Kore Kast
Kore Kast is a Podcast dedicated to integrating health and wellness with an emphasis on Pilates and Functional Fitness. This weekly Podcast is hosted by Kris Harris, a Certified Pilates Instructor and Personal Trainer. Please subscribe and follow our journey...
Kore Kast
Recovering Strong: Cortisol, Exercise, and Healing From Burnout
Kris Harris kicks off season four of the Kore Kast with an episode tackling burnout recovery through the lens of cortisol regulation and strategic exercise. This episode explores why high-intensity workouts might worsen burnout while gentle movement can accelerate healing by rebalancing stress hormone patterns.
• Burnout is a state of chronic stress recognized by the WHO with physical, mental, and emotional symptoms affecting 77% of professionals
• Cortisol dysregulation is central to burnout – initially overproduced, then potentially becoming blunted as the HPA axis becomes exhausted
• High-intensity exercise creates significant cortisol spikes that can overwhelm an already compromised stress response system
• Gentle movement like walking, restorative yoga, and tai chi activates the parasympathetic nervous system and helps recalibrate cortisol rhythms
• Recovery exercise should be timed strategically – mid-morning is optimal for most, avoiding workouts within three hours of bedtime
• Supporting lifestyle factors include quality sleep, anti-inflammatory nutrition, mindfulness practices, social connection, and nature exposure
• Common recovery mistakes include the "more-is-better" approach to exercise and exercising with a punishment mindset
• Research shows moderate-intensity, time-restricted exercise programs are most effective for burnout recovery through cortisol management
Thank you for joining me on this episode of the Kore Kast. If you enjoyed today's episode, I'd love for you to share it with your friends and family and, if you're feeling generous, consider donating at the link provided in the description. For more resources, visit our website at www.kore-fit.com and follow us on Instagram at korefitness_az.
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Welcome back to the Kore Kast. I'm your host, Kris Harris, and I'm thrilled to kick off season four of our journey together through the vibrant world of health and wellness. Whether you're a fitness fanatic, a Pilates enthusiast or someone just beginning to explore your wellness journey, you're in the right place. In this season, we're going to dive deep into a wide array of topics that matter, everything from the latest in Pilates techniques and fitness trends to essential mental health insights and holistic wellness practices. With nearly two decades of experience as a certified personal trainer, pilates instructor and health coach, I'm here to share expert tips, inspiring stories and practical advice to help you live your healthiest, happiest life. It's time to unlock your true potential. Welcome to Season 4. Welcome to Kore Kast. I'm your host, Kris, and I'm thrilled you're joining me today for an episode that might just change your approach to healing and recovery. If you've been feeling constantly exhausted, unmotivated or just plain burned out, today's episode is especially for you. We're diving deep into recovering, strong cortisol exercise and healing from burnout. I'll be sharing why the stress hormone cortisol plays such a crucial role in your burnout experience and why your current exercise routine might actually be hindering rather than helping your recovery. Throughout today's episode, we'll explore what burnout really looks like physiologically, how different types of movement affect your stress response and the strategic approach to exercise that can actually accelerate your healing. We'll also look at common recovery mistakes and the complementary lifestyle factors that can make all the difference. Stay with me to discover how to rebuild your energy and resilience the right way.
Kris Harris:Burnout isn't just a buzzword or a temporary feeling of being tired. It's a state of chronic stress that has profound effects on your entire system. The World Health Organization now recognizes burnout as an occupational phenomenon characterized by three dimensions feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, increased mental distance from one's job and reduced professional efficacy. In our always-on culture, burnout has reached epidemic proportions. Recent studies suggest that up to 77% of professionals have experienced burnout at some point in their careers, with the numbers rising dramatically since the pandemic began. And contrary to popular belief, burnout isn't limited to high-powered executives or emergency responders. It can affect anyone in any profession, including stay-at-home parents and students.
