Important Ideas for the Athlete to Understand

Whether you are the characteristic “weekend warrior” or getting ready to run your Olympic trial, there are many principles that will affect your athletic performance and recovery. There are a multitude of factors, not just physical, that will affect not only your performance but also how you recover and heal. Athletes of all calibers should be aware of certain factors that are not only detrimental to their athletic  performance, but also effect their overall health and well being.

The healthcare system in the US practices almost exclusively in a reactive scope of practice that only addresses problems after they occur. This is not helpful when dealing with a healthier more athletic population. Athletes must be held to a higher standard as they live a more wellness and proactive lifestyle. (Be Sure to Read our Article: Really, understanding Your Blood Tests!) As an athlete, we put our bodies into more of a consistent and higher state of stress, routinely. This may be helpful but also may be detrimental to our overall health, well-being, and longevity.

Athletes must endure not only the physical stresses on their bodies but also more importantly the mental and physiological stresses. These higher and more consistent stress levels put our bodies into “fight or flight” mode, thus in turn, initiating a series of events that make it more difficult for our bodies to function. The constant physical stress athletes put on their bodies, induces a phenomena called Adrenal Dysfunction. Our adrenal glands sit above our kidneys and release a very important hormone named Cortisol. Chronic elevations in cortisol trigger our bodies’ normal bodily functions to be altered. This reaction causes significant inflammation throughout our system. With Inflammation being the cause if ALL disease! As stress becomes chronic, as it is for so many of us today, the body is continually exposed to high levels of cortisol and long-term negative health effects may occur. This can result in:

– Increased Muscle tension which interferes with motor function (increasing risk for injury or poorer athletic performance)
– Dehydration – Electrolyte Imbalance – Cramps, spasms
– Weakened healing time (immunosuppression)
– Muscle breakdown and improper repair happens more consistently secondary to constant stress
– Depletion of trace minerals, anti-oxidants, and nutrients
– Higher impact on joint and muscle deterioration

What You Need to Know!

Energy Demands for the athlete are far superior to the average person

Eating healthy is often not enough to aid your athletic performance

Training may induce Adrenal Dysfunction

Elevated Cortisol affects ALL bodily functions

Hormone Imbalance affects ALL bodily functions

How To Prepare for peak athletic performance?!

Assess Macro/Micronutrient Status

Assess Hormone status and proportion

Assess Amino Acid and Anti-Oxidant Status

Hormone Imbalance affects ALL bodily functions

These are some of the more important concepts for all individuals but especially athletes to understand that not only affect athletic performance but overall health, wellness, and longevity. These ideas are fully acknowledged and preached by functional medicine providers. It is important for athletes to fully understand the benefit of prophylactic assessment and preparation is key. It is not only important to “prepare for a race” but to prepare for the preparation of an event. The deeper one can delve into their bodies’ physiology and functionality, the better you can prepare for how your body functions long term and maintains optimal health, wellness, and longevity.

We at R3 Health, specialize in helping athletes understand their bodies, and helping educate them on what they can do to not only help them recover and perform better, but to ensure optimal health, wellness, and longevity. R3 Health specializes in creating custom individualized wellness programs, which help anyone achieve their goals. We specialize in therapies that are natural based and regenerative in nature, preventing the need for invasive conventional medicine therapies.

 

Take Action! See R3 Health to get a true understanding about your health & wellness, and lets work together to help you achieve your goals, ensuring optimal health, wellness, and functional longevity