Hormone Hostility

What are you thinking right now? Did you workout today? How much sleep did you get last night? What was your last meal? Are you happy or anxious? Is work taking up all of your time? The answers to all of these questions have an affect on your hormone levels. We all know that eating well and exercising is important to the way we look and feel, but our hormone levels also play a major part in living healthy. As we go through life our internal system is constantly working to maintain balance from our external environment. Our hormones send off tiny chemical signals that relay messages throughout the body and influence almost every aspect of our lives. These naturally occurring substances control our mood, sleep patterns, stress adaptation, immune system, reproduction, and metabolism. Hormones also influence how we build muscle, where we store fat and our ability to lose fat. That is why the key to building muscle and losing fat is healthy hormonal balance.

Most of us overlook all of the symptoms to hormonal imbalances because they are so common they have become normal parts of life. This often leads to more serious health concerns later down the road that force us to pay attention. While many different hormones impact our wellness we will be focusing solely on the ones affecting metabolism and body composition. Becoming familiar with these hormones and the signals that alert us to imbalances will help change your body sooner and maintain your results long-term. Many hormones regulate our metabolism so it is important to have these balanced. People with fast metabolisms burn calories quickly whereas people with slow metabolisms tend to store calories as fat. A slow metabolism also makes you feel tired all the time so increasing the hormonal balances will speed the metabolism up and increase energy levels.

Insulin is the hormone responsible regulating blood sugar levels and metabolizing carbohydrates. Insulin is highly affected by the foods we eat. It also has critical anabolic effects such as helping to repair muscles after exercise. Insulin instructs the body to store sugars as fat when they are not consumed as a fuel. When insulin levels are too high, weight often accumulates as "love handles." This also poses a serious long-term health risk through its association with diabetes and heart disease. Cravings, chronic hunger, excess ab fat, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol can all be indications of an insulin imbalance. Eating 5-6 small meals throughout the day is a great way to balance your blood sugar and insulin levels. By eating frequently you will provide a constant source of energy to your body. That way your metabolism will increase. If you skip meals and then you have huge meals once or twice a day your body will do everything to store the food. Metabolism slows down, you get sleepy and insulin allows the food to be stored as fat instead of burning the food as energy. If you want to lower your insulin levels eat food rich in fiber. The best way to get fiber from food is to eat lots of fresh vegetables and fruits. Weight training reduces insulin resistance, because it builds muscle and burns fat.  Also look at supplements such as CLA and Chromium to help lower levels.

The Thyroid hormone helps regulation of body temperature and it controls metabolism. It helps maintain our energy level, appetite and mood. If your thyroid hormone is under active, your energy level will be lowered, metabolism will slow down and you will feel tired. This can also lead to weight gain even when proper diet and exercise are utilized. Minerals such as iodine, zinc, and selenium as well as the amino acid tyrosine are essential for the production of the thyroid hormone. Exercise is also a great way to maintain a healthy thyroid balance.

Serotonin is the hormone that influences our mood, appetite and cravings. Serotonin lowers when we are chronically stressed, lack sun exposure and when our diet is lacking in protein. When levels are low, we tend to crave carbohydrates and may experience symptoms of depression. This can make it difficult to stay motivated at the gym or to avoid those high-glycemic carbs such as candy or sweets. Along with a healthy dose of sunshine, relaxation and exercise, there are products that can assist in restoring serotonin and provide chromium to balance blood sugars. 5-HTP increases the production of serotonin naturally, without the side effects typical of antidepressant medications.

By paying close attention to subtle signs, hormonal imbalances that may affect our metabolism can be recognized. Once an imbalance is identified, it can usually be reversed with good nutrition, quality sleep, supplements, and exercise. Hormonal balance is a very important part of weight loss or weight gain, without it results may be minimal or even not at all. Next week we will look at hormones that can be stress and age related such as estrogen and cortisol. Balance your hormone levels to increase your metabolism, get plenty of rest, hit the weights, and BRING IT!!!!!!!!!!