Do you know what your pituitary gland, thyroid, thymus, adrenal glands and pancreas have in common? They are all endocrine glands, and their jobs are to make hormones.
Hormones are chemicals that deliver messages throughout your entire body via the bloodstream. These messages are delivered to your tissues and organs, but they are very specific: only those cells which are sensitive to that particular hormone will accept it and be activated by it.
Because they are very potent, it only takes a very small amount to initiate a significant response in the body. Hormones cannot be stored; they have to be produced and released at the precise moment they are needed. Therefore, in order to maintain balance within the systems in your body, this maintenance must continually be fine-tuned. An ongoing, intricate system of checks and balances is happening every minute of every day.
For example, if the level of one hormone increases too much, your body may release a different hormone to restore the balance necessary for proper mental and physical functions in your body.
When something goes wrong
When your body’s intricate system of checks and balances fails to keep your hormones at just the right levels and limits, hormone imbalance results. Hormone imbalance can happen at any age, but it is most common among adults who are beyond middle age. When hormones become unbalanced, it can have a profound impact on your quality of life, both physically and mentally.
Because there are so many different hormones working together in your body, the symptoms vary widely.
Women experiencing an imbalance of estrogen and progesterone may suffer from hot flashes, weight gain, decline in bone density, and fatigue. When testosterone levels get out of balance, men may notice decreased sex drive and infertility.
Many people suffer from an imbalance of the hormone insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas. When levels of insulin drop too low, diabetes results. Symptoms of diabetes include frequent urination, unquenchable thirst and weakness.
An overactive or underactive thyroid can also trigger hormone imbalance. If your thyroid is under active you may be gaining weight that you cannot lose. You may also be very fatigued. And overactive thyroid may result in weight loss and hair loss.
Solutions
If you suspect you have a hormone imbalance, talk to your doctor or work with a local Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner in your area. You can find one at www.bonesandhormones.com.
Of course, eating a healthy diet and getting plenty of exercise are actions you can take right now to help your body cope with any stress it is under.
- Choose fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes and lean proteins.
- Reduce or eliminate processed foods such as chips, candy, cookies, white flour and white sugar.
- Commit to an exercise program, and find someone to keep you accountable.
Taking care of your health will go a long way toward helping to alleviate the symptoms of hormone imbalance.
To your success,
Coach Travis Barrett MS, CSCS
P.S. If you’ve found any of this helpful, please be sure to share, like, subscribe to this channel (and my YouTube channel listed below). DHP is exclusively built on word of mouth. We need your help in order to continue to grow and help more people!
P.P.S. - Whenever you're ready, here are 2 ways I can help
1) Subscribe to the DHP YouTube Channel for our most up to date free information about training, nutrition, and recovery
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Check out these testimonials below
Traci Counley said “I have been working with Travis for 6 years and he is an amazing coach! I have had several personal trainers over the last 15 years and by far Travis is the most dedicated, thorough, and up to date trainer I have ever had the pleasure to work with. He programs workouts for me on a really progressive and easy to use iPhone app and I do the workouts in my home gym. I love this flexibility and the ability to track my workouts easily. He really gets to know you as an individual and focuses on your goals and how best to achieve them. Travis has an extensive background in kinesiology, various training methods and power lifting and is constantly adapting to the needs of his clients to get them in the best shape of their lives. He consistently seeks out additional training and workshops to expand his fitness knowledge and then passes that onto his clients with new workouts. If you are committed and follow his scheduled workouts and put in a little extra time for mobility work, I guarantee you will be satisfied with your fitness goals. I am in the best shape of my life in my mid 40’s and the strongest I have ever been and the reason why is because Travis has me on a program that changes every 4 weeks and uses different exercises with different rep ranges, intensity and volume each block. He is amazing at coming up with new exercises that work muscle groups in different ways so that you are consistently making gains. He also uses the concept of periodization effectively to maximize strength but also works in appropriate deloading weeks. I cannot say enough great things about Travis not only as a strength and conditioning coach but as a human being. He is one of the kindest people I have ever met and is very easy to talk to and work with. Working with Travis has been the best decision I’ve ever made. Make the commitment now to the best trainer out there!
Emma Price said “Travis has been phenomenal to work with! As an avid runner and a stay at home mom, I was struggling to find a workout routine/program that wasn’t all “fluff” workouts and cardio, yet was also nervous to do anything at the gym beyond a treadmill due to a 15 yr old chronic back injury. Enter Travis! He has 100% met me where I’m at and created a path forward. I’m an absolute novice, and he’s helping me become comfortable in the gym, has handled all my questions and concerns, and most important to me, is helping me get stronger and more limber without hurting or aggravating my injury. Travis is extremely knowledgeable and attentive to detail, which I highly appreciate. As well as meeting in person, he uses a great coaching app we can communicate through and where he can share videos of the workouts I need to do and in return I can share my videos so he can check my form. I’m just a regular person, not a gym rat or body builder, so I was a bit hesitant to seek out a personal trainer, but it has been one of the best decisions I’ve made! Travis is just all around a great guy and amazing coach!!”
Fredrick Lee said “Travis is an absolute professional! I’ve been in special operations for over 12+ years and have had many injuries. I was about to get another back surgery when I started working with Travis. Within 6 months I was pain free, 6 months later I was reaching performance and strength I haven’t seen in years!”
