Science confirms the positive effects of regular exercise on our health and disease prevention. One of its key mechanisms of action is hormone regulation.

Hormones are chemical messengers that send signals to our brain to perform essential bodily functions like blood sugar regulation, muscle growth, immune response, and more. When hormones are out of balance, we experience symptoms such as gastrointestinal problems, weight gain, fatigue, depression, sexual dysfunction, and many other disorders that can lead to severe and life-threatening diseases.

This article explains the connection between exercise and hormones and recommends the best workouts for hormonal balance.

How Does Exercise Affect Your Hormones?

Exercise stimulates the production of various hormones that regulate vital bodily functions, helping to improve cardiovascular, respiratory, reproductive, endocrine, skeletal, emotional, mental, and other health parameters.

Exercise activates the hypothalamus, stimulating the pituitary and other endocrine glands to increase the production of hormones like testosterone, estrogen, endorphins, and growth hormones. It also increases the heart rate and blood flow, facilitating the circulation of hormones throughout the body.

Scientists have observed athletes and non-athletes over the years to determine how exercise affects their health. They established that any increase in physical activity levels reduces the risk of illness in sedentary patients and that the benefits multiply with more intense and longer workouts – up to a certain point.

Note: In case you are dealing with low estrogen levels, check our article and find out more ways on how to increase estrogen.

Can Exercise Lead to a Hormone Imbalance?

When exercise becomes too intense in volume or duration (or both), it can lead to a reduction in hormones and symptoms associated with this decrease, especially if combined with inadequate recovery and a nutritionally poor diet.

Health professionals advise finding a healthy balance in exercise frequency and intensity. The general guideline is to engage in 150-180 minutes of moderate physical activity weekly for the best results.

What Hormones Are Released in Response to Exercise?

Exercise stimulates the release or affects the regulation of these hormones:

Serotonin

Known as one of the happiness hormones, serotonin helps regulate mood, sleep, appetite and libido, and promotes optimism. Trials show exercise stimulates tryptophan metabolism, which is a protein involved in serotonin synthesis. The scientists observed increased serotonin production during and after vigorous workouts.

Dopamine

Evidence suggests exercise increases dopamine levels and could be a promising alternative method for treating mental illness. It improves mood, memory, and learning, stimulates motivation, and provides a pleasurable feeling of accomplishment.

Endorphins

Like serotonin and dopamine, endorphins are “feel-good” hormones released during physical activity that accelerate the heart rate. They also alleviate pain, induce pleasurable sensations, and improve mood.

Cortisol

Moderate exercise temporarily raises cortisol, which helps break down stored fat and increase energy expenditure. This temporary rise in cortisol also stimulates the production of other hormones, such as insulin, testosterone, and insulin-like growth factor 1, improving other bodily functions (e.g., glucose regulation and muscle repair). Cortisol levels return to normal after the workout, and this helps maintain a balanced stress response.

Excessively vigorous or frequent workouts may cause chronically elevated cortisol and disrupt other hormones and functions.

Note: Learn how to reduce cortisol naturally and prevent illness related to chronic stress.

Insulin

Muscle contraction during exercise increases muscle glucose uptake to provide enough energy to sustain the physical activity. Glucose transfer into cells during and after exercise doesn’t require insulin, and this decrease in insulin production increases the body’s sensitivity to the hormone. Ultimately, exercise can help normalize blood sugar levels and reverse insulin resistance in some patients, making it an important factor in managing prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.

Estrogen

Regular exercise has tremendous beneficial effects on estrogen, reducing excess levels during perimenopause, certain phases of the menstrual cycle, or in cases of hormonal disorders like polycystic ovary syndrome.

Exercise also helps balance estrogen in overweight people, as excess fat tissue promotes the overproduction of this hormone. By reducing body fat and improving insulin sensitivity, exercise helps regulate estrogen and alleviate symptoms associated with hormonal imbalances.

