Hormones & Fitness: How Hormones Could Be Getting in the Way of Your Goals (and Tips to Fix It)
Guest Blog by Sumerlyn Peckham, APRN, FNP-C
Have you ever felt like no matter how hard you work in the gym, how clean your diet is, or how dedicated you are to your fitness journey, you just can’t seem to hit the goals you’ve set? It’s frustrating, right? But do me a favor. Take a breath and stop beating yourself up, because what you're experiencing may not have anything to do with willpower or dedication. It may be because of something you might not even realize is at play: your hormones.
I’m Sumerlyn Peckham, family nurse practitioner, functional medicine provider, menopause specialist, and owner of Hyer Health in Ormond Beach, Florida. When I see patients who are frustrated with their progress, about 70% of the time, we discover hormonal imbalances playing a significant role. These aren't dramatic, emergency-level imbalances. They're subtle shifts that can make you feel like you're swimming upstream.
While most people associate hormones with things like mood swings or reproduction, they also have a huge impact on how your body builds muscle, loses fat, and holds onto—or sheds—weight. Whether you’re struggling to lose stubborn fat, increase your strength, or just feel comfortable in your own body, hormonal imbalances could be the silent culprit holding you back. But don’t worry, you don’t have to just accept it. Understanding how hormones work—and how they’re affecting your body—can help you get back on track.
In this blog, we’re going to break down how three key groups of hormones—sex hormones, adrenal hormones, and thyroid hormones—can interfere with your weight loss, muscle-building, and overall body composition. We’ll also dive into specific imbalances for both men and women, with practical advice on how to regain hormonal balance and start seeing real results. Let’s get started!
How Hormones Impact Your Weight Loss and Fitness Goals
Sex Hormones: Estrogen, Testosterone, and Progesterone—The Big Three
Sex hormones play a vital role in regulating how our bodies store fat, build muscle, and respond to exercise. These hormones impact not just your ability to shed weight but also how lean and toned your body can become. When these hormones are out of balance, they can make it harder to see the progress you're working for.
Testosterone (And Why It’s Important for Women, Too): Testosterone is typically thought of as the “male” hormone, but it's essential for both men and women. Testosterone is the driving force behind muscle growth and fat metabolism, which means low testosterone can result in muscle loss, increased fat storage, and fatigue. For women, testosterone levels begin to decrease around age 30, right when life really tends to ramp up with kids, work, and stress. For men, testosterone levels begin to drop around age 40. While that drop is usually gradual, it can make a big difference when it comes to how easily your body builds muscle. If you’re not building muscle as quickly as you want or feel fatigued during workouts, it could be time to check your testosterone levels.
Testosterone Decline: Low testosterone can also affect libido and motivation, making it harder to stay consistent with your fitness routine. This can also make a huge impact on our ability to focus, and ADHD traits can worsen, putting even more time constraints on our already packed schedules.
Symptoms of Low Testosterone in Both Sexes:
Increased body fat, particularly around the abdomen
Decreased muscle mass, even with strength training
Low energy, fatigue, and poor recovery
Decreased motivation for exercise and physical activity
Estrogen: Estrogen is one of the most important hormones for regulating fat distribution in women. It helps maintain a healthy fat-to-muscle ratio and keeps fat around the hips and thighs. However, as women approach perimenopause and menopause, estrogen levels naturally decline, which often leads to the dreaded “belly fat” accumulation. What’s frustrating is that even though your diet and exercise routines are on point, the hormonal shifts that come with aging can cause weight gain in ways that feel completely out of your control.
Estrogen and Belly Fat: Lower estrogen levels can increase abdominal fat, especially as you enter perimenopause and menopause. Estrogen affects how your body metabolizes fat, so when it’s low, your body stores more fat around the midsection. Many women find that even though they’re still following the same exercise and diet routine, they gain weight around their belly and hips as they age. This is a common effect of the hormonal changes that come with perimenopause and menopause.
Estrogen Levels for Men: Just how women need testosterone, men need estrogen too! When testosterone drops, so does estrogen. Estrogen is a lubricant in the body, and low estrogen can cause more joint and vascular stiffness, leaving you walking around like the tin man.
Progesterone: Progesterone is often referred to as the “calming” hormone because it plays a big role in regulating the menstrual cycle and balancing out estrogen. And yes, men have progesterone too. When progesterone is low (due to stress, hormonal imbalances, or perimenopause/menopause), it can contribute to symptoms like bloating, water retention, and feeling puffy, which can interfere with your weight loss efforts. For women trying to lose weight or build muscle, low progesterone levels can make you feel like you're fighting against your body.
