Cortisol Impact On Health And Performance
As a hard-charging go-getter you like nothing better than setting big goals and smashing them. This rocks. It also makes you very prone to overdosing on the stress hormone cortisol
This is really bad for a two big reasons.
First, cortisol is catabolic
This means it destroys muscle, as opposed to something that is anabolic which builds muscle.
And even if you're not in training for the Mr Olympia World Championship of bodybuilding, there's no doubt that quality muscle absolutely matters for all sporting & life performance which is why you put in loads of great training and awesome nutrition to get stronger and faster.
Unfortunately, if you then let cortisol take the upper hand it will destroy all your hard-earned work faster than you can say 'bugger'.
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Second, cortisol is a killer
Quite literally.
Elevated cortisol levels are linked to everything you don't want from lowered immune function and depression to higher blood pressure, obesity, reduced bone density and more, all of which will speed your path to an early bath from life in general.
Cortisol - it's all about fight or flight
In terms of evolution, cortisol has done humankind an incredible service.
When something really scary and truly life-threatening happened to us back in caveman times - like a woolly mammoth trying to turn us into its dinner - our bodies' ability to react by producing cortisol and sending us into a hyper-alert and energised state was invaluable in helping us escape and live to fight, and reproduce, another day.
Hooray for cortisol.
Bolster immune function with one daily spoonful of nutrient-dense Ultimate Daily Greens - the perfect antidote to cortisol
But with woolly mammoths now long gone, and modern life generally being about as dangerous as a soft play area, our ability to produce cortisol is backfiring, with all manner of non life-threatening stresses from traffic jams and delayed trains to the wrong coffee at the coffee shop now triggering cortisol release.
Once triggered, instead of being burned off as we run away at light speed from a woolly mammoth attack, our cortisol simply shoots around our body wreaking havoc as we seethe silently at our desk/steering wheel/coffee shop table.
Ironically, the same thing that once turbo boosted our performance and saved us is now taking a wrecking ball to our performance while quietly killing us.
How to beat the cortisol curse
The good news is no nasty drugs or expensive treatments are needed to dodge the cortisol curse.
All we really need to do to ensure we keep our training gains while also optimising our lifelong health is to CTFO (Chill The F** Out). So use these strategies and skip merrily into the sunset leaving unnecessary cortisol behind:
Sleep well
Beat cortisol with high quality sleep
Anyone who says 'I only need five hours' sleep a night' is probably lying. Surveys show that almost all of us need 7-8 hours and when we get less than that we unravel like a cheap watch.
So while late nights, all-nighters (partying, work, running or otherwise), early mornings and the like are part and parcel of a life well lived, the key to keeping cortisol in check is catching up on this lost sleep with power naps, great sleep hygene, and good sleep hours the rest of the time.
Meditate
We are really lucky it's not the 1970s anymore when meditating meant hanging out with sandal-wearing nutjobs with poor personal hygene and came with a good chance of ending up in a cult because meditation absolutely rocks for performance, happiness and health, destroys cortisol, and can be easily accessed today via all manner of apps - no nutjobs or cults required.
Meditation - excellent. Ocean and a cracking view optional. It works just as well on that old chair in your spare room
This new accessibility has made a once exclusively beardie-weirdie practice into a very cool thing to be doing. So, cast aside your preconceptions, and remember - meditating is really easy.
All you have to do is take five minutes to yourself, sit quietly (in a chair is fine), close your eyes and focus on your breath while breathing normally. Your thoughts will then wander, when you notice this has happened, return your focus to your breath.
And that's it. You are now meditating, and your cortisol is going down while your brain is being rewired in all manner of highly beneficial ways. Congratulations.
For added meditation help, check out the app Headspace. There's a free 10-day trial you can repeat as many times as you like which works as a great intro.
Practicing meditation and minfdulness might not make you a surfing legend, but it WILL help you clear your mind and focus on the things that matter
Don't eat stressful food
The usual suspects will all increase cortisol so processed foods, high-sugar foods, and anything with artificial sweeteners in it is out, while alcohol and coffee also need reducing or removing.
Swap the above for loads of fruit and veg, buckets of water, and a side order of herbal tea.
To then blow cortisol into the weeds completely, add adaptogenic herbs.
Adapa-bloody-what?
Adaptogenic herbs are plants that contain potent amounts of adaptogens, which naturally help the body adapt to changing stresses so while they can help you adapt to your training more powerfully, they can also help you naturally reduce cortisol while also reducing blood pressure and inflammation.
Excellent adaptogens for both training power and cortisol reduction include reishi mushroom and cordyceps, both of which you'll find in our legendary Elite Meal Replacement Shakes.
33Fuel's Elite Meal Replacement Shakes, pure delicious powerhouses containing the 33 most potent athletic superfoods, including some of the finest adaptogens so you can smash cortisol. Boom!
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