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I like working out do i need to be worried about cortisol?

AlanahCFit
AlanahCFit Posts: 53 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I like doing weights and following it up with a 50 minute session of steady state cardio. This is what i did in my teens and 20s when i was in great shape. Now im 40lbs overweight and in my 30s after 2 kids, should i be worried about raising my cortisol levels or just ignore it and workout how i used to?

Replies

  • Lizarking
    Lizarking Posts: 507 Member
    get decent sleep, don't spend a lot of time worrying- that will raise cortisol.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    The first rule of cortisol:

    Don't talk about cortisol.

    Seriously--do your workouts, you are in no danger of a cortisol attack.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    I wouldn't be worried about cortisol...but you might be in for a shock if you try to jump into trying to do the same things you did 10 years and 40lbs ago.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Lesismore2011 wrote: »
    I like doing weights and following it up with a 50 minute session of steady state cardio. This is what i did in my teens and 20s when i was in great shape. Now im 40lbs overweight and in my 30s after 2 kids, should i be worried about raising my cortisol levels or just ignore it and workout how i used to?

    Neither, start where you are now and gradually improve via small goals.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    sardelsa wrote: »
    I'm gonna be honest.. I feel like as soon as you have kids your cortisol levels are shot for life.. haha.. I don't sleep.. I am always stressed and being pulled in all different directions.. im always worried about them..my hormones are out of whack.. not to mention carrying them for 9 months and labouring them then recovering!! Ahhhh.

    Point is you have two kids..I think you can definitely handle your workouts, if anything it will probably help relieve any stress you may have ;)

    Lol.

    When I was pregnant with my daughter, I went in for my 38 week checkup and was sent straight to the hospital to be induced to to my blood pressure. I remember calling work and telling the secretary that the doctor said that the only cure for the high blood pressure was to deliver the baby. The secretary said "Oh honey, I can assure you that having kids is not the cure for high blood pressure."

    OP, do the workouts and don't worry. It sounds like a reasonable amount of exercise but just be sure that you are easing into things and not trying to jump in and go crazy all at once. Rybo has a good point about keeping in mind that you are older and heavier. It can stink at first to realize how out of shape you are but once you get going you will be surprised how soon you start to feel better and perform better and at some point out of the blue you will realize that you can't remember the last time you huffed and puffed while going up a set of stairs or maybe you'll get to the top of the stairs and realize that you just jogged up them without thinking about it. To me, those unexpected victories were one of my favorite parts of the getting in shape process.

    Best of luck to you!
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    I was recently doing my cardio in the evenings after dinner and I honestly do think it lowered my cortisol levels from the workday. I have no data to support this other than observation that the calorie deficit with the cardio in the morning showed slight weight gain during the work week and the calorie deficit with the cardio in the evening showed slight weight loss during the work week.
  • ClubSilencio
    ClubSilencio Posts: 2,983 Member
    You could try to also include yoga, tai chi, or meditation. Maybe it could counteract the cortisol spike from exercise.

    Rigorous exercise + Mom'ing... I reckon there has to be some form of relaxation technique added in to balance that out.

  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    Lesismore2011 wrote: »
    I like doing weights and following it up with a 50 minute session of steady state cardio. This is what i did in my teens and 20s when i was in great shape. Now im 40lbs overweight and in my 30s after 2 kids, should i be worried about raising my cortisol levels or just ignore it and workout how i used to?

    I just figured cortisol was what people trying to sell some BS would make up as the reason for huge belly fat. Not the excessive calories we've been inhaling - cortisol.

    If you a fit gal, go for it. If you've been out of commission for a while, you might need to ease into things a bit, but don't be afraid to let your body regain what it remembers as comfortable and awesome.
  • AlanahCFit
    AlanahCFit Posts: 53 Member
    Totally forgot to ease in, hit 180lbs on hack squats and feeling immediate soreness...like each step hurts lol. But im honestly glad to get it started again.

    I like the relaxation/yoga idea.

    Thanks everyone =)
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