thejoyalife | INSTAGRAM | JAN 08

Welcome back for day 2 of Adaptogens 101. You’ve got the background, now let’s dive into what these powerhouses do. As we’ve touched on, all adaptogens help our bodies maintain 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 + 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 internal functioning in the face of 𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦. And we’re talking about all stress, “good” (weight training) or “bad” (a toxic relationship), and from all sources (physical, biological, emotional + environmental). Our bodies don’t discriminate — all stress impacts physiological functioning the same way. 𝗤: 𝗦𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗱? Nope! As the saying goes, “all in moderation”. While our bodies can deal with (and actually get stronger with) small amounts of stress, excessive and ongoing stress is too much to handle and throws off every system in the body. Think of it like high-intensity exercise: moderate amounts, balanced with rest and proper nourishment, make the body stronger. But excessive intense exercise without proper recovery is a recipe for disaster: pain, inflammation and injury. We live in a go-go-go society where between family, work, relationships and other aspects of life, stress is difficult for many of us to avoid. The key then, is taking lifestyle measures that support the body in the face of stress. 🌿🍄 In come adaptogens, helping our body resist + recover from the effects of ongoing stress and keeping it in balance. (Think of them as acting like a thermostat, which prevents a room from getting too hot or too cold, keeping the temperature just right.) 𝗤: 𝗦𝗼 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 + 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲? All adaptogens do 3 key things: ➡ help balance the 𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 + 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 (which work together to control the body’s response to stressors), impacting the body AND mind ➡ help balance or boost the 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 ➡ support normal 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 Join us tomorrow for day 3 of Adaptogens 101 as we chat about the “test” for classification as an adaptogen (beware of imposters ⚠️)