“The response to stress is different for every bodybuilder. The limit to a great workout may vary from a person to person; the same workout could be a motivation for one while it could be a cause of distress to another.”
In a bodybuilder’s life stress is inevitable and thus impends all over. Anything that will interfere with the smooth working of cells in the body will lead to stress. For a bodybuilder, any stimulus which produces stress are called stressors. Stressors could be physiological, environmental, psychological or nutritional.
There are two types of stress which a bodybuilder has to confront: positive stress and negative stress (Distress). Positive stress inspires and encourages successful workouts. On the other hand, negative stress or distress causes a detrimental effect on the body and if lasted long, can even lead to physical decline. For every bodybuilder, distress is a concern. The predisposition to take stress significantly depends on factors such as genetics, medical history, lifestyle and behaviour. The response to stress is different for every bodybuilder. The limit to a great workout may vary from a person to person; the same workout could be a motivation for one while it could be a cause of distress to another.
As stress is unavoidable, bodybuilder always look out for ways to lessen the effect of stress and for this nutrition holds the key.
A multifaceted association exists between nutrition and stress. Nutrition and stress both are involved in immune function, metabolism, neuro-endocrine function and peak performance. Stress nutrition takes into account more than just sufficient protein and calories. Below is the explanation:
Stress stimulates 3 significant reactions in our body.
To start with the first reaction is the alarm stage. During this stage the body prepares itself to meet the stress by initiating metabolic changes such as increasing the cellular uptake of amino acids by breaking down proteins to provide immediate fuel for energy for the body and thus increasing the blood glucose levels (formed by protein breakdown). The increased demand for glucose to face the stressful situation triggers the liver to further release the stored glucose (glycogen). Also due to the change in blood osmolarity there is a shift in intracellular electrolytes resulting in the retention of excessive sodium and leading to cases of uncomplicated high blood pressure.
During the second stage also known as resistance stage, the body will rebuild itself by utilising the nutrient from the diet you consume. If the case of inadequate diet to meet the demands, the body will repair itself by robbing nutrients from its reservoirs until they get exhausted.
The third stage of stress is the exhaustion stage. This stage occurs when all the body reserves, as well as the diet, is inadequate to meet the needs to rebuild thus leading to major illnesses.
For the above three stages its very evident that stress imposes a great necessity for a well balanced diet depending upon the needs of the individual bodybuilder. On the contrary, the deficiency of any important nutrient is in itself is a cause of stress. Therefore, a carefully chosen diet along with a good nutritional supplementation program can significantly enhance a bodybuilder’s ability to manage stress in both workouts and life in general.
