Cortisol, stress? How can it impact my fitness journey?

The stress hormone.

You may have heard of it, and it often refers to cortisol, which is produced in response to increased level of stress.



When reaching elevated levels due to excessive stress, cortisol can lead to various physiological effects that may impact weight :


-Increased appetite potentially resulting in overeating.
-cravings for high-calorie foods.
-Potentially contribute in to higher storage of fat.
-Muscle breakdown

This would obviously mess with anyone’s daily calorie and macro-nutrient goals.
Easy to imagine the effect of a surplus of calories while having an increased capacity to store fat.

So anyone could agree this isn't great, regardless if your goal is to gain lean mass,loose weight or to have a better body composition.

Knowing all this, what can one do about it?
Your stress can come from various reason and there may not be a magical answer, but here a few things to consider or do :


-The relationship between stress, cortisol and weight varies among individuals, so even if you feel stressed, you may not have reached elevated level yet…
So try to… not stress about it.

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While cortisol is often associated with negative effects on weight management, it still remains one factor among many in your fitness journey.


-Managing stress through exercise is a great tool, as well as meditation, sufficient sleep and hydration, to help mitigate the potential impact of cortisol.

if things are really out of control, please seek personalized guidance from healthcare providers, as this information is not a substitute for professional medical advice.



Wishing you all a great day.