BENGALURU: Don’t wait for your stars to align, just ensure your hormones do. Hormones are fundamental to all the systems of your body. They are powerful too, it takes only a tiny amount to cause big changes in cells or even your whole body. That is why too much or too little of a certain hormone can have serious consequences. Hormones are your body’s messengers. They travel in your bloodstream to tissues or organs. They work slowly, over time, and affect many different processes, including, growth and development, metabolism, how your body gets energy from the foods you eat, sexual function, reproduction and mood.
When there is an imbalance, hormone-related health issues rise. For instance: Thyroid, PCOS, etc. These hormonal imbalances lead to stress, depression, sleep deprivation, bowel issues, weight gain and mood swings. Combine strength training and cardio workouts to maximise health benefits and boost hormone levels. Performing strength training, aerobics, walking or other forms of physical activity can modify hormone levels in a way that reduces the risk of disease and protects muscle mass during the aging process. Exercise has been shown to reduce stress levels and also help regulate your hormones.
HIIT (high intensity interval training) combines short bursts of highly intense exercise with quick periods of rest, and this can be most helpful.Incorporating strength training, such as lifting weights, and other resistance exercises, helps build muscle while helping to burn calories. This can help reverse some of the impact of chronically high cortisol levels. More so, strength training can reduce the risk of osteoporosis, which is high for many peri-menopausal and menopausal women.
HIIT also improves insulin sensitivity, a huge factor in the measurement of your waistline and preventing or managing serious conditions such as diabetes and heart diseaseHormonal imbalance also zaps your energy, making you lethargic and fatigued. This means a lot of motivation is needed to push yourself to exercise. In this case, it’s important to find ways to make exercise fit into your life slowly and make it fun. So start by choosing an activity you love, be it dancing, swimming or playing a sport.When you engage in activities you love, you will most often remain regular. And consistency is key to get your end goal.
(The author is a fitness expert with Cure.fit)