Hormones, Part 3: Rebalancing

As you read on Wednesday, when our cortisol, adrenaline, and insulin levels are out of balance, our health suffers. It starts with minor symptoms and can progress to more serious issues.

So what are some ways to rebalance these hormone levels? I’ll give you one guess… nutrition! Oh, and exercise, stress management, and other lifestyle choices will help too.

Nutrition

• Never skip meals! When you do, your blood sugar gets out of whack and you tend to experience increased cravings and mood swings. Not to mention your metabolism slows down because it’s waiting for the next time you eat.

• Focus on whole foods and avoid processed or refined foods whenever possible. Whole foods supply us with the vitamins and minerals we need to sustain the processes inside of our body. When we don’t get enough of these important nutrients, our organs and tissues suffer, leading to health symptoms.

• Make sure that each meal and snack you eat contains a balance of proteins, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates. All of these components are needed for balance. So, for example, instead of having an apple for a snack, try an apple with almond butter for dipping and some whole grain crackers.

• Include fresh fruits and vegetables into your nutrition plan.

• Drink plenty of water each day! Remember, the minimum is half of your body weight in ounces, each day. Increase this if you exercise, live in a dry climate, drink caffeine, consume sugar, or consume alcohol.

Stress Management

This is something that all of us probably need to work on. Why does managing stress aid in balancing the hormones? Because hormones are often secreted in response to stress, which contributes to an excess inside of the body. Make downtime an important part of each day. It can be something as simple as spending 5-10 minutes reading a good book each afternoon, or listening to music before you fall asleep at night. When you are feeling overwhelmed, practice deep breathing to keep yourself centered.

Exercise

It is important to include a variety of exercises into your routine: flexibility and calming exercises; resistance training; and cardiovascular or stimulating exercises. Rather than just running every day or lifting weights a few times a week, try a combination of running, walking, yoga, pilates, and swimming, for example. However, remember that exercising too much can wear the body out and lead to poor health by the buildup of oxidants. It is important to find the right balance and not overdo it.

Lifestyle

The last component to balancing your hormones is your lifestyle choices. Try to make decisions that will add to a healthy environment. Educate yourself on how toxins affect your hormones and your health, whether they are coming from things like lotions or shampoos, laundry detergents, or your food.

There are many components to finding a balance, and if you can work slowly in each category above, you WILL notice a difference in your mood, energy and overall health.

Nutrition & Exercise: Tips for Optimal Performance

We’ve talked about the importance of the proper balance and types of carbohydrates, protein and fats in the diet, especially for those who are exercising regularly or training for an athletic event. Now I just want to touch on a few other important components to an athlete’s health, and how proper nutrition can keep their performance at an optimal level.

Bone Health

Bone remodeling is when mature bone tissue is removed from the skeleton and new bone is formed, and it is constantly occurring inside of our bodies. It is especially active after a bone injury but also helps keep bones strong during daily activities. Bone remodeling is necessary for proper bone growth and health. Calcium bioavailability, hormonal status, and weight-bearing exercise are all involved in the regulation of bone remodeling. Walking, running, yoga, pilates, tai chi and weight training are all activities that help increase bone density. For people who exercise, adequate nutrients from whole food sources are required for optimal bone density. Some of the most important nutrients for bone health include calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, and vitamin D.

High Activity Levels & Free Radicals

High activity levels do create more free radicals inside our bodies. Free radicals are ions that move freely around cells and damage cell membranes, enzymes and protein structures. We accumulate these when we exercise because there is not enough oxygen to keep the ions stable. The best way to counter the effects of free radical buildup is to consume many foods rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants both deactivate free radicals and repair the cells they have damaged. Antioxidants are found in foods high in vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin A, selenium and zinc. These foods include almonds, broccoli, spinach, kiwi, berries, carrots, sweet potatoes, mango, tuna, oatmeal and cashews.

Hydration

Exercising in dry climates, cold weather or high altitudes increases water loss because more fluid is used to moisten the lungs as air comes in. Living and exercising in warmer climates increases water loss through sweat. Dehydration can cause defects in performance, increased heart rate during exercise, hot or dry skin, a fast and weak pulse, disorientation, dizziness, and nausea. Sports drinks, if consumed, should be used in addition to (not in place of) water.

