Many things threaten to spike your cortisol during the day, but your workout doesn’t have to be one of them. Low cortisol workouts are low-impact, low-intensity exercises that allow you to get active while keeping the stress hormone at bay.
“Although exercise is healthy for us, it is a stressor on all our systems, and higher-intensity, energy-consuming exercise is a greater stressor than lower-intensity exercise,” says Rachelle Reed, PhD, an exercise scientist based in Athens, GA. If you’re going through a period of high stress, you may want to use exercise as an opportunity to give yourself a break. Instead of doing a HIIT workout, you can opt for something like Pilates. You’ll still get stronger, you just do it in a way that’s gentler on your body, or work smarter and not harder, as Shenika King, CPT, a trainer at Chelsea Piers Fitness, puts it.
According to Reed, there are many benefits to low-cortisol training, such as better mood and better sleep quality. Plus, limiting the stress on your body caused by exercise can mean an easier recovery, King adds. You just don’t want that only do so-called low-cortisol activities, they say.
“One of my concerns as an exercise scientist as trends like this develop is that people who think they have high cortisol levels may not have it and therefore limit the amount of exercise they do,” says Reed. More intense exercises that get your heart rate up are still important, as are workouts that put a little more strain on your muscles to ensure you get all the benefits you need.
Here’s what you need to know about how (and when) to incorporate low cortisol workouts into your routine.
Meet the experts: Rachelle Reed, PhD, is an exercise scientist based in Athens, Georgia. Karen Tang, MD, is a physician and owner of Thrive Gynecology in Bryn Mawr, PA. Shenika King, CPT, is a personal trainer and instructor at Chelsea Piers Fitness in New York, NY.
What is cortisol and how does it affect your body?
Cortisol is a naturally occurring hormone that plays a role in metabolism, immune function, sleep and regulating blood sugar levels and pressure. But it is best known as the ‘stress hormone’. It is produced in the adrenal glands by your kidneys and released by the pituitary gland in your brain, meaning there is a little bit of a mind-body connection with it.
For most people, spikes in cortisol are natural — whether they’re caused by exercise, a stressful day at work, or being chased by a bear — but they come back down, says Karen Tang, MD, a physician and owner of Thrive Gynecology. They are normal and do not pose a threat to your health. “We always have some cortisol in our bodies,” she says. “It fluctuates constantly, and that is the intention.”
But if your cortisol is consistently or chronically high, you may have a condition like Cushing’s syndrome, which is characterized by elevated cortisol levels that can be caused by problems with the adrenal glands or steroid medications. Signs of Cushing’s syndrome include changes in physical appearance, such as a swollen face, fat deposits on the back or extreme stretch marks, and other symptoms such as high blood pressure, muscle loss or irregular periods. In this case, it is better to go to a doctor for testing, rather than adjusting your exercise regimen.
Chronically high cortisol levels can also lead to anxiety, depression, headaches, muscle tension and pain, weight gain and difficulty falling asleep, Reed adds, but this wouldn’t be solely caused by the workouts you choose.
You can check your cortisol levels in labs (through a direct-to-consumer company or with your doctor) if you’re looking for more information, but it may not give you as much insight as you might think. Hormone levels, especially cortisol, fluctuate frequently, says Dr. Tang. Chances are you’ll get a normal result, but it won’t give you the full picture.
The cortisol-workout connection
One thing about exercise: it increases cortisol at this time. This is simply because it is a stressor for your body. But by the time you reach the end of your cool-down, cortisol should naturally regulate itself to a normal resting rate. In general, regular physical activity as a whole helps manage stress and the way you respond to it, says Dr. Tang. Additionally, not all exercises are created equal. High-impact, high-intensity exercises, such as HIIT workouts or heavy strength training, will induce more of this hormone, while lower-intensity exercises, such as yoga, are more cortisol-friendly.
If you’re someone who is chronically stressed or feels like you’re experiencing high cortisol levels on any given day, opting for a less intense workout can give your body a chance to relax, says Dr. Tang. In short, you can choose a type of exercise that does not increase the stress on your body.
