HORMONAL IMPACT ON OUR HEALTH AND WELLNESS.
Being fit entails a wide spectrum of details that all steer towards making it complete. Exercise and nutrition has for the longest been the leading factors of attaining this. It's also important to acknowledge the impact of hormonal balance and the role it plays in our bodies.
Hormones being the essential chemical messengers, have the capacity to regulate some physiological processes in our bodies. Some of these processes include: growth and development, metabolism, homeostasis, reproduction and mood regulation. In retrospect, hormones dictates the body's reaction to exercise and nutrition.
Roles played by hormones directly linked to our fitness status.
- Growth hormone.
It's a peptide hormone produced in the pituitary gland. It's meant to stimulate muscle growth and repair the worn out tissues. It's released during sleep and after exercising. This gives insights on why rest and recovery is important in fitness.
- Testosterone and estrogen hormone.
These are commonly referred to as the sex hormones. They are primarily produced in the ovaries for females and testicles for men. They do have anabolic effects which promotes muscle growth and strength. Testosterone is crucial for muscle development and recovery while estrogen is crucial for bone health and how the body responds to exercises at different levels.
- Insulin hormone.
This hormone is produced by beta cells in the pancreas. It primarily lowers high sugar level in the body and promotes storage of energy. It enables the body to absorb glucose from the bloodstream and utilize it.
- Cortisol hormone.
It's popularly referred to as the stress hormone produced by the adrenal gland. It's catabolic effect can lead to muscle breakdown. This is made possible through the process of Gluconeogenesis which transports the amino acid formed from the muscle protein to the liver to be converted into energy.
This hormone is essential for energy regulation and maintaining homeostasis. High amounts of this hormone can easily jeopardize your gym gains as seen.
- Thyroid hormone.
Produced in the thyroid gland, this hormone is split into two i.e. thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). It regulates metabolism, growth and development. Weight fluctuations can easily be spiked by its imbalance resulting in either hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism. This could cause a difficulty in weight loss and weight gain respectively.
- Leptin and ghrelin hormone.
Leptin is also known as the satiety hormone while ghrelin is referred to as the hunger hormone. They regulate appetite, metabolism and body weight. They are both pivotal in weight/fat loss and weight/muscle gain phases. It's important to find a balance between the two.
How do we get to test our hormonal levels?
There are three common ways of going about it i.e.:
a) Blood test - which is the most commonly used for its ability to detect most hormones.
b) Saliva test - it comes inform of homemade kits, which after use, the samples are take to the lab for analyses.
c) Urine test - used to test the hormone's metabolites over a 24 hour period. This provides an overview of our hormonal production.
What ways can we boost the quality of our hormonal status?
- Indulging in a well structured workout routine.
It will help find the balance between overtraining and proper training. This has time and again been found to have great benefits on our cortisol level. Overtraining keeps it at a high level which can be detrimental. A structured routine will make it easier to prioritize certain workouts like resistance training to boost testosterone levels.
- Getting adequate sleep.
Growth hormone which is crucial for bodily development is released during sleep and at rest. Deprivation of sleep could also spike cortisol levels, leading to binging which will jeopardize efforts aimed at losing fat or building muscle. Getting quality sleep should be kept paramount at all times.
- Embrace healthy eating.
This will help create a balance between ghrelin and leptin hormone. Whole foods contain fibres which helps with satiety and keeping insulin at bay. Healthy fats also plays an integral part in hormonal production.
- Managing stress levels.
Automatically, this will lower high cortisol levels in the body. High stress levels easily promotes storage of fats which is amplified by binging as a way of comfort during that period. Introduction of meditation, exercise, getting enough sleep and taking sometime off where necessary can be a great coping mechanisms.
- Supplementing where necessary.
As we age, our hormonal levels start to dip. At 40, most men experience 1-2% annual testosterone reduction which affects their muscle mass retention and hypertrophy. Women also experience estrogen reduction after menopause which contributes to low bone density (osteoporosis).
Getting adequate vitamin D, Zinc, Magnesium and Boron either from supplements or foods rich in them will help boost these levels. Resistance training will help complement this. Going for annual hormonal testes at this point in life will help identify early symptoms.
- Avoiding endocrine disruptors.
These are chemicals found in plastics, pesticides and personal care products that have the ability to mimic, block or interfere with the hormones. It can be challenging to evade everything but having this idea will help make the right choices. Washing fruits and vegetable thoroughly before consumption or cooking will help reduce pesticides on them.
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