Low Progesterone and Bloating: If you feel like you're gaining weight despite your best efforts, low progesterone might be behind it. Progesterone helps with fluid regulation, and without enough of it, you may experience uncomfortable bloating, water retention, and sluggishness. This bloating can mask the muscle tone you're working to build, making it harder to see the progress you've made.
Adrenal Hormones: Cortisol and DHEA—The Stress Connection
You might already know that stress can take a toll on your mental health, but did you know that it can affect your body composition as well? Your adrenal glands, which sit on top of your kidneys, produce hormones like cortisol and DHEA that help your body manage stress. When these hormones are out of balance, they can impact everything from energy levels to fat storage.
Cortisol: The Stress Hormone: Cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands in response to stress. Chronic stress leads to elevated cortisol levels, and when cortisol is high for long periods, it can cause the body to store more fat, particularly in the belly area. This is often referred to as “stress belly,” and it’s a common challenge for those who experience ongoing stress, anxiety, or even lack of sleep.
Cortisol and Belly Fat: Elevated cortisol not only increases fat storage around the belly, but it can also break down muscle mass and cause insulin resistance. So, if you’ve been noticing more belly fat and less muscle tone despite your efforts, cortisol could be sabotaging your progress.
The Cycle of Stress and Weight Gain: Chronic stress can lead to a vicious cycle: increased cortisol causes belly fat, which can make you feel stressed and frustrated, which, in turn, causes more cortisol. It’s important to break the cycle by managing stress through sleep, relaxation techniques, and physical activity.
DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone): DHEA is another adrenal hormone that plays a role in energy, muscle growth, and fat metabolism. As we age or experience chronic stress, DHEA levels tend to decline, which can contribute to difficulty building muscle, losing fat, and maintaining a balanced body composition.
Low DHEA and Muscle Loss: DHEA is a precursor to both testosterone and estrogen, and it plays a role in supporting lean muscle. Lower DHEA levels can make it harder to build and maintain muscle, which, over time, can affect your metabolism and body composition.
Thyroid Hormones: The Metabolism Regulators
The thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped gland in the neck that produces hormones responsible for regulating metabolism. When your thyroid isn’t working properly, it can make weight loss feel impossible and lead to fatigue, muscle weakness, and other frustrating symptoms.
Thyroid Hormones (T3, T4): Your thyroid produces two key hormones—T3 and T4—that regulate metabolism. If your thyroid is underactive (hypothyroidism), it can slow your metabolism, making it more difficult to lose weight and build muscle. Hypothyroidism is common in both men and women, particularly as we age, and it’s often associated with symptoms like fatigue, weight gain, and difficulty recovering from workouts.
Thyroid Imbalance and Weight Gain: Hypothyroidism can cause weight gain by slowing down metabolism, but it’s not just about burning fewer calories. Low thyroid function also decreases energy levels, making it harder to stay active and build muscle, which creates a perfect storm for weight gain.
Thyroid Testing: If you’re struggling with weight loss or muscle building despite your efforts, consider getting your thyroid levels checked. A simple blood test can measure TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) and free T3 and T4, which can help determine if your thyroid is underperforming.
Reverse T3: The dark horse of the thyroid panel, this level is rarely checked, but it can crush your energy. Reverse T3 is a form of thyroid hormone that can block the action of T3. In situations where you have high levels of reverse T3, your body might still exhibit symptoms of hypothyroidism (like fatigue and weight gain) even though your TSH levels look normal. Reverse T3 can be caused by stress, illness, or thyroid dysfunction, and it can be a hidden roadblock in your fitness journey.
What Hormonal Imbalances Look Like for Men
For men, hormonal changes often become noticeable as they get older. Natural decline in testosterone usually begins around age 40 with an average 2% decline every year. These changes can affect muscle building, weight loss, and overall energy levels.
Testosterone and Muscle Building: Testosterone is crucial for muscle growth, fat metabolism, and overall vitality. As testosterone levels drop, men often notice that it becomes more difficult to build muscle or lose fat. Low testosterone can also lead to reduced energy levels, diminished libido, and increased abdominal fat.
Adrenal Imbalances and Stress: Chronic stress and adrenal imbalances are also common for men. Elevated cortisol levels from stress can lead to weight gain and muscle loss, making it harder to achieve fitness goals. It also causes a phenomenon we like to refer to as a “testosterone steal”. So yeah, stress zaps your testosterone.
