May 23, 2025
I’m going to review the cortisol and exercise
connection or confusion… and offer some solutions.
Feeling exhausted, frustrated and fat? Got stubborn
belly fat you want to lose?
You’re exercising but tired all the time? Sleep or don’t, and
you’re still never rested?
Sound familiar or been there?
This episode is PACKED with solutions on cortisol and
exercise in menopause. Don’t miss it.
What is Cortisol?
- Your body's primary stress
hormone, but it’s also your energy hormone.
- Regulates metabolism, immune
response, and stress.
- Mental and emotional response to
stress.
For women in midlife, perimenopause or postmenopause,
how cortisol behaves is everything.
Cortisol Follows Your Circadian
Rhythm
- Morning: Cortisol
spikes – helps you get up, feel alert, burn fat, and
stabilize blood sugar.
- Evening: Cortisol
drops – when melatonin (your sleep hormone) takes
over.
- Disruptions to Circadian
Rhythm – chronic stress, fatigue, overexercising,
late-night screen time keep cortisol elevated when it should be
dropping.
HPA Axis Dysfunction
(hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal)
- Your body's stress thermostat —
when it’s overworked, it breaks.
- Constant demand leads to adrenal
insufficiency.
- HPA Axis dial things down to
protect you and that’s when you hit a wall:
- You’re tired but wired.
- You can’t sleep or sleep all
day.
- Your blood sugar is out of whack
— hello cravings and midsection weight gain.
- Workouts leave you exhausted
instead of energized.
Work Out Doesn’t Work Anymore?
- Cortisol Chaos
- When your old workouts become
stressors instead of solutions.
- Workouts add fuel to the
fire.
- Solution:
Cortisol-Conscious Movement
- The right exercise, at the right
time, for the right reason.
The Cortisol–Thyroid–Adrenal
Triangle
- Cortisol:
Regulates blood sugar and inflammation.
- Thyroid:
Controls metabolism — but sensitive to cortisol imbalances.
- Adrenals:
Produces cortisol — but burns out if they’re overstimulated.
If cortisol stays high, the thyroid slows metabolism.
That’s when fat loss becomes frustrating, no matter how you eat or
train.
The Influence
of Cortisol and Exercise in Menopause
Cortisol During
Perimenopause and Postmenopause
- Hormonal Fluctuations
- Decline in estrogen and
progesterone affects cortisol regulation.
- Increased sensitivity to stress
and potential for cortisol imbalance.
- Symptoms of Elevated
Cortisol
- Weight gain, especially around
the abdomen.
- Sleep disturbances and
fatigue.
- Mood swings and
anxiety
Symptoms of Low Cortisol
- Fatigue - in spite of rest
- Low Blood Pressure,
weakness
- Loss of Appetite
Know When You Are On An Allostatic
Load
- When you reach a tipping point,
overloaded by chronic stress.
- Different kinds of stressors:
- Emotional
- Relationship
- Financial
- Work
- Home
- Hormonal Change
- Physical (diet & sleep)
- Exercise
The Good News: Cortisol Isn’t Your
Enemy
- Cortisol isn’t bad. It’s
misunderstood. When it works with you, it helps you burn
fat, stay focused, and bounce back fast.
- The key is restoring
rhythm — using smart, intentional exercise and lifestyle
upgrades that rebalance your body’s natural stress-response
system.
Exercise and
Cortisol
- Impact of Exercise on Cortisol
Levels
- High-intensity workouts can spike cortisol
levels. (it's natural!!)
- Chronic overtraining may lead to sustained high
cortisol and adrenal fatigue .
- Timing Matters
- Morning workouts align with natural cortisol
peaks.
- Evening high-intensity workouts may disrupt
sleep and cortisol rhythm .
Managing Cortisol
Levels
- Lifestyle Strategies
- Prioritize sleep and stress
management techniques.
- Incorporate relaxation practices
like yoga and meditation, box breathing.
- Nutrition Tips
- Maintain stable blood sugar with
balanced meals.
- Limit caffeine and alcohol
intake
- Avoid strict keto or carnivore
and include resistant starches
- Exercise
Recommendations
- Focus on low-to-moderate
intensity and short duration workouts.
- Include restorative activities
and avoid overtraining.
- Supplement
Recommendations
- B vitamins and magnesium are
depleted by stress.
- Maca (Find Femminescense here)
is an adaptogen.
- Ashwagandha can also be helpful
for some.
- Cortisol Manager (available
online) contains some of the above.
Solutions To
Your Questions on Cortisol and Exercise in
Menopause
Q: Can I recover from
adrenal issues on my own?
A: Yes, but only if you actually slow down and
stop pushing through it.
- Most women make the mistake of thinking rest is
weakness. It’s not. Recovery starts when you listen to your body’s
signals instead of ignoring them.
- Dial down high-intensity workouts (for now),
focus on sleep, manage blood sugar, and pull in the right kind of
movement — walking, yoga, strength training with
intention.
- Identifying how deep your HPA Axis dysfunction
goes.
Recovery is possible —
but not if you keep acting like nothing’s wrong.
Q: How long will it
take to recover?
A: That depends on how long you’ve been burned
out… and whether you actually change your
behavior.
- Mild adrenal fatigue: 4–6 weeks
of rest + smart training + nutrition can turn things
around.
- Moderate dysfunction: 3–6
months to really feel like yourself again.
- Severe HPA Axis dysfunction or adrenal
insufficiency: 6–12 months of consistent changes, possibly
with functional support.
Reminder: The sooner
you start, the faster you bounce back.
Q: Will I lose this
weight once I fix my cortisol issues?
A: Most likely — yes.
- If
cortisol is the reason for your stubborn midsection fat, fixing it
is a prerequisite to fat loss.
- Cortisol dysregulation = insulin resistance,
blood sugar swings, cravings, and metabolism slowdown.
- When cortisol normalizes, your thyroid,
adrenals, and metabolism start cooperating again.
But here's the kicker:
you can’t “outwork” cortisol. You have to work with it.
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