I did an experiment last week.
I wouldn't recommend anyone else do this to yourself. Unless you have a morbid sense of curiosity.
I've been gluten free for three years now. I've had small gluten exposures here and there, and thankfully don't have a severe reaction to it.
Well, I was at work and the chef made beautiful cinnamon walnut scones. Now, I have to preface this next statement with I love scones. They used to be my all-time favorite breakfast treat. I just had to try this scone. It tasted so delicious - especially with coffee. I knew that I probably wouldn't feel all that great from eating it, but in the past I had just been a little emotional the next day with hardly any gastrointestinal distress. (Yes, gluten makes me cry. Literally.) I didn't think it would be a big deal.
This time was different. I can only think it was because I had an entire snack made of gluten, rather than just a little bit in a meal. My stomach was upset for three days afterward. I was emotional the next day, and I felt funky for almost an entire week following. I try to really pay close attention to my body and listen to what it's telling me. I learned my lesson. Gluten:1, Me: 0.
I will continue to be fastidious about gluten exposure. It's not worth feeling like I'm blown up like a balloon, emotional, and without an appetite. You might not notice how gluten affects you if you're eating it regularly - I know I didn't. But after giving it up for a while, you begin to see how good you can feel. Reintroduction of it can be uncomfortable at the least.
I try to listen to my body in other ways, too. Our bodies are amazing feats of engineering. They carry on numerous processes every day to support our existence with much conscious effort. The delicate homeostatic balance is maintained perfectly by the systems in our body. Little things can throw it all off, and make you feel "off."
I've been dealing with fatigue and exhaustion lately. I'll sleep for 8 hours and feel like I barely slept 5. Or, I'll feel great when I wake up in the morning but come 10 a.m., walking around the building at work seems like a marathon. I do have days that I feel great - and I have to be very careful not to overexert myself on those days or I'm completely out of commission for almost an entire week. It is a very frustrating cycle, and a very careful balance I have to find between resting sufficiently to care for myself and getting enough exercise to feel strong and feel good about myself. I was concerned that there was something deeper than just fatigue that was troubling me, but with blood tests and doctor visits, I appear to be perfectly healthy. I know I've been dealing with stress, and that's what the doctor has attributed my fatigue, mood swings, and lack of "oomph." I've never had stress affect me in this way, and it concerns me.
Stress is a persistent antagonist on the body. Stress is designed to get your body ready for "fight" or "flight" - in other words, it's meant to be acute. Exercise is stress on your body, but it's a good stress, or eustress. Exercise creates a temporary shift to your homeostasis, causing changes in your metabolism, muscle mass, and cardiovascular system that require rest and repair. After the exercise bout is over, your body returns to its normal state so that rest and repair is possible. Modern life stresses our bodies in a different way. Stress for many of us is a constant onslaught of worry, work overload, and over scheduling. There is not a system of the body that is not affected by stress. Stress can cause gastrointestinal distress, sleep deprivation or disruption, lack or stimulation of appetite, and weight gain, to name just a few. Because stress has far-reaching affects, it is important to take a look at how you can reduce stress in your life.
I have to take a very close look at my life to discover how I can reduce stress. At this point in time, I don't know what else I can do. In the past, I've used exercise to help me reduce stress, but now I can't do that because my energy levels are so low. Many people benefit from yoga, but I hate yoga. (I shouldn't say that. I'm a HUGE believer in what yoga can do for people. It just doesn't do it for me.) Work is a big portion of my stress, but unfortunately that can't be reduced very much, so I need to learn to manage my stress at work better and do my best to leave it at work. My husband and I have stress at home as well with the responsibility of home ownership and the lovely challenges of the first year of marriage, and we're doing what we can to reduce and manage the stress there. (Side note: my husband and I have a strong, loving and supportive relationship. We work together as a team to conquer the stresses we experience - it's not stress between us, but stress from our life circumstances that is shared). I need to learn to manage stress. I'm not good at it. In fact, I don't handle stress well at all. (Obviously, or I wouldn't have gone to see a doctor about my health problems.) This is going to take quite a bit of work, soul searching, and self discovery. I'll be praying about it, and using that time to meditate and allow the Lord to work in my head and my heart to teach me.
If you're feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and tired, rest assured you're not alone. Stress can get in the way of many goals - like weight loss, muscle gain, or beating fatigue. Stress can even have an affect on relationships. I can help you find ways to better manage your stress if you would like (I should probably listen to my own advice...) and I would love to help you learn how to take care of your body.
With that, remember to take a deep breath and relax. You have this one life to live, and this one body to care for. Honor yourself, your body (and temple), and your loved ones by nurturing your health.
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