Hormones are something more than what people conceive them to be. For women it is not that, “once a month that is why I am out of wack thing.” And for men it is not just testosterone. Hormones work together to help regulate your body and create molecules and store your food as fuel. There are several hormones that are very important for energy and weight and when these get off balance your energy plummets and your weight can go up.

Insulin is secreted by your pancreas. When you eat food your pancreas has to produce insulin to turn your food into glycogen. Glycogen is used by every cell in your body. Insulin also pulls glucose, (sugar) from your blood and muscles and uses it to fuel your body. Getting too much sugar is not good for your body. When your insulin levels are always high your body cannot provide enough insulin and eventually can turn into type 2 diabetes (and abnormal fat storage). Many people who are overweight and continue to gain weight end up as a type 2 diabetic. The good news is that losing weight can make your insulin levels normal again and diabetes can go away. Studies say that for the most optimal insulin levels, exercise three to four times a week for an hour. This will help your body to improve insulin sensitivity for two days after. Why? The fact is when you exercise your muscles will take the glucose from your blood without using insulin. When it is time then for your body to use insulin it is there for it to use. Besides helping your insulin levels, your heart will benefit from the exercise too.

It seems as though more and more I meet people with thyroid problems. The thyroid is very important because it helps the body to regulate its metabolism. We want that working optimally. We want to be able to make, store and use the energy that our body has for us correctly. Unfortunately we rely on the grocery stores to feed us and we need to stop and think about what we are putting into our mouths if we want our bodies to work for us not against us. In a groundbreaking study it was found that chemicals found in plastic products throw off thyroid function, this makes it tired and sluggish. The study showed that two chemicals found in many plastic products, bisphenols and phthalate may be the culprit. People who were tested with high levels of these had lower levels of thyroid hormones. Having lower levels of these hormones causes tiredness. Plastic water bottles, plastic food containers, plastic tablecloths and plastic shower curtains can cause this disruption. Protect your thyroid by avoiding use of these products and never ever heat them in a microwave. The high temperatures can cause the chemicals to leach into you food making it even more dangerous.

Cortisol is another important hormone for your body. Often called the “stress” hormone, it also regulates how alert you are. In the morning your cortisol levels are high. This is what helps you wake up. As the day goes on the levels keep lowering to help you sleep at night. During the day as you need to focus they also go up. When you don’t sleep well at night or you deal with major stress can throw off these hormones and the natural rhythm of your day. According to. Frank Lipman, MD, author of “How To Be Well,” your body will compensate by increasing its cortisol production throughout the day. When nighttime comes your levels may be 45% higher than normal. This makes it had to fall asleep creating a really bad cycle. Constant stress, like going through a divorce, demanding performance at work, or other high stress things can really mess up cortisol production. You are exhausted in the morning and totally awake at night, exactly opposite of what you are suppose to be. Dr. Lipman says to get back on tract try to stick to regular sleep schedule and avoid stress. (LOL really? Anyone out there like stress?)

He also says to try to take adaptogens, these are compounds in plants that help regulate your adrenal system. Adaptogens sense the imbalances in hormones and naturally correct them. Ashwagandha is one that I use but I use it one month on, one month off.

Adrenaline is another hormone that is very important, This is your fight — or — flight hormone. This is the hormone that spikes during an emergency, job interview or walking into a place feeling as though you are lost. When this happens it speeds up cortisol production. Although adrenaline is supposed to make you feel energized if it spikes too much during the day it can make you feel tired. Small stresses can make it spike such as not being ready for a meeting, forgetting an appointment or being late to work, and there goes your energy and your sleep.

A great way to keep this from happening is to spend some time each day just calming down, 10 minutes for yourself will do wonders. Do something that is calming for you, listen to some classical music, sit outside and breathe in the fresh air, (also good for some vitamin D production), or learn to paint. Life is really short so take some time to enjoy the little things, and take some time to relax. Your hormones will begin to regulate, you will sleep better and even lose a bit of weight. Here’s to better health.

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