which dozes all day at your desk job. "When you're walking or running, it's your hamstrings, hip flexors, and calf muscles that get the most work," says FITNESS advisory board member Vonda Wright, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "Unless you're going uphill, your glutes don't play a major role." The good news? If you bailed on doing those butt-firming squats during your workout, you can easily sneak them in when your cube mate isn't looking. Stand up from your chair, feet shoulder-width apart. Lower your bottom to the seat as though you're going to sit, touch down, and then spring up, squeezing your glutes as you straighten. Do three sets of 10 to 15 reps two or even three times throughout the day.

Rule #5: Take a power walk to beat a midday slump.


Call it the 20-20 rule: As little as 20 minutes of low-intensity aerobic activity such as walking can give you a 20 percent surge in energy, research at the University of Georgia in Athens finds. "It's paradoxical: Many people assume that they'll get tired from exercise. But the opposite actually happens," says study author Patrick O'Connor, PhD, a professor of kinesiology. "We're not certain what the biological mechanism is," he says, "but indirect evidence suggests that brain chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin are altered and cause the improved energy." Besides, that quick recharge just burned about 75 calories. Sure beats adding 250 spike-then-slump calories' worth of Skittles.

Rule #6: Do the two-step.

When you opt for the stairs, go at them two at a time -- as long as you're not wearing heels. The quick bursts of power activate your legs' fast-twitch muscle fibers, which burn more calories than slow-twitch fibers. Plus, you'll be using a part of your muscles that commonly doesn't get enough action. "Fast muscle cells are designed so you can jump far, kick hard, punch fast -- moves that you call on less and less in modern society," says Scott Mazzetti, PhD, a professor of exercise science at Salisbury University in Maryland. "But unfortunately it's a use-them-or-lose-them situation, so it's good to activate them regularly."

Rule #7: Go like Gumby.

Consistent stretching significantly decreases muscle soreness, according to a study at the Norwegian Knowledge Centre for Health Services in Oslo. Skipped your stretches postexercise? Wind down with this 17-minute allover loosener from Jennifer Huberty, PhD, an exercise physiologist at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Warm up first with 5 minutes of brisk high-knee marching.

Toe-reach stretch (targets hamstrings, which remain shortened all day as you're seated): Sit on the floor with your left leg straight in front of you, knee slightly bent, right leg bent out to the side and resting on the floor. Reach for your toes without bouncing and hold for 30 seconds; relax. Do 3 stretches, then switch legs and repeat.

Hip-flexor stretch (targets hips, which also are tight in desk jockeys): Lie faceup on the floor with your left leg bent, left foot flat, and bend your right knee out to the side so your right ankle is crossed over and resting on the lower left thigh. Grasp your left thigh with both hands and pull it toward you until you feel a comfortable stretch in your right hip, glutes, and outer thigh. Hold for 30 seconds; switch legs and repeat. Do 3 stretches per side.

Side stretch (targets upper back and waistline): Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Raise arms overhead and interlock fingers with palms facing up. Keeping your middle centered, hinge at the waist to the right; hold for 30 seconds. Return to center and reach up; hold for 30 seconds.

Switch sides; repeat. Do 3 stretches on each side.

Rule #8: Set out your sneakers.

A recent FITNESS poll found that sneakers -- with sports bras being a close second -- are the piece of gear that is forgotten most often, foiling women's workout plans. Clear that obstacle by, well, making them an obstacle in front of the door you exit in the a.m., suggests Diane Klein, PhD, chair of exercise and sports sciences at Tennessee Wesleyan College in Athens. "Seeing them will remind you that you planned to exercise," Klein says. For motivation to move, kicks are worth a thousand words.

Originally published in FITNESS magazine, November/December 2009.