Hormones play a huge role in how our body functions and each of them is responsible for specific work. While one makes us feel hungry, the other does exactly the opposite.
While one tells our brain that we need to store fat only, another activates the body to start burning, as if tomorrow would not exist. The trick is how to learn to activate the hormones that affect us positively and how to exclude the negative ones.
Today we reveal 6 ways you can do this:
The hormone that makes you feel hungry
Ghrelin is a hormone that sends a message to your brain that it’s time to eat. An interesting fact is that reducing calorie intake stimulates ghrelin production, and even though you have been on a low-calorie diet for 12 months, its level may still be high. This is one reason why low-calorie nutrition diets are not effective in the long run. Our body just can’t get used to it.
What can you do?
The good news is that intense cardio workouts can reduce ghrelin levels.
Cardio exercises can include running, weight training, boxing, and the like, as long as your heart rate rises to a certain level. Reaching this level is important and there are many different tools you can use to read your heart rate. But there is an easier way to understand when you have achieved it. If you breathe too fast and you can still talk but can’t sing, then your heart rate is probably at the right level.
The hormone that tells you to eat less
Fortunately, our body also produces hormones that tell the brain to consume more calories and eat less, and leptin is one of them. It is produced from fat cells, which means that the bigger our body weight, the more leptin we have. What sounds great, but after a certain stage, our body gets what specialists call leptin resistance, a condition in which the brain cannot read the leptin signal.
What can you do?
The solution is simple, foods that are high in antioxidants increase the sensitivity of leptin. The list of foods rich in antioxidants is very long and you can always find something you like. Losing weight has the same effect and eventually, the more weight you lose, the stronger the leptin effect.
Sugar-absorbing hormone
Insulin is very important for our well-being, regulates blood sugar levels and helps us to stabilize after intense exercise. Our body releases insulin when we consume carbohydrates and helps cells absorb glucose. Glucose is used for energy, but if we get more glucose than we need, all the residue will turn into fat.
What can you do?
The solution is to get the most of your carbs, vegetables and fruits that have a low glycemic index (GI). The lower the GI, the slower the glucose is released and the longer it can be used. This does not mean that you should stick to a strict diet, you only need to replace high GI foods for low GI foods. For example, white rice can be replaced with brown rice, or instant oatmeal with classic oat flakes. The trick is very simple.
The hormone that tells our body to burn fat
Adiponectin is also produced by fat cells and the beauty of this hormone is that it increases our insulin sensitivity and stimulates our body to burn fat and convert it to energy
What can you do?
You can increase adiponectin levels by increasing your movement throughout the day and filling your daily menu with monounsaturated fats such as fish, nuts, avocado and olive oil. Consuming low carbohydrates for dinner also increases adiponectin production.
Hormone that uses fat
Glucagon is a hormone that works the opposite of insulin. Glucagon helps break down stored carbohydrates and fats and uses them for energy. The more glucagon you have in your body, the more useful it will be.
What can you do?
Foods high in protein and low carbohydrates are the best way to increase glucagon levels. Fish, meat, seafood, tofu and nuts are just a small part of the list of foods you need.
Hormone that reduces appetite
Epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, is released when we experience very strong emotions, fears or anger that require a rapid response, which is why this hormone is also called a fighter hormone.
Basically, this hormone is released in very specific situations when our brains tell us that we may need to be ready for action, to be fast or strong, and it encourages our body to start using stored fats as fuel for energy. It also suppresses our appetite so our body is ready for quick action.
What can you do?
The best and healthiest way to increase epinephrine levels is by practicing high-intensity exercise, followed by adequate breaks
So for example, for a start, you can start with accelerated movement, and the break may actually be reduced intensity, ie slow motion.