Hormones: Managing Your Insulin & Cortisol

Insulin and cortisol dominate the "dojo" when it comes to your physiology.

Controlling insulin and cortisol hormones is so important while you're eating and exercising.

If you try to pharmacologically manage estrogen and progesterone by taking oral contraceptives or HRT, without addressing dietary changes or stress, you will fail.

The reality is, you can control your estrogen and progesterone; you just need to control insulin and cortisol first.

Insulin is a hormone that can either store fat or pack on muscle; how it serves you depends on your diet.

In particular, controlling insulin is about lowering your intake of starch and sugar. Too much insulin will make you insulin resistant and too much cortisol will also make you insulin resistant.

Eating too many carbs affects your insulin and cortisol levels, and that's how you get into trouble when it comes to managing fat loss.

Cortisol is a stress hormone produced in the adrenal glands that sit atop your kidneys. During a workout, you want to elevate cortisol to facilitate muscle growth, but then you want to bring it right back down so you can continue to burn fat.

Chronic stress leaves cortisol pumping through your veins. This only helps your body pack on belly fat and cannibalize your muscle tissue.

So, as you can see, stress management is crucial.

Left unchecked, cortisol also eats up your memory, weakens your bones, interferes with your sleep, and fries out your immune system.

What are some ways you can help balance your hormones on a daily basis?

Esther Blum RD, joins Dr. Holly to discuss how to manage your stress in order to keep your hormones in balance.