It’s fair to say the word ‘stress’ has a pretty negative connotation in our society. Many people, including a previous incarnation of myself tend to associate the word stress with things like anxiety, frustration and anger. If we are stressed it is an admission that we are not coping, that we are teetering on the edge of a Michael Douglas from ’Falling Down’ type break down.

Rightfully, few people want to admit to feeling that way. And the reality is many people do experience stress that is actually nothing like what I have just explained. I am such as person. Rebranding stress was crucial in my overcoming of it. Let me explain.

A big part of my rebranding of stress lied in recognising what stress actually is from a physiological perspective. I will try to expain this succinctly: Stress is the perception of a stimulus that results in the hypothalamus communicating neurologically and hormonally to the pituitary, which then communicates via hormones with the adrenal system to release epinephrine (acutely) and cortisol. This response basically gets us amped up for action. It is a good thing, if we didn’t have a HPA stress response we would resemble sloths. I deliberately used the word ‘stimulus’ instead of the more commonly used ‘threat’ as I feel ‘stimulus’ is more relevant to the stress I experienced.

The stress that I dealt with was related to a major flaw in human design. My brain was not fitted with an ‘off’ switch!

An analogy that I like that describes the landscape inside my brain was that it was like one of those stock market electronic ticker tapes, the ones with the 5 or 6 layers of messages over-lapping one-another. One layer would be what I was currently doing, the next on what I was going to cook for dinner, the next on some research and development I needed to do, the next on remembering to call my Mum, and so-on. I wasn’t thinking negatively about any of those things, often the feeling was benign or actually an excited anticipation.

But as a result of being constantly on alert about something that may potentially happen in the future, or analysing details of events past, I was constantly wired for action. This resulted in a number of unfortunate consequences, such as; compromised cognitive abilities relating to memory, problem solving and creativity because of my lack of present time awareness;   increased production of ‘stress’ hormones from the HPA axis resulting in disruption to sleep and eventually adrenal fatigue; increased muscle tension resulting in back and neck pain and headaches. Not fun.

I’ll remind you at this point that I experienced all of these consequences without  ever really  feeling anxious, depressed, frustrated or any other strong emotions typically associated with stress.

So what did I do to overcome stress?

• Firstly I recognised that the way I was functioning was not working for me- I accepted that I was chronically stressed.
• Next I removed basically everything from my diet that puts undue strain upon the adrenal system- namely caffeine containing foods and beverages and alcohol. I also added in some widely available nutritional supplements that are known to assist energy production at a cellular level.
• I reduced my exercise volume in the short term, then gradually built it back up again.
• I started writing myself to-do lists, and then actually did the things on my list!
• I rediscovered meditation and practiced for 20 mins daily. Meditation serves a number of different purposes- for me it was an exercise in bringing peace and quiet to my otherwise manic mind. It was the off-switch my brain needed.

Stress is not a bad thing if we can use it to our advantage and also disengage and enjoy silence in those moments between. Meaningful relaxation is a pillar of health that almost everyone in our busy society neglects. Find some quiet and you’ll be amazed at the what happens.

If you walk into any large commercial gym in Australia you will be amazed at the expansive array of machines just waiting for you to give them life. They look tremendously elaborate, and there is no doubt the engineering is magnificent, but in reference to what these machines demand of your body they are terribly rudimentary. In almost all instances these machines have one specific function- meaning they work one or one set of muscles/joints in one very controlled plane

When you walk into iNform, you may notice our slightly more, ‘minimalist’ approach to equipment. Rather than machines, what we have in abundance is empty space (and if truth be told, we’d all like even more of that!). The two machines that hold centre stage on our floor, the two floating cables, have a potential range of exercises available that is limited only by our collective imagination.

These machines are kept company by a wide range of free-weights, balance equipment and gym-balls. This apparent lack of equipment  has nothing to do with penny pinching- it is completely by design.

For you to exercise well in iNform’s gym environment you have to learn to master movements of only one machine- and it is the most complex, amazing, finely tuned machine in all existence. Your body.

