Deload Your Stress If You Want Results- Essential Articles
Stress has been shown to markedly reduce strength and muscle gains when training (1). It increases unwanted fat gain, slows down your recovery and negatively affects your health. Not to mention the unfavourable impact it can have on your relationships.
Don’t worry though I have you covered and to help you combat the stress in your life I will list my top eight articles on the subject. I have also included some bonus resources at the end that have massively helped me.
In no particular order here are my top articles on stress:
How Important Is Psychological Stress For Your Gains? By Fredrik Tonstad Vårvik- This is a really in-depth article on the effect of chronic stress on strength and recovery ability with some important take away points.
How To Avoid a Near-Life Experience By Chris Kresser- Great article using research to give you some real actionable tips that will change your life.
The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A Fuck By Mark Manson- If you can learn this skill, and it is a skill, you will drastically reduce the stress in your life.
Cortisol: Catabolic Muscle Killer Or Misunderstood Hormone By Layne Norton- Not all stress is bad and we actually need some short periods of healthy stress to aid us in improving our physique. This article helps dispel the myth that all stress should be avoided at all costs.
The Theory of Cumulative Stress: How to Recover When Stress Builds Up By James Clear- Nice article with a simple to understand simile using a bucket.
Stress: The Silent Killer (of gains) By Greg Nuckols- Great article that goes in-depth to the research on stress and it’s affects on recovery from strength training. Greg also uses a neat metaphor comparing our body to a garden.
What My Dog Taught Me About Patience and Real Problems By Nate Green- We can learn a lot from our best friend the dog on living life with less stress.
How to Deal with Stress: 33 Tips That Work By Henrik Edberg- Does what is says on the tin. These tips are all excellent.
Bonus Recommendations
I hope you enjoyed the articles. As promised here are some more recommendations if this is a subject that interests you.
The first is a book by Greg McKeown titled Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less- This book has changed the way I live my life. It will teach you how to work less but focus more when doing so and give you your life back.
The second is a website/App, which is brilliant for getting started with meditation. Go to www.headspace.com download the App and do their take 10. You will not regret it. And if you are still not convinced about trying meditation here is bonus article number nine- Meditation: Why You Should Do It By Mark Manson.
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