Blog
Meditation's effects on cortisol, pain, and more
By Dr. Payton Busker, PT, DPT
Ah, meditation. We all know we “should” do it, but I would venture to say that many of us don’t know how to easily incorporate it into our routines. At least that’s the boat I was in just 5 years ago!!
Picture me in physical therapy school: I was learning an incredible amount of information in a relatively short amount of time (3 years flies by when you’re cramming information in your brain!!). I bopped around to different fitness studios with my best friends/classmates, incorporating Yoga about once a week.
Although there was so much good happening, I felt lost.
This came to a head during my final 12-week clinical just before graduating. I found myself back in Austin, Texas (my college town). I almost immediately took myself to my favorite Yoga studio here that I called home in college. More than the physical practice of Yoga, this is when and where my consistent meditation practice truly...
How to Workout When You're Stressed
Today I want to give you some ideas of how to exercise when you’re stressed. We know that exercise can be stress-reducing, but it can also contribute to stress, spiraling the issue. I think a lot of people also avoid moving altogether when they’re stressed because they think they need to have an intense session or why bother.
However, I’m a firm believer that the better you are at dipping and diving through the obstacles of your life instead of staying rigid, the better your life will be. And, dare I say, the better your health will be. Inevitably, we’re going to go through stressful times. It’s about recognizing when you’re in one and adapting accordingly.
Today I’ll talk about:
- Why you’re more likely to get injured when you’re stressed
- Neuroendocrine responses to stress
- How to recognize when you’re stressed
- My suggestion for how to exercise when you’re experiencing a mentally...
Exercise and Cortisol
Exercise is a stress to the body. It is disrupting the equilibrium of your body, which your body interprets as stress. This means exercise will spike cortisol.
Chronically elevated cortisol will result in problems in your body, as I discussed earlier. However, studies show that regular exercise can improve your stress response, even though it acutely spikes cortisol acutely or right away.
So the answer is not to stop exercising all together. The answer is to figure out how to dose exercise so that your body responds favorably.
A common thing I've been told from my Evlo members is that they work out less frequently and intensely with my program, and yet they see more desirable changes in their bodies.
This change happens partly because of the exercise selection we are choosing - we are intentionally choosing exercises that load the muscles in the most effective ways with minimal joint stress. That results in better muscle adaptation with less painful joints. But it...
