How Hormones Can Keep You From Being Fit

As we mentioned last week in "Are Hormones Making You Fat," the body's hormones are a complex system that control every body function. We now know that hormone imbalance can have a considerable impact on your weight (the reverse is also true), but there are other hormone-related issues that could prevent you from achieving your fitness goals:

Inflammation

Excess inflammation in the body has now been recognized as a cause of obesity and diseases of aging. Symptoms of inflammation include digestive disorders, arthritis, eczema, acne, abdominal fat, headaches and allergies (among others).

Excess Insulin

Stress, eating processed foods, choosing low-fat foods, drinking sugary drinks and using artificial sweeteners are all precursors to having too much in insulin in the body. Not eating enough good foods like protein, good fats and fibre can also cause excess insulin to be secreted by the body. Symptoms of excess insulin can include:

• Heart palpitations


• Sweating


• Soggy brain


• Fatigue


• Anxiety

Unfortunately, too much insulin will just make you want more high-sugar foods and drinks - a vicious cycle that can cause more weight gain and increased risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Depression or Anxiety

The hormone Serotonin affects mood, memory, carbohydrate cravings, pain and sleep, as well as many other ailments. When you feel down, you crave sugars and starches to raise the Serotonin levels in the body. A fast-paced lifestyle and constant multitasking lowers serotonin levels even further.

Chronic Stress

Chronic stress can release high levels of cortisol. When the stress is long term, your appetite can become out of control and your metabolism can lower, causing belly fat to increase and lean muscle to decrease.

Excess Estrogen

Estrogen can be manufactured in the body or taken via chemicals from the environment or diet. Reproductive issues like PMS and menopausal symptoms in both men and women can be the result of too much estrogen in the body. This creates hormonal imbalances in testosterone, DHEA and progesterone that can disrupt many functions in the body.

Hypothyroidism

Every system in the body slows down if the thyroid slows. Fatigue, weight gain, constipation are some of the symptoms of a low thyroid.

How to Restore Hormone Balance in the Body

• Get plenty of sunlight.


• Eat a diet rich in protein, vitamins and minerals.


• Get regular exercise.


• Find a way to sleep well.


• Slow down. Decide what is important to you and cut out distractions.


• Manage your stress by taking "me" time on a regular basis. Try yoga, shown to lower cortisol levels and stimulate brain-calming hormones.


• Stop setting yourself up for failure by "extreme" dieting. Studies have proven that those who count calories will increase the level of cortisol in the body, leading to weight gain - not weight loss.

If you've tried dieting to lose weight and it hasn't helped, know that the complex chemicals in your body could be part of the problem. If you're experiencing any of the above imbalances, ask your health care practitioner to check your hormone levels to see where the imbalances are coming from. Talk about your symptoms and have them taken into account along with your blood levels to get the right answers and get you on the path to hormone balance and a healthier you.