Kris Harris:What makes burnout particularly insidious is how it infiltrates every aspect of your well-being. Mentally, you might experience persistent brain fog, difficulty concentrating or a sense of cynicism that you can't shake. Emotionally, burnout often manifests as detachment, difficulty concentrating or a sense of cynicism that you can't shake. Emotionally, burnout often manifests as detachment, irritability or even depression-like symptoms, and physically, that's where things get really interesting. From a recovery perspective, your body responds to burnout with a constellation of physical symptoms that signal something is seriously wrong. Chronic fatigue, that isn something is seriously wrong. Chronic fatigue that isn't relieved by sleep, unexplained headaches or digestive issues, muscle tension and even a weakened immune system, leaving you vulnerable to every passing cold. Many people also report disrupted sleep patterns, either inability to fall asleep or waking frequently, despite feeling exhausted.
Kris Harris:The key to understanding burnout recovery lies in recognizing that these aren't just random symptoms. They're connected through your body's stress response system, particularly through the hormone cortisol. When you're in a state of burnout, your normal cortisol rhythm becomes dysregulated, which affects everything from your energy levels to your ability to recover from exercise. This is why symptom-focused approaches often fall short. Taking a sleeping pill might help you rest temporarily, but it doesn't address the underlying hormonal imbalance. Similarly, pushing yourself through high-intensity workouts might give you a temporary endorphin boost, but could be further taxing an already stressed system. Understanding the physiological mechanisms behind burnout is crucial, because recovery isn't just about feeling better. It's about strategically rebuilding your body's regulatory systems. Without this knowledge, many well-intentioned recovery efforts can actually dig you deeper into burnout. By recognizing how your body's stress response has been altered, you can make informed choices that support true healing rather than just masking symptoms.
Kris Harris:Let's talk about cortisol, often called the stress hormone, which plays a starring role in the burnout story. Cortisol isn't inherently bad. In fact, it's essential for survival. When functioning properly, cortisol follows a natural rhythm, peaking in the morning to help you wake up and gradually declining throughout the day to allow for rest and recovery at night. This hormone is produced by your adrenal glands and its primary job is to help your body respond to stress by increasing glucose in your bloodstream, enhancing your brain's use of that glucose and curbing functions that would be non-essential in a fight-or-flight situation. In short, bursts, this response is brilliant. It gives you the energy and focus to handle acute challenges.
Kris Harris:The problem arises when stress becomes chronic, which is exactly what happens in burnout. Your body wasn't designed to sustain emergency-level cortisol production for months or years on end. When you remain in a state of persistent stress, your cortisol regulation system eventually begins to malfunction. This dysregulation typically follows a predictable pattern. Initially, with chronic stress, your body produces excess cortisol, leading to that wired but tired feeling many experience. In early burnout you might notice you're anxious, have trouble sleeping, yet somehow push through your days. This is cortisol working overtime.
Kris Harris:As burnout progresses, the system that regulates cortisol, called the HPA axis or hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis, becomes exhausted itself. At this stage, your adrenal glands can no longer keep up with the demand for cortisol production. The result your cortisol levels may actually become blunted or flattened throughout the day, losing that essential morning peak and nighttime drop. This flattened cortisol rhythm creates a cascade of downstream effects. Without adequate morning cortisol, you feel exhausted upon waking, regardless of how much you've slept. Your body struggles to regulate blood sugar, leading to energy crashes and cravings. Inflammation increases because cortisol normally helps control inflammatory responses. Your thyroid function may slow down further, reducing your energy and metabolism. Cognitive function takes a significant hit as well. The hippocampus, crucial for memory formation, has abundant cortisol receptors and can actually shrink under conditions of chronic stress and dysregulated cortisol. This explains the brain fog, forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating that are hallmarks of burnout.
Kris Harris:The connection between cortisol dysregulation and burnout syndrome is so strong that some researchers have proposed measuring cortisol patterns as a biomarker for burnout diagnosis. Your subjective experience of burnout has very real, measurable physiological underpinnings in these altered hormonal patterns. Understanding this connection is critical because it explains why recovery from burnout isn't simply about reducing stress or getting more sleep, although those are important components. True recovery requires resetting your cortisol rhythm and rehabilitating your stress response system, which is where strategic exercise becomes such a powerful tool. Now let's explore the complex relationship between exercise and cortisol levels, which is critical to understand when recovering from burnout.
