7 Effects of Stress on Your Fitness and How to Deal With It

We all have our fair share of stressful moments. Stress is a natural part of life. However, when stress becomes chronic or overwhelming, it can significantly impact our well-being, especially our physical and mental fitness.

Elite athletes have been trained to manage their stress levels to operate at their peak performance during competitions. Other elite performers, such as CEOs and high-risk professionals, have learned strategies to optimize their performance and well-being in high-pressure environments.

In fitness, if you become overwhelmed with stress, it can derail your progress and hinder your ability to maintain a consistent and effective fitness routine.

In this article, we will discuss the impact of stress on fitness and provide you with practical strategies for dealing with it.

Stress is our body’s response to challenging, threatening, or demanding situations. When you feel stressed, the body activates complex hormonal and neurological events designed to prepare it to cope with the challenge or threat by mobilizing energy, increasing alertness, and responding to other physical responses.

The primary hormone associated with stress response is cortisol. Once released, cortisol circulates throughout the body. It triggers biological changes, such as increased sugar metabolism, to ensure the body has sufficient energy and suppress the immune system to prevent an overactive immune response.

However, if your cortisol becomes chronically elevated, it can weaken the immune system, increase heart rate and blood pressure, and impair focus, memory, and decision-making. High levels of cortisol are also linked to mood disturbances, anxiety, and impaired cognitive function.

Signs that you are suffering from chronic stress or high level of cortisol:

• Walking up too early and can't go back to sleep
• In a constant state of exhaustion
• Can't get meaningful sleep
• You always crave sweet or salty snacks
• Hair loss
• Too emotional
• Gut health issues
• Chronic pain
• Immune compromised
• Poor posture

When you are stressed, your heart races, your thoughts become cluttered, and you might experience mood swings and trouble focusing, which can impact your athletic performance and fitness progress.

1. Decrease motivation

Stress can be a significant barrier to fitness. When you’re stressed, you may find it harder to have the motivation to stick to your workout routine. Stress can lead to restlessness, feelings of fatigue, and even depression, which can be hard to overcome for some people.

Feeling stressed can make you think that you don’t have time for yourself or lack the time to prioritize self-improvement. Stress can overwhelm your thoughts, making it challenging to prioritize exercise and maintain consistency in your fitness routine.

Stress can lead to excessive levels of cortisol in the body. Cortisol causes the breakdown of muscle tissue and impairs protein synthesis. Chronic elevated cortisol levels can impair the body’s innate potential to recover and repair itself after exercise.

People overwhelmed by stress experience longer episodes of muscle soreness and slower progress in strength and muscle gain. Studies have shown that stress increases your risk of developing overuse injuries.

Rest and high-quality sleep are required to function mentally and physically at your peak level. Poor sleep can lead to decreased energy levels, reduced motivation, and impaired athletic performance.

Stress can significantly disrupt sleep patterns, causing insomnia, restlessness, or poor sleep quality. Lack of sleep can further exacerbate stress levels, creating a vicious cycle. Lack of sleep hygiene can contribute to dysregulation of appetite hormones, leading to overeating and poor dietary choices.

When stressed, many people make poor dietary choices, often reaching for comfort foods high in sugar, unhealthy fats, and empty calories. This is because cortisol can increase cravings for high-calorie, sugary, and fatty foods.

Cortisol also promotes the release of insulin, which can lead to a rapid drop in blood sugar levels. This can further increase your cravings for quick energy sources such as sugary drinks and snacks. When stressed, you have less energy and less motivation to prepare healthy, balanced meals.

These unhealthy eating patterns can result in nutrient deficiencies, weight gain, and a weakened immune system. Chronic stress has been linked to increased abdominal fat storage and a higher risk of metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

When stressed, the brain’s reward system may drive some people to seek out quick sources of pleasure or comfort. Substances like alcohol, nicotine, or high-calorie foods can temporarily promote the release of dopamine in the brain, providing you with a cheap source of reward and a sense of escape from stressful feelings.

Some people are more susceptible to developing unhealthy habits and coping mechanisms to manage stress. These include excessive alcohol consumption, being a couch potato, doom scrolling, smoking, and emotional eating.

These self-sabotaging behaviors can undermine your fitness goals, lead to weight gain and decreased cardiovascular endurance, and promote a vicious cycle of regret and self-pity.

Chronic stress can suppress the immune system, making you more susceptible to infections, diseases, and injuries. People with weak immune systems can have difficulty being in public places, like a gym or local park, due to the increased risk of catching flu or colds.

When you are sick, you may need to take time off from your fitness routine to recover. This can interrupt your progress and potentially lead to losing momentum, causing you to spiral back to your old habits and routines.

Stress can affect your mental clarity and decision-making abilities. When you’re overwhelmed by stress, you may be prone to distractions or lapses in judgment during heavy lifting or sports. Ultimately, this can lead to an increased risk of accidents or critical injuries during high-intensity exercises or physically demanding tasks.

Stress is a natural fact of life that can be overcome and managed. Here are some practical tips to help you overcome stress and mitigate its impact on your fitness.

Mindfulness involves bringing your attention to the present moment, observing your thoughts and feelings without judgment, and cultivating a sense of calm and clarity. Regular meditation practice, even for just a few minutes daily, can help reduce anxiety, improve focus, and promote emotional balance.

Breathing exercises can help you relax and control the different physiological processes in your body. Slowing down your breathing slows down your heart rate. A lower and controlled heart rate can improve your thought processes and enhance mental clarity. This means that if you can control your breathing, you can control your thoughts.

Over time, this practice helps you build your mental resilience to stress and allows you to control your emotions and stress response better.

There’s no cookie-cutter approach to fitness. We all live different lives. You don’t need to conform to the strict fitness routine you see or read online. The best way to achieve fitness results consistently is to tailor your routine based on your everyday stress and schedule.

If you are experiencing high levels of stress from your work or personal life, you can try low-intensity or low-impact exercises instead, such as wall pilates, yoga, or steady-state cardio.

Instead of pushing yourself to maintain a high-intensity workout schedule, focus on exercises that promote relaxation, flexibility, and a mind-body connection. Outdoor exercise can also bring a much-needed change of phase in your life.

Listen to your body and adjust as needed.

Here’s a plan for women that may help you reduce stress:

And for men:

Feeling overwhelmed by competing priorities and a lack of control over your schedule can be a significant source of stress. To combat this, focus on developing effective time management and organization skills. Start by identifying your priorities and breaking larger tasks into smaller, more manageable steps.

Use tools such as:

• Calendars
• To-do list
• Productivity apps

Ironically, exercise can cure stress. You need to exercise to feel like it, not the other way around. When you engage in physical activity, your body releases endorphins or feel-good chemicals that can elevate your mood and reduce tension.

Regular exercise helps regulate stress hormones like cortisol, improve sleep quality, and boost self-confidence.

Find physical activities you enjoy, whether going for a brisk walk, joining a fitness class, or playing a sport, and aim to incorporate them into your routine consistently. Remember, even moderate levels of physical activity can provide significant stress-reducing benefits, so start with achievable goals and gradually increase the intensity and duration of your workouts over time.

Who doesn’t like a massage?

Massage therapy can help improve blood and lymph circulation throughout the body, promoting the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the tissues and organs. Enhanced circulation can help reduce inflammation, remove metabolic waste products, and support the body's natural healing processes.

Stress is inevitable, but it doesn't have to control you or derail your fitness journey. By understanding the science behind stress and its impact on your physical and mental well-being, you can take proactive steps to manage stress effectively.

Remember, the key to stress management is not about eliminating stress but rather developing a toolbox of strategies that work for you.