Exercising on simple machines such as those found in big gyms teaches you nothing about how to use your body. The strength gains that you may make according to the increasing numbers of plates you are lifting has next to no cr0ssover to improved functionality of your body. If you exercise your body in a more functional way, as is fundamentally required inside iNform’s gym you will gain strength that has a tangible effect upon your day-to-day activities.

Another positive is that if you use to use your body well, your body becomes a free piece of exercise equipment of almost limitless potential.  Here are three seemingly simple exercises that are tremendously challenging to do well and require nothing more than you and the floor.

Four-Point Alternating Arm Leg Lifts:

Starting on all-fours, lift one arm and slide the opposite foot back until it is lifted without dropping the rib-cage or

moving the pelvis side-to-side. This requires tremendous core strength and control.

Single Legged Squat: 

In a previous blog in this series I compared a herd of migrating antelope to the hussling and bussling weekend warriors gliding, skipping, wobbling and writhing down Anzac Highway during the City to Bay fun run. The main difference between the two groups is that one is almost homogenous in it’s gait style, whilst the other displays an apparent freedom of expression in how they move.

‘Freedom of expression’ implies some sort of unbridled artistry is on display, but truth be told the way most people run is far from artistic and painfully bridled. The reason for this amazing variance in how human beings run is the same as that which gives large collections of animals their biomechanical uniformity. Environment.

When the sun rises, all antelope get up at about the same time, start grazing at the savannah in the the same way for about the same amount of time, move across the same landscape in the same temperature conditions for the same percentage of the day, then tuck in at night again, at about the same time. Their anatomical structures are uniform, their environment is uniform, and their needs and means to fulfill them are uniform. Therefore they move the same.

We on the other hand, experience an environment that is both inconsistent from person to person and contrary to what our body is actually built for.

We, like all animals adapt to the environment we are in and unfortunately those adaptations often conflict with the biomechanical and physiological requirements for high quality running.

An example- one that I see often. The species I shall name Computus Captivius from the Genus, Sendentarius. See image below.

Computus Captivius

This extremely common specimen is characterised by a depressed sternum, forward head, forward rolled shoulders, absence of apparent core musculature, glutes that serve only as cushions, shortened hip flexors, stiff feet and often short, tight, deconditioned deep lower limb muscles.

Basically this individual has adapted perfectly to her/his environment by making some muscles shorter and tighter  and allowing other muscles to switch off due to being surplus to requirements. This is not a problem if all  Computus Captivius wants to do is sit in front of a computer. But if they decided to take up running? I’m sorry but this animal simply does not have a body that is capable of running  well!

This, coupled with a simple lack of skill is why I see so many people running with their shoulders forward, head bobbing all over the place, hips flexed and shuddering on impact, and heels that are violently striking the earth like they hold some crazed vendetta against it.

In order to run well, the following physical traits must be yours:

• A thoracic spine that is mobile in extension and rotation.
• A set of core musculature that is correctly active. The core doesn’t have to be strong, just working properly. See my blog http://informhealth.com/the-core-what-is-it-and-why-should-i-care/ for further reading.
• Glutes that work- they know what to do and when to do it (and when not to).
• Hips that can extend ten degrees- meaning the thigh bone can lever backwards relative to the pelvis unrestricted.
• Lower limb muscles, such as the tibialis posterior, tibialis anterior, peroneals and big calf mucles (gastrocnemius and soleus) that are in good working order (not tight) and have great endurance.
• Intelligent feet- This means feet that are mobile but have their mobility finely tuned by the appropriate muscles plus an accurate and prompt information channel from the nervous system.

That sounds like a hell of a list. But each of those traits, if currently foreign to you, are quite simple to acquire through correct training. In order to run well you first need a body that is physically capable of doing so. As a species we have been ‘inteligent’ enough to manufacture an environment that is alien to our physical make-up. Fortunately we are also intelligent enough to correct the adaptations we make.