Exercise is crucial to everyone’s mental and physical health. Figuring out an exercise routine that works well for you and your goals can keep you motivated and teach you an unlimited amount of information about the human body. When it comes to physical activity, it is unlikely that reproductive hormones come to mind. However, they can have a huge influence on your performance and results from a gym session. Hormones are one of the main ways your body sends signals and can regulate a wide range of bodily functions and feelings. Today, we will be looking at 6 things you need to know about exercise and reproductive hormones.
Exercise Can Balance Hormones
The two main sex hormones in males and females are testosterone (more male) and progesterone (more female). With the correct amount and type of physical activity, these can be balanced, which can improve your exercise performance and general health. Exercise has been proven to reduce stress, which is triggered by the hormone cortisol. When cortisol levels are high, it can lower the levels of sex hormones in men and women.
Sleep Will Help Too
Getting the right amount of good quality sleep will be able to help you regulate your hormones and improve your exercise performance. This will be due to healthy hormone and energy levels, plus post-workout recovery. Sleep will allow your body to maintain the correct level of sex hormones. When you don’t sleep enough, your body will struggle to regulate stress hormones, which can lower sex hormones (as mentioned previously).
Testosterone Can Increase Performance
Testosterone in men can increase energy levels and can help to maintain muscle mass. In return, this can improve your performance during your workouts. Your testosterone levels can be increased naturally through resistance training and sprint training, while endurance training can reduce levels. To help ensure a boost in your performance and increase your muscle growth, you could consider taking testosterone as an injectable.
Activity May Alter Estrogen
Estrogen is a female sex hormone that will play a huge part in the development of physical features, reproduction and the menstrual cycle. It can also affect cholesterol, bone health and more. In postmenopausal women, moderate exercise for three hours a week can significantly decrease the levels of circulating estrogens. In return, this can reduce the risks of breast cancer. However, there is little evidence to support this as the results aren’t consistent.
Moving More Affects Fertility
If you are struggling to conceive and treatment and lifestyle changes don’t seem to be helping, then you should consider changing up your exercise regime. Research shows that women who exercise on a more regular basis will get pregnant faster than those who don’t exercise often. Exercise can also prepare you more for pregnancy and it can increase your strength for labor. In men, testosterone supplements can actually reduce fertility and lower sperm production.
Sex Hormones Affect Weight
Sex hormones can have a large effect on the metabolism and must be balanced to ensure maximum efficiency. In males, testosterone will play a huge part in weight loss, as it can increase muscle mass and energy levels. In women, low levels of progesterone can throw off estrogen levels. Changes in estrogen levels can lead to weight gain, which is often seen in women during menopause. If you are struggling to lose weight with exercise, it could be due to hormones.
Understanding the links between exercise and reproductive hormones can be complicated, but in return, it could help you get more out of your workouts. When you know your body well, you will be able to carry out the necessary steps to take care of it properly.
