How your hormones effect weight loss! Amazing Article!

1.) Three reasons why processed soy (actually, ANYTHING processed) is bad: (a) contains chemicals that 'pull down' the thyroid (leads to hypothyroidism); (b) contains phyto-estrogens that block important minerals like Zinc and Magnesium from being absorbed into the body (2 VERY important minerals especially for women since having a deficiency in either one can cause numerous problems due to an estrogen/progesterone imbalance); and (c) does not contain essential amino acids. Soy products are commonly linked to weight gain and other hormone imbalances for these very reasons. It's also among the top allergens in this country, (the other top allergens include wheat, corn, dairy, chocolate, eggs, shellfish, and citrus). Many people have food allergies to soy and don't even know it.

2.) Zeno-estrogens (environmental estrogens commonly found in heating plastics and pesticides) are very bad. Why? They create an estrogen imbalance which leads to too many problems to list here. The scariest include: female puberty beginning at ages 7 or 8 (or earlier), irregular menstrual cycle, impaired liver function, fatigue, depression, weight gain, water retention, headaches, loss of sex drive, mood swings, inability to handle stress, irritability, low metabolism, symptoms of hypothyroidism (with even normal T3 and T4 levels), unstable blood sugar, cravings for caffeine, sweets, and carbs. And that's just scraping the surface.

3.) Excess Caffeine. Leads to decreases in bone density, unstable blood sugar levels, causes the hypocalmus to produce higher levels of cortisol (the 'stress hormone' which leads to A LOT of other issues), adversely affects the hypothalmus's ability to stimulate the thyroid, and causes us to ignore healthy sleep patterns which also leads to the hypocalmus producing higher levels of cortisol. Excessive levels of caffeine have also been noted for bringing on more severe PMS.

4.) Zinc deficiencies and copper toxicity is common and leads to severe mood swings. The body needs 8 times more zinc than copper, however, most of us have the exact opposite in our body due to the high amounts of copper found in our environment (pesticides, pipes, chemicals in pool water, etc.) and the low levels of zinc in our diets.

5.) Mg deficiencies lead to carb carvings. Most women are Mg deficient, which is why a lot of women crave carbs, particularly around menses (sweets to be exact).

6.) Women are most likely to gain weight late in their menses, since their metabolic rate jumps during the luteal phase and the body wants more energy (i.e. women eat more food later in their cycle). Also, the body becomes more deficient in Mg and Iron due to the blood lost (for why that's bad, see #5 above).

7.) Aspartame destroys cells in the hypothalmus (and that's bad because it's the hypothalmus that's responsible for controlling hunger). So, avoid artificial sweeteners or artificial anything, as they cause numerous problems for the body.

Female hormones can influence weight management tremendously. Imbalances between estrogen and progesterone causes numerous challenges:

1. Estrogen dominance leads to sodium retention, leading to water retention, particularly in the week prior to onset of menses, and in menopausal women this can be an issue throughout the monthly cycle.

2. Loss of magnesium the week prior to the onset of menses often leads to carb cravings (particularly chocolate and/or other sweet cravings) and mood disorder.

3. Loss of iron during the week of menses often leads to cravings for other foods.

4. Increased fat deposition can be due to the influence of LPL enzyme, an enzyme triggered by estrogen dominance.

5. Estrogen dominance causes weight gain in the hips and thigh area (the 'pear-shaped' women).

6. PMS influences weight gain --

a.) Depression often accompanies certain types of PMS, leading to eating behaviors (often triggered by B complex deficiency and/or magnesium deficiency, or zinc/copper imbalance). Also causes deficiency in several other nutrients that trigger emotional and mental symptoms, particularly an increased zinc/copper ratio that causes severe depression or other mood disorders.

b.) Water retention the week prior to onset of menses may be due to Niacin/Potassium imbalance (caused by estrogen dominance).

Ways to fix these problems:

1. Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are critically important because they are used in the production of the body's

natural steroid hormones. Fats are good!

2. Are we providing our bodies with an appropriate balance of all essential amino acids (aminos that the body can't make on its own)? This is what's wrong with vegan and vegetarian diets. Are we eating enough protein to satisfy the energy demands of the body?

3. Unrefined carbs (particularly fresh fruits and vegetables) are critically important for maintaining cellular energy. Grains are problematic for many people, particularly people struggling with Syndrome X or food allergies (wheat is no longer natural in our foods and is now the top allergen in the world).

4. Micronutrients are particularly important, especially to 'dieters' since they are notoriously deficient in many vitamins and minerals. Deficiencies are one of the primary causes of inappropriate cravings for foods, or for loss of dietary 'compliance.'

5. Drink water and very little else! Americans consume, on average, 50 gallons of coffee per year. Teenage girls drink, on average, 46 oz. of soda per day! Osteoporosis will be an epidemic in 20 years.

