The United States are at a standstill - who knows how long it will last. However, every one of us is probably trying at this point to put this election behind - now is time to unite and recover. 

I want to help you get rid of the old stress - unchecked stress has damaging effects on every layer of your body from your skin to your bones. 

I’ll tell you what you can do about it in this post-voting special on how to recover from election day:

• What does chronic stress do to your body?
• How can you support your physical recovery when your body is damaged by stress?
• How can you support your mental and emotional recovery with nutrition?

I challenge you: how do you take care of yourself regardless of the outcome?

 

 

It’s a mean joke that National Stress Awareness Day comes a day after one of the most stress-inducing experiences many Americans have once every four years. We’ve been bombarded since the midterms; like we needed another reminder!

If stress wasn’t high enough amidst the once again rising Covid-19 pandemic, we were all on the edge of our seats in anticipation of who was going to be leading the U.S. strategy against this universal enemy.

I’m sure you’ve felt the emotional disconnect, that dissociative feeling when you’re really amped up.  It’s your body’s natural way of coping with a situation your brain perceives as unsafe.  

If raising your blood pressure and your blood sugar wasn’t bad enough, chronically high stress hormones can have a detrimental impact on the health of your connective tissues too. Sprains, strains, and breaks are just the physical manifestation of what’s often thought of as a strictly emotional problem. 

With fight-or-flight hormones at debilitating levels already, there’s never been a better time to eat, move, think, and relate in a way that promotes recovery, not degeneration. Here are some other unwanted effects of stress.

Chronic, unchecked stress may lead to:

• High blood pressure
• High blood sugar
• Impaired immune system
• Fatigue
• Poor sleep
• Increased injuries
• Emotional dysregulation

And more. Do you see a pattern here? 

Our mind - the controller of our thoughts and emotions - is just a part of the entire body. If your thoughts are all over the place, so too are all your other systems. This is not a new thought for the Resync team, we’ve been talking about the systems approach (aka. a holistic perspective) from the very beginning. That’s the reason why our collagen formula supports cardiovascular function and your entire anti-inflammatory system alongside ingredients for optimal connective tissue health.

Let me use an example to illustrate the point. Each of your systems are intertwined at every level, as exemplified by your fascia. Fascia is one of your most sensory-rich tissues and it surrounds and coordinates other connective tissues such as muscle.

Your fascia absorbs emotions like a sponge absorbs water. When your stress hormones are high, they diffuse through your fascia. Since your fascia is the connective tissue that connects your other tissues, that stress signal pervades through your muscles, your collagen, and every layer of your body.

That stress signal transmitted by your fascia shows up as limited mobility, as pain, as fatigue. You can see that your emotions affect how  you feel in your own body, how you are able to move, and even how your body is shaped!

 

 

When it comes to managing stress, you cannot think specifically and locally. You have to think of the body globally. Not too different from doing what’s right for your neighbor during an epidemic, wouldn’t you say?

Just like with the global pandemic, every component of the system needs to be nurtured in order for every gear to click together and run smoothly as one.

Our attachment to particular outcomes drives emotionally and physically damaging processes. These seep down into every layer of our body, from our skin, through our fascia, to our bones.

Let’s not lose our minds. Let’s not lose our bodies. Let’s do something about it.

Here are a few key nutrition tips for recovering from election day.

Physical and Emotional Recovery with Nutrition

Nutrition can be one way to bring our minds and energy to a more stable place. Food is an accessible, ready to use tool that we use - or misuse - every day. 

Mindless eating is usually unhealthy eating, and so being intentional about your nutrition is step number one. 

Coping with stress by eating whatever we want deepens the stress physically, not just emotionally (not to mention upping your risk for severe Covid-19 outcomes). You limit the nutrients that your brain is gobbling up to create more neurotransmitter and hormones. You limit the nutrients your body needs to regenerate it’s damaged tissues. High demand calls for a high supply.

