Meditation – Yes or No?

Practitioners are often looking for ways to manage cortisol in athletes. Intense training, restrictive diets, and the stress of daily life can all increase cortisol production which can slow progress in the gym and in the mirror.
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💥 This study, however, found that a meditation program was an effective method for reducing cortisol in stressed college students. A main caveat, though, is that the meditation program required multiple hours per day of meditation. That’s obviously not realistic for most people, but luckily, other studies and recommendations state that a mere 10-minutes per day could infer similar benefits.
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💥 If you’re leading a high stress kind of life, I’d recommend trying to find a quiet 10-minutes each day for a brief meditation period. Even something simple, like mindful breathing, can help you relax and recharge before the next chunk of your busy day.
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▪️ Reference: Turakitwanakan, W., Mekseepralard, C., & Busarakumtragul, P. (2013). Effects of mindfulness meditation on serum cortisol of medical students. Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand, 96(Suppl 1), S90-5.