Fight or Flight

[Bagger Lance]

Hi Vickie,

As you know, I've been doing some serious weight training this year and as an "older" person, I really have to pay more attention to what my body is telling me. Since I overtrain once every couple of months, I'm becoming keenly aware of some of the unpleasant effects of excess Cortisol accumulation.

I've been studying the effects of the hormone Cortisol on the body, which is the "fight or flight" hormone. It is released by the Adrenal Gland when the body experiences stress and it can have a cumulative effect, which in essence is system fatigue and lack of muscle gains associated with overtraining. Overtraining also consists of nervous system fatigue but from what I understand, Central Nervous System fatigue isn't directly associated with Cortisol.

Cortisol is a catabolic hormone which breaks down muscle in order to supply the system with essential Amino Acids during stress. It can also contribute to fat storage, poor sleep patterns, and immune system inhibition among other undesirable effects. Since the Adrenal Gland doesn't care what the source of the stress is; it can be work stress, financial stress, physical stress, commuter stress, you name it... In today's day and age, we are all probably overdosed on Cortisol.

I'm trying to get a handle on how to manage the daily Cortisol cycles along with my training and it dawned on me that Golfers, especially Tournament Golfers, deal with it's effects on a regular basis without even knowing it. It's not just the Adrenaline surge that Athletes have to deal with, its also the stress induced Cortisol accumulation that can effect those makeable 5 foot putts or wide fairway shots.

I'd like to explore how we can manage our hormonal responses to stress. There is no doubt in my mind that peak performance is assisted through a balanced and managed hormonal system.

This in essence is a "stress management" thread.

Thanks,