Hormones may sound like intangible bodily functions that only matter at your annual physical. But as a woman, your hormones can be a powerful tool for wellness.
In fact, when you learn how to complement your natural hormonal stages with exercise, you can help your body become stronger and healthier than ever. Here’s how to pair your workouts with your hormones for the most impactful benefits.
What Are Hormones?
Hormones are chemicals in your body that send messages to different body parts and tell them how to act. They’re responsible for lots of essential functions, including:
- Mood
- Sexual and reproductive development
- Metabolism
- Sleep
If you’re a woman or were assigned female at birth, the three major sex hormones — estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone — will be essential factors in your sexual and reproductive health. The sex hormones regulate your period, prepare your body to carry a pregnancy, and even help control functions of your skeletal, immune, and vascular systems.
If any of these three hormones are out of balance, you may notice irregularities with your period, fertility issues, or a host of other symptoms that can include everything from weight fluctuations to hair loss. Your doctor can help you determine if any of your hormone levels are off and if any treatments are necessary.
How Does Exercise Affect My Hormones?
Working out is tremendously vital for regulating your hormones and helping them do their best work. When it comes to your sex hormones:
- Exercise increases testosterone production, even in women. Testosterone can regulate your muscle building and recovery and boost your energy.
- Exercise keeps your estrogen levels from getting too high and contributing to serious health problems.
That said, it’s important to maintain a balance in your exercise and diet. If you work out too much and eat too little, your body can enter starvation mode, during which it will shut off all but the most necessary processes and stop producing sex hormones.
How Can I Make the Most of My Hormonal Changes?
As a woman or person assigned female at birth, you’ll experience significant hormonal shifts as you age, regardless of whether you have children. It’s essential to understand how you can work with your hormones and exercise for your body, not against it.
Ages 18 to 40
In this time frame, your body and hormones are guided by your monthly ability to reproduce. It’s beneficial to work out with a mind toward your menstrual cycle:
- Follicular phase: Your hormones are at their lowest on day one of your period and during the first half of your cycle. While your period may be hard on your body, exercise can actually help with cramps and inflammation. After your period ends, you can take advantage of the lack of hormonal interference to go for high-intensity workouts — whether HIIT routines or heavy lifting – during the rest of your follicular phase and ovulation.
- Luteal phase: Post-ovulation, your estrogen and progesterone levels start to increase, and so do your body temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate. High progesterone might make you more fatigued during this phase. After ovulation and through the end of your cycle, you may want to stick with lower-impact movements like swimming, walking, yoga, or pilates, avoiding environments and exercises that might cause you to overheat.
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During and Post-Pregnancy
Your body will see an increase in progesterone and estrogen throughout pregnancy, though those hormones drop off substantially as soon as you give birth.
Exercise can keep your body and mind in good shape during your pregnancy, but be mindful that your growing hormone levels and blood volume will increase your body temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate. Avoid exercises that overheat you or push you to breathlessness.
Age 40 Through Menopause (and Beyond)
Around 40, your body enters perimenopause and, eventually, menopause. At this stage, your estrogen levels are dropping, causing you to eventually lose your period. Here’s what to expect from your hormones:
- If you’re perimenopausal or menopausal, focus on keeping your body strong. Your declining estrogen can decrease bone density and cause your lean muscle to decline. This is a good time for resistance and impact training, such as HIIT, running, and tennis, to strengthen your bones. You’ll also want to do flexibility work to protect your joints.
- After menopause, your body will have very low estrogen levels. It’s the right time to work on balance via exercises like tai chi, pilates, or yoga to protect yourself from falls. You should also continue resistance training and weight-bearing exercises for the sake of your bone density.
Changing hormones don’t have to be intimidating. You can exercise with your body’s natural cycles in mind to find holistic strength and wellness.