Exercise for Hormone Balance Simplified

Symptoms of Hormone Imbalance

  • Weight gain or loss

  • Fatigue

  • Bowel issues

  • Decreased sex drive

  • Feeling hot or cold

  • Thinning hair

  • Muscle and joint stiffness, aches, and pains

  • Heart rate changes

  • Bloating

Regular exercise is beneficial to endocrine health, as it can help balance hormones like cortisol, insulin, thyroid hormones, and sex hormones

Three Main Types of Exercise

  • Aerobic

    • Aerobic exercise is exercise which requires the use of oxygen to fuel the body for exercise demands. This form of exercise is traditionally thought of as cardiovascular exercise, such as running on a treadmill or cycling.

    • It is repetitive, rhythmic exercise that increases the heart rate and requires you to use more oxygen.

    • Excellent for burning calories and paring down unwanted fat.

    • Consists of activities that make the heart and lungs work harder: think of walking, biking, running, and swimming, for example.

    • Aerobic exercise temporarily boosts your heart rate and breathing, allowing more oxygen to reach your muscles and tuning up cardiovascular endurance. These are the activities that are associated with lower risk for many diseases and longer life span.

  • Anaerobic

    • Anaerobic exercise is a form of exercise that requires glucose for short intense workloads.

    • Strength training (resistance training) and sprinting are forms of anaerobic exercise.

    • Strength training is the process of building and maintaining muscles in the body by using progressively heavier weights (or resistance). It is also called  resistance training, weight lifting, toning, and bodybuilding.

    • Strength training is very important for maintaining muscle mass throughout your lifetime.

    • Strength or resistance training, which typically employs equipment such as weight machines, free weights, or resistance bands or tubing, protects against bone loss and builds muscle. It also improves your body’s ratio of lean muscle mass to fat. It, too, deserves an important place in your exercise routine.

    • Technically, strength or resistance training takes place any time your muscles face a stronger-than-usual counterforce, such as pushing against a wall or lifting a dumbbell. Using progressively heavier weights or increasing resistance makes muscles stronger. Aside from toning you, strength training provides the functional strength you need to do everyday activities— lifting groceries, climbing stairs, rising from a chair, rushing for the bus—with ease.

  • Flexibility.

    • Flexibility training is a form of training designed to increase range of motion of joints and lengthen muscles.

    • Flexibility training is beneficial for reducing injury risk and enhancing overall functional movement.

How to Build and Exercise Plan

  • There is no single type of exercise that can take care of all your needs.

  • A mix of activities is most beneficial.

  • The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services urge all adults to include the following types of exercise in their weekly routines:

    • 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week (for example, 30 minutes on each of five days)
      or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity (or an equivalent mix of the two).

    • Two or more strength training sessions per week, with at least 48 hours in between to allow muscles
      to recover.

  • Each workout should also include a simple warm-up at the beginning and a cool-down at the end.

    • The warm-up should consist of gentle exercise, such as marching in place, to loosen up your muscles and get more oxygen-rich blood flowing to them.

    • To cool down, slow your activity and the intensity for five to 10 minutes, then finish off with stretches to help prevent stiffness.

  • Getting started with aerobic exercise

    • Walking is a great place to start

    • Walking basics

      • .Practice good technique:

      • Walk at a brisk, steady pace. Slow down if you’re too breathless to carry on a conversation.

      • Stand tall.

      • Hold your head up so your chin is level and look 10 to 20 feet in front of you.

      • Lift your chest.

      • Keep your shoulders down.

      • Let your arms swing loosely at your sides. If you want to boost your speed, bend your elbows at 90-degree angles and swing your hands from waist to chest height

      • Land on your heel, then roll forward onto the ball of your foot, pushing off from your toes.

      • Take comfortable strides. To go faster, take quicker steps instead of longer ones.

  • Strength Training

    • The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend strengthening exercises for all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, chest, abdomen, shoulders, and arms) two or more times a week, with at least 48 hours between sessions.

    • One set per session is effective, though two or three sets may be better, according to some research.

