Hormones are the chemical messengers that trigger changes to take place in your body and are responsible for your:
Libido Metabolism Motivation Hunger and satiety Building muscle Losing body fat Mood Reproductive capabilities Bone health and structure Body hair Energy And much much more
Hormones are released from tissues and circulate until they reach the target cells which receive the message to change.
The organs of the endocrine system are what primarily releases hormones to make the necessary changes around the body.
Something may surprise you is that men and women have relatively speaking many of the same hormones, but the levels differ immensely.
Hormones interact with each other and are required to be in the proper ratios respective to other hormones in the body.
When a hormone is deficient or dysfunctional it can negatively impact others associated hormones as well.
When we’re discussing all the following hormones I encourage you to start thinking of the body as a system that works together, not just a bunch of parts.
Hormones are incredibly complex, and control so many functions in the body that explaining them to the degree that they deserve goes beyond the span of this blog, so think of this a very basic explanation.
I should note that the information contained in this blog is not medical advice, and should not be used as a way to diagnose or treat any health problems.
Because I know that people love cheat sheets and bullet points, after each hormone explanation I am including a short list of the top ways to optimize that specific hormone.
Because there are so many important hormones in the body this is going to be split into a multi part blog series revolving around different classes of hormones.
Testosterone
This is the main male sex hormone, and while women still have testosterone it’s nowhere near the level that men have.
Testosterone in men is responsible for:
Sex drive Energy Confidence Recovery from workouts Lifespan length Facial and body hair Bone structure Energy throughout the day Ability to build muscle.
With testosterone deficiency in a man they will notice:
Sex drive decreases Erectile problems can occur Lack of energy and fatigue Difficultly building muscle mass Cognitive function can also suffer Bone density decreases Rates of depression and anxiety increase
Losing body fat is one of the best things a man can do to help with testosterone production.
Body fat contains the enzyme aromatase which converts testosterone into estrogen.
This is why some of the testosterone replacement gels that men use never actually improve their testosterone numbers.
If a man has a lot of body fat that testosterone from a cream will be converted into estrogen only making the ratio of testosterone to estrogen worse.
If you want to learn more about how to optimize testosterone and all the hormones associated with it I wrote a book you can get HERE.
Testosterone cheat sheet:
Lift heavy weight (deadlift, squat, lunges, press, bench, power cleans, pull ups, dips) Sprint ( most people do better learning the mechanics on a hill, start slow) Interval training (tabatas are very effective) Eat enough carbohydrates (intake dependent on activity) Smart supplementation (Vitamin D, Zinc, Fish oil) Eat brazil nuts for selenium (3-4 per day) or supplement Sleep more ( 7-9 hours) Eat saturated fats ( butter, coconut oil, eggs, animal fats, dairy if tolerated) Avoid excess sugar consumption Don't chronically under eat Consume adequate protein ( 0.8-1 gram per pound of bodyweight) Have sex Don't overtrain Reduce your stress ( develop a stress management practice: walks, meditation, yoga) Reassess your body language ( sounds weird but it’s covered in the book)
Estrogen
Just because the Notebook is your favorite movie doesn’t automatically mean that you have high estrogen, but it could be a sign...
While estrogen is the primary female sex hormone it is also present in men’s bodies and you need it, but in the proper ratio to testosterone.
Estrogen is the predominant hormone in women that triggers puberty and causes the growth of breasts, hair in the pubic area and regulates menstruation.
Estrogen helps women to:
Have a regular menstrual cycle
Protects bones in both men and women
Keeps cholesterol numbers in range
Maintains muscle mass
Aids in recovery from exercise
Increases insulin sensitivity
Reduce food cravings
Just like all other hormones that ratio of estrogen in the body is important. For women who are low in estrogen it can lead to:
Insomnia
Hot flashes
Irregular menstruation
Decreased Libido
Excessively high levels of estrogen are no good either and can lead to:
Excessive weight gain
Impaired thyroid and metabolic function
More severe PMS symptoms
Irregular menstruation
Associated with cancer.
I just released a free seven part mini video series that discusses why fat loss is more difficult for women that men and a lot of it pertains to hormones and menstruation. You can watch that HERE.
Estrogen Cheat Sheet:
Don’t under eat for extended periods of time
Avoid Soy (soy contains phytoestrogens that mimic estrogen)
Stress management
Get enough sleep ( 7-9 hours)
Eat adequate fiber (shoot for 25-30 grams of fiber per day)
Eat enough carbohydrates to support activity and thyroid function
Incorporate higher calorie and carbohydrate days when dieting
Consume calcium and magnesium rich foods ( leafy greens, dairy, nuts and seeds, liver, oysters)
Environmental Toxins ( shampoos, body washes, plastic cups or containers contain phytoestrogenic compounds that disrupt hormonal function)
Eat adequate protein
Get adequate Omega-3 fatty acids and saturated fat (fatty fish, coconut, butter, full fat dairy)
Consume colorful vegetables and greens
Eat cruciferous vegetables (helps to remove excess estrogen)
Growth Hormone
Testosterone and growth hormone are powerful on their own, but they pack a much stronger hormonal punch when they are working together.
With optimized growth hormone levels you be able to build more muscle because it increases protein synthesis, allowing you to use more dietary protein to increase muscle mass.
GH helps provide restful sleep that allows us to recover from stressful days and tough workouts.
Sleep is one of the most important steps in boosting overall hormonal function and growth hormone is no exception.
Some of the benefits of optimal growth hormone levels include:
Reduced liver burden
Increased bone strength and healing
Increased ability to build muscle mass and
Protects and improve the immune function
Reduced Cardiovascular disease risk
Better Sleep quality
One of the biggest roles of growth hormone and why it has become popular in the anti aging community is that is promotes healing and regeneration of damaged tissues.
Growth Hormone Cheat Sheet:
Intermittent Fasting ( this can take a few forms but a popular 16/8 works for most)
Sleep more (7-9 hours in a pitch dark room, you are going to hear this alot)
Improve sleep hygiene for better quality sleep (Click HERE to learn more)
Eat your carbs and the majority of calories at night
Lift heavy weight (deadlift, squat, lunges, press, bench, power cleans, pull ups, dips)
Supplement with BCAAs when training fasted
Sprint and do metabolic conditioning
Don’t eat too much or too much fat pre workout
As always I appreciate you taking the time to read, and stay tuned for next week when we discuss the hormones ghrelin, leptin and insulin to discover how to maximize them naturally.
In last weeks blog we discussed the hormones testosterone, estrogen, growth hormone and how you can optimize them with nutrition and lifestyle factors.
This week we are keeping the hormonal optimization train rolling and are covering a few of the hormones that regulate your appetite leptin, ghrelin and insulin.
Leptin
Even though leptin was only discovered in 1994 it is regarded as one of the most important hormones when its comes to adequate function of the human body.
Leptin is a hormone secreted by fat cells, and the body uses Leptin like a dipstick in a car. It help’s us measure, and regulate energy intake and expenditure.
Leptin communicates with the brain to manage energy balance and prevent us from eating too much or too little.
Excessive spikes in insulin have shown to block the signal of satiety from leptin and can lead to overeating.
Leptin is a manager for many other hormones, and helps with the signaling pathways for sex hormones, thyroid hormones, pancreatic hormones and adrenal hormones.
One of the biggest roles that leptin plays is in its communication with the brain and thyroid to determine whether the body should be burning more or fewer calories.
Leptin is also one of the satiety hormones that signals to the brain that we have sufficient energy available and can turn off hunger to stop eating.
With leptin dysfunction the brain can’t recognize that energy stores are full, and hunger stays turned on which leads to overeating and increased body fat.
On the other side of the coin when you are in a caloric deficit and dieting for too long or have lost a significant amount of body fat leptin decreases significantly
This drop in leptin signals to the brain that energy stores are low, and you need to burn fewer calories to make sure you don’t lose any more body fat. Lower levels of leptin will also translate to being much hungrier on top of it all.
I recently release an entire video series about fat loss for women and how leptin works differently for them then it does men, click HERE to watch it.
I also wrote an entire blog series on leptin for fat loss purposes that you can read HERE.
Leptin Cheat Sheet:
Don’t drop calories too low for too long
Avoid excessive fructose consumption
Eat more protein
After dieting eat at maintenance level
Reduce stresses
Lose body fat in a slower fashion
Strategic higher carb days ( not a license to eat crap, but helps boost leptin)
Lift weights
Sleep ( 8 hours in a pitch dark room. inadequate sleep is connected to lower leptin)
Ghrelin
Ghrelin is known as the hunger hormone and is produced in the hypothalamus and the stomach to trigger the feeling of hunger, and works with leptin to regulate energy.
Ghrelin stimulates hunger and a lack of energy, leptin signals satiety and lets the brain know we have enough energy.
When your stomach is empty it produces ghrelin, and signals to the brain that we need to eat to restore energy balance.
Ghrelin is supposed to be high before you eat which stimulates hunger and low after you eat because you’re no longer hungry.
