About Estrogen

As mentioned in a previous post on HORMONES, I mentioned that when your Estrogen levels are too high, one might experience a lot of fat depositing around their hips, thighs and breast tissue (culprit of Man Boobs). Well, lately, I've been getting a lot of inquiries on how to lower estrogen levels NATURALLY...As previously mentioned, cuniferous vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower have proven to lower estrogen levels...

mmmmm mmmmm....good....?

Tired of broccoli?  Here’s a list of other cruciferous vegetables:

• horseradish
• land cress
• ethiopian mustard
• kale
• collard greens
• Chinese broccoli
• cabbage
• brussels sprout
• kohlrabi
• broccoli
• broccoflower
• broccoli romanesco
• cauliflower
• wild broccoli
• bok choy
• komatsuna
• mizuna Brassica
• Rapini (broccoli rabe)
• flowering cabbage
• chinese cabbage
• napa cabbage
• turnip root
• turnip greens
• rutabaga
• siberian kale
• canola/rapeseed
• wrapped heart mustard cabbage
• mustard greens
• tatsoi
• arugula
• garden cress
• watercress
• radish
• daikon
• wasabi

More Food For Thought:

Men with high estrogen levels are more likely to store their fat in their chest and lower abs.  Plus it leads to some nasty health issues and chronic diseases.

Testosterone levels in men are 15 to 50% lower compared to 50 years ago. 

Kickin' some ESTROGEN FACTS:

1. Pesticides and herbicides have been shown to increase estrogen levels.

• TIP: Eat organic, local, pesticide-free produce. (Preferably grown yourself or from a farmer’s market)

                                     

2. Most commercially raised livestock are pumped full of hormones and antibiotics.

•  TIP: Eat organic, local, hormone-free meats. (To really maximize the health benefits of the meat you eat, get grass-fed beef)

3. If you drink whey protein from an animal full of chemicals, your estrogen levels will rise!!                          

• TIP: Avoid commercial protein powders

                                            

4.  Plastic has been linked to increased estrogen levels.

• TIP: Keep your food in glass containers and drink out of stainless steel bottles. The worst plastic for you is type #7 (it has a little 7 on the bottom).  Avoid this plastic at all costs, don’t even use shampoo from type 7 bottles.

The Proof is in the Puddin: Check out what these Scholarly Journals found out about plastic and estrogen:

•  http://www.clubsportif.de/tl_files/downloads/PDF/fulltext%20hormone%20water.pdf

"Discussion and conclusions Our results demonstrate a widespread contamination of mineral water with xenoestrogens that partly originates from compounds leaching from the plastic packaging material. These substances possess potent estrogenic activity in vivo in a molluskan sentinel. Overall, the results indicate that a broader range of foodstuff may be contaminated with endocrine disruptors when packed in plastics."

• http://endo.endojournals.org/content/138/5/1777.full

5.  Chemicals and preservatives in modern manufactured foods will raise estrogen levels, make you fat, and lead to health problems.

• TIP: Stay away from “modern foods” (Almost everything that comes from a box, bag, or bottle is not healthy for you. Follow the paleo nutrition rule: only eat what a caveman would eat)

END ;)

Weight Training Splits

Why are Weight Training Splits Important ?   

• Allow Body Parts Time to Recovery while you Exercise Others

• Proper Splits Allow you to Work Out More Times Per Week

• Decrease Your chances of Injury

• Improve your posture and avoid posture problems

Here are a Few Examples of Training Splits for Specific Goals and Schedules

These are just basic examples. You can build your own training split but remember to avoid training the same muscle groups 2 days in a row.
 

Weight Loss 5 Days Per Week Day 1:  Legs / Chest / Triceps Day 2:  Back / Core / Biceps Day 3:  Legs / Shoulders Day 4:  Back / Biceps Day 5:  Legs / Shoulders / Arms Muscle Toning 5 Days Per Week Day 1:  Heavy Chest / Light Back Day 2:  Legs / Core Day 3:  Shoulders / Arms Day 4:  Legs / Core Day 5:  Light Chest / Light Back Muscle Building 5 Days Per Week Day 1:  Lower Chest / Biceps Day 2:  Back / Triceps Day 3:  Quads / Shoulder Isolation Day 4:  Back / Hamstrings Day 5:  Upper Chest / Shoulder Press / Arms