    • Repeat each exercise eight to 12 times (reps). Your body needs at least 48 hours for recovery and repair between strength training sessions in order to build more muscle and get stronger.

  • Getting started with strength training

    • Focus on form, not weight

    • Align your body correctly and move smoothly through each exercise. 

    • Many experts suggest starting with no weight, or very light weight, when learning a strength training routine.

    • Concentrate on slow, smooth lifts and equally controlled descents while isolating a muscle group. You isolate muscles by holding your body in a specific position while consciously contracting and releasing the targeted muscles.

    • Focus on tempo

    • Tempo helps you stay in control rather than undercut strength gains through momentum.

    • Breathe

      • Blood pressure increases during a work- out, but it rises even more if you hold your breath while performing strength exercises. To avoid steep increases, exhale as you lift, push, or pull; inhale as you release. To make sure that you’re not holding your breath, count your tempo aloud.

    • Keep challenging muscles

      • The right weight differs depending on the exercise. Choose a weight that tires the targeted muscle or muscles by the last two repetitions (reps) while still allowing you to maintain good form. If you can’t do the minimum number of reps, choose a lighter weight. When it feels too easy, as if you could continue doing reps, challenge your muscles again by adding weight (roughly 1 to 2 pounds for arms, 2 to 5 pounds for legs) or using a stronger resistance band. Alternately, you can add another set of reps to your workout (up to three sets), or work out additional days per week. If you add weight, remember that you should be able to do the minimum number of reps with good form, and the targeted muscles should feel tired by the last two reps.

    • Give muscles time off

      • Strenuous exercise like strength training causes tiny tears in muscle tissue. These tears are good, not bad: muscles grow stronger as the tears knit up. Always allow at least 48 hours between sessions for muscles to recover.

  • Flexibility exercises

    • Flexibility exercises like stretching and yoga gently reverse the shortening and tightening of muscles.

    • The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans present no specific recommendations for making flexibility exercises part of your routine. However, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends that older adults do flexibility exercises on the same days as aerobic or strength activities, or at least twice a week.

  • Get started with flexibility exercises

    • Stretch all muscle groups. Just as with strength training, stretching should include all muscle groups.

    • Feel mild tension only. Extend your muscle to the point where you feel mild tension and hold that position. You should never feel pain.

    • Breathe. Breathe easily through your nose while stretching.

    • Hold and repeat. The best results come from holding a stretch for 10 to 30 seconds and repeating each stretch two to six times for a total of one minute.

An Exercise Plan

  • It is important to have a balanced and reasonable plan.

  • Frequency of workouts depends on fitness level, goals and time.

  • It really depends on your fitness level, goals, and how much time you can realistically devote to exercise.

  • It is important to set goals which can be accomplished, to set oneself for success not failure. It is better to accomplish multiple, smaller attainable goals in a progressive manner.

  • A good beginner workout plan is to try starting with two workouts a week. After you get used to that, you can consider gradually increasing the number of days.

  • Aim for some type of intentional movement each day.

  • Beyond any specific workout routine, aim to walk daily (a good goal is 10,000 steps per day, as often as you can) and spend as little time as possible being sedentary. Try to be mindful of how often you move.

  • Setting habits and accountability is important.

A Workout Routine

  • A good workout routine should include the three types of exercise: aerobic. anaerobic and flexibility.

  • For five days per week and are working on both strength and cardiovascular fitness,

  • A good starting point is: three days of strength training, two days of cardio, and two days of active rest.

  • Strength training recommendations

    • Try to work each muscle group two to three times a week.

    • Exercise the major muscle groups of your upper and lower body, including your glutes, quads, hamstrings, chest, abdomen, and core, shoulders, back and arms.

    • You also want to have a balance between pushing movements (like an overhead press or chest press) and pulling movements (like with a row).

    • Shoot for 12–15 reps per set when you are just getting started.

    • Advancement includes: decrease the reps as you add more weight. One to two sets of each exercise is enough for your first month, after which you may want to increase it to three, she says.

