Why Your High Impact Workouts Might Be Stressing You Out More & What You Can Do About It

It’s 5PM on a Thursday and this week has been rough. You’re squirming in your chair at work just waiting for the clock to strike 6 so you can get out and hit the gym hard to get out all your stress. Maybe you signed up for a boxing class to beat the hell out of a bag you’re pretending is someone or something that’s causing you anxiety. Maybe you’'ll run for miles until you can barely breathe trying to chase down some calm you can’t quite see. Maybe you’ll weight lift until your muscles are fatigued and have no choice but to relax. Sound familiar?

The popularization of high impact workouts— think Barry’s Bootcamp at the crack of dawn, Peleton back to back sessions, or SLT which manages to turn Pilates into a total sweat fest — has made it easy for us Type A stressed out individuals to join with others like us and work our stressed out stress out. I am 1000% one of these people and it’s a great outlet.

For the past 10 months I have been doing a weight lifting program that has helped my anxiety and really built muscle. However, a few weeks ago, getting COVID required me to stop these workouts. This really weird thing happened as I substituted my hardcore workouts for Pilates, dance, and stretching. I felt calmer. My body started to depuff. My mind was clearer.

Don’t worry, I am not advocating for you to quit SoulCycle or give up your boxing sessions. I’m not going to either. However, I do want to share what I’ve learned about how these high intensity workouts can compound anxiety by skyrocketing cortisol levels - especially for those with hormonal issues like PCOS. Then, I’ll offer a few tips and tricks to combat the effects.

Why Cortisol Levels Matter To Your Workout

When you workout at a moderate to high intensity your body goes into fight or flight mode. This activates your sympathetic nervous system which increases your heart rate, induces sweating, and increases blood pressure so you can perform your best. This part of the nervous system also pumps cortisol into the body which in small doses helps you adapt to stress and process carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. Back in the day the sympathetic nervous sytem was used to run from tigers that were trying to eat us and was critical to our survival. Today, while it is good in small doses it doesn’t serve us so well in larger doses now that we don’t have the regular threat of tigers eating us.

So here’s the problem: in high levels cortisol can lead to anxiety, depression, autoimmune disorders, heart disease and a lot of other concerning symptoms. Moderate and high intensity workouts pump additional cortisol into our already stressed body and compound the symptoms. Even if you have the typical “runners high” that is the equivalent of rejoicing from outrunning the tiger when your cortisol spikes—eventually your body will feel the steps it took to get you to safety and the stress will show up.

On the other hand, low intensity workouts like Pilates or Yoga activate our parasympathetic nervous system or “rest and digest” part of our nervous system. This relaxes your digestive muscles, slows the heart rate, and reduces anxiety.

Both sides of our nervous system are beneficial but when they are out of balance it can cause significant issues, especially if there are health complications.

Autoimmune & Other Health Issues Complicate High Intensity Workouts

In healthy people, high intensity workouts may not have any impact other than a toned body. They will likely not feel the extra cortisol because they can process it.

But, in people who have autoimmune or other health issues including mental health disorders and hormonal issues like PCOS, the impact can be tough to manage. For example, part of my disorder is that my sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems fire at inappropriate times or are unable to turn off. For example, sometimes when I go to bed my heart will begin racing, a misfiring of the sympathetic nervous system when the parasympathetic should be turned on. Conversely, if I’m getting ready to make a big presentation my blood pressure might drop and I get tired as my parasympathetic nervous system switches on inappropriately.

So what does this have to do with you? Well, if you have an autoimmune disorder or another health issue that makes it difficult for your body to detoxify (anything from IBS to Crohns) or are prone to anxiety then you likely can’t fully handle the elevated cortisol levels these intense workouts bring about. If you have PCOS with already high levels of cortisol, long intense workouts will only flood the system with more cortisol which can worsen symptoms (though short high intensity workouts are encouraged). Luckily, there are a few steps that can be taken to keep those high intensity workouts without the side effects.

How To Keep Your High Intensity Workouts and Maintain Normal Cortisol Levels

When I first learned about all of this, the thought of giving up my weight lifting routine or a boxing class when I’m super stressed made me want to cry. Working out was always something productive I could do with my stress and now it is evil? Is nothing sacred?

But, I did more research and found out there’s easy steps you can take to ensure you are maintaining normal cortisol levels while still keeping up with your workouts:

1. Don’t Forget The Cooldown

I am totally guilty of this but don’t forget to stretch! When you come off of a run or a really intense class not only is stretching essential for muscle recovery but for mind recovery too. It’s what signifies to your body and mind that the “chase” is over and you can switch over to the parasympathetic nervous system. If an instructor is rushing through stretching at the end of class make sure you either stay after, stretch in the lobby, or stretch when you get home. Foam rolling is another great way to regularly release tension from the body which will help the mind calm down as well as a short meditation or deep breathing after a workout.

2. Mix Up Your Workouts

Instead of three days a week on the Peleton, try to move it back by one or two and add in a Pilates or Yoga class— not only will you be cross training and challenging your body in new ways but you’ll be giving yourself a break from the extra cortisol. Listen to your body as well and if you’re feeling stressed or anxious go for a lower impact workout so you’re not sending your levels skyrocketing. Focusing on active recovery with these types of activities will still get you in shape while also protecting your anxiety levels.

3. Eat To Reduce Stress

Be sure you’re eating the right foods around your workouts to combat the effects of elevated cortisol levels. Here are a few foods that stabilize cortisol levels:

• Dark chocolate

• Bananas

• Yogurt

• Water (yes hydration helps!)

• Spinach

• Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Salmon, almonds, etc.)

• Adaptogens like Rhodiola, Ashwaganda, and Vitamin B

4. Train Regularly

Another great reason to stay in shape is that cortisol released into the body is much less when you’re conditioned to the workout. People who are consistent with their workouts will be more stable. Therefore, if you’re coming back from an injury or from some time off make sure to start slow and work your way up.

5. WORK WITH YOUR CYCLE

If you’re reading this and are a cycle-having individual then I highly recommend reading In the Flo by Alisa Vitti which explains how you can guide your workouts based on where you are in your cycle. Essentially, during your follicular phase and somewhat into ovulation, your body is in a state where high intensity exercise is highly beneficial. As you move into the luteal and menstrual phases shifting into more low intensity workouts is better for your body so take note of where in your cycle you are at to optimize when to do high intensity exercise.

6. Make Sure There’s Nothing Else Going On

If you’re still struggling after taking the above steps then it is definitely time to get checked out. You can have unusually elevated levels of cortisol, difficulty detoxing, or something else—I’m not a doctor obviously but you should definitely see one if you’re still feeling symptoms.

So to all my Type A’ers out there don’t you dare throw out your spin shoes or toss your boxing gloves. With a few smart tweaks, you can continue to do your high intensity workouts without the high intensity anxiety accompanying it. Happy boxing.