E: ENDOCRINE SYSTEM
Endocrine System = Glands that make hormones. If you take away only one tidbit of information from this email, please let it be “hormones = MVP’s”. When we think “hormones”, we often think of the classic “puberty” hormones like testosterone, estrogen, etc. I NEED to share with you: hormones are in charge of regulating absolutely everything in your body to ensure homeostasis (balance / equilibrium).
Hormones control everything...like everything?!
When I say “everything”, I mean: appetite control, your sleep cycle, reproductive cycle, how much fat your body stores from the nutrients you eat, controls salt and water balance, regulate energy repletion/depletion, stress, etc. They are constantly shifting the levers in our body.
What are some key hormones?
- Insulin ⚡: controls the level of glucose (i.e.: sugar) in the blood right after consuming a meal; this glucose will be stored and later turned into energy for exercise and basic human functions (breathing, walking, etc.)
- Thyroid Hormone⏳: control the rate at which cells burn nutrients from food to make this energy mentioned above
- Adrenaline🔋: increases blood pressure and heart rate when the body is under stress
- Melatonin 💤: regulates your sleep patterns
Keep your endocrine system in tip top shape by constantly drinking fluids, providing your physician with family history of endocrine/thyroid disorders, and consuming a colorful plate! If you’d like to learn a bit more about the powerful endocrine system, check out this video (here) on Bozeman Science.When I say “everything”, I mean: appetite control, your sleep cycle, reproductive cycle, how much fat your body stores from the nutrients you eat, controls salt and water balance, regulate energy repletion/depletion, stress, etc. They are constantly shifting the levers in our body.
HOW TO CONFIDENTLY CONQUER YOUR TO-DO LIST
Stress, while sometimes beneficial, can also be the main factor pushing our bodies and minds out of homeostasis. As we reviewed above, once one hormone is pushed out of balance, the others are then forced to pull levers to get us back at a balanced state. Use this to-do-list strategy to help guide your busy schedules and allow you to focus on those things that you can control!
