Why recovery days matter: Balancing cortisol levels

Recovery days are extremely important to stay fit and for overall health!

We often speak about the importance of strength training, cardio and just moving your body to stay robust and fit and healthy for life! However, an equally important part of exercise is the time you spend NOT exercising or RECOVERING from your exercise and activities. Recovering from strenuous activity is often misunderstood as some folks don’t understand the WHY behind recovery which mainly includes balancing cortisol levels. Let’s chat about it.

Exercise and rest are both important in managing your cortisol levels.

Cortisol, often dubbed the “stress hormone” plays a vital role in our body’s stress response. It helps regulate glucose, modulate inflammation and prepare us to face perceived threats. Ideally, once the threat subsides, cortisol levels return to normal. We know exercise is amazing, but it is also technically a stressor and is a powerful tool for managing cortisol levels. Exercise triggers a temporary cortisol spike, which can be beneficial for recovery and adaptation. With regular exercise- you have improved blood sugar regulation, resilience, confidence, and cortisol regulation. Now during exercise- we have cortisol build up that TO A POINT helps with muscle building. However, if there are not adequate rests throughout your exercise, the cortisol levels may actually reach a point at which they start breaking down muscle growth- the literal opposite of what you want.

Whole recovery days and adequate sleep are very important!

Now that we know a little more about cortisol, it is easy to understand why we need to take breaks inbetween sets of exercise. We want to give that cortisol a chance to reabsorb into your bloodstream and to not reach a point where it is too high and causes muscle harm. Whole recovery days are also important as they balance out our hormones and prevent chronic cortisol elevation. Don’t forget that adequate sleep is important as sleep deprivation increases cortisol levels and impacts tissue repair.

Listen to your body, adjust intensity and prioritize rest.

Your cortisol levels will thank you!