Personal trainer Rachael Attard shares the shocking effect stress had on her body

A personal trainer has shared the shocking impact stress has on her body, after battling adrenal fatigue for years.

Rachael Attard, from Sydney, shared side-by-side photos of her face showing the effect working 60+ hour weeks, partying and excessive drinking on weekends had on her skin and body.

“Looking at the first picture you can tell this is not the face of a healthy person,” Rachael posted on instagram.

“This was not weight loss – the difference in weight in these two photos is only 1-2kg.”

A personal trainer (pictured) has shared the shocking impact stress has on her body, after battling adrenal fatigue for years.

Rachael Attard, from Sydney, shared side-by-side photos of her face showing the effect working 60+ hour weeks, partying and excessive drinking on weekends had on her skin and body (in the photo before and now)

Instead, Rachael said she was battling adrenal fatigue.

Adrenal fatigue is one theory that suggests that high levels of stress can trigger a mild form of adrenal insufficiency.

It is a condition in which the body and adrenal glands cannot handle the enormous amount of daily stress that many people experience.

“At my worst point in 2017/2018, I couldn’t find a lot of information on adrenal fatigue or any professionals to help me,” Rachael said.

I researched everything like crazy and sought to cure myself with little help from medical professionals.

Rachael (pictured) revealed that she was battling adrenal fatigue and was very stressed when she tried to turn around her health.

The shocking impact of stress revealed

Effects of stress include water retention, weight gain, and poor gut health (Rachael pictured now)

1. WEIGHT GAIN: The first thing Rachael noticed with her adrenal fatigue was weight gain. “In order for his body to lose weight or just maintain a healthy weight, his hormones need to be optimal,” he said. “In times of stress, your body produces large amounts of cortisol, which causes your body to store fat.”

2. WATER RETENTION: Closely related to weight gain is water retention. “When he’s stressed, his body loses electrolytes,” Rachael said. ‘An imbalance of these causes water retention.’ When he is combined with high levels of inflammation, he said it is likely that he is “extremely bloated.”

3. HYPOTHYROIDISM: Rachael explained that stress hormones (especially cortisol) are produced by the adrenal glands, and your body needs adrenal hormones to survive. Because it can survive without its other hormones, it will prioritize cortisol. As a result, all other hormones will be affected, including the thyroid, sex hormones, insulin, and leptin. All this leads to weight gain.

4. GUT HEALTH: Finally, stress affects your gut microbiome, and poor gut health has a huge impact on your adrenal glands. Taking charge of your gut health will help tremendously with general stress.

Fountain: rachael attard

Rachael explained that her own adrenal fatigue was mainly due to lack of sleep, poor gut health, the constant feeling of being ‘on and not chilly’, travel, excessive exercise and feeling stressed.

“When most of us think of stress, we think of the mental stress of work,” Rachael said.

“But this is just one type of stress, and there are many things that are stressful on your body.”

Rachael said that at her worst with adrenal fatigue, “I would always be jet lag, develop major sleep anxiety, and be so tired that I would have to get out of bed every morning.”

“One morning in September 2017 I couldn’t get out of bed,” he said.

“For the next six months I slept 15 hours every night without waking up once and still couldn’t get out of bed. All I did was sleep.

Rachael (pictured) took charge of her health by swapping out her high-impact workouts for lower-impact forms of exercise like yoga and Pilates.

It was at this stage that the personal trainer knew that she had to do something about her worsening health.

“My face and body were so swollen and swollen from inflammation and water retention,” Rachael said.

‘I had dark circles and bags under my eyes. People said that she always saw me tired.

“I focused on prioritizing protein and fat and made sure to eat first thing in the morning,” said Rachael (pictured).

The steps Rachael took with her health were simple but soon made a big impact.

“I slept as much as I could to allow myself to heal,” he said.

She also traded in her high-impact workouts for lower-impact options like yoga and Pilates, replacing alcohol with the healthiest food options she could handle.

“I focused on prioritizing protein and fat and made sure to eat first thing in the morning,” Rachael said.

“I also took supplements and minerals to help correct my deficiencies.”

Finally, PT said she built time into her day to relax and “do things that make me happy.”

She “developed a good sleep routine” and stopped drinking alcohol.

“Now, I listen to my body and when I’m not feeling my best, I let it rest,” Rachael said.

‘There was no doctor to tell me what to do. The job fell to me.

When it comes to other people struggling with adrenal fatigue, the personal trainer advises them to seek help if they are having difficulties.

“It’s a difficult journey to go alone, so I advise people to seek help,” he said.

For more information on Rachael Attard, click here.