Weight Loss

3 Non Consecutive Days per Week

Day 1:  Upper -or- Lower

Day 2:  Upper -or- Lower

Day 3:  Upper-or- Lower

3 Consecutive Days per Week

Day 1:  Quads / Chest / Triceps

Day 2:  Hamstrings / Back / Biceps

Day 3:  Quads / Glutes / Shoulders

 Muscle Toning

3 Non Consecutive Days per Week

Day 1:  Heavy Quads / Light Chest / Heavy Back

Day 2:  Hamstrings / Core  / Lower Back / Arms

Day 3:  Light Quads / Heavy Shoulders / Light Back

3 Consecutive Days Per Week

Day 1:  Chest / Abs / Lower Back

Day 2:  Lower Body / Core / Back

Day 3:  Lower Body / Shoulders / Triceps

Muscle Building

3 Non Consecutive Days Per Week

Day 1:  Light Back / Heavy Chest / Arms

Day 2:  Legs / Core / Lower back

Day 3:  Heavy Back / Light Chest / Shoulders

3 Consecutive Days per Week

Day 1:  Chest / Biceps

Day 2:  Legs

Day 3:  Back / Shoulders / Triceps



ACE ~On Hormones~

In school, studying the endocrine system was mind boggling!! Hormones have a myriad of physiological properties that work in a synchronized manner to regulate ALL aspects of bodily functions, where one effects the other and the other effects the other, just like dominoes!

If I learned anything in hormones (that I can remember) it's that hormonal imbalances have a big effect on the shape of your body, or has the tendency of placing your biggest fat stores in particular areas.

Here's a little game called, "What Hormonal Imbalance Causes This Shape!?" (How to play: Self explanatory)

1. Arm Fat                                              a. High Cortisol
2. Belly Fat                                             b. High Estrogen
3. Love Handles                                      c. Low Testosterone
4. Man Boobs                                         d. High Insulin
5. Thigh/Butt Fat                                              

Hormone: Cortisol

Too much? Slowed metabolism, increased body fat, decrease in lean muscle
Too little? Almost never an issue

  3 Suggestions To Reduce Cortisol: 

1.  Lower your carbohydrate consumption!
2.  Get more sleep!
3. Stop overstressing your body! Even doing too much cardio can overstress your body, TIP: use metabolic resistance training instead of excessive aerobics!


Hormone: Estrogen

Too much? Increased body fat, increased body weight
Too little? Joint pain, health issues, slowed muscle building

 3 Keys to Taking Control of Estrogen (for Fat Loss):

1) Blood sugar management:  REMOVE  ALL REFINED SUGARS from your diet

2) Take care of your Adrenal glands: get more sleep, take less stimulants, take time to relax

3) Take care of your gastrointestinal system: eat organic vegetables and fruits!!

• Foods that keep estrogen levels in check. This can be accomplished by eating plenty of cruciferous vegetables daily. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, and cabbage contain a substance named indole-3-carbinol (I3C). This substance has been shown to have a positive effect on estrogen metabolism. In addition, these vegetables also assist in detoxifying the body.

Hormone: Insulin

Too much? Increased body fat, increased body weight, increased blood pressure, insulin resistance
Too little? Type-1 diabetes

#1 way to get insulin under control:

CUT DOWN ON CARBOHYDRATES. (i.e. Breads, refined sugars, pastas, & dairy proteins)

1.) Your goal isn’t to get insulin down to zero, you need it to move nutrients around in your body.  Instead, you want to prevent the insulin surges that come with a rush from sugars or dairy proteins.
2.) Just start replacing carb calories in your diet with vegetables, proteins, and fats, and you’ll get your insulin levels where they need to be for a great looking, healthy body!

Hormone: Testosterone

Too much? Almost never an issue.
Too little? Increased body fat, decreased lean muscle.

3 Suggestions to NATURALLY increase testosterone:

1.) Eat lots of protein & HEALTHY fats,
2.) Get more sleep
3.) Stop the high intensity aerobics and start lifting more weights!

Closing:  

Please understand something important:  If you’re not exercising right and you eat like crap, don’t blame hormones.  These are the “final piece” of the fat loss puzzle.  Eat right and do metabolism boosting workouts before you start blaming hormones! =-)  TTFN