I'm An Outdoor Endurance Athlete With Adrenal Overdrive. Here's How I Recovered

I've observed that those who are drawn to endurance sports are often driven, ambitious people, and it's not just how they approach sport, it's how they approach life. At least that's the case for me. While drive, determination, and hard work have been invaluable to many of my achievements, these same tendencies have pushed me beyond what is reasonable and healthy.

Because I trained as a certified herbal medicine educator and spent years studying holistic health, I had an idea of what might be going on in my body. But despite my knowledge, it took working with a functional medicine practitioner to get to the root of what was happening and to guide me back to health. As I had suspected, I was dealing with adrenal and thyroid issues. I had put myself into adrenal overdrive and triggered Hashimoto's.

Here are the seven practices that have been most effective for me in recovering from adrenal overdrive. I've continued these practices as I've moved back into endurance athletics; this time in a healthier, more easeful way. Of course, if you're experiencing any concerning symptoms or dealing with adrenal overdrive and/or Hashimoto's, it's important to work with your doctor to figure out what's best for you, specifically.

Through an elimination diet, I found hidden food intolerances—specifically gluten and dairy—and removed them from my diet permanently. My previous diet would have been considered "healthy" by most, but eating right for my body is what made the difference. Food is our best medicine, and this step alone began to quell inflammation and heal my gut lining, reducing the overall stress load on my body.

I addressed nutritional deficiencies and took thyroid-supportive supplements, such as zinc, selenium, and ashwagandha.

Getting a minimum of eight hours of sleep nightly is one of my nonnegotiables.

I no longer ignore tiredness, fatigue, or soreness while training. Where I used to push harder, I now rest when my body needs rest. Tuning in to my body and hearing the message to slow down has enabled me to train smarter and stay healthier.

In line with the last step, I not only started taking more rest days, I also gave up doing hours of cardio per day. I still do long runs and hikes, but they are interspersed with strength days and rest days. Not only do I feel better now, I perform better.

I evaluated my priorities and cut out the nonessential. I began turning down or outsourcing anything that didn't truly excite me. Learning to say no actually created more space for relaxation and activities that fill me up rather than drain me.

I realized that, over the past couple of years, I had slowly moved into a mindset where I was constantly striving to be more, to get it all done, to train harder. There was always something to improve, always something I "should" be doing. This perfectionist tendency has always been there but never in such a powerful way. Simply recognizing what was happening and having a daily practice to remind myself that I am enough right now enables me to let go of perfectionism. Each morning, as part of my daily gratitude practice, I inhale deeply and say to myself, "I am enough and I am worthy, just for being me."

It's so easy to get swept up in doing more and being more, but with intention and awareness, I've been able to stay balanced, centered, and healthy.