The Juiced Hypochondriac

I know that I can’t be the only one who is a closet hypochondriac. I know that I can’t be the only one who has swam through page after page of diagnoses on WebMD. I know that I can’t be the only one who has diagnosed themselves with some life altering or life ending disease based on a few similar symptoms even though a medical diagnosis has proved that you do not have said disease or disorder. Okay; so, maybe I don’t take it that far (all of the time), but you get the picture. You can spend an hour on WebMD and end up thinking that you have a rare form of cancer because you initially searched for reasons your hands are itching.

I understand that not everyone has the urge to think the worst of any medical problems that they may be having, but almost everyone has wondered what that rash is or what could help them get more Vitamin D into their diet. My curiosity occurred after I had been craving oranges. Not a glass of orange juice but the fruit itself. A craving that worsened after I got done at the gym. So of course, the little hypochondriac demon on my shoulder kept screaming that there could be some medical explanation as to why my body was craving that citrus goodness after lifting all of those heavy weights. So I just had to find out. So…why am I craving an orange after deadlifting?

A quick Google search later led to 30 minutes of scrolling and clicking. From Vitamin C deficiencies  to the reason behind post-exercise cravings, I guess I got my explanation. Did it make me feel better? A little. Did it give me a reason why my body craved oranges after the euphoric release of adrenaline, dopamine and serotonin caused by rigorous workouts? Yep. Your body over time has an increased level of cortisol cause by the intense workouts and in the long run can do damage to your body. So to combat that, our body utilizes Vitamin C supplementation to minimize the damaging effects of excess cortisol. I guess you can say that our bodies are speaking to you…so we need to learn to listen.

——————-

“The Hypochondriac” photo accredited to http://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/obf_images/4b/2c/d135edfd93521a4825f6b50193ac.jpg, Gallery: http://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/image/V0011981.html, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36465481

“Orange Frucht Fruit Cyprus” photo accredited to and by JanRehschuh – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14696583

“Deadlift Grip” photo accredited to and by U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Clayton Lenhardt – http://www.incirlik.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/2012/11/121114-F-BS505-541.JPG, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26447681