This is a topic that is on most people’s minds but never knew where to get their answers and solutions.
Have you wondered why sometimes despite a healthy diet and regular exercise, many individuals gain weight especially between the ages of 35 and 55. This is often caused by a hormonal imbalance.
At every stage of life body goes through various hormonal changes. Your hormones control every aspect of weight loss including your metabolism, where you store your fat, your appetite and even your cravings. This means any form of hormonal imbalance will sabotage your efforts – regardless of your diet and exercise habits.
Extra belly fat can indicate one or more of the following hormonal imbalances: high estrogen, low testosterone, high cortisol. Abdominal fat also sets a risky stage for aging, increasing the risk of chronic health diseases like heart disorders and diabetes. To get rid of this stubborn fat, one must include proper diet, exercise, sleep and, of course, motivation.
Hormones
- Cortisol
- Testosterone
- Estrogen
- Progesterone
Cortisol – Normally, it’s present in the body at higher levels in the morning, and at its lowest at night. Although stress isn’t the only reason that cortisol is secreted into the bloodstream, it has been termed “the stress hormone” because it’s also secreted in higher levels during the body’s response to fight stress, and is responsible for several stress-related changes in the body.
To keep cortisol levels healthy and under control, the body’s relaxation response should be activated after the fight or flight response occurs. You can make lifestyle changes in order to keep your body from reacting to stress in the future.
Testosterone – Testosterone is the main male hormone, produced in the testes, which stimulates the development of male sex characteristics (like body hair and muscle growth) and is essential in the production of sperm. Low levels of testosterone can cause male infertility. Testosterone is also produced in smaller amounts by the ovaries in women.
Estrogen – Estrogen is a hormone secreted primarily by the ovaries, but it is also secreted by the adrenal glands and from fatty tissues. While we often refer to estrogen as a hormone alone, estrogens are actually a group of like hormones, which include estrone, estradiol and estriol. Estrogen affects the body in many ways, but its main duty in the female reproductive system is to signal to the lining of the uterus, the endometrium, to grow. Estrogen is also responsible for the increase in fertile cervical mucus and increased sexual desire that comes just before ovulation.
Progesterone – This hormone is naturally produced by both males and females, however its level in females is at peak during menstruation and pregnancy. This hormone helps people to both maintain a healthy body weight and avoid weight gain by limiting the production of excess fat, and may also reduce the food cravings caused by hormonal imbalance. Also, Progesterone typically increases a person’s metabolism which can help facilitate weight loss.
People should be careful while taking any hormone tabs. These should be taken only under medical guidance.
If this article helped you, let us know your thoughts in the comments below! Find more articles on weight loss here or get these tips directly from a GOQii Coach by subscribing to Personalised Health Coaching here.
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