1222: Why Intense Workouts Can Worsen Anxiety: What Helps Instead
The Anxiety Coaches Podcast
Gina Ryan
4.6 • 1.9K Ratings
🗓️ 22 February 2026
⏱️ 20 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
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Summary
In today's episode, Gina describes how movement can help us in our anxiety recovery, and also how intense movement can work against it. A number of slower, gentler forms of movement and exercised are recommended for realizing the benefits of exercise without risking excessive cortisol release and increasing anxiety. Strenuous exercise does have a place, but it is recommended to be selective with using it, especially during anxiety recovery.
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Chapters
0:26 Introduction to Anxiety and Movement
4:45 The Impact of Intense Workouts
8:13 Movement: Achievement vs. Regulation
10:09 The Power of Walking
13:43 Balancing Intensity and Regulation
16:15 Experimenting with Movement
17:59 Working with Your Biology
19:01 Closing Thoughts and Reflection
Summary
In this episode of the Anxiety Coaches Podcast, I delve into a thought-provoking concept: the idea that more exercise isn't always synonymous with better mental health, particularly when it comes to managing anxiety. While we've often leaned on the mantra that moving our bodies is a remedy for stress, today I invite you to reconsider the intensity of those workouts. Many people find themselves feeling wired and edgy after a high-intensity session rather than the calm they anticipated—this is not a personal failing. It’s essential to understand that when we push our already stressed nervous systems beyond their capacity, we may inadvertently exacerbate our feelings of anxiety.
We live in a culture that idolizes rigorous training and relentless commitment to fitness, often overlooking the unique needs of our bodies and minds. When the body is subjected to intense workouts while already managing elevated levels of cortisol, the experience can feel less like a beneficial challenge and more like an added threat. The physiological response triggers a cycle of heightened stress chemistry, leading to difficulties in sleeping, increased irritability, and an overall sense of being overwhelmed.
I emphasize the importance of recognizing movement not solely as an endeavor to achieve goals but as a signal to our nervous systems. Intense exercise may communicate urgency and threat, whereas gentler, rhythmic movements convey safety and calm. Activities like slow walking, gentle yoga, or even tasks like gardening, provide a stabilizing rhythm that can nurture the mind and body. This perspective shifts the narrative from one of intensity to one of attunement—listening to our bodies and responding to their needs.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the anxiety coaches podcast, a relaxing and informative show where we explore anxiety, panic, and PTSD, sharing how you can overcome them for life. |
| 0:23.1 | Aloha. |
| 0:24.2 | Welcome back to the Anxiety Coaches podcast. |
| 0:27.6 | I'm your host and coach, Gina Ryan, and I am so happy to be with you again today |
| 0:34.1 | as together we can consider the many ways to bring your mind and body back to its |
| 0:40.5 | natural peace and calm. In today's episode, we're going to talk about something that might |
| 0:47.0 | surprise you. The idea that more exercise is not always better for anxiety. I know we talk about using exercise very often for |
| 0:57.9 | relieving some of that cortisol and adrenaline that is rushing through us, like to burn it off. |
| 1:06.0 | But I want to talk about the intensity of our workouts here today. Because if you've ever finished a hard |
| 1:13.4 | workout and felt more like wired, more edgy, more tense rather than feeling calmer, |
| 1:22.1 | there's nothing wrong with you. You're not out of shape or you're not weak, and you're not doing it wrong. |
| 1:29.2 | You might just be asking an already stressed nervous system to do more than it can |
| 1:35.5 | metabolize right now. And that is a very different idea. You know, we really have a cultural |
| 1:43.8 | pressure to go hard. We live in a culture that worships intensity, |
| 1:50.4 | high intensity, interval training, boot camps, crush your goals, no days off, push past your |
| 1:59.1 | limits. And for some people, at some stages of life, that can actually feel |
| 2:04.6 | energizing. But here's what we don't talk enough about. If you're already running on elevated |
| 2:11.9 | cortisol, if your nervous system already feels like it's on high alert, if you're tired but still wired, |
| 2:22.2 | intense exercise can amplify the stress chemistry your body is already swimming in. |
| 2:29.9 | You don't need more of it. |
| 2:31.7 | So what is actually happening physiologically? |
| 2:36.3 | Let's break it down. |
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