Episode Details
Back to Episodes
How Career Burnout Reshapes Your Relationship with Exercise
Description
Exercise is supposed to relieve stress, but when you're burned out, even the thought of a workout can feel exhausting—or worse, like another obligation. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the paradox of exercise under chronic workplace exhaustion, drawing on a 2025 study from the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology that found burned-out employees who forced themselves to exercise actually had higher cortisol levels afterward. They discuss the difference between movement as recovery versus movement as performance, and offer practical, low-barrier alternatives—like the 'one-song rule' and walking meetings—that actually work when your energy is zero. No guilt, no shame, no 'just push through.' This is about finding a version of movement that doesn't drain you further.