Collagen, one of the most important proteins in the body, physical health, and connective tissue health all go hand in hand. Here are the nutrients essential for your body to heal damage caused by stress:

• Collagen peptides (especially amino acids glycine, proline, arginine, hydroxyproline, and hydroxylysine)
• Vitamins C, D, E, and B-complex (for anti-inflammatory system support)
• Glutathione support via glycine, sulfur, and sulfur amino acids (cysteine and methionine) - read our comprehensive blog series on supporting glutathione starting here.
• Minerals copper, iron, magnesium, manganese (to support the enzymes that keep your collagen optimized)
• Natural nitrates found in dark leafy greens and red veggies to support your nitric oxide and heart health
• Natural antioxidant polyphenols from plants like boswellic acid (boswellia serrata), elderberry and aronia berry, oleocanthal (from extra virgin olive oil), and curcumin/turmeric, among others
• Anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids (highest in seeds and seafood)

The gut-brain axis shouldn’t be overlooked! Here is a list of nutrients to help regulate your emotions, facilitate sleep, and support your rest-and-recover brain hormones:

• Complex carbohydrates (from whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, and vegetables)
• Slow-digesting proteins; protein with higher levels of the amino acids tryptophan and glycine (for serotonin and melatonin support)
• Magnesium
• Vitamins A, C, E, B6, B12 & Folate
• Natural melatonin-boosting foods like pistachio, almonds, walnuts, banana, pineapple, orange, cherries, strawberries, thyme, sage, peppermint, mulberry, and black pepper (even if you’re not ready to go to sleep, melatonin is metabolized into powerful antioxidants that can help your body fight inflammation)
• L-theanine in tea
• CBD in hops and hemp 
• Linalool in mint, lavender, basil, sage, cinnamon, and citrus 
• Bioactives in passionflower, lemon balm mint, sweet cherries and tart cherries (do be careful with sweet cherries as their sugar content can impede your recovery process)

If you’re good with just a list of nutrients, then run with it and make the choices that will help you close the gap between tired and ready to go!

If you want your work cut out for you though, I have something just for you. 

We developed 40 of recipes to maximize these specific nutrients and facilitate your recovery from the deepest layers to the most superficial. Check out my new ebook for the research and the recipes for your optimized recovery. 

Recover Every Layer Of Your Body: 40 Science-Based Recipes For Better Sleep, Faster Recovery and Healthier Connective Tissues

 

 

Regardless of your party, it’s time to start recovering from the damage wreaked by our unhealthy emotional attachments in this political season. You can’t be effective in this life without being healthy, and you can’t be healthy without recovering from the stressors of everyday life, so take care of yourself with these tactics!

My new ebook dives deep into the science of full body recovery - from better sleep to clean energy to recovery routines for every layer of your body. If you want a sneak peak, check it out here!

If you liked this blog you might also enjoy some of our other articles on how to feed your body with the right nutrition and the right movements for health at every layer of your body. If you’re not ready to dive into my comprehensive evaluation of total physical and mental recovery, then sample what we have to offer here:

• Skin
• Fascia
• Muscles
• Tendons and Ligaments
• Cartilage
• Bones

See Why Resync might be right for you!

 

We want to hear from you!

Want the practical details on how to eat and supplement to support your exercise, heart health, beauty, and energy? Subscribe to our feed and never miss our best content! If you want more, leave a comment or question below and we’ll get back to you! 

While other companies try to sell you through clickbait and fake news, we back up what we say with hard data. We believe that when you have the right information, you are empowered to make the best decision possible. That’s why we break down complex science into practical takeaways you can use today. 

If there’s something you want to know more about, let us know by contacting us or getting in touch on social media!

Wishing you the best in your health,

The Resync Team

 

Written by Barbara Depta and registered dietitian, Detrick Snyder, MPH, RDN. Updated on 11/5/2020.

Disclaimer

This content is for general informational purposes only, and does not constitute the practice of any professional healthcare service, INCLUDING the giving of medical advice. No provider-patient relationship is formed. The use of this information, and the materials linked to this content is at the user's own risk. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should abide by the advice of their healthcare provider, and should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have.