Sidenote on sports drinks: They are 30 times more erosive to your teeth than water, and are either full of real sugar or, even worse, artificial sugars. Many also contain artificial flavors or colors that are not supportive of health. Some healthy alternatives include filtered water with fresh lemon; herbal teas served cold on ice; electrolyte water; and coconut water.

Food Before & After Exercise

A high-carb breakfast is very important for athletes. The carbs will increase blood sugar for morning workouts, or allow for full glycogen stores if you’re doing an afternoon workout. For optimal comfort and performance, time morning meals so that food is out of the stomach by the time you are ready to exercise. Maximize recovery after training workouts with nutrient-dense balanced meals.

Fiber

Fiber is another very important component to an athlete’s health. Fiber is one part of foods that is almost always taken out during processing – yet another argument for reducing processed foods in your diet! Since processed foods are so low in fiber, many Americans do not get enough fiber on a daily basis. Fiber attracts water into our intestines and then initiates the contraction of intestinal muscles, which helps maintain bowel regularity. It also lowers cholesterol by increasing the cholesterol utilization in our blood to dispose of bile acids. Many athletes will experience cramping during workouts. With a high-fiber diet, they can eliminate waste more efficiently and decrease digestive discomfort. Fresh fruits and vegetables are great sources of fiber, as well as whole grains, flax, beans and lentils.

Nutrition & Exercise: Fats

We’ve covered carbohydrates and protein, but the picture is not complete without fats. Including healthy fats in your diet will help you bring your athletic performance to an optimal level. Fats make up the membranes of each of our cells, and energy is produced within each cell. So, we need plenty of healthy fats so that our cell walls are strong and sturdy and energy can be produced efficiently.

Fats also store the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. All of these vitamins are essential for a healthy body, and without the fat, we lose our stores of them.

When we have the right balance of carbohydrates and fats, we are optimally burning carbohydrate stores to fuel our workouts and also our brain. And as these carbs are being burned, fat stores are also being burned. Therefore, a little extra healthy fat in the diet actually helps us burn more fat during our workouts. Fat-burning comes to a halt when our balance of carbs and fats is off and we are not utilizing them properly inside our bodies. While most people do not burn fat very easily, athletes have the ability to mobilize and burn fat stores during exercise if their workouts are frequent.

The best sources of healthy fats include lean meats, fish, eggs, olive oil, coconut oil, flaxseed oil, nuts, seeds and avocados.

Fats, Exercise Intensity & Endurance

During low-intensity exercise, the body will use fat-burning as its major energy source. Since the demand for energy is slow, fat is more easily burned. During long endurance exercise (90 minutes or more), the body begins to run out of stored glycogen (carbs). The body wants keep some glucose stores to fuel the brain and central nervous system (remember, the brain can only use carbs for energy, so our body protects the brain by keeping some carbs on hand at all times). So, it releases a hormone called glucagon into the blood. Glucagon stimulates the fat tissues to release the fatty acids into the blood, which are then used as fuel. When exercising for longer periods of time, eating during a workout is absolutely crucial. This allows for maintenance of blood glucose levels and ensures there is enough glucose for the brain and muscles. When you eat during long workouts, you extend your glycogen stores for 3-4 hours, which allows you to perform optimally for much longer periods of time. Sometimes just a banana or orange slices is enough. Some people prefer the goos/gels, or things like shot blocks or sports beans. Anything with some sugars and electrolytes works.

Tomorrow I will wrap up this sports nutrition segment with some brief information on hydration, bone health, free radicals, fiber, and eating before or after a workout.

Nutrition & Exercise: Carbohydrates

My sports nutrition class finished yesterday. I enjoyed it, but I don’t think I want sports nutrition to be my main focus. The idea of being an athlete’s nutritionist is pretty daunting, to be perfectly honest! I think part of the hesitation for me is that I have such a hard time with nutrition when I’m training for something, and I know that food and exercise combinations are extremely specific to each individual. When I have trained for the marathons I’ve done in the past, it’s been a challenge to figure out what and when to eat such that I have enough energy for a 3-hour run but I’m not still digesting my food when I leave on that run.

Luckily, there are others who love the idea of being a sports nutritionist! They can have all the athletes for clients. But I still did take away some great knowledge from the class as far as what the different macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats, protein) do inside our bodies when we are exercising a lot and burning them for fuel. Today I’m just going to touch on carbohydrates, and I’ll cover fats and proteins sometime next week.