6. Include 35+ grams of fiber daily. Fiber helps remove excess estrogens from the colon before they can be re-absorbed (leading to estrogen dominance).

7. Be sure to nourish the adrenal gland (through sleeping, napping, Siberian Ginseng, Holy Basil, etc.), as cortisol production (through stress) is a problem for female hormone balance!

8. Other lifestyle issues: get plenty of sleep and rest! Stop trying to be superwomen (superwoman is dead!). Exercise frequently, vigorously, and efficiently -- but don't over do it. Excessive exercise can cause endocrine disruption and increased fatigue. Never exercise beyond the body's ability to sustain.

Exercise tends to be more difficult for women than for men, due to lower levels of testosterone and human growth hormone.

'Difficulty' here means the inability to stick with a program over the long term and, more importantly, the ability to lose weight quickly and keep it off. And, it certainly has nothing to do with laziness or 'inferiority'. It's strictly physiological.

Reasons:

a.) When testosterone levels drop (because of insufficient adrenal output) energy is decreased and it is more difficult for women to lay down lean muscle tissue.

b.) Human growth hormone (hGH) levels are more difficult for women to maintain, particularly as they approach menopause. As hGH levels drop, energy plummets because lean tissue slowly decreases. Loss of hGH therefore leads to lowered metabolic rate as metabolically active muscle decreases.

by Matt Pitcher

Fitness Training Routine

Here is my fitness training schedule for my upcoming fitness competition. I will be doing cardio 5 days a week for 40 minutes, 3 of which will be in the morning before breakfast. I will be doing weight training 4 days a week, 2 Leg days and 2 upper body days. One of the upper body days will just be focused on back and shoulders. 

DAY         CARDIO( x6 )            Weights( x4 )
Mon         - Morning Cardio      + Legs
Tues        - Cardio                      + Back/Shoulders
Wed         - Cardio
Thurs       - Morning Cardio       + Legs
Fri            - Cardio                       + Upper body circuit 
Sat           - Morning Cardio
Sun          - Break

Exercise is supposed to make you feel energized --- not exhausted. But if you're feeling lethargic after your workout, you're not alone. When you exercise, you burn calories and expend energy. Depending on the length and intensity of your workout, you may be physically taxing your body, requiring water, nutrients and rest to recover. Talk to your doctor before starting any new exercise program, particularly if you have health conditions or injuries.

Listen to Your Body.. Even if you're only exercising once or twice a week, don't blame yourself for getting tired. Instead of beating yourself up for being out of shape and forcing yourself to march back into the gym the following day, take the cues your body is giving you. When you're tired, your body is demanding rest and nutrients to rebuild your muscles and energize you. Although your workout might have been what pushed you over the edge, chances are you're neglecting your body before you even hit the gym.

 Eat Before and After Your Workout..  It's imperative to eat nutritious foods both before and after you exercise to fuel your body and replace lost calories, vitamins and minerals. Eat a small snack about an hour before you work out. If you plan on exercising for less than an hour, eat carbohydrates that will provide a quick burst of energy, like a bagel or a piece of toast.
 If you are working out for longer than an hour, choose a source of carbohydrates that takes longer to digest, like a banana.

Approximately half an hour after you work out, refuel your body with a snack that contains both protein and carbohydrates, like yogurt with fruit. This snack will replace the glycogen stores that have been depleted during exercise, providing an energy boost.

Get Adequate Hydration.. When you exercise, you sweat. Sweat is mostly water, and you need to replenish this water after you exercise. If you don't, you risk dehydration, which may make you feel lethargic and dizzy. Three hours before you exercise, start drinking water. During these three hours, drink approximately 3 cups of water. While you work out, drink 1 cup of water every 20 minutes. After exercise, drink 3 cups of water for every pound you lost while exercising.

Sleep More... If you've been burning the candle at both ends, exercise might be impossible. If you're spending your nights studying, working or taking care of your family instead of sleeping, you're depriving your body --- and this can make you feel even more tired after a workout. Get seven to eight hours of sleep a night to allow your muscles to rest and rebuild.

Depression and anxiety: Exercise eases symptoms.
Depression symptoms often improve with exercise. Here are some realistic tips to help you get started and stay motivated. 

You have anxiety or depression — and exercise seems like the last thing you want to do. But once you get motivated, exercise can make a big difference.

Exercise helps prevent and improve a number of health problems, including high blood pressure, diabetes and arthritis. Research on anxiety, depression and exercise shows that the psychological and physical benefits of exercise can also help reduce anxiety and improve mood.

The links between anxiety, depression and exercise aren't entirely clear — but working out can definitely help you relax and make you feel better. Exercise may also help keep anxiety and depression from coming back once you're feeling better.

