E61: Managing Allostatic Load & Enhancing Stress Resilience

Summary: In this episode, Coach Kyle sits down with Adam, the founder of ZAAG supplements, to talk all things allostatic load, burnout, and performance optimization. They unpack how chronic stress affects the body's ability to recover, how nutrient absorption is impaired under pressure, and the crucial difference between doing everything right and doing what your body actually needs.

Adam shares insights into the foggy state of burnout, describing it as “running a high-performance system in low battery mode.” He also walks through why digestion and nutrient uptake are disrupted when the body is overwhelmed, and how that challenges the notion that a "food first" approach is always sufficient.

They discuss HRV (Heart Rate Variability) patterns as a reliable indicator of how ready your body is to perform and why consistency in those metrics often matters more than a single high number. Kyle opens up about his own experience with burnout, tied to mercury poisoning, and how removing that burden helped him start to recover.

 

Chapters

00:00 – Intro to Allostasis & Stress Buckets 05:24 – Understanding Allostatic Load in Performance 10:12 – When the Body Stops Functioning Normally Under Stress 17:05 – Burnout: The System Fog, Nutrient Absorption & Misleading Metrics 18:42 – Recognizing Burnout: Sleep, Memory, Energy & HRV Fluctuations 20:15 – Kyle’s Story: Mercury Toxicity, Hormonal Crash & Recovery 22:41 – Kaizen Approach: Tiny Tweaks Over Time 23:23 – Hacks to Increase Bucket Size & Drain It Faster 25:28 – Kyle's Experience with ZAAG: Crash, Reset, Then Benefits 27:30 – Caffeine, Nicotine & the Temporary Bank Balance Boost 29:02 – Energy Timing: Caffeine + Carbs = Strategic Synergy 30:12 – Final Thoughts from Adam & How to Learn More

 

Key Takeaways:

• Burnout isn’t just mental: It physically affects nutrient absorption, hormone balance, and cognitive clarity.
• Food-first isn’t always enough: Especially if the body’s stress systems are suppressing digestion and absorption.
• HRV matters—but patterns matter more: Watch for variability in your variability, not just a single-day score.
• Stress management is multifactorial: Nutrients, habits, and mental reset tools all contribute.
• Supplements like ZAAG can help reduce allostatic load and improve recovery without relying solely on stimulants.
• Simple is powerful: Choose one habit to change, stabilize it, then stack the next one.

Resources Mentioned:

• Learn more about Adam’s supplement ZAAG
• Research on Allostasis & Allostatic Load
• HRV Tools: WHOOP, Oura, Garmin, etc.

Thanks for listening—see you next time on the Peak Performance Podcast!

Sponsors:

 

This episode is sponsored by The Longevity Center FL. Your one stop natural medicine shop. The LCFL is the perfect blend of Integrative, Osteopathic and Regenerative Health Care in West Palm Beach, FL. 

 

Website: https://www.thelcfl.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelcfl.com 

Credits:

 

Produced by Clearview Marketing Agency Filmed by Jackson Young @clearviewcreative

People:

• Website: https://peakperformancepodcast.online/
• On Instagram: @thepeakperformancepod
• On X: @PeakPerformPod
• Dr. K On Instagram @theosteodoc

 

Guest:

• Website: www.zaagsupplements.com
• On Instagram: @zaagsupplements