Carbs are the backbone of an athlete’s nutrition program. They are the most energy-yielding nutrient one can consume, because they can be burned both anaerobically and aerobically. Anaerobic exercise includes things like sprinting, climbing hills, or isometrics. Aerobic exercise includes endurance training such as running, walking and swimming. Carbs also are the main source of fuel for our brain and central nervous system. They depend on carbohydrates for proper function. When we eat a carbohydrate, it is broken down into glucose molecules and that glucose is either burned for energy or stored, depending on our activity levels. Glucose that is stored turns into glycogen, and is stored in our muscles and liver. We can dip into these stores during our next workout.

Athletes (and, everyone!) should focus on nutrient-dense carbs such as leafy greens, sweet potatoes, bananas, watermelon, grapefruit, oranges, berries, other fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. Try to avoid empty carbs such as sodas, juices, cakes and cookies, sugary or processed cereals and candy.

Many people have experimented with low-carb diets. They were certainly popular and many had success on them. I won’t go into the pros and cons of low-carb diets right now, but I will tell you that they are not ideal for someone who is exercising a lot. Any initial weight loss on a low-carb diet will be due to lost glycogen stores (from our muscles and liver) and also a reduction in water retention. Once all of our carbohydrate stores are used up, the body has no choice but to begin breaking down proteins for energy. If we’re not consuming carbs but we are exerting energy, we need to find something other than glucose to burn as fuel. Protein from our muscles will be broken down into amino acids, which are then used for energy. This results in decreased muscle mass, which hinders the performance of an athlete.

But remember, try to consume healthy, beneficial carbohydrates that will not only provide you with fuel, but also with other vitamins and minerals that can be used to support your health. I avoid sugary sports drinks (especially those made with fake sugars) and use water or coconut water for hydration. A Gatorade may quench your thirst and give you the electrolytes you need to finish a workout, but I hate the idea of also putting sugar or fake sugar into my body at the same time. Go for the more pure drinks, and supplement them with a piece of fresh fruit.

I’ll talk about protein and fat for athletes next week…

Note: Fruit photos above were taken by my sister, Alice Dickherber. Look for them (and many others!) on my new website (link is at top of blog home page) soon!

Exercise Before You Eat

Happy Thanksgiving! If you are checking in with PWN today, you are officially one of my most devoted readers!

My challenge for you today is to get some exercise before you sit down to enjoy the many tastes of Thanksgiving dinner. I read somewhere that the average Thanksgiving meal is between 2,000 and 4,500 calories (without the booze!). Obviously no one is required to “eat themself into an oblivion” (in the words of my dad - and his dad, Grampie Ed). But realistically, unless you are planning on running a marathon today, you will not burn off the meal no matter how much exercise you get. But I don’t really think about it that way anyway.

I have always noticed a relationship between exercise and my enjoyment of a good meal. For some reason food just tastes better after a workout, and any guilt you may feel for indulging in that slice of pumpkin apple pie melts away.

Exercise not only increases your heart rate and allows you to burn calories and fat, but it is also a mood enhancer. When you exercise, endorphin and serotonin levels in your brain increase. Endorphins are mood-regulating chemicals that reduce pain and stress and can induce euphoria (also known as “runner’s high”; learn more about it in this outstanding book written by my brother and sis!). Serotonin is another brain chemical that is linked to mood. For the brain to have a stabilized mood, serotonin must be present. Depression is often linked to a lack of serotonin in the brain.

I prefer to exercise outside, especially in the winter! The cold Minnesota air (which is where I usually am for Thanksgiving) is refreshing and the combination of snow and sunshine is stunningly beautiful. There is a reason Ed and I decided to get married in Minnesota in January! But inside works too. Run in your city’s annual Turkey Trot. Go for a family walk. Many gyms hold one or two morning yoga classes on Thanksgiving for people like you who are not willing to dismiss exercise just because it’s a holiday. If you have snow, take your kids sledding. If you’re in Florida, go for a walk on the beach.

This year the LaFaves are going to play a game of touch football on my Nana’s front lawn overlooking the beautiful, frozen Lake Carlos. Huge improvement from 15 years ago when my dad, whistle in hand, had my cousins and me running laps in the backyard for our Thanksgiving Day exercise (post-meal!).