Activate Your Fat-Burning Hormones

By Christine Fitzgerald, Regional Director of Nutrition

If you have struggled to lose weight or keep it off, your hormones might be the culprit. Microscopic as they are, hormones hold extraordinary power, as they control every aspect of weight loss, including your metabolism, where you store your fat, your appetite, and even your cravings! This means any form of hormonal imbalance will sabotage your weight loss efforts regardless of your diet and exercise habits.

A key indicator that you may be suffering from a hormonal imbalance is extra weight around your waist. While you never want fat hanging around your midsection, for many, it’s often the first place it goes and the last place it leaves. Even worse, it’s a signal that your health is in jeopardy.

While there are over 50 hormones in your body, only nine of those are fat-burning. These nine hormones affect the type of fuel you burn and where in your body you burn it, and they all get activated differently but rather easily. Failing to keep these hormones in check results in an uphill climb that will keep you thinking that you need to try yet another diet, cut calories, or work out harder and longer. Here are some ways you can activate your hormones to help burn fat:

• Get 20 minutes of sun exposure a day to activate three of the nine fat-burning hormones.
• Burn fat while you sleep by setting up your house and bedroom with the correct lighting. This will activate two fat-burning hormones.
• Eat 70% or higher dark chocolate to activate the adiponectin hormone, which boosts your metabolism, increases the rate at which your body breaks down fat, and curbs your appetite.
• Incorporate interval training three times per week into your workout regimen. This will help you be in constant fat-burning mode every time you exercise.
• To burn fat as you age, add some magnesium to your diet. This helps power progesterone and testosterone (your fat-burning heroes) after 30 years of age.
• Drink a cup of green tea to burn about 3-4% more calories each day. Green tea is loaded with potent compounds that aid in the fat-burning process by boosting the effects of certain fat-burning hormones.

Your hormones and, most importantly, your actions can influence how efficiently your body burns fat. You don’t need any pills, potions, or elixirs to activate them — all you need is a healthy lifestyle that has its foundation in appropriate nutrition, sleep, exercise, and stress management.

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