Episode
#482 Dr Emily Dow - Cortisol, Hormone Balancing, and Zone 2 Vs Higher Intensity Cardio
- Published
- Jun 30, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 4569
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Summary
The Professor of the Dark Arts, Dr Emily Dow returns by popular demand. Emily has seen a huge surge in popularity, and for good reason. Her media is thoughtful, intelligent, and extremely well communicated. Emily joins me to talk about: Why "high cortisol" has become the new hormonal imbalance What cortisol actually does, and why acute elevations in cortisol are not only not bad for you, but essential to normal physiology Is there any validity to the claim that cortisol elevation from training stress is harmful, especially for peri-menopausal women? Why chronically elevated cortisol is a problem and how it develops Why the phrase "hormone balancing" is often a red flag for pseudoscience What common traits we see among unqualified influencers promoting trendy health boogeymen What the research tells us about exercise and mental health Does your brain benefit more from higher-intensity cardio than Zone 2? A nuanced discussion on the Zone 2 versus higher-intensity cardio debate Is part of Zone 2's benefit simply that it replaces unhealthy sedentary behaviors? Thoughts on research headlines like "Carbohydrate intake does not affect muscle growth" What "scope creep" means when experts are pressured to comment outside their area of expertise, such as peptides And much more Instagram: @dremilydow CHAPTERS 00:49 The Cortisol Myth 01:55 Why Cortisol Matters 03:45 Hormone Balancing Grifts 08:37 Fixing Chronic Stress 12:44 HIIT for Women 14:58 Fueling and Recovery 18:33 Exercise Guidelines 20:49 Is Overtraining Real? 24:20 Training Load and Injury Risk 26:22 Mixed-Modal Cardio 30:22 Exercise and Mental Health 36:32 Exercise vs SSRIs 40:02 Zone 2 and Brain Health 43:14 Exercise and Brain Blood Flow 43:52 Rethinking Zone 2 46:00 Steps vs Card…