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If you find this article helpful, please forward it to friends and relatives. There are many physical, mental, and physiological benefits to regular exercise. One category of benefits is the impact that exercise has on many of your body’s hormones. Hormones are chemical messengers within your body that affect almost all aspects of human function:

1. Growth Hormone

- Stimulates protein synthesis (muscle tone/development), and strength of bones,
tendons, ligaments, and cartilage. – Decreases use of glucose and increases use
of fat as a fuel during exercise. This helps to reduce body fat and to keep
blood glucose at a normal level which helps you to exercise for a longer period
of time. Release of growth hormone from the pituitary gland in the brain is
increased with increasing aerobic exercise time, especially more intense
exercise such as interval training. To receive an article on interval training,
send email to: Intervals@Landry.com

2. Endorphins

- An endogenous opioid from the pituitary gland that blocks pain, decreases
appetite, creates a feeling of euphoria (the exercise high), and reduces tension
and anxiety.

Blood levels of endorphins increase up to five times resting levels during
longer duration (greater than 30 minutes) aerobic exercise at moderate to
intense levels and also during interval training.

Also, after several months of regular exercise, you develop an increased
sensitivity to endorphins (a higher high from the same level of endorphins), and
endorphins that are produced tend to stay in your blood for a longer period of
time. This makes longer duration exercise easier (you’re feeling no pain) and it
causes your exercise high to last for a longer period of time after exercise.

3. Testosterone

- An important hormone in both males and females for maintaining muscle
tone/volume/strength, increasing basal metabolic rate (metabolism), decreasing
body fat, and feeling self-confident. It’s produced by the

ovaries in females and by the testes in males. – Females have only about one
tenth the amount of testosterone that males do, but even at that level in
females it also plays a role in libido and intensity of org*sms. Production of
testosterone in females begins to decline as a woman begins to approach
menopause and in males it begins to decline in his forties. Blood levels of
testosterone increase with exercise in both males and females beginning about 20
minutes into an exercise session, and blood levels may remain elevated for one
to three hours after exercise.

4. Estrogen

- The most biologically active estrogen, 17 beta estradiol, increases fat
breakdown from body fat stores so that it can be used and fuel, increases basal
metabolic rate (metabolism), elevates your mood, and increases libido. This
hormone is at much higher blood levels in females, but the ovaries begin to
produce less of it as a woman begins to approach menopause. The amount of 17
beta estradiol secreted by the ovaries increases with exercise, and blood levels
may remain elevated for one to four hours after exercise.

5. Thyroxine (T4)

- A hormone produced by the thyroid gland, Thyroxine riases the metabolic rate
(“metabolism”) of almost all cells in the body. This increase in “metabolism”
helps you to feel more energetic and also causes you to expend more calories,
and thus is important in weight loss. Blood levels of thyroxine increase by
about 30% during exercise and remain elevated for several hours afterward – this
period of time is increased by an increase in intensity and/or duration of
exercise. Regular exercise also increase thyroxine levels at rest.

6. Epinephrine

- A hormone produced primarily by the adrenal medulla that increases the amount
of blood the heart pumps and directs blood flow to where it’s needed. -
Stimulates breakdown of glycogen (stored carbohydrate) in the active muscles and
liver to use as fuel. It also stimulates the breakdown of fat (in stored fat and
in active muscles) to use as fuel. The amount of epinephrine released from the
adrenal medulla is proportional to the intensity and duration of exercise.

7. Insulin

An important hormone in regulating (decreasing) blood levels of glucose (“blood
sugar”) and in directing glucose, fatty acids, and amino acids into the cells.
Insulin secretion by the pancreas is increased in response to a rise in blood
sugar as is often the case after a meal. Typically, the larger the meal, or the
greater the quantity of simple sugars consumed, the larger the insulin response.
This is another reason that it’s good to eat small frequent meals and to limit
consumption of sugar and of processed bread, pasta and rice. The whole grain
(non- processed) versions of those products are a much healthier choice. Blood
levels of insulin begin to decrease about 10 minutes into an aerobic exercise
session and continue to decrease through about 70 minutes of exercise. Regular
exercise also increases a cell’s sensitivity to insulin at rest, so that less is
needed.

8. Glucagon

A hormone that is also secreted by the pancreas, but it’s job is to raise blood
levels of glucose (“blood sugar”). When blood sugar levels get too low, glucagon
is secreted and causes stored carbohydrate (glycogen) in the liver to be
released into the blood stream to raise blood sugar to a normal level. It also
causes the breakdown of fat so that it can be used as fuel. Glucagon typically
begins to be secreted beyond 30 minutes of exercise when blood glucose levels
may begin to decrease. So, next time you’re exercising, think about all the
wonderful things that are happening to your hormones. It might even make you
want to do more exercise!

copyright 2004 by Greg Landry, M.S Author and exercise physiologist, Greg
Landry, offers free weight loss and fitness success stories and targeted, highly
affective weight loss programs for women, men, type 2 diabetics, and people with
slow metabolisms and hypothyroidism.. http://www.Landry.com

 

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