Testosterone

Testosterone has a significant role in our reproductive health, bone and muscle development, and brain function. Regular exercise, especially resistance training, helps increase testosterone levels temporarily and may help slow testosterone decline often seen in middle-aged men and women. However, most studies show testosterone levels return to normal during muscle recovery. More research is needed to establish whether physical activity has a lasting effect on testosterone production.

Note: Learn about testosterone therapy, and how it helps increase testosterone levels and improve physical performance.

Growth Factors

Exercise stimulates the production of growth hormones, especially human growth hormone (HGH), fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). These hormones help regulate muscle and tissue growth and repair, fat metabolism, lipid levels, insulin sensitivity, and overall hormonal health.

Melatonin

Moderate exercise may stimulate the production and release of melatonin, which regulates the sleep-wake cycle. Though evidence is inconclusive, scientists speculate regular training sessions could help patients with sleep problems alone or combined with other treatments.

Exercise may also modulate thyroid hormones, leptin, ghrelin, and other hormones, but more research is needed to understand these effects.

Best Exercise for Hormonal Imbalances

According to health experts, any exercise – even a few minutes daily – is better than none and can benefit health parameters. For the best results, the general guidelines prescribe engaging in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity weekly.

Research has found the following exercise types provide the most benefits for hormonal homeostasis:

• Strength (Resistance) Training. Strength or resistance training focuses on building and strengthening muscles using body weight, dumbbells, weights, resistance bands, and similar equipment. Fitness experts recommend different strategies for the best results, such as training different muscle groups per session (e.g., arms, legs, abs, shoulders, and the back), allowing a period of rest between sessions, and working the muscles at least twice weekly.
• Endurance (Aerobic) Training. Endurance training involves increasing the heart rate above 50-60% of the person’s maximum during the session. Aerobic exercises include brisk walking, swimming, jogging, biking, rope jumping, dancing, etc. They improve metabolism, heart health, lung function, and overall health.

Fitness professionals recommend combining strength and resistance training throughout the week for the best results. However, they warn that especially strenuous exercise may do more harm than good and disrupt the hormonal balance.

The general exercise guidelines are made for healthy individuals. Patients with certain conditions related to hormonal imbalances may require a different approach. For example, studies show men with erectile dysfunction may benefit more from aerobic exercise than strength training.

If you have any health concerns, consult your medical provider before starting an exercise regimen to ensure it aligns with your needs.

How Long to Exercise to Balance Hormones?

The results of exercise don’t happen overnight. Consistency and improving other lifestyle habits are essential for achieving a hormonal balance. This may require several weeks or months.

The effects of physical exercise on hormones depend on many factors, including the exercise type, intensity, duration and frequency, the duration of rest periods, and other lifestyle factors like diet and sleep, the person’s age, physical condition, and overall health.

Therefore, the time it takes to balance hormones (and whether this ultimately happens) is unique to each individual.

What Happens to Hormones if You Don’t Exercise?

A sedentary lifestyle can lead to weight gain, fat accumulation, and sleep problems, disrupting essential hormones - insulin, cortisol, sex hormones, ghrelin, leptin, etc. These health concerns and hormonal imbalances perpetuate one another and make it difficult to break the cycle.

Supplements, medications, IV therapy, and other medical weight loss solutions help patients lose weight and stabilize hormones, but improvement is not sustainable without regular physical activity and a balanced diet.

Conclusion

Extensive scientific research demonstrates the tremendous beneficial effects of exercise on our mental and physical health. Regular physical activity reduces the risk of heart attack, diabetes, osteoporosis, and depression and greatly improves the quality of life.

Though exercise alone can’t prevent disease, it is an essential strategy in balancing hormones and reducing the risk of severe medical conditions. Helping people understand the extent of its wide-reaching positive consequences is critical to creating a life-long, daily engagement in physical activity.

If you are interested in hormone therapy with a customized diet and exercise plan, book a consultation with our skilled medical professionals at Vibrant Vitality Clinic.