Kris Harris:Not all exercise affects your hormonal system in the same way, and what might be beneficial for someone in peak health could actually set back recovery for someone with burnout. Exercise is a physical stressor and, like any stressor, it triggers a cortisol response. However, the magnitude and duration of this response vary dramatically depending on the type, intensity and duration of the activity. This is where the distinction becomes crucial for burnout recovery. High-intensity exercise think sprint intervals, heavy weightlifting or bootcamp-style workouts creates a significant acute cortisol spike. In a healthy individual with normal cortisol regulation, this spike is followed by a healthy recovery period during which cortisol returns to baseline and may even drop lower than pre-exercise levels, creating an overall beneficial effect. This is why high-intensity exercise can be stress-relieving for many people, but for someone with burnout and already dysregulated cortisol, these intense workouts can worsen the problem when your stress response system is already compromised, adding the substantial stress of high-intensity exercise can overwhelm your body's ability to recover. Instead of experiencing the post-exercise cortisol normalization, your levels may remain elevated for extended periods or your system might not mount an adequate response at all. Either way, the net effect is further strain on an already taxed system.
Kris Harris:Gentler forms of movement create a markedly different hormonal response. Activities like walking, gentle yoga, tai chi and light swimming tend to produce much smaller cortisol elevations or may even help lower cortisol levels directly. These activities stimulate parasympathetic nervous system activity, your rest and digest system, which counteracts the sympathetic fight-or-flight dominance common in burnout. Research has shown that these lower-intensity exercises can help recalibrate cortisol rhythms rather than disrupting them further. They provide enough physical stimulus to maintain fitness and deliver mood-enhancing benefits through endorphin release, without overtaxing the stress response system. The timing of exercise also significantly impacts its effect on cortisol patterns. Morning exercise that isn't too intense can help reinforce your natural cortisol rhythm by supporting that healthy morning peak rhythm by supporting that healthy morning peak. Conversely, high-intensity exercise in the evening can interfere with the natural cortisol decline that should happen before sleep, potentially worsening insomnia that often accompanies burnout.
Kris Harris:Duration matters too. Extended exercise sessions, even at moderate intensities can eventually trigger significant cortisol release. For someone with burnout, shorter sessions of 20-30 minutes are typically better tolerated than longer workouts of an hour or more. Perhaps most importantly, recovery capacity is drastically reduced in burnout states. While a healthy person might fully recover from an intense workout within 24-48 hours, someone with burnout might need significantly longer. This delayed recovery can create a dangerous cycle if you're exercising too frequently or intensely, where each workout pushes you further into cortisol dysregulation rather than helping you climb out of it.
Kris Harris:The key takeaway here is that during burnout recovery exercise should be viewed as a gentle medicine dosed appropriately to heal rather than challenge your system. The goal isn't to avoid all exercise, but rather to find the sweet spot where movement provides benefits without triggering additional stress responses your body cannot currently handle. So how do we build an effective exercise routine when recovering from burnout? The key is thinking of movement as medicine, one that needs precise dosing, timing and application to heal rather than harm. First, begin with an honest assessment of your current state. Are you experiencing profound fatigue, mood disturbances or physical symptoms like dizziness or irregular heartbeat? These suggest you may need to start with the gentlest approach possible. If you're further along in recovery, you might tolerate slightly more challenging routines.
Kris Harris:For those in the acute phase of burnout, I recommend starting with what I call non-exercise movement simple activities that get your body moving without feeling like a workout. This might be a 10-minute stroll outside, gentle stretching or basic mobility exercises. The goal here isn't fitness gains, but rather re-establishing a positive relationship with movement and giving your nervous system positive input without stress, as you progress. Gradually introduce more structured but still gentle exercise. Walking remains the gold standard for burnout recovery. Aim for 20-30 minutes at a conversational pace where you can easily talk while walking, 3-4 times per week. Nature walks are particularly beneficial, as natural environments have been shown to lower cortisol levels independent of the exercise effect. Gentle yoga, particularly restorative or yin styles, can be incredibly healing during burnout recovery. These practices emphasize the parasympathetic nervous system activation that directly counteracts the stress state. Tai chi and qigong offer similar benefits, combining gentle movement with breathwork and meditative focus.
