I want to talk to you about stress…

For the body, stress is stress.

• A workout is stress
• Travel and especially traveling across time zones is stress
• Lack of sleep is stress
• Being sick is stress
• Arguing with your partner or a friend is stress
• Working in a toxic office environment is stress
• Not having enough money to pay your bills is stress
• Waking up at 3:30 AM to start the photoshoot for this photo at sunrise, and then shoot for over 8 hours only having a protein shake and an RX bar to eat, was stress on my body 

All of these things are stress on your body and your body doesn’t differentiate between a workout, travel, or sunrise photoshoot.

Your body just receives the stress, as stress.

As you age, especially over 40, it becomes increasingly important to manage stress on your body because it’s harder for your body to be resilient and recover from stress.

If you don’t, this can adversely affect your hormone balance and increase inflammation in your body.

When I travel, like I did when I traveled last week across time zones to Vegas, to manage stress and help my body recover, I prioritize rest days and sleep over my workouts.

(Pro Tip: Taking Creatine can help your body bounce back from jet lag.)

When preparing for a trip, I rarely try to squeeze in a workout on a travel day, unless I have an afternoon or evening flight and had a good night’s sleep the night before.

The day after traveling, I evaluate my recovery from the trip and if I am up for a workout, I keep it light and short, e.g. 30-45 minutes of either cardio only or strength training with light weights. 

With this last trip, our schedule was jam packed and there were 3 days that I had to wake up at 3:30 AM (both travel days and the day of the photoshoot), so I worked out 3 of the 5 days while I was in Vegas and each workout was light and short.

After returning to Nola on Sunday, I took Monday off and this week I have been back to my training program but using lighter weights to help my body to recover.

If you don’t manage stress, don’t take days off, or get enough sleep, and you are working towards a fat loss or muscle building goal, the effect of stress on your body will likely halt progress towards your goal. 

At midlife over 40 one of the secrets to getting results from your fitness and nutrition plan is rest and recovery.

Take the day off and make your sleep a priority.

In June, I will be launching the Midlife Muscles & Macros Group Coaching Program for women 40+ who want to take control of their fitness and nutrition, achieve their best health yet, and make midlife the best life. 

I’ll be offering a 33% discount to the women on the pre-sale email list only. To get the discount, sign up for the pre-sale list by clicking on the button below…