Almost everyone is aware that their hormonal system is very important to their long-term wellness and performance. But general knowledge of the human hormonal system is usually limited to what people have been told by the mainstream medical community and pharmaceutical companies. Usually the “story” goes something like this: You are inherently flawed, and it is just a matter of time before your body will break down. At this point, you will probably be ill enough to require a prescription drug to restore your sex drive, vitality and energy; to sleep normally, stay motivated and maintain a positive attitude. Losing all these things is, after all, just a normal part of the aging process and there’s nothing you can do to prevent it. Oh, and by the way, taking nutritional supplements and eating organic, whole foods won’t help you. This “story” is great for pharaceutical drug sales, but not so great for those of us who are trying to take a drug-free approach to our maximizing the status of our long-term hormonal health.

It is important to understand that our bodies are a myriad of systems that work together, and the hormonal system (aka endocrine system) is a reflection of the sum of all the things you do--the things you eat, stressors you are exposed to; even what you think and believe. In laymen's terms, our hormonal levels reveal how much of a charge we have left on our "batteries." We are all born with a pretty full charge, depending on our parents' health, and the challenge is how to preserve and nurture this reservoir of vitality. Most of us spend our life haphazardly burning through our hormonal resources and, at some point (usually in your 30’s or 40’s) you reach a tipping point where symptoms arise.

So here we are, training, competing and thinking we are doing the right thing for our wellness and vitality; striving to be the picture of health. The general consensus is that exercise is good for you, and the more the better! Well, that is what I thought for many years and over time I learned a hard lesson. Even though I was relatively careful about restorative practices, I still became very depleted. Also, over the years I have seen the same pattern over and over as people make the same mistake. In fact, this is something I see in working with Bioletics clients  every day! My own personal journey has led me to find the truth for myself, and also how it relates to other athletes. At the risk of being called a heretic (I am an Ironman triathlete after all), I can safely say that exercise is a dangerous thing that needs to be taken in the appropriate dose. Exercise is stress and, as such, it will just add fuel to the fire if you are already over-stressed. And who isn’t? There are so many potential stressors in our lives and it is important to know that exercise also needs to be included in that category.

In the 25+ years that I have been an endurance athlete and nutritional practitioner, I have seen some positive evolution in training theory come into play. But honestly, we have a long way to go before we get it right on how to optimize training. The dominant training strategy is to dive in and build up in a way that will prepare you for your event, come hell or high water. This may get the job done for some, but rarely will it give the best results or allow for long-term development as an athlete.

All this is a very large topic, so in the interest of brevity I want to make one more point.

Fundamentally there is a great difference between the hormonal effects from endurance exercise (moderate intensity coupled with long duration) vs. power-speed exercise (short duration with high intensity). The hormonal drive created with endurance exercise is more catabolic (it breaks down the body), whereas the hormonal drive with power-speed exercise is more anabolic (it builds up the body). There are many ways to interpret and apply this concept, but this alone is the key to protecting your hormonal resources. Stay tuned for more tips on this important topic

At Bioletics, we specialize in finding a nutritional strategy that will give your body what it needs. The approach is specific and targeted to you as a unique individual. Your training, your goals, your lifestyle, your physiological assessment results, your dietary and supplement plan, etc. will all be taken into account before a comprehensive plan is created for you. Ready to get started? Contact me at tim@bioletics.com or at #888.371.1033.