Many sportsmen and women often ask themselves how they can opt for a better lifestyle that combines muscle building, a good sleep cycle and a healthy libido. It is true that the body is the most organised system there is, sometimes even likened to an intelligent machine that regulates the mechanisms that drive it, but there are situations where these mechanisms are out of date and it is therefore necessary to find methods to return them to normal.
So what should be done to get moving? How to avoid hormonal disorders promoting massive accumulation of adipose tissue everywhere?
Hormones to regulate weight and gain muscle
Many people want to gain muscle mass and lose fat. But how do you go about it when you can't eat enough or eat too much? Well, the answer is simple: hormones play a crucial role, so you just need to get them back into balance and thus achieve your goals.
Lipid distribution disorders are often the problem of bodybuilding enthusiasts, who tend to concentrate on the abdominal area, which is often very difficult to eliminate. One of the reasons for this is hormonal disturbance due to an unhealthy diet and lifestyle.
Fat regulation
Ghrelin or hunger hormone is secreted by cells in the stomach wall and sends chemical signals that activate the feeling of hunger when the stomach is empty. Its basal level is higher than average if there is an abnormality. But on the other hand, there is leptin or satiety hormone which is triggered by the saturation of fat in the stomach.
It is a hormone that is very much exploited in the medical field or in the sports field at present. Many slimming products are sold in parapharmacy that stimulate the secretion of leptin.
If not used properly, it could lead to anorexia, so care must be taken with its use. It is very much used in cases of obesity to reduce fat and support muscle development in addition to sports sessions. But also for healthy subjects, leptin acts as a barrier to unnecessary fat accumulation.
It is important to note that sleep plays a crucial role in its secretion. Short hours of sleep, in particular less than 6 hours per night, would rather stimulate the release of its antagonist, ghrelin, leading to even more eating. It is necessary to have 8 hours of sleep and a restful sleep, not a light one. To help you with this, there is a food supplement called GABA.
There are also other hormonal systems of unknown mechanism, but it turns out that Irisin ensures the manufacture of brown fat which regulates our metabolism to make it more active: burn more fat and lose weight.
It acts by differentiating white fat into brown fat, and then promotes a heat production of 300 cal/day. Exposure to cold activates its secretion by adapting the body's temperature according to the circumstances. To regulate its rate, it is necessary to practice one hour of bodybuilding per day and target movements with high caloric expenditure such as the squat or the bench press.
Thyroid hormones T3 and T4 are also thought to play a role in weight gain, in normal circumstances they regulate our basic metabolism, but a small variation due to pathologies could encourage the over-stocking of fat. The solution to produce them normally is to include iodine-rich foods in the diet.
Muscle gain
Every athlete's dream is to build large, well-sculpted muscles, but often imperfections reign and the cause is hormonal disorders. In order to sculpt good muscle, you have to pay attention to the use of growth hormones. Their secretion is triggered by very intense bodybuilding exercises that produce enough lactic acid.
To do this, you have to perform a series of exercises until you are exhausted, with only a short rest period. It should be noted here that GH has the role of strengthening muscles and tendons but also of ensuring bone growth until the age of 25.
Not to mention the male hormone that promotes a number of roles, not least its action on muscle tissue as it promotes the uptake of new proteins into the muscles to make them strong. A sedentary lifestyle and age cause its decline with a decrease in sexual appetite.
To control your testosterone level and increase your libido, the most important thing is to do physical exercises accompanied by products that boost your level. Then there is insulin, known for its action on the regulation of blood sugar and cellular anabolism.
When a diet is rich in excess carbohydrates, it will store the excess in the form of fat, leading to weight gain. For bodybuilding, its usefulness lies in gaining mass, in association with a protein supplement. Indeed, when its peak is exploited after a significant physical effort, it favours protein anabolism in the muscles.
Hormones for a good sleep cycle
Often the problem for beginners in bodybuilding is the organization of their program. Indeed, sleep disorders caused by a disorganized training program, a diet and lifestyle in general not adapted, they fail to evolve in the field of muscle gain.
One of the main players in this disorder is melatonin, a hormone from the pineal gland secreted between 2 and 4 am. Its imbalance can lead to a disorder of the sleep cycle.
The solution is to avoid spending time looking at the screen and to train preferably in the early afternoon if you want to normalise the cycle and take melatonin daily after each energy expenditure.
Hormonal disorders are common and depend on the metabolism of each individual. Their symptoms in bodybuilding are either a difficulty in gaining muscle or a constant accumulation of fat. The best way to overcome this is to adopt a healthy lifestyle and above all not to neglect sleep which plays a crucial role in this balance.
