When Exercise Becomes Unhealthy: Therapist & Strength Coach Laura Gordon Explains

When Exercise Becomes Unhealthy: Therapist & Strength Coach Laura Gordon Explains

From Stronger Weekly by Altum Fitness

April 15, 2026 · 1h 19m · Season 4 · Episode 120

About this episode

Laura Gordon discusses the potential unhealthy aspects of exercise and its relation to mental health.

Can exercise be unhealthy? Laura Gordon knows firsthand. She's a licensed therapist, strength coach, and PhD student at Clemson studying stress dysfunction and maladaptive coping. Today, she's researching how trauma rewires the brain and why PTSD diagnostic criteria need an overhaul. Laura breaks down stress dysfunction vs. PTSD, how exercise can become maladaptive coping (anger release, physical pain to avoid emotional pain), the role of genetic and epigenetic predispositions in addiction and mental health, pseudoscience in women's fitness (what actually works vs. what sells), and her mission to reshape how America approaches physical and mental health. Follow Laura on Instagram here. PLUS THIS WEEK'S HEALTH & FITNESS HEADLINES: • Two-week social media detox reverses years of mental decline • Americans are hitting the gym more than ever • Never been married? Your cancer risk may be higher • Exercise and sleep protect your brain from dementia • U.S. fertility rate hits another record low SPONSORS/PRODUCTS I USE - Get nutritional supplements that work as hard as you do: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.puristnutrition.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Upgrade to natural, high-quality…

People in this episode

Host: Altum Fitness

Guest: Laura Gordon

Topics covered

  • exercise and mental health
  • stress dysfunction
  • PTSD
  • maladaptive coping
  • women's fitness
  • addiction
  • physical health

Keywords

  • exercise
  • mental health
  • PTSD
  • stress dysfunction
  • maladaptive coping
  • women's fitness
  • addiction

Sponsors

Purist Nutrition, Based Body Works, Rep Fitness, Oar Health

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Clemson

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