All The Her-Mones

Mood swings? Can’t sleep? Trying to get fit and not seeing results? Here’s why hormones might just be the culprit.

- Libby Babet

The rules seem obvious, right? To lose weight, you have to burn through stored fat. Which means, sweating it out to Beyoncé blasting through your earpods. But despite slogging it out at the gym and eating super-healthy meals, sometimes the needle on the scales just won’t seem to budge.

What if we told you, the secret to creating (and keeping) your best body ever was as simple as making a few small lifestyle changes to help your hormones out? Turns out, there are certain hormones that stimulate fat burning and can even encourage weight loss in specific problem areas. So armed with this knowledge and tactics, here’s to your tailor-made body.

THE STRESS HEAD: CORTISOL

What it does: Cortisol is released when you’re stressed out. At first , it encourages your body to burn stored glucose, but constant cortisol release shuts down fat burning altogether.

Why it ’s important : Cortisol has many functions, including glucose management and insulin maintenance. You need this guy on side when you’re under pressure.

When it ’s unbalanced: Too much cortisol can result in fat storage, disturbed sleep, a feeling of exhaustion in the mornings and often a second wind in the evening.

Keep it happy: Kick coffee, or simply limit yourself to a pre-workout hit. Increasing your Omega-3 intake and establishing an evening wind-down ritual are also great ways to keep your cortisol in check.

THE FAT CONTROLLER: INSULIN

What it does: Manages blood sugars, converting food to energy.