Every time I would try doing what I used to do in the gym, it would sideline me for days, and I’d frustratingly gain more weight the more I tried to push myself. And so, I set out to find the best exercise protocols for someone like me. Unfortunately, I was dismayed to find that the only advice on the internet was to do gentle, low-impact exercise. As a former competitive figure-skater who loves to deadlift twice her body weight and is a kettlebell maniac, I didn’t love this prognosis. I set off to dig deep into researching how to control inflammation through the combination of food, exercise, and recovery. I wanted to understand everything there was to know about the effects of exercise on our endocrine system and which variables I could manipulate while training to achieve the desired effects for my body’s new needs. So what do you do if you love to stay fit but are struggling with chronic inflammation and hormone issues? You’ll be happy to know that you can absolutely still train hard. In fact, intensity is a key variable that can be used to your advantage. It’s all about learning how to utilize it and building up to that point. When it comes to working out, inflammation (which causes fatigue, poor recovery, and soreness) and endocrine (hormonal) regulation (which creates cortisol spikes, insulin resistance, and poor recovery) are going to be your two most important factors to manage. So while there’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to exercise, the following five pillars will be helpful when approaching exercise with autoimmune and/or hormonal issues: When it comes to cooling down, you want to be triggering your parasympathetic nervous system to be jump-starting recovery. Much of the effectiveness of your workout can be helped by proper recovery, and by stretching properly, self-myofascial release (most commonly done through foam rolling), and slowing things down. By engaging in a proper cool-down, you’re also able to decrease your cortisol levels that were spiked (in a good way) during your workout. Find out how to prevent a hormonal imbalance here.