How does exercise help depression and anxiety? Exercise probably helps ease depression in a number of ways, which may include:

• Releasing feel-good brain chemicals that may ease depression (neurotransmitters and endorphins)
• Reducing immune system chemicals that can worsen depression
• Increasing body temperature, which may have calming effects

Exercise has many psychological and emotional benefits too. It can help you:

• Gain confidence. Meeting exercise goals or challenges, even small ones, can boost your self-confidence. Getting in shape can also make you feel better about your appearance.
• Take your mind off worries. Exercise is a distraction that can get you away from the cycle of negative thoughts that feed anxiety and depression.
• Get more social interaction. Exercise may give you the chance to meet or socialize with others. Just exchanging a friendly smile or greeting as you walk around your neighborhood can help your mood.
• Cope in a healthy way. Doing something positive to manage anxiety or depression is a healthy coping strategy. Trying to feel better by drinking alcohol, dwelling on how badly you feel, or hoping anxiety or depression will go away on their own can lead to worsening symptoms.

What kind of exercise is best? The word "exercise" may make you think of running laps around the gym. But a wide range of activities that boost your activity level help you feel better. Certainly running, lifting weights, playing basketball and other fitness activities that get your heart pumping can help. But so can gardening, washing your car, or strolling around the block and other less intense activities. Anything that gets you off the couch and moving is exercise that can help improve your mood.

You don't have to do all your exercise at once, either. Broaden how you think of exercise and find ways to fit activity into your routine. Add small amounts of physical activity throughout your day. For example, take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park a little farther away at work to fit in a short walk. Or, if you live close to your job, consider biking to work.

 Next time you're about to blow, hop on the treadmill instead. Find out how and why working out will calm you down.

Getty Exercise is a great stress reliever, so it's a good thing I do a lot of it. When I run or cycle, I’m away from computers and phones and kids and the media telling me the world is going to explode 30 minutes from now. I use this time to let my mind wander. I sometimes generate article ideas or come up with lines that seem witty at the time. Other times I fantasize about getting my book published and ditching the kids with grandma to take my wife someplace tropical. Conversely, when I lift weights or go downhill skiing, my mind is totally occupied with thoughts of "Don’t drop that weight on your face" or "Don’t ski into that tree."

What my mind is not thinking of are things that stress me out; it provides a needed break from life’s little problems.

Beyond simple logic, there’s also science.

A 2006 study in The Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences explained, more or less, how back when a horde of saber-toothed tigers wandered into the cave, we got stressed out and this elicited the “fight or flight” response. We either grabbed our spears and went all caveman on the invaders, or tried really hard to run faster than someone else so as not to be the one turned into tiger kibble.

These days we still get plenty stressed, and often it’s protracted. Think about it. Tiger comes into cave. Kill tiger or run away from tiger. Within minutes it’s over. But what if the boss sends you an email about your repeated failures, and reminds you of next week’s performance review? It’s not over quickly; it drags out. You sit and stew, and maybe send a snotty email to someone. This isn’t exactly unleashing your inner cavewoman, and that’s bad.

According to the above-mentioned study, the stress causes your adrenal glands to go berserk to mobilize energy resources, and you need to burn that stuff off. If you don’t then it leads to bad things like insulin resistance, storing of visceral (belly) fat, and suppression of gonadal, growth and thyroid hormones. All this stuff serves to put you at much higher risk of heart attack.

Another interesting study came out of Norway in 1996, looking at fibromyalgia patients and comparing aerobic exercise with mental stress management techniques. The researchers found that aerobic exercise “was the overall most effective treatment, despite being subject to the most skeptical patient attitude prior to the study.” So the patients didn’t think exercise would work, but it did anyway. I wonder if the researchers said, “Nyah! Nyah!”

The American Psychological Association has weighed in on this subject as well, asserting that, “physically active people have lower rates of anxiety and depression than sedentary people.” However, this isn’t necessarily coming from the old myth about endorphins: “So far there's little evidence for the popular theory that exercise causes a rush of endorphins. Rather, one line of research points to the less familiar neuromodulator norepinephrine, which may help the brain deal with stress more efficiently.”

However, it may not be just chemical: “exercise seems to give the body a chance to practice dealing with stress,” The APA says. “It forces the body's physiological systems - all of which are involved in the stress response - to communicate much more closely than usual.”

So, the next time your blood pressure spikes and you feel like twisting the head off some Voodoo dolls, instead of sitting their and practicing some deep breathing exercises, go for a different type of heavy breathing: push yourself at something physical and you’ll burn off stressful feelings and calories at the same time.

 

2 more months until OPA Provincials. I have started getting ready for my next show, which takes place in Toronto Ontario on June 18th 2011. =)