You probably didn’t know that your hormones are affecting your results, and yet, they are rarely spoken about.
If you are like most people, you are juggling the pressures of work, a family who needs constant attention, and the 20 other things you need to do this week. No wonder you are feeling tired or depressed. After taking the family pet to the clinic, getting the grocery shopping done, and trying to fit in a workout, all before picking up the kids from soccer practice. It can really take it out of you! All this can cause unwanted stress, and more so on top of that if you aren’t getting enough sleep to function properly.
Stress causes the body to release the hormone cortisol. Long term exposure to cortisol bumps up your appetite, telling your brain to eat more but to want simple carbohydrate foods and sweets, which wreak havoc on your insulin levels, not to mention your waistline. Here are some ways that could help you reduce cortisol levels and combat stress.
Take a multi-vitamin daily, ensuring that your body gets any lacking minerals that you may be missing in your diet.
Weekly Meditation and relaxation, spend some time unwinding after work or reading a book, it is so important to de-stress.
The next hormone that could be hindering your results is adiponectin. Adiponectin is the hormone that literally tells your body to burn fat as fuel. This little bugger is your fat fighting torch in a way. The frustrating thing about this hormone is that the more body fat you have, the lower amount of adiponectin you have, this is why starting out with losing weight is the hardest, as you have to build this up.
Magnesium is a great way to increase your body’s levels of adiponectin, either by having a good quality magnesium supplement, or by eating plenty of green, leafy vegetables like spinach and kale.
Hello the big G! Grehlin is known as the “Hunger Hormone.” The more grehlin you have in your body, the hungrier you can become. If you find yourself wandering back and forth from the fridge after dinner, it’s probably because your grehlin levels are elevated. You see, it works on the hunger center of your brain by making it activate the reward response to sweet and delicious treat foods.
But there is hope! You can start doing it tonight in fact. To lower your grehlin levels, get a good night’s rest. Even a low level of sleep deprivation can lead to increased levels of grehlin, so aim for 7 – 8 hours of quality sleep each night. Rather than watching television or playing on your phone, grab a book or listen to some music to help you relax before you sleep.
Last but certainly not least, Leptin! Leptin is your best friend here, and unlike the other hormones I’ve told you about, you want no shortage of it when you’re wanting to drop a pant size or two. Leptin is an appetite suppressor, but as you age, the effect of this hormone on your body decreases.
You can increase your levels of leptin by eating a diet that is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Fresh salmon, mackerel and sardines are ideal foods to boost your leptin levels.
Hopefully you’ve learned a thing or two that will help you understand what may be hindering your weight loss results. Now go forth and start becoming a happier and healthier you!