Momentum Issue 28: Hormetic stressors
This week, we’re learning about hormetic stressors and finding ways to include more of these powerful tools into our routines.
A hormetic stressor is something that, in a small dose makes you stronger, but in a big dose will kill you. Think fasting, cold, heat, and exercise.
See if you can incorporate some of these into your week this week.
Importance
While most of what we read about today is regarding lowering our stress, we do actually need some stress.
As humans, we experience both good stress and bad stress. The key is to maximize the good stress, and minimize the bad stress - especially the chronic stress.
This good stress is known as hormetic stress, and it results in an adaptive response from your body - making you stronger in the long run.
I like Ben Greenfield’s explanation:
“For example, exercise, which can be detrimental when overdone, is beneficial in relatively small, controlled doses. Other examples of hormetic stress are extreme temperatures, fasting, oxygen deprivation, sun exposure, plant phytochemicals, adversity, low levels of radiation and exposure to some bacteria and germs. Your body is designed to handle occasional minor stress, and this adaptive response actually makes you more resilient. This is because a small dose of a toxin (chemical agent or environmental factor) has the ability to trigger certain repair mechanisms within your body; and, once activated, these mechanisms then offset the toxin's effect.”
He then goes on to explain:
“It’s only when these stressors are experienced too much, for too long, and exceeds personal and social resources available that they become harmful.”
We need to be careful that we’re not stressing our bodies too much. If you’re having a particularly stressful week, are sick, haven’t had adequate sleep, or are not at your best for any other reason, pull back on the hormetic stressors a bit.
Implementation
Find ways to include hormetic stressors into your day.
Fasting
Going without food benefits our bodies in so many ways.
From weight loss and improved cardiovascular health to improved cognition and Alzheimer’s prevention, it seems like fasting does it all.
Without food, your body starts tapping into its own fat stores, and burns these for energy. Your body may start producing ketones, which have loads of health benefits.
A special waste-removal system called autophagy is also activated, where your body will get rid of old or damaged cells to make room for new ones — like a spring cleaning.
If your body responds well to fasting, you could consider starting a fasting practice. If you want to learn more about fasting, read Momentum issue 26. If you want to learn more about starting a fasting practice, check out this article.
Cold
Cold exposure causes a release of norepinephrine — a hormone and neurotransmitter involved in attention, mood, and focus as well as pain, inflammation, and metabolism.
Cold exposure also has potent fat loss benefits as well.
You could start adding a cold shower to your morning routine, or, if you have access to a cold plunge, cold pool, or cold body of water, take a dip in this as often as possible.
If you want to learn more about the science behind the benefits of cold exposure, I highly recommend this article by Dr. Rhonda Patrick.
Heat
Heat has a similar mechanism to cold exposure.
Heat exposure also releases norepinephrine, leading to increased focus, improved mood, and reduced inflammation.
Furthermore, heat exposure has benefits for:
Toxin removal
Exercise recovery
Muscle gain
Fat loss
Metabolism
If you have access to a hot tub or sauna, use this on a regular basis. Otherwise, hot baths can elicit a similar response.
Exercise
Things like strength training and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) are great ways to stress your body in a way that will cause it to come back stronger (as long as you take adequate time for recovery).
Try to incorporate some form of moderate to high-intensity exercise into your week.
If you want to learn more about HIIT training or strength training, check out the following articles:
A comprehensive guide to HIIT training.
The One Exercise That Everyone Should Do
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