KAWARTHA LAKES-If you are eating healthy and moving your body on a regular basis, but still not seeing the number on the scale budges, consider taking a look at the health of your hormones!
Hormones are chemical messengers of the endocrine system that govern sleep, growth, metabolism, healing, fertility, mood and more. Even the smallest hormonal imbalance can lead to a plethora of issues, including stubborn weight gain.
If you want to take back your health, it’s time to focus on creating hormonal balance in the body. Today I will be talking about 3 specific hormones related to weight gain and how you can balance them for overall better health!
Estrogen:
In today’s world, so many women (and men) have estrogen dominance. For men, this shows up as the “beer belly” and muscle loss, and for ladies, it’s the “muffin top”, bloating and cellulite. How can you balance out your estrogen? It’s quite simple. Be mindful of the endocrine disruptors you put into your body (and onto your skin)!
As mentioned earlier, hormones are just the chemical messengers of the endocrine system, so when we eat foods that disrupt that system, our hormones will become off balance.
The major endocrine disruptors to watch out for today are Parabens (found in toothpastes, soaps, sunscreens), Phthalates (found in deodorant, nail polish, fragrance & cosmetics), and BPA’s (canned goods, plastic water bottles, and plastics).
To help clear your body of excess estrogens, make sure you eat a diet full of cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower. These rougher veggies help to ‘sweep’ excess estrogens out of the gut and improve our digestion.
Insulin:
Insulin is the hormones released by the Pancreas to help us manage our blood sugars after a big meal. Insulin brings glucose (excess sugar) into our cells to be used for energy. When we eat a high sugar diet, our body sends that Insulin signal many times per day, constantly sweeping more & more glucose to be stored. When we have an excess of stored glucose that does not get used up as energy, it is stored as fat.
Even if you do follow a “healthy” diet, your insulin can still become imbalanced because of some of the hidden sugars in foods. The more insulin spikes you have in a day, the harder it is for your body to use your stored fat sources as fuel-and rather-it will keep storing more fat!
The solution? Eat a balanced diet that is low in processed carbohydrates. Yes, you still need carbs for fuel, but be choosy about what kinds of carbohydrates you are fuelling yourself with.
Some excellent sources of carbs are sweet potatoes, brown rice, fruits, and starchy veggies. Skip the donuts, cookies, and cakes, and you’ll shift into fat burning mode in no time.
Cortisol:
Our modern diet, fast paced life and stress levels are making us gain weight. Cortisol is release by the adrenal glands, putting us into “fight or flight” mode. “Fight or flight” is our bodies’ response to danger. If a tiger were to come into the room, cortisol would tell our sells to ship glucose into the blood so we could either run from or fight the threat.
If we get an email from our boss that stresses us out, it doesn’t necessarily mean we will need the excess energy to run from a tiger. Therefore, our cortisol levels spike, we get the surge of glucose, which in turn has nowhere to go but back into our cells, causing excess belly fat.
The solution? Take back control of your stress levels. Breathe, practice mindfulness, don’t overdo the caffeine, get enough sleep. You’ll protect your adrenal glands and avoid unwanted belly fat.
The take home point here is, even if you think you are eating well and moving enough, our bodies are very intelligent. Take care of yourself in a holistic and mindful way and your body will thank you. If you want to see more tips on self-care, healthy recipes, and workouts, visit http://www.sweathappywellness.com
Becky Sheehey is a Holistic Health Coach, and a Pilates and Movement Expert with a background in Kinesiology. She lives in Lindsay.