The interesting aspect to ghrelin is that it can be trained when to increase, this is why we get hungry around the same time each day.
This is also the reason behind your appetite adjusting after a few weeks of a new eating schedule. Now you get hungry at your new meal time.
Those who are obese or are carrying around excessive body fat typically have a disrupted appetite signaling.
This usually means that leptin and ghrelin could either be dysfunctional or the overall system could be disrupted.
A better meal schedule and improved sleep, and stress management are going to be key factors when looking to improve ghrelin.
Ghrelin Cheat Sheet:
Sleep ( lack of sleep leads to less leptin, more ghrelin and inefficient glucose metabolism)
Train your hunger (when losing fat or fasting you may get hungry, it’s completely normal)
Fish oil ( omega 3’s are linked to better leptin and ghrelin signaling)
Consume more protein ( protein keeps you fuller for longer, and signals satiety)
Avoid small frequent meals ( this does not boost metabolism, it only makes you hungrier)
Eat higher satiety foods (Blog on highest satiety foods HERE)
Reduce stress
Avoid eating sugar ( sugar consumption leads to a stimulation in appetite)
Insulin
Insulin contributes to many different aspects of health from energy regulation to nutrient delivery and inflammation in the body.
Insulin is our main storage hormone that’s produced in the pancreas. It transports nutrients into the cells of the liver, muscles, fat tissue and the skeleton.
Insulin is a hormone that can either be used to your advantage to get leaner and build muscle, or cause inflammation and make gaining fat easier.
When we consume a meal with too many processed carbohydrates and calories the pancreas pumps out insulin to help clear the glucose from our blood stream.
After the immediate energy needs are met the body turns to the storage sites in the liver, muscles and skeleton.
Any calories that exceed immediate use, and storage sites capacity are stored as body fat for later use… maybe.
If we follow this cycle multiple times a day month after month eventually cells stop responding to the signal from insulin.
As a result of this insulin resistance the body becomes far less effective at delivering nutrients to the cells.Blood sugar stays elevated because insulin can not deliver the glucose from the blood stream to the cells.
The body responds by making the pancreas pump out even more insulin to “solve” the problem, but it only makes the situation worse.
Finally sugar is cleared from the bloodstream and stored in your fat cells where we have unlimited storage.
With this repeated cycle of too many processed carbohydrates and calories your muscles can become insulin resistant, and will not receive the glucose or the amino acids that aid in growth, recovery and repair of the muscles.
Because glucose delivery is impaired, and needs are not being met the body will break down your hard earned muscle to provide the body with fuel.
Insulin resistance is linked to obesity, cardiovascular problems, heart disease, erectile dysfunction and cognitive problems.
However though you can take certain measure to make help make the body more sensitive to insulin.
By making the body more sensitive to insulin the cells are primed to store nutrients, and will preferentially direct those nutrients to muscle cells instead of storing them as fat.
By taking the steps to improve insulin sensitivity you will be able to elicit the desired effect.
On your insulin cheat sheet you will find a number of tips to help improve insulin sensitivity.
Insulin Cheat Sheet:
Lift Weights
Run, bike, swim or row intervals ( this burns sugar in the cells quickly, leaving them hungry to restore glycogen levels)
Train Fasted (exercise in general helps, but fasted exercise increase the effect)
Consume magnesium rich foods ( magnesium is a critical mineral in the proper regulation of blood sugar, glucose disposal and insulin sensitivity. Good sources are leafy green, nut seeds and dark chocolate)
Lose body fat (insulin resistance is caused by excess calories, when you lose fat you are creating an energy deficit or increasing energy going out)
Cycle Carbohydrates ( by cycling carbs you give the body extra carbs when they can be used to build muscle, and avoid them when they would be stored as fat)
Avoid excess sugar
Manage stress ( walks, reading, journaling, yoga or meditation)
Get enough sleep ( Not getting enough sleep causes the body to have trouble regulating blood sugar, and can cause insulin resistance)
I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to read, and stay tuned for part 3 next week where we'll be discussing stress hormones.
Today we’re exploring some of the most important hormones for your health and fat loss that not nearly enough people are talking about; stress hormones.
Before we dive into optimizing stress hormones, let’s examine how stress works in the body, and how these stress hormones are designed to work.
How Stress Works In The Body
The response begins in the brain with a perceived environmental or psychological stressor, activating the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight).
Your adrenal glands are triggered to release a class of stress hormones named catecholamines that include adrenaline, norepinephrine and cortisol
Epinephrine and norepinephrine cause the physical arousal due to stress: increased heart rate,vasoconstriction, heightens alertness and sweating.
