Picture this: You have a thru-hike of a lifetime coming up next month. Between now and then, you have 4 projects due for work and your parents are coming to visit next weekend. Hello, stress! Before you decide to call out sick for the next few weeks there’s a better way to manage stress within nature — Adaptogens. Adaptogens have been used for thousands of years to assist with stress relief, support your immune system, and maintain your energy, to get you to and through your next adventure.
So, what are adaptogens? Adaptogens are naturally occurring, substances that help your body handle stress by stabilizing and optimizing a host of physiological functions. Rather than serving a single targeted purpose, an adaptogen will adapt its healing properties to whatever your body specifically needs at a given time. Think of adaptogens as “training your body to handle stress” similar to how exercising trains your muscles. When we exercise, it’s a stress on our body. But as we continue to train and exercise, our body becomes better at dealing with the stress of it, so we no longer get as tired or as high a heart rate.
Because they are so adaptable, adaptogens can have many positive effects on your body without the negative side effects of other dietary supplements on the market. Use adaptogens to:
Minimize fatigue and improve endurance
Improve focus
Protect your body from stress