I Have A Hormone Imbalance & Thyroid Issue. Here's What My Exercise Routine Looks Like

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:

This is the most important pillar of all: Be consistent with how much physical activity you’re getting every single day. Whether it be a long walk, yoga, or strength training, it’s just important that you’re moving your body and breaking a little sweat each day to engage your sympathetic nervous system. Short, moderate-intensity exercise is proven1 to stimulate your immune system to produce an anti-inflammatory cellular response. Consistent exercise will also help manage insulin resistance2 (especially for those with PCOS and diabetes) and sleep quality,3 leading to improved systematic recovery and decreased inflammation.

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.

Exercise is absolutely amazing for the body, but do you know what it also is? Stress. And even though it's a good kind of stress, it still triggers spikes in cortisol and stokes your sympathetic nervous system. This is why many autoimmune warriors and those with hormonal issues such as PCOS, endometriosis, adrenal fatigue, and thyroid issues will find success when they shorten the duration and volume of their workouts and focus on lower-impact exercise. I always tell my clients, keep things "short and sweet." In other words: Keep your workouts anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes rather than dragging it out for an hour. Focus on the intensity of your exercises rather than volume (think heavier weights or increased difficulty rather than a million reps), and lower impact on your joints and ligaments (running and plyometrics are higher impact in this regard).

It all depends on where your starting point is. When I was experiencing the height of my symptoms just before getting diagnosed, there was no way I could engage in the types of exercise I do now. Practicing patience isn’t easy—especially when you’re used to being able to throw down in a gym—but it's of utmost importance to respect where you currently are so that you can get where you want to be. If you push yourself too hard and strain yourself, it can absolutely trigger an autoimmune flare, which just sets you back. So take it slow and steady, and you’ll be rewarded in the long run.

Look out for signs of fatigue, slow recovery from a workout like extended soreness and no energy, lightheadedness, difficulty sleeping, feeling wired but not energetic, and joint aches. You’ll know that you’ve pushed too hard. At first, you may have to stick to more restorative and lower-intensity exercises like walking, gentler yoga, and bodyweight training, but the more consistent you are with exercising every day and focusing on proper nutrition and recovery, the more you will be able to progress to higher-intensity activities. For me, a sweet spot now tends to be three days per week of higher-intensity strength training and then two or three days of yoga, walking, SMR, and stretching. It took me some time to build up to this—I had little desire or energy to do kettlebell circuits or anything of higher intensity in the beginning—but once I checked my ego and focused on gentler exercise for a while, my body told me it was ready because I couldn’t wait to get back to my weights and intervals, and I actually had the energy to do so.

Find out how to prevent a hormonal imbalance here.