Regulating Endocrine Hormones With Exercise

Introduction

Physical activity is a stressor to the body and activates the neuroendocrine system, where exercise is of sufficient intensity and duration. The endocrine response to exercise can enhance organ functioning, physical appearance, and an emotional state of mind. High-intense exercise enhances endocrine functions. Regular sweating out boosts the mood and maintains a healthy heart, allowing one to maintain a healthy weight. Working out helps to maintain proper physical and mental health.

What Are the Reasons for Hormonal Imbalance?

The endocrine system produces hormones that are effective messengers, communicating with the organs and tissues through the bloodstream. All major process in the body is regulated through hormones. Hormonal levels are altered naturally with age, but many things, such as stress, environmental chemicals, medication, tumors, or any medical condition, can cause a hormonal imbalance.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Hormonal Imbalance?

Some common symptoms are

• Weight gain or loss.

• Fatigue.

• Bowel issues.

• Hump between the blades of the shoulders.

• Reduced sex drive.

• Problem with the issue.

• Puffy or swollen face.

• Feeling hot or cold.

• Urinating very often.

• Thinning hair.

• Muscle and joint pain and stiffness.

• Fluctuation in heart rate.

Many sex-specific hormonal issues, such as an imbalance in testosterone in males, result in many health issues like

• Breast tissue growth.

• Reduced libido.

• Hot flashes.

• Cognitive difficulties.

• Hair thinning.

• Muscle loss.

The most common cause of hormonal imbalance in females is PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome). It can lead to

• Excessive hair growth in regions where hair growth does not occur.

• Missed or irregular periods.

• Acne.

• Increased weight.

• Exhaustion.

• Vaginal dryness, etc.

One of the best ways to manage hormonal imbalances is through lifestyle changes and medical help like medication and treatment. Working out regularly can maintain proper hormonal levels of cortisol, insulin, thyroid hormone, and sex hormones.

What Is High-Intensity Interval Training?

HIIT (high-intensity interval training) is a workout style that combines short bursts of high-intensity activity with quick sessions of rest. Workouts such as weight lifting, such as squats, lunges, pushups, and other body moves, helps to improve muscles and burn calories, which helps reverse the impact of long-term high cortisol level. For many pre-menopausal and menopausal women, strength training helps reduce osteoporosis risk. In addition, it enhances insulin sensitivity, which helps to manage serious conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.

In contrast, doing this high-intensity exercise will have the opposite effect on hormones resulting in excessive adrenaline and cortisol. Overdoing will result in the production of sex hormones which lead to muscle loss, fatigue, and injury.

What Are the Benefits of Exercise on Hormones?

Some benefits of exercise in regulating hormonal levels are:

• The cortisol, adrenaline, and dopamine plasma levels improve with intense exercises and return to the basal line after rest. The hormonal level increases are consistent with the sympathetic nervous system activation in the body.

• The growth hormone, released by the pituitary gland, is increased, improving bone and tissue growth.

• Long-term exercise enhances insulin sensitivity.

• Testosterone levels also improve, increasing growth, mood, and libido.

What Are the Endocrine Effects of Exercising?

• Human Growth Hormone (HGH): It enhances cellular growth produced by the pituitary gland. This is the primary hormone that is required for growth and cell reproduction. These hormonal levels are high during childhood, peak during puberty, and gradually decline as they age. HGH hormones are produced during sleep, which is responsible for enhancing muscle and bone growth, aiding fat metabolism, fluids, and sugar, and supporting the immune system. High-intensity exercises increase HGH levels and improve sleep when the hormone is produced.

• Cortisol: Cortisol helps regulate the blood sugar level, metabolism, balance of sodium or water, and blood pressure, a steroidal hormone produced by the adrenal gland. When a person undergoes stress during workouts, cortisol is released due to the quick breakdown of carbohydrates and fat, increasing blood sugar for immediate energy, which is required for a long exercise duration.

• Adrenaline: It helps to regulate cardiac function by enhancing heart rate, constricting blood vessels, and improving blood pressure; this helps to distribute blood to active tissues. They provide tissues with the energy and oxygen they require. Regular exercise enhances mood and reduces the level of adrenaline at rest.

• Dopamine: Exercise enhances the dopamine level in the brain and reduces stress and depression. Dopamine eliminates the uneasy feeling caused by stress.

• Seratonin: Exercise enhances the level of blood serum serotonin, which can have a positive effect on mood, appetite, digestion, memory, sexual function, and enhance sleep.

• Glucose and Insulin: It acts antagonistically to maintain and proper blood sugar level; the pancreas secretes these. During workouts, there is a greater demand from muscles and tissues for blood sugar for fuel, causing a drop in the blood glucose level. Glucogen levels are enhanced with exercise, whereas the insulin level is supressed. This ensures there is not too much drop in the glucose level, as the brain can utilize only the glucose to produce energy, whereas a lack of glucose can cause the death of brain tissue.

• Testosterone: These are male sex hormones produced by the testes in males and are also produced in small amounts in females by the ovaries. This helps in muscle protein development and helps muscle damage repair during exercise. This hormone plays a significant role in the sex drive, strength, muscle mass, and sperm count, which reduces as a person ages. Resistance and high-intensity workout helps to enhance testosterone level.

• Estrogen: Menopausal symptoms are caused due to imbalance in the estrogen level. Exercise helps to boost estrogen level, which reduce the severity of menopausal symptoms.

What Is the Best Way to Start a New Exercise Routine?

Some ways to practice exercise consistently are

Consistency:

The exercise should be planned so that it is performed daily at any relaxing time and cost. Regular exercise enhances insulin resistance, sleep quality, and energy.

Warm-Up:

If a person has thyroid hormonal imbalance, they may be cold all time, making it difficult to work out. So light stretching and movement before any intense exercise helps warm up and prevent injury.

Embrace Accountability:

This can be done by working out with a friend, joining a class or exercise program, downloading a fitness app, and creating a fitness diary.

Turn It Into a Way of Self-care:

Exercise is not a thing to be loved by everyone at the initial stages. Making continuous attempts and modifying the exercise to one’s comfort will make it look forward to enjoying over time.

Conclusion

Hormones are chemicals that are present that help in various body functions. There are many reasons for the fluctuation of these chemicals, which affect many activities in the body. There are many methods through which these hormonal imbalances can be corrected, but one natural way is exercise. Regular exercise helps to regulate the hormonal level. This helps to enhance the functioning of organs, physical appearance, and emotional state of mind. At the same time, excessive intense exercise should be avoided, which can have a reverse effect.