There are lots of hormones involved in how we eat and whether we gain or lose weight. There are ghrelin and leptin, the hormones of hunger and satiety; there’s insulin with its influence over blood sugar; and there are glucocorticoids like cortisol impacting your metabolism, to name just a few. A less known contributor is […]
One of the great fears when you have diabetes is that you’ll develop potentially fatal hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar. It’s not just insulin and glucagon problems that interfere with your glucose, though. The hormones released by stress, like cortisol and adrenaline, can also contribute to a dangerous increase, which means they also need to
Creatine is one of the most popular supplements among athletes and bodybuilders, and for good reason. Unlike many of the more dubious options, it has solid scientific backing for its multiple benefits in performance and recovery. That doesn’t mean every person should take it all the time, but it’s certainly a serious contender. Let’s start
Everyone wishes they could see immediate results when they exercise, but realistically speaking, most of us realize that sustainable muscle growth is a long game. That’s why something like microloading, which allows you to push forward in smaller, more manageable increments, can be a great tool. When you first start doing strength training, it doesn’t
There are lots of exciting areas for scientists to explore as they try to conquer the secrets of longevity. One that has been receiving increasing attention, even though the research is still in the early stages, is the role of autophagy. “Autophagy” is a fancy-sounding word that’s originally from Greek. It means “self-devouring”. In particular,
What’s your heart doing at the moment? Do you know? Well, presumably it’s still beating or you wouldn’t be able to sit there reading, but what’s your current heart rate? It can change depending on a whole host of factors, from whether you’ve just finished some intense exercise to if you have a health problem.
There are times when it’s particularly important to have plenty of energy. In an emergency, when your fight or flight response is kicking in, that’s the time when an energy boost could be the thing that saves your life. That’s when your stress hormones, cortisol and adrenaline/epinephrine, come into play. These little chemical messengers, released
Do you think a lot about what you eat? With the way we’re constantly bombarded with warnings about obesity and dieting, it can be difficult not to overthink it. Meanwhile, many people with busy schedules do not have enough time to consider all of the details. Being mindful about food certainly isn’t a priority. Mindfulness