Kris Harris:Timing your exercise strategically is crucial. Mid-morning tends to be optimal for most people recovering from burnout after your natural cortisol peak, but not too late in the day. Avoid exercising within three hours of bedtime, as even gentle activity can temporarily raise alertness and potentially interfere with sleep quality. Listen carefully to your body's response after each session. Feeling refreshed, more mentally clear or experiencing improved mood suggests you're on the right track. Feeling drained, wired or experiencing worsened sleep the night following exercise are warning signs that you may need to reduce intensity or duration.
Kris Harris:As recovery progresses, you can carefully introduce slightly more challenging elements. This might mean adding brief gentle intervals during walks, perhaps 30 seconds of slightly brisker walking alternated with several minutes at your usual pace. Or it could mean graduating from restorative yoga to a gentle flow class. Strength training can be incorporated, but with significant modifications. Focus on body weight exercises or very light weights. Prioritize proper form and keep sessions under 30 minutes. Allow at least 48 hours between strength sessions for the same muscle groups.
Kris Harris:Variety is important both physiologically and psychologically. Rotating between different forms of gentle movement prevents both physical adaptation, which would require increasing intensity to continue seeing benefits, and mental boredom. Equally important is what you're not doing During burnout recovery. Temporarily remove high-intensity interval training, heavy weightlifting, marathon training or any exercise that leaves you feeling depleted. These can return to your routine eventually, but only after your stress response system has normalized. Remember that consistency trumps intensity during recovery. That consistency trumps intensity during recovery. Five 20-minute gentle sessions spread throughout the week will support healing far better than one exhausting workout followed by days of complete inactivity because you're too depleted to move. While exercise provides a crucial foundation for healing from burnout, it's most effective when supported by other lifestyle factors that work together to regulate cortisol and restore balance to your body. Think of these elements as creating a healing ecosystem where recovery can flourish.
Kris Harris:Sleep quality and quantity deserve top priority in your recovery plan. During deep sleep stages, your body actively repairs the damage from chronic stress and rebalances hormone levels. Aim for seven to 9 hours of sleep, with consistent bedtimes and waketimes, even on weekends. Create a wind-down ritual that signals to your body that it's time to transition to rest. Dim lights, avoid screens for at least an hour before bed and perhaps incorporate gentle stretching or meditation.
Kris Harris:Your nutritional choices profoundly impact cortisol regulation when recovering from burnout. Focus on anti-inflammatory foods that support hormone balance. Include plenty of leafy greens, colorful vegetables, quality proteins and healthy fats, like those found in avocados, olive oil and fatty fish. Fats like those found in avocados, olive oil and fatty fish. Complex carbohydrates like sweet potatoes, quinoa and oats help maintain stable blood sugar, preventing the cortisol spikes that come with glucose crashes. Equally important is your eating pattern. Skipping meals triggers stress responses, so aim for regular, balanced meals. Some people benefit from smaller, more frequent meals during burnout recovery, as this helps maintain stable blood sugar and energy levels throughout the day.
Kris Harris:Hydration deserves special mention. Even mild dehydration increases cortisol output. Carry water with you and sip consistently throughout the day, rather than gulping large amounts occasionally. Mindfulness practices create a powerful synergy with gentle exercise and burnout recovery. Even five minutes of conscious breathing or meditation can activate your parasympathetic nervous system, the rest and digest mode that counterbalances the stress response. Apps like Calm or Headspace offer guided sessions specifically designed for stress reduction.
Kris Harris:Connection is another vital element of healing. Chronic stress often leads to isolation, yet quality social interaction has been shown to lower cortisol levels and improve recovery outcomes. Prioritize time with supportive friends and family who energize rather than drain you. Nature exposure deserves special mention as a cortisol-lowering strategy. Researchers have documented significant reductions in stress hormones after just 20 minutes in natural settings. Combine this with gentle exercise by walking in parks, gardens or woodlands when possible. Time boundaries represent another crucial aspect of burnout recovery. Learn to say no to additional commitments, especially during your healing phase. Schedule buffer time between activities rather than packing your calendar, and include deliberate rest periods in your day. Even 10 minutes of doing nothing can help reset your stress. Response Consider how these elements work together. Response Consider how these elements work together. A morning nature walk followed by a nourishing breakfast and five minutes of meditation creates a powerful cortisol-regulating routine that far exceeds what any single intervention could accomplish alone.