Cortisol is released last and triggers the mobilization of stored glucose and fat cells to supply energy, and shuts down digestion, immune and reproductive function .
Your brain can perceive and set off this stress response before you realize it’s happening.
This is why people can catch a falling baby or avoid a speeding car even though they’re barely paying attention to the situation.
If the brain perceives there as being a continued threat such as with chronic stress, the body will keep producing and releasing stress hormones.
When the threat passes the parasympathetic system (rest and digest) is activated to bring us back to baseline, and allow us to recover from the stressful event.
Cortisol
Both nutrition and the human body are so intricate that if you make something good or bad without applying context you can end up very misguided.
The hormone cortisol is no different. In the right amounts and at the right times cortisol is downright necessary for alertness and energy.
On the other side too much cortisol can create a host of problems in the body including muscle breakdown and excess body fat.
Cortisol is a stress hormone made from cholesterol that is produced in the adrenal glands.
Unlike the other stress hormones cortisol is secreted in a natural rhythm all day long, this is known as the cortisol curve.
Levels of cortisol should be highest in the morning allowing us to wake up feeling alert, and ready for the day.
Cortisol levels should decrease over the course of the day and into the night. As it decreases we feel less alert, and our body starts to wind down for sleep.
This natural rhythm can get disrupted when someone is constantly encountering stressors, consuming too much caffeine or eating inflammatory foods.
Unfortunately when cortisol is around in the body too frequently it can start to have some negative side effects such as:
Insomnia
Hormonal dysfunction
Slower metabolic rate
Lower libido
Gaining fat in the abdomen
Fatigue
Like I mentioned above cortisol is what allows us to wake up feeling alert and motivated. It also allows us to respond to our environments more appropriately because of our alertness.
Without cortisol we would not be able to manage any kind of stressful situation, and our energy levels would be constantly low.
We need hormones to be balanced, they are not good or bad. Learn how to optimize your cortisol levels with the cheat sheet below!
Cortisol Cheat Sheet:
Exercise regularly, but don’t overtrain (prioritize your recovery)
Sleep More (7-9 hours in a pitch black room)
Avoid excessive consumption of processed carbohydrates and sugar
Adaptogenic herbs (Ashwagandha and rhodiola are two proven well known herbs that help with the adrenals and balancing cortisol)
Engage in some form of play (physical activity that is done without any expectations of the outcome)
Have carbs around training to blunt excessive cortisol release
Laugh more often ( it really is medicine and we can all use more laughter in our lives)
Don’t undereat for long periods of time
Avoid foods that are inflammatory
Do something creative ( sing, play music, write, paint)
Have sex (no explanation needed here)
Spend time with loved ones
Adrenaline and Norepinephrine
Adrenaline, and norepinephrine are the most common stress hormones that are released from the adrenal glands during a potential fight or flight situation.
Along with norepinephrine, adrenaline is largely responsible for the physical feelings and reactions that take place during a stress response.
Adrenaline and norepinephrine increases heart rate, blood pressure and cardiac output as well.
Adrenaline increases the mobilization of body fat to provide energy, while norepinephrine increase the use, and release of glucose (blood sugar).
Adrenaline is what causes your muscles to tense up during stress and provides a sense of extreme focus.
Norepinephrine also helps to shuttle blood away from the skin and to the heart, brain, muscles and kidneys.
Aside from fight or flight situations intense workouts, consumption of stimulants and other life stressors can trigger the release of these stress hormones.
The main purpose of adrenaline, and norepinephrine are to help the body meet the physical and mental demands of stressful situations, and everyday life.
When someone is in a constant state of stress whether is be from not getting enough sleep, overtraining, abusing stimulants or basic life stresses they will become desensitized to adrenaline.
Over time for the body to accomplish the same jobs it will require more and more adrenaline because the cells are less responsive to the hormone.
This can lead you down a path of feeling constantly tired and worn out, along with severely lacking in motivation and many other nasty side effects.
But you can also avoid these problems by using the cheat sheet below to optimize the stress hormones.
Adrenaline and Norepinephrine Cheat Sheet:
Avoid over consumption of stimulants and caffeine
Get At Least 7-9 hours of sleep (see a theme here yet ?)
Eat foods rich in the amino acid tyrosine
Laugh more (local stand up comedy is great for this!)
Practice deep breathing for 5-10 minutes per day
Take a daily walk outside (minimum of 20 minutes)
Be aware of what you can, and can’t control in a situation and remember you’re stressing about something you can’t control doesn’t solve the problem.
Write down three things you’re grateful for in the morning
