Description
Does This Sound Like You?
The research is clear:
Stress (both physical and mental) causes cortisol levels to “jump”. And too much cortisol is a bad thing. So what can you do?
Well, for starters, physical stress happens while lifting weights, running or participating in practically any physical exercise. And these activities increase cortisol. So should you stop being physically active?
Of course, that would be ludicrous.
Next, mental stress occurs when you’re under stressful situations like tight deadlines at work, arguing with a family member, or being stuck in rush-hour traffic. Again, these stress-inducing events “spike” cortisol levels. So what should you do… quit your job and move to a remote island?
Again, that sounds ridiculous, right?
But unfortunately, the common advice for balancing cortisol is not so helpful. If you do your research, you’ll find advice like: “get more sleep” or “start practicing meditation” or “get more exercise” … which all sounds great, but…
When your cortisol levels are sky high it can be impossible to get a wink of shut-eye… meditating doesn’t work for everyone (let alone practically noone in today’s fast-paced world has time to meditate) … and high-cortisol levels can deplete your motivation so you avoid working out like the plague - even if you once loved lifting weights before!