Exercising But NOT Losing Weight

"Yes, training is finally over and I did it!" I happily complete my second marathon and am excited about the high-intensity training to be over. But...I step on the scale and realize that I had gained 15 pounds while training. And no, it is not "muscle" as everyone likes to tell me. I have just truly gained weight during this endurance event. You would think that running upwards of 50 miles a week would lead to a tight and sculpted body, so what gives?

Well, after doing some research and attending a seminar on the topic, I realize that the type of exercise I am choosing is impacting how my body responds. Let me explain. There are two types of exercise-anabolic and catabolic. Anabolic means "building up" and catabolic means "breaking down." Based on your current lifestyle, your physiological response varies person by person. If you are a somewhat stressed-out person that leads a busy lifestyle (aka: Me!), then adding more "breaking down" activities via exercise may not be the best thing for you. However, if you enjoy a pretty laid back life and feel that the stars are aligned for you, then your body most likely will respond wonderfully to these types of exercises. Why is this?

The answer is one of the most powerful hormones in our bodies made from cholesterol, pregnenolone. Pregnenolone plays an important role in balancing the biochemical mechanisms in our bodies. In addition, this influential hormone is a precursor to DHEA, progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, cortisol as well as many others.





Small amounts of cortisol are essential to promote health and even for life itself. Yet under the prodding of chronic stress and aging, our adrenal glands often over-produce cortisol. Excessive cortisol promotes a host of negative side-effects. High cortisol levels promote depression, as does chronic, unremitting stress in many people, resulting in chronically elevated cortisol. How does this occur? When under chronic stress (always racing off to the next thing/to-do item/event/meeting, etc.), we pull pregnenolone away from these essential functions to produce more cortisol. Therefore, we are not able to utilize pregnenolone to produce all of the other hormones needed, resulting in fatigue, aches, constipation, delayed healing, weight gain, and thyroid issues.


It's now time to self examine yourself. What type of personality do you have, and are you choosing the right type of exercises? Anabolic exercises include Tai Chi, yoga, stretching, meditation, and qigong. Cycling, Zumba, boot camp, hi-lo, and intense running are catabolic. Look at what you are doing and ask yourself the question, "How's this working for me?"


http://FitKim.com
Kimberly Coventry has a MS in Holistic Nutrition, is a Certified Nutritional Consultant, Certified NASM dotFIT Coach, marathoner, duathlete and triathlete.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Kimberly_Coventry/748877

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