HIIT, stretching and walking. Moving could be the key to hormonal balance
When it comes to exercise, more is better, right? Indeed, wrong. The truth is, too much exercise can alter your hormones.
But how do you know if your hormones are actually working perfectly? Imagine pushing yourself to the gym, but not getting the results you want. Or that excess fat just won’t go away no matter how many HIIT sessions you do. It is possible that your hormones are out of sync.
Hormones are chemical messengers that keep our bodies in a happy state of balance. Unfortunately, communication problems occur and before you know it, your hormones are messed up. So what makes our internal communication system go wrong? It could be work stress, a high-sugar diet (likely caused by this stress at work), or even too much exercise.
DOES EXERCISE HELP BALANCE YOUR HORMONES?
We are an animal presupposed to movement. Exercise helps balance hormones, effectively disrupting the signaling cycle of a disease. This cycle derives both from a sedentary life and from overeating, from which the damage is counteracted by exercise.
“For example, when an animal is overfed, there is a buildup of fat within the muscle cell. This stops the action of insulin and raises glucose. If you exercise that animal after you overfeed it, that muscle it is washed away. “, improving the function of the organism,” explains the endocrinologist Thiago Fraga Naples. Another example is how when we eat poorly and stand still, the accumulation of body fat inflames and “rusts” the circuit that controls our hunger. “Exercise secretes interleukin 6, which helps to de-inflammation this circuit, called the hypothalamus, and improves hunger.”
Furthermore, the regular practice of physical exercises favors the decrease of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, t-CRP and TNF-alpha. These cytokines, in excess, inhibit the production of hormones such as testosterone and GH, for example.
WHICH HORMONES ARE BALANCED WITH EXERCISE?
“Some hormones are produced and released as soon as exercise begins. They have the function of redistributing blood flow and energy substrates to tissues that have a higher energy demand,” he says. Francisco Tostes, endocrinologist and partner of Nutrindo Idealis. The hormones that are affected by muscle activity are:
- cortisol: it increases during exercise, along with adrenaline, allowing us to resist the challenge of exercise, and ends up modulating immunity, optimizing the inflammatory response. The increase in interleukin also regulates immunity.
- Insulin: interleukin 6 secretion improves GLP1 secretion and this, in turn, improves insulin secretion. Also, exercise improves the body’s sensitivity to insulin. Being able to secrete better, as well as having less need – as the body becomes more sensitive to its action – greatly prevents diabetes.
- Epinephrine / Norepinephrine: Responds to stress, both physical and psychological. Exercise triggers the brain (hypothalamus) to cause the adrenal glands to secrete these hormones
- Testosterone: Although testosterone is commonly associated with men, it is also vitally important for women. Build muscles, burn fat, increase energy and sex drive, strengthen bones.
- myostatin: The muscle secretes this hormone when it is stationary and it is a sign of a sedentary lifestyle. “If you don’t move, it secretes. Its function is to stop the formation of muscles and bones. That is, it detects that you are very immobile and, therefore, sick. To defend yourself, it saves the formation of non-viable tissues at that moment,” he explains. Thiago.
- Interleukin 15: fights skin aging.
HOW TO USE THE EXERCISES TO BALANCE THE HORMONES?
The benefits of exercise in the prevention and treatment of endocrine diseases such as obesity, diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome have long been known, for its antioxidant effect and for the reduction of insulin resistance.
The right exercise will positively increase HGH and testosterone. Both are hormones that increase lean mass and youth. It will also balance progesterone, which is the key to preventing weight gain and energy consumption. High progesterone levels will help you burn more calories while at rest.
Exercise also lowers insulin (a fat hormone) and levels normalize, keeping cortisol (another fat hormone) in check to keep it from taking control of your body. Fit and healthy people can handle high cortisol more easily.
Some of the best types of hormone balance exercises include:
- HIIT: 12 to 20 minutes, three times a week. There is no need to do more.
- strength training: A general full-body routine two to three times a week with movements that include upward thrusts (such as push-ups or top presses), pull-ups (such as pull-ups or rows), downward thrusts (such as squats), and pull down (like a deadlift or a hip bridge).
- Elongation: Five minutes after each session. Or take a yoga class, which will help you with flexibility and, of course, reduce your stress hormones.
- Walk: Four or five days a week. Walking is a great exercise to add to your existing schedule.
Don’t sit still: If you sit at your desk all day, get up every hour and do something for two minutes, whether it’s making tea or chatting with a colleague instead of sending an email.
Source: Terra
Benjamin Smith is a fashion journalist and author at Gossipify, known for his coverage of the latest fashion trends and industry insights. He writes about clothing, shoes, accessories, and runway shows, providing in-depth analysis and unique perspectives. He’s respected for his ability to spot emerging designers and trends, and for providing practical fashion advice to readers.
