Cortisol Is Not the Enemy: Let’s Stop Blaming Your Workouts
What Even Is Cortisol? Cortisol is a hormone produced by your adrenal glands. It's commonly called the “stress hormone,” but that description makes it sound inherently negative - when it's typically NOT.
Maddy DiCioccio
8/26/20263 min read
Cortisol Is Not the Enemy: Let’s Stop Blaming Your Workouts
If you've spent any time on fitness social media lately, you've probably heard some version of this:
“Your cortisol is too high.”
Can't lose weight? Cortisol. Feeling bloated? Cortisol. Doing HIIT? You're spiking your cortisol. Working out early in the morning? Apparently that's bad now too. Cortisol has become one of the latest villains in the wellness world, but like most things in health and fitness, the truth is a lot more nuanced.
What Even Is Cortisol? Cortisol is a hormone produced by your adrenal glands. It's commonly called the “stress hormone,” but that description makes it sound inherently negative.
It's not.
Your body actually needs cortisol. It plays a role in your stress response, blood sugar regulation, metabolism, inflammation, blood pressure, and your natural sleep-wake cycle. Cortisol naturally rises and falls throughout the day. It also increases temporarily when your body experiences stress. And guess what? Exercise is a form of stress. HOWEVER, that's not automatically a bad thing.
Yes, Exercise Can Increase Cortisol
Hear me out; hard training can temporarily increase cortisol but that doesn't mean the workout is damaging your hormones or preventing you from losing fat. Exercise creates stress on the body, and then when given adequate recovery, your body adapts. That's literally part of how training works.
You lift weights → your muscles experience stress → you recover → you adapt. The goal isn't to eliminate stress. The goal is to create stress your body can recover from.
The Bigger Picture Matters
This is where the conversation around cortisol actually becomes useful. One hard workout probably isn't the problem, but imagine you're:
Sleeping five hours a night.
Eating significantly less than your body needs.
Training intensely seven days a week.
Working a stressful job.
Drinking multiple energy drinks to stay awake.
Barely taking recovery days.
And constantly feeling like you need to do more.
Now we have a different conversation....Your training doesn't exist in a vacuum. Your body experiences the total load you're putting on it.
Stop Trying to “Hack” Your Hormones
You don't necessarily need a special cortisol supplement, need a “cortisol" detox, or to stop lifting heavy. You also don't automatically need to replace every intense workout with something like yoga or strict walking because someone online told you your hormones can't handle it.
For most people, the boring basics are still incredibly powerful:
Get enough sleep.
Eat enough food to support your activity.
Prioritize protein and nutrient-dense foods.
Take recovery days.
Manage your overall training volume.
Walk.
Hydrate.
Find ways to manage life stress.
And stop assuming that every uncomfortable symptom is caused by one hormone.
Your Workout Should Challenge You
There's been a strange shift in fitness content where we're sometimes made to believe that challenging our bodies is inherently unhealthy. Once again, it's not. Our body is designed to adapt to challenges. Resistance training should challenge your muscles. Cardiovascular training should challenge your heart and lungs. Progressive overload requires increasing demands over time. The important distinction is between productive stress and excessive stress without adequate recovery. You want enough stimulus to create adaptation without continuously digging yourself into a recovery hole.
Pay Attention to Recovery, Not Fear
Instead of worrying about whether every workout is “spiking your cortisol,” ask better questions.
Am I sleeping well? Is my performance improving? Do I have energy throughout the day? Am I fueling my training appropriately? Am I constantly sore? Am I taking rest days? Do I feel recovered enough to perform again?
Those answers tell you a lot more about whether your current routine is working for you.
In Summary:
Cortisol isn't something you need to fear, and your goal shouldn't be to eliminate stress from your body entirely. Stress + recovery = adaptation.
That's one of the foundations of training. The problem isn't that your workout challenges your body. The problem is when you're constantly demanding more from your body while giving it less and less opportunity to recover. So instead of blaming cortisol for everything, zoom out. Train hard when it's appropriate. Recover intentionally. Fuel your body. Sleep. Manage your overall stress. And stop letting fitness buzzwords make you afraid of exercise.
Remember our hormones are a lot more complicated than a ~3 min blog post read, a Tiktok, or a reel, makes them sound. Do your research and find a medical professional with the capacity to understand TRUE hormones and get some testing done!