We've established that the stress hormone cortisol is released when you work out. If you're constantly stressed, your cortisol levels remain high, which can result in a variety of health issues and substantially hold you back from achieving your fitness goals by making you gain belly fat, crave unhealthy foods, and mess up your metabolism.
"Take a tip from the yogis and add a savasana, or some sort of mindful practice to the end of your workout to allow your nervous system to regulate before heading back to work, traffic, etc.," Tucker recommends. "This could look like laying down for five minutes, gentle breathwork, a guided meditation, or even a leisurely walk outside. Building this time into the end of your workout can help you switch from the sympathetic (fight or flight) to parasympathetic (rest and digest) and improve exercise results in the long run."