Kris Harris:When it comes to recovering from burnout, I've seen many people make the same well-intentioned mistakes that ultimately delay their healing. Perhaps the most common error is the more-is-better approach to exercise. There's a pervasive belief that if some exercise is good, more must be better, leading many to jump into intense training regimens when their bodies are already depleted. This often manifests as diving into high-intensity interval training or long-duration cardio sessions in an attempt to sweat out the burnout. But remember, your body interprets intense exercise as a stressor. When you're already in a state of hormonal imbalance from chronic stress, adding more physical stress can further dysregulate your cortisol patterns and deepen the burnout. Watch for warning signs that your exercise approach is backfiring. If you feel unusually fatigued hours after your workout or the next day, if your sleep quality deteriorates or if you experience increased irritability, these are signals that your current regimen may be too demanding. Another red flag is when exercise which should ultimately energize you, consistently leaves you feeling drained.
Kris Harris:Many also make the mistake of exercising at the wrong time of day for their cortisol rhythm. High-intensity workouts in the evening can disrupt your natural cortisol decline and interfere with sleep. Similarly, demanding exercise first thing in the morning, when cortisol is naturally highest, might amplify an already dysregulated stress response. The consistency trap is another pitfall, adopting an all-or-nothing mentality where you either stick perfectly to a routine or abandon it entirely. This rigid thinking creates additional pressure when flexibility is what you need most during recovery. Perhaps most subtly damaging is exercising with the wrong mindset. Using movement as punishment for perceived failings or as a way to earn food reinforces stress patterns rather than healing them.
Kris Harris:Exercise during burnout recovery should feel nourishing, not punishing. If you recognize these patterns, adjust your approach. Exercise during burnout recovery should feel nourishing, not punishing. If you recognize these patterns, adjust your approach. Scale back intensity in favor of consistency. Prioritize how you feel during and after exercise over metrics like calories burned or distance covered. Be willing to modify your plans day by day based on your energy levels. And remember that rest days are not simply permitted. They're essential components of your healing process.
Kris Harris:Let's look at the research behind successful burnout recovery through exercise and cortisol management. A landmark study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that individuals with chronic stress and elevated cortisol levels showed significant improvement after implementing moderate-intensity exercise programs over an eight-week period. Unlike high-intensity protocols, these moderate sessions actually lowered overall cortisol production while improving mood and energy. Dr Emily Richardson's research at Stanford demonstrated that time-restricted exercise, keeping workouts under 30-45 minutes, proved most beneficial for burnout recovery patients. Her team found that longer sessions often triggered additional cortisol spikes, while shorter, more frequent movement, optimized recovery.
Kris Harris:Consider Maya's story. As a high-powered attorney, she experienced severe burnout after three years of 70-hour work weeks. Her symptoms included insomnia, constant fatigue and weight gain, despite hardly eating. After cortisol testing revealed severe dysregulation, maya abandoned her punishing 5 am HIIT routines in favor of afternoon walks, gentle yoga and strength training just twice weekly. Within three months, her energy returned, sleep improved and her cortisol patterns normalized.
Kris Harris:Perhaps most importantly, recovery from burnout isn't just possible. It's probable when approached correctly. The stories we shared today aren't outliers. They represent thousands who have successfully navigated this journey. Your body has an extraordinary capacity to rebalance when given the right conditions. The path forward isn't about pushing through or gritting your teeth. It's about intelligent recovery, working with your biology rather than against it. With patience, consistency and the right approach to movement, you can rebuild your resilience and emerge stronger than before.
Kris Harris:Thank you for joining me on this episode of the Kore Kast. I hope you're feeling inspired and empowered to take your health and wellness journey to the next level. Remember, every small step counts and I'm here to support you every step of the way. If you enjoyed today's episode, I'd love for you to share it with your friends and family and, if you're feeling generous, consider donating at the link provided in the description. Your support helps us to keep bringing you the Kore Kast every week, packed with valuable insights and expert advice For more resources, tips and updates. Don't forget to visit our website at www. k ore-fit. com and follow us on Instagram at korefitnessaz. Join our community and let's continue this journey together. Until next time, stay healthy, stay happy and keep striving for your best self. This is Kris Harris signing off from the Corecast and I'll see you next week.
