Trying to get fit or gain energy? Cortisol can wreck your plans.
We all know what this time of year brings!
The sudden urge to move our bodies, especially after the dreadful winter months when most of us hibernate behind fireplaces and work cubicles.
It’s not uncommon.
Yet, the more concerning thing I see is how many people go about their “summer body” plan of attack.
Let’s recap what we are naturally taught to do:
Eat less food
Calorie counting, dropping carbs, going keto, fasting, whole 30, detoxes, water diet, you name it...it happens!
2. Move more
More workouts, more running, more intensity, more training.
3. More supplements
The companies love us this time of year! An annual surge of up to 30% for summer body supplements that promise six-pack abs or 15 pounds of weight loss.
Now, I am not saying these modalities won’t work. To be perfectly open and honest, I was guilty and even used to advertise a summer slimdown challenge at the gym I owned that got hundreds of sign-ups every spring.
Everyone is excited, and that is the best part and one thing we did right!
However, months down the road the weight loss stalls or comes back, clients fade off and are gone and more issues develop whether it’s hormones or injuries.
So what gives? Come on Mike, tell me then why this doesn’t work!
Let me introduce you to my nemesis and evil guardian of my success -- but ultimately my failure over the last five years.
Cortisol.
It is called the “stress hormone”, but I prefer to call it the “operational availability hormone” or “readiness hormone.”
Its role is to make sure the body doesn’t face danger.
What does cortisol do?
It increases mental awareness, motivation and focus by converting norepinephrine to epinephrine.
It increases heartbeat and the contraction strength of the heart and skeletal muscles via the same mechanism.
It mobilizes stored energy (carbohydrates, fats and proteins).
It increases blood sugar if it is too low (to keep it stable).
It inhibits the immune system.
The issues start to happen when it’s chronically elevated:
It increases the level of myostatin.
It increases muscle degradation.
It reduces the conversion of T4 to T3 (which can lower basal metabolic rate).
It reduces insulin sensitivity.
It reduces the re-synthesis of muscle glycogen.
It creates water retention via an increase in aldosterone and vasopressin.
It can lead to lowered testosterone and estrogen levels (via pregnenolone steal).
It can lead to beta-adrenergic desensitization.
It negatively affects the methylation cycle.
It increases glutamate production and glutamate receptor sensitivity.
Now, back to the initial problem.
More from Mike Over: Are you in crisis? Go to "WAR" to reinvent yourself
If you are working out a ton, and eating less, you are going to be chronically spiking cortisol.
This isn’t bad in the short term, because an increase in cortisol can really give your body more energy.
The issue is when you don’t have the energy to mobilize because you are also dieting.
This is when overproduction happens and you burn out the available cortisol. It can get ugly, leading to:
Decreased energy
Loss of motivation
Apathy
Anhedonia
Decreased sex drive/libido
Depression
Loss of confidence
Decreased performance
Decreased focus, concentration and/or memory
Worse yet, you then worsen the sensitivity of neurotransmitters like dopamine. Your mood, wellbeing and brain take a hit! I don’t know about you, but I love having happiness and energy for my little ones!
YIKES!
So, Coach Mike, what do I need to watch so cortisol doesn’t get too high?
Well, good question. There are a few things.
Volume
Intensiveness (not to be confused with intensity; how hard you are pushing each set)
Psychological stress (being intimidated by a task)
Neurological stress (complexity of an exercise, learning a new task, doing many different exercises)
High training density
Competitive training
So essentially, you can control cortisol by watching how hard, how long, and how complex your training session is.
But let's not forget the dieting component.
CARBS!
Cortisol loves carbs!
If you are dropping carbs, you are driving more production.
That is why when you eat that massive pasta dish or another carb-loaded meal you're sleepy, right?
Cortisol comes down.
So, those with high stress, high cortisol…I wouldn’t be forgoing carbs. This can make your problems much much worse.
Remember this:
The greater the caloric deficit, the more cortisol you produce (greater need for energy mobilization)
The lower your carbs are, the more cortisol you release (carbs are the best anti-cortisol supplement)
The longer you spend in a significant deficit, the more cortisol you will produce
So, if there is one main takeaway from this:
Make sure you are watching how hard you workout, how high your stress is, and how much you cut calories.
Lifestyle is massively important.
A lean and ripped body on the outside doesn't mean it’s healthy on the inside.
If you want to know more about how to work into your summer body the right way, I am hosting a free seven-day challenge. Sign up at revive-systems.com.
It’s 100% free and all on my group on Facebook!
Mike Over is a fitness expert based in Chambersburg, Pa. Follow him on Instagram, @mikeoverfitness.
This article originally appeared on Chambersburg Public Opinion: Mike Over: Cortisol can stop you from getting fit, gaining energy
