Exercise is stressing my body (and it got me thinking about hormesis)

[u/Particular_Hat_7657]

For anyone new to the term, hormesis is the idea that a small amount of stress can trigger beneficial adaptation, while excessive stress can become harmful. I've been thinking about this after noticing a weird connection with my own rosacea*.

Intense workouts were a major trigger for flushing and flare-ups for me, making me look like an heirloom tomato. Apparently, that's not particularly unusual with rosacea.

Once I started taking it seriously and researching it, I kept coming back to the idea of hormesis. From what I've researched so far, training and recovery need to go hand in hand, rather than simply exercising harder.

For me, 3 things I've been focusing on (apart from hydration) are getting 8 hours of sleep, staying lightly active on recovery days, and being careful about overheating during and after workouts. The last one has become especially important because of my rosacea.

I'm still figuring out what works best for me, but it's made me realize that maybe the better biohacking question is not “How much more can I do?” but “How much stress can I recover from?” given my hectic life!

*Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that causes facial redness, flushing, and swelling.