However, you do not always want to avoid more intensive training. “An acute stressor is great for us in many ways,” says Reed. “This is how we learn to adapt to exercise, which is a stressor.” It’s important to get your heart rate up through more vigorous exercise so you can get all the benefits of exercise — from heart health to building muscle, says Reed. So maybe do a HIIT workout today and go for a walk tomorrow.
How to do a low cortisol workout
There’s no one way to do a low-cortisol workout (nor one set definition), but if you’re wondering whether an activity is truly cortisol-friendly, there are two variables to consider: impact and intensity. Walking, swimming, yoga, pilates and barre are all examples of low-impact forms of exercise. These are all workouts that are generally gentle on your joints and muscles.
Next, you want to consider the intensity of an exercise. One way to determine how intense your workout may be is to think of it on the scale of perceived exertion. On a scale of one to ten, how hard do you work? If your answer is five or lower, your activity is low-intensity, says Reed. You can also use a wearable device that measures heart rate and stick to exercises that keep you below zone three.
King says the key is to move deliberately. You can even make some of the same activities low or high cortisol, she says. For example, strength training can be made more cortisol-friendly by opting for resistance bands and lighter weights. (By the way, there are also plenty of ways to get low cortisol activity outside of a workout, says Reed. Enjoy a walking meeting or take your dog on a long walk. You’ll see the benefits, too, she says.)
How to integrate low-cortisol workouts into your routine
A good fitness plan includes both high- and low-intensity workouts, Reed reiterates. You can strategically choose and alternate between the two, giving your body time to recover from stress-inducing exercise by doing low-impact activities.
Plan accordingly, focusing on one to two days per week. But if you’re having a particularly stressful week, it’s okay to stick with something with a lower impact.
You can also alternate between low and high cortisol approaches during the day a workout, says King. If you’re going to walk on the treadmill, add higher and lower intensity intervals. Go up the slope for a few minutes and then bring it back down. If you are taking a walk in the park, pace yourself first and then slow down. This ensures that even if you train with little cortisol, you still challenge and strengthen your body. “You increase your heart rate to a certain extent if it’s healthy, it’s good for your body, and you can get those endorphins, but then you bring it back down to a steady state where it’s still low impact and [not as] stressful,” she says. If you’re a barre person like me, that’s why there’s a five-minute cardio burst in every class.
Can Low Cortisol Workouts Help ‘Cortisol Face’ and ‘Cortisol Belly’?
If you were introduced to low cortisol workouts on TikTok, you were probably also introduced to the terms “cortisol face” and “cortisol belly.” Cortisol face describes a rounder face thought to be caused by too much cortisol and cortisol belly is stubborn belly fat also caused by too much cortisol.
While you may see changes in your face and body during low-cortisol workouts, it’s likely not because you’re controlling the hormone, says Dr. Tang. Exercise can lead to weight loss, which can have an effect on weight in the face and abdomen, but not primarily because it affects cortisol levels.
It’s also true that zone two and low-intensity workouts primarily burn fat for fuel, but that’s not the same as losing fat tissue, says Reed. “They may be connected, but it’s not like if you just do zone two training you’re suddenly going to lose a lot of fat tissue,” says Reed. “That’s just not the full story.”
Other ways to manage cortisol and stress
In addition to your workouts, there are plenty of ways to manage stress (and therefore cortisol), including things like mindfulness, meditation, and breathing exercises, says Dr. Tang. Sleep also plays an important role in regulating cortisol. “It’s all about overall health,” she says. So you want to do your best to deal with stressors in a healthy way and focus on maintaining a balanced and healthy lifestyle.
Olivia Luppino is an editorial assistant at Women’s Health, where she covers health and fitness. She previously wrote for The Cut, POPSUGAR, and Salon and has written about everything from New York Fashion Week to dating app trends to the U.S. women’s soccer team (aka her heroes). When she’s not writing, Olivia is probably catching up on Bravo shows or being late for barre class.