The Science Behind Weightlifting for Hormone Health

I feel like women’s health has taken on a bit of a warped spotlight position on social media recently.

On one hand, I am really happy to see so many aspects of women’s health finally being talked about. I believe that it makes a world of a difference for women to see that they are not alone in their experiences. We are conditioned to feel like we can’t talk about our health related struggles, and it leads to a lot of women feeling crazy and alone and like something is wrong with them.

On the other hand, I feel like the way that social media has taken this ‘new’ topic of discussion by storm is a little bit extreme. Most of the women I talk to have a daily anxiety loop running through their heads that sounds a little something like this:

“I need to eat more protein”

“I need to lower my cortisol”

“I need to have less screen time and pick up a new hobby”

“I need to lift weights and gain muscle”

“I need to take creatine and collagen and electrolytes”

“I need to do red light therapy”

“I need to get rid of all of the environmental toxins in my home”

Etc!

I too have fallen victim to this idea that there is ALWAYS something we need to improve in terms of our health.

Are there things from this list and other wellness practices on social media that are actually very powerful and important? Absolutely.

And truthfully, there always will be things we COULD improve. We will never be of 100% perfect health and have zero contact with environmental toxins and be in perfect shape with a perfect sleep schedule and perfect nutrition.

If there’s one thing I think we can all agree on about the human race, it’s that we are not a perfect species by any means.

Life happens and certain things take precedent, and that is ok.

But what matters more than being perfect, is giving yourself grace and understanding yourself and your body.

One of my most prominent health philosophies is that healing does not come from restriction and obsession. 

When we are obsessed with every single thing we do and every single thing we put in our body, it only creates more stress for our body to manage. 

When we are in tune with how we feel and WHY we feel that way, we can shift from a place of feeling like we need to ‘fix’ our symptoms and do more - to a place of slowing down, listening to what our body is trying to tell us, and what we can do to support ourselves to heal.

Now, with all that being said, today I want to talk about strength training and if it is really as important as everyone on social media is saying!

As someone who is committed to understanding the science behind everything that effects women’s health and hormones, I find it very helpful and motivating to deeply understand WHY I do the things I do to stay healthy.

If I don’t understand why doing ‘xyz’ health practice is going to make ‘xyz’ in my body feel better or heal, then I am not going to be very inclined to blindly stay consistent with that health practice.

So let’s start with the basics - what is strength training?

Strength training is a type of physical activity where your muscles need to contract against an outside resistance/weight to build strength and muscle mass. By putting extra weight on your muscles, you stimulate growth and muscle endurance.

Now, what does strength training/lifting weights do for our hormones?

When we have more muscle mass, we have better blood sugar regulation. This means less chronic insulin and cortisol spikes, which disrupt the entire endocrine system.

Blood sugar regulation is our body’s way of keeping glucose levels stable, essentially acting like a thermostat for energy. When our glucose is too high, often after eating a big meal or a lot of sugar, our pancreas secretes insulin to lower glucose levels. When our glucose is too low, often after a big spike in blood sugar or if we aren’t eating enough, our pancreas secretes stored energy in the form of glucagon and our adrenal glands secrete cortisol to raise blood sugar levels.

So when our blood sugar and glucose are stable and regulated, our body does not need to constantly stimulate insulin/cortisol spikes.

Stable blood sugar increases metabolic efficiency and reduces fat storage - because avoiding spikes prevents excessive insulin, which otherwise directs the body to store excess energy as fat.

Therefore, the more muscle mass that we have, the quicker our metabolism is, and the more stable our insulin and cortisol levels are! Pretty cool!

Next, let’s talk bone health.

Estrogen declines naturally as we age and enter perimenopause/menopause. Among a multitude of other symptoms that come with estrogen loss, one of the most prominent is a decrease in bone density.

Healthy estrogen levels increase bone density by maintaining a critical balance in bone remodeling - it suppresses the cells that break down bone, and supports the survival of the cells that build new bone.

I don’t know if it’s just me but I feel like that’s very boss bitch of estrogen. We love her. She’s such a cool repairwoman in regard to our bones.

So that is why once we reach perimenopause and start losing estrogen, bone density also begins to decline.

Now for the coolest part!!

Lifting weights and putting healthy stress on bones literally does the same thing as estrogen - it stimulates the cells that build new bone, therefore slowing age-related bone loss by creating new bone at a quicker rate. 

Women reach peak bone mass in their 20s, and can lose up to 20% of their bone density in the 5-7 years following menopause. 20%!!!!!!

That is why building muscle and strength training to support bone density in your 20s-30s is so crucial to set yourself up for more protection in perimenopause and beyond.

HOWEVER!

If you have reached perimenopause or menopause and are slightly panicking reading this or hearing all of the LIFT WEIGHTS bonanza on social media because you have not started the whole weight training thing yet, please, please take a deep breath.

Listen to me when I say this.

It is never too late to start. It is never too late to build muscle and bone mass. You will NEVER be too old to build muscle and bone mass.

One of my clients who has recently reached menopause admitted that she thought once she lost muscle and bone mass she could never gain it back.

We had a very long chat after I heard that, as you can imagine, and she left feeling so much more motivated and hopeful to stay consistent with strength training because she knew it was actually doing something for her health. 

It is so important to know that you are always the boss of your own health. Now is always the perfect time to start.

Even if you are already in menopause, building muscle and bone density will support your health in a multitude of ways. You will see improvements in metabolism, energy, sleep, etc.

So unfortunately, the social media girls are not wrong that strength training is important (although I am one of the freaks that actually really enjoys lifting weights, maybe you are too and you just don't know it yet!) 

Does it need to look like the perfect workout set and perfect routine at the gym 7 days a week? Absolutely not.

Weight training can take on a lot of different forms, but the science is clear that it is a gamechanger for hormone health and overall health at all ages. 

If this resonated or you’re curious to hear more, send me a message! I love hearing from you guys and hearing what you can relate to.

As always, take care of yourselves and remember that you already have the tools to thrive within you.

LOVE YOU DIVAS,

Morganne