    • You can stay with a program for 4 weeks and then progressively increase weight.

  • Cardio recommendations

    • Options include: jogging, biking, elliptical,  dance, rowing and others.

    • Heart rate goals may vary for each individual but a good target is between 120 and 150 beats per minute for 45 to 60 minutes.

    • Another option is interval training (HIIT), where you work hard for a short amount of time and alternate that with recovery periods.

  • Rest day recommendations

    • 2 times each week

    • A rest day can be active recovery, or just rest.

    • Active recovery can include stretching, restorative gentle yoga or Pilates.

A Note About High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

  • HIIT (high intensity interval training), a workout style that combines short bursts of highly intense exercise with quick periods of rest.

  • When you incorporate strength training such as lifting weights, or engage in squats, lunges, pushups, and other body resistance moves, it builds muscle while helping to burn calories, and can help to reverse some of the impact of chronically high cortisol levels.

  • This type of exercise has been shown to burn fat more effectively than aerobic exercise alone,

  • HIIT has been demonstrated to actually increase human growth hormone (HGH)

    • HGH promotes recovery, metabolism, and muscle growth.

    • It improves insulin sensitivity.

  • However, overdoing it, which can actually have the opposite effect on your hormones, leading to excess adrenaline and cortisol.

  • It may be optimal to add HIIT to your routine two to three times per week for about 20-30 minutes. Consistency and rest are also important.

  • The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend accumulating a weekly total of at least two- and-a-half hours of moderate aerobic activity, or one hour and 15 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity. (Note: If you prefer a mix, 10 minutes of vigorous activity equals roughly 20 minutes of moderate activity.) Raising your weekly goal to five hours of moderate activity, or two-and-a-half hours of vigorous activity, nets additional health benefits, especially weight loss. Each session should last at least 10 minutes.

  • Beginner HIIT

    • Run/jog brisk pace for 30 seconds

    • Jog/walk slower pace for 2 minutes

    • After resting … 30 second run/jog

    • Continue for 10 push/rest intervals

A Note About Yoga and Pilates

  • It has been found that women who worked out for 12 weeks developed better balance, flexibility, muscle strength, and estrogen levels. The women worked out for 60 minutes per day three times per week doing yoga and light dance. The yoga was doubly beneficial as it is both a physical exercise and a proven stress reducer (and thus cortisol overload-fighting) technique.

  • One study found that after eight weeks of a Pilates exercise program, women saw a decrease in menopausal symptoms caused by changing hormones. Pilates is also the only type of exercise that directly targets your pelvic floor, which can be an added benefit for women in perimenopause and menopause. 

  • Hormone issues can lead to lowered energy levels and inflammation, exercise can help this.

Exercise for PCOS

  • Any type helps.

  • A literature review of studies published in the journal Sports Medicine regarding types of exercises, such as strength training and aerobic activity, did not find one specific exercise type was the most beneficial to women with PCOS.

  • Some of the studies reviewed aerobic exercise and resistance training, riding a stationary bicycle versus riding a bicycle outside, and treadmill walking or jogging at a moderate intensity versus vigorous intensity. The authors did find there are many exercise types that could benefit women with PCOS.

  • The message from these and other studies is that exercise can usually help you when you have PCOS, and the best exercise is what you will do regularly.

A  Good Start

  • Embrace consistency. Regular exercise helps manage insulin resistance (which can impact your hormone health and cause a variety of issues), sleep quality, and energy levels.

  • Make it enjoyable.

  • Embrace accountability. Workout with a friend, text someone every time you finish a routine, create a fitness diary Instagram account, join a class or exercise program online, or download a fitness app that lets you share your gains.

  • Turn it into a method of self care.

Monday Strength Training

Tuesday Cardio +/- HIIT

Wednesday Strength Training

Thursday Cardio +/- HIIT

Friday Cardio

Saturday Yoga/Pilates

Sunday Stretch

FITNESS APPS THAT CAN HELP

Gymondo

Orange Theory

Sworkit

Future

My Fitness Pal

Noom