Why Stress Might Be Slowing Your Fat Loss & Muscle Gains <–which is OK and so so common!
Hey Girl HEEEEEY!
If you’ve been training hard, eating well, and still struggling to see the muscle growth or fat loss you expect, your nervous system might be the missing piece of the puzzle.
Your body doesn’t just respond to workouts and nutrition—it also responds to stress. And if your nervous system is constantly elevated, meaning your body is in a heightened state of alertness and stress, your results may take longer than expected. Let’s break down why.
The Nervous System & Your Fitness Progress
Your autonomic nervous system (ANS) has two main branches:
1️⃣ Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) – “Fight or Flight”
2️⃣ Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) – “Rest and Digest”
When you’re stressed, overworked, under-recovered, or running on high cortisol levels, your SNS takes over. Your body prioritizes survival over muscle-building or fat loss. Instead of using fat stores efficiently, it holds onto them as a protective mechanism. And instead of optimizing recovery and muscle repair, it stays in a heightened catabolic state, making gains harder to come by.
How Cortisol Impacts Fat Loss & Muscle Growth
Cortisol is a necessary hormone—it helps regulate blood sugar, inflammation, and metabolism. But chronically elevated cortisol due to an overactive SNS can lead to:
🚨 Increased fat storage, especially in the midsection
🚨 Reduced insulin sensitivity, making fat loss harder
🚨 Impaired muscle recovery and slower growth
🚨 Increased cravings and energy crashes
Before your body will let go of stored fat or build muscle efficiently, it has to reach homeostasis—a state of balance where cortisol levels stabilize, inflammation lowers, and your body feels “safe” enough to prioritize progress.
How to Support Your Nervous System for Better Gains
So, what can you do to help your body transition out of “fight or flight” and into a state where muscle growth and fat loss happen more effectively?
✅ Prioritize Recovery – Sleep, rest days, and stress management techniques (like breathwork or meditation) are just as important as your workouts.
✅ Fuel Properly – Under-eating (especially carbs and protein) keeps cortisol high. Make sure you’re getting enough nutrients to support your metabolism.
✅ Train Smart, Not Just Hard – More isn’t always better. If you’re constantly pushing max effort with no deload weeks, your body may be too stressed to adapt.
✅ Monitor Stress Outside the Gym – Work, relationships, and lack of sleep all impact your nervous system. The more you manage external stress, the better your body responds to training.
If you’re training hard but not seeing the changes you want, it might be time to focus on your nervous system health first. Strength isn’t just about what you lift—it’s about how well your body recovers, adapts, and thrives.
Want to dive deeper into this? Click HERE and let’s chat about your training, recovery, and how we can optimize your results!
In strength,
Ashley Kates
Owner, StrongHER
P.S. Here are a few great resources if you want to nerd out on the science behind stress, cortisol, and fitness:
📖 Book: Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers by Robert Sapolsky
🎧 Podcast: Huberman Lab – Episode on Cortisol & Recovery
📄 Study: “Chronic Stress, Cortisol, and Fat Metabolism” – PubMed (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/)