Cortisol – The Good, The Bad

This is an outline from Coach Michelle’s weekly Facebook Live. View the full video here.

What is Cortisol?


Steroid hormone produced by adrenal glands

  • Helps body respond to stress & danger (needed for flight or fight) – Increases metabolism of glucose & fat
  • Catabolic effect on PRO
  • Controls blood pressure
  • Controls sleep/wake cycles
  • Reduces inflammation
Too Much? Too Little?

Too much
  • Weight gain particularly around abdomen & face – Acne
  • Thin, fragile skin that is slow to heal
  • For women – facial hair & irregular periods

Too little

  • Continual tiredness – Nausea & vomiting – Weight loss
  • Muscle weakness
  • Abdominal pain

How Cortisol Works

Stress elevates levels which contribute to…

Weight Gain

  • Catabolic hormone that breaks down PRO to provide body w/ glucose
  • It decreases insulin levels in order to keep body from storing extra glucose
  • Continued high blood glucose levels & insulin depression lead to cells starved of energy
  • Hunger is increased to try to regulate
  • Cravings for high-cal foods also increased
  • Extra glucose in bloodstream eventually stored as fat

Immune System Suppression

  • Continued inflammation reduction over time can negatively affect immune system
  • Can lead to more illness, food allergies, GI problems, fertility problems

Cortisol and Exercise

  • Exercise is a “stress” on the body
  • Stimulates release of cortisol
  • Longer exercise sessions (60+ min) increase levels
  • Glycogen stores are used up…kicks in stress response
  • High intensity interval sessions can increase levels if not enough rest is taken
  • Levels increase if exercising in fasted state

To fix…

  • Get enough rest between intervals
  • Do hard sessions later in day (cortisol highest in AM)
  • Eat enough, fuel up, eat enough CHO/PRO after exercise to replenish

What Leads to Chronically Elevated Levels

  • Age
  • Menopause
  • Improper Diet
  • CHO depletion
  • Too many simple CHO
  • Chronic low cal’s
  • Irregular eating patterns (fasting) o Not eating post-workout
  • Lots of endurance training w/o high intensity training (which stimulates testosterone)  Overtraining (not enough recovery)
  • Lack of sleep
  • Chronic stress

Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *