Our bodies were built for movement. Exercise and training greatly affect hormones and encourage the breakdown of fat tissue. Intense training increases human growth hormone, which helps with muscle growth and recovery as well as tissue repair in our body. It also increases testosterone, which helps us to burn fat and build muscle tone. Shorter, intense exercise (under 45 minutes) will have this effect and indicates a good workout. If the intense exercise is too long in duration, it can have a negative effect with too much cortisol (stress hormone) being released. You can feel drained of energy after over training.
Your body also releases endorphins when you exercise (also experienced during sex). Endorphins are neurotransmitters that are known as the “feel good” hormone. It’s your bodies “natural high.”
Exercising regularly will help reduce stress and anxiety, promote deep sleep, increase energy, strengthen your heart and improve your confidence. This is all good for your hormones.
It’s recommended that for every intense exercise session you have, also have a restorative exercise session, such as yoga or tai chi. This helps encourage balance and discourages excess stress and elevated cortisol levels, especially important if you have a high stress lifestyle.
Learn more about taking your health to the next level by optimizing your hormones: