Weight Loss Challenges and Hormones: The Hidden Connection

One of the most frustrating things you can probably experience is doing your best to lose weight, and not seeing the results that you want to see. This is not uncommon and a lot of people go through this infuriating episode in their lives on a regular basis.

Why is it more difficult for some people to shed the pounds while others are just burning these off with the same amount of effort? Is something stopping you from succeeding in your goal to lose weight?

You might not be aware of this, but your weight loss efforts may be ineffective due to your hormones. Yes, an increase or decrease in the levels of certain hormones can hinder attempts to lose weight, and in order for you to succeed in attaining your fitness goals, you need to address these imbalances first. What hormonal imbalances may be reducing your weight loss chances? Here are some of them:

Hormones For Weight Loss

Leptin – this is a hormone that is released by body fat, and this tells your brain that you need to burn more calories and to eat less. There are times however when your body has too much fat that leptin is produced too much, which then results in what is called leptin resistance.

This is when your brain becomes somewhat immune to the signals that come from such a hormone. You will need to remove the leptin resistance from your system before weight loss efforts can show any substantial results.

Cortisol – when you are stressed, cortisol is the hormone that is produced. This is what prepares you to either fight or flee. While this is all right in small doses, with how lives are being lived these days, people are constantly under a lot of stress, which means a body is bombarded by too much cortisol.

This is not good.

Too much of this hormone in your system makes you crave high-carb and high-sugar foods, which in turn results in a feeling of constant hunger, which then results in overeating. This also triggers the body to store more fat in your abdominal area, and this abdominal fat actually makes your body produce more cortisol when under stress.

Ghrelin – this is a hormone that tells your brain when you are hungry. When you try to reduce your caloric intake, there is an increase in this hormone and your body will feel that it is always hungry.

It has been seen that even after you have returned to eating normally, your body will still feel hunger pangs from an elevated ghrelin level.

The good news is you can counteract this increase in ghrelin with intense exercise. This is why dieting alone is not a good idea.

Adiponectin – this is a hormone that aids your body in losing more fat, and is produced by lean muscle. When you have very little lean muscle to begin with, and a lot of body fat, your body does not produce enough adiponectin.

This is where problems may arise and why people lose hope when it comes to losing those love-handles.

In order to make your weight loss efforts more effective, you need to create lean muscle and lose fat to increase your adiponectin levels, but since the lower levels of this hormone makes it difficult to do this, it feels like an impossible task.

In order for you to find out which hormones are wreaking havoc on your weight loss efforts, you need to visit your doctor. Tests can be done to find out what hormones are imbalanced, and what treatments need to be given to help you with these. Once you have your hormones on even keel, losing that excess weight won’t be the frustrating endeavor it used to be.

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5 Exercises Done Wrong – How To Do Them Right

As millions of Americans in February have almost given up on those new years resolutions, many are getting in over their heads. According to Stacy Berman, a New York City certified personal trainer and founder of Stacy’s Boot Camp, “when a person decides to attempt lifting and exercise on their own, they are at great risk for injury, which can set them back even further than where they started.”

Stacy notes that almost everyone knows that lifting a heavy object without bending at the knees strains the lower back or running on an uneven surface causes sore knees and hips. What most people don’t know is that even slight changes in posture and incorrect technique while performing -lifting movements can cause great injuries.

Below Stacy lists the top five exercises that people do WRONG in the gym, and how to correct your own technique to avoid getting hurt.

Sit-ups

The sit-up is not only bad for the neck, it isn’t very effective at toning the mid-section, either. Many people lock their hands behind their head and strain their neck while sitting up, causing a torque in the spine, which ultimately leads to neck and back pain.

• Do it Right: According to Stacy, “For a safe and effective stomach workout, you should do abdominal crunches instead of sit-ups. Lie on your back and position your legs with your feet on the floor and your knees bent.
• Then, with your hands either behind your head or crossed over your chest, lift your entire torso from the belly button-up to about a 45-degree angle, taking care to keep your spine aligned and your back flat against the floor.” Stacy also notes that slower is better – slowly lift and lower your torso for a better overall ab workout and less strain on your neck and back.

Squats

When done correctly, squats can be a great strength building and toning exercise for the lower body, however, Stacy says, many people overdo it when it comes to – which can lead to injury. “Doing a squat exercise with a barbell across your back puts you in a position to lift a great amount of many people – men especially – are prone to add too much too soon, causing them to default into improper position just to lift the .”

• Do it Right: Starting at a low is key for squats, notes Stacy, because you can focus solely on your form. The proper positioning for a squat should be as follows: standing straight with a plain (no added) barbell across the back of your shoulders and your feet slightly wider  than shoulder width apart, lower your body down as if you are going to sit in a chair.
• Keeping your knees in a straight line as you lower and stop as your thighs are creating a 90-degree angle with your lower legs. Your knees should stay in line with the rest of your legs (do not let them buckle in or out) and should not at any point bend too far forward as to cover your toes (always keep your toes in sight to make sure your are sitting “deep” enough into the squat).

Shoulder Press

This exercise strains the shoulders, both on the way down and on the way up. The little muscles on the top of your shoulders work too hard and become inflamed, causing “ lifters shoulder.” It can also a lot of stress on the shoulder joints, which can lead to permanent damage.

• Do it Right: By keeping your spine in line with your shoulders and head, you can avoid potential pain and injury in your shoulders and spine, says Stacy.
• Just like the squat, moderate should be used while you are still developing proper form. Stacy also adds: “you should avoid the common ‘thrust up’ than you may see many lifters using at the gym – which creates a lot of force on the way up, making the exercise easier, but very dangerous if you are not in control of the you are lifting.”

Push-ups

Push-ups are often the culprit of neck, lower back, elbow and shoulder pain. They require a lot of strength – holding your entire body parallel to the floor is no small feat and it’s easy to overdo it.

• Do it Right: According to Stacy, “the number one sin when doing push-ups is the ‘saggy back,’ which I see in almost all of my clients when they first start doing the exercise.” Stacy recommends you start with modified push-ups on your knees in the proper form – which is hands placed shoulder-width apart and lowering your body until your chest nearly touches the floor, keeping your head, neck and back aligned. “Once you are comfortable doing modified push-ups, start adding just a few ‘regular’ ones into your routine until you are strong enough to completely replace the modified ones,” says Stacy.

Pull-Ups

Ever since Middle School, push-ups have been the time-old test for fitness. Stacy says the exercise is only effective if you do it right – the most common mistake, she notes, is locking your elbows when you are lowering yourself from the bar. “Pull-ups are a combination of raw strength and momentum. Being in control is a top priority – because if you are swinging up and down on the bar, you will strain your arms, neck and back in the process. Knowing when to stop is also a very important piece of advice.”

• Do it Right: Using an assisted pull-up machine at the gym will help you reach your goal while keeping proper form. Using a machine should not make the exercise easy for you, but just “doable” says Stacy. “Position your hands a little wider than shoulder width apart. Traditional ‘pull up’ hand position is to curl your hands under the bar, with your fingers facing you.
• The primary muscle you will be engaging is your biceps. Lower yourself slowly until your arms are almost completely extended, but not ‘locked’ at the elbows. Pull yourself back up in the same controlled motion. Do this with a little less assistance each time and eventually you will be on your own!”

One final point from Stacy: working out should be fun and leave you feeling refreshed and invigorated, not in pain. Don’t feel pressure to show off at the gym or get ahead of yourself – slow and steady wins the race!

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