Thyroid Issues: Hypothyroidism, or low thyroid function, is also common in men as they age. It can cause sluggish metabolism, weight gain, and difficulty building muscle. If you’re feeling fatigued or noticing that your workouts aren’t yielding results, it might be time to check your thyroid function.
Now guys, this is important. If you are under 40 and experiencing these issues, please get your levels checked. I often see males in their 20s with levels lower than my 70 year olds. Age is just a number when it comes to male hormone levels. Don’t let anyone dismiss your symptoms.
What Hormonal Imbalances Look Like for Women
Women experience hormonal shifts throughout life, from puberty to menopause, and these fluctuations can directly impact how we lose weight, build muscle, and feel in our bodies.
Estrogen and Weight Gain: Estrogen plays a key role in fat distribution, and its decline during perimenopause and menopause can lead to weight gain, especially around the belly. This doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong—it’s simply a natural hormonal shift that can make weight loss more challenging.
Progesterone and Fluid Retention: Low progesterone levels can cause bloating and water retention, which can make you feel heavier and less toned, even if your weight hasn’t changed much. This becomes a big player in perimenopause when we aren’t ovulating as well or as frequent as we did in our prime fertility years. If you are going months without a period, having dark spotting before your period, fibroids, or spotting between periods, this is something to look at further.
Thyroid Imbalances and Women: Women are 5 to 8 times more likely to have hypothyroidism than men and that risk increases even more with long term use of birth control. When your thyroid isn’t working properly, your metabolism gets stuck in the mud. Low thyroid levels can cause a feeling of pure exhaustion, both mentally and physically causing everything to feel harder—workouts become more exhausting, and weight loss feels like an uphill battle. And don’t even get me started on “normal” levels. (Or do, we can do another post all about that.)
How to Fix Hormonal Imbalances and See Real Results
Track Your Changes: When we ask how you’re doing, we don’t want you to say “I’m good”. No. If you are here for concerns, then tell us. Tell us everything. Healthcare providers live for TMI. It’s literally our job. So when you’re telling us about concerns you are having, the nitty gritty details can be the key to getting your best treatment.
Test Your Hormones: The first step in addressing hormonal imbalances is testing. I always like to start with blood work to measure thyroid function, testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, DHEA and cortisol levels. This helps identify any “basic” imbalances so you can work with your healthcare provider to make a plan. Don’t worry about jumping to expensive specialty testing yet. With proper collection times and the right person to look at your results, blood testing is a great, affordable, and accessible place to start.
Stress Management: Chronic stress is a major contributor to hormone imbalance, so managing stress is essential. Incorporate stress-reducing activities like yoga, meditation, deep breathing exercises, or simply getting outside for a walk. Other modalities such as acupuncture, massage, mental health counseling, and behavioral therapy can be extremely helpful.
Exercise: Strength training is essential for balancing hormones and adding to longevity. Weight lifting has been shown to increase autophagy, the body's natural process of cleaning out damaged cells and regenerating healthier ones. This can improve insulin sensitivity, raise testosterone, increase cellular energy levels, maintain bone density, and improve mitochondrial function.
Nutrition: You’ve probably heard about the importance of adequate protein from every social media outlet possible (1-1.5grams of protein per ideal pound of body weight). But here are two things not talked about enough.
Good Fats: Think salmon, sardines, avocado, nuts and seeds. Fats are essential for brain health, energy, and cardiovascular protection, but did you know they also support our stress response and sex hormone production? Diets low in good fats can raise your risk for dementia, depression, anxiety, impair DHEA and progesterone production.
Here’s Why: DHEA, produced by the adrenal glands, is a precursor to both estrogen and testosterone. A deficiency in dietary fats can impair adrenal function, potentially reducing DHEA levels. Studies show that balanced fat intake supports adrenal health, which is crucial for optimal DHEA production.
Like DHEA, progesterone is synthesized from cholesterol. If dietary fat intake is too low, it can reduce the body’s ability to produce sufficient levels of progesterone, which can disrupt menstrual cycles and contribute to hormonal imbalances, especially during perimenopause and menopause.
Fiber: Veggies, whole grains, avocados. As we age our gut microbiome that helps to regulate our immune system, buffers our blood sugar, and helps metabolise excess hormones, starts to drop. Fiber serves as a scaffolding for all our good probiotics to grow on, it helps to bind to and remove toxins from our system, and can help naturally increase GLP-1 (aka nature’s Ozempic). So long story short, fiber enhances our immune system, decreases inflammation, increases satiety, decreases cravings, and helps regulate hormones. Men should aim for around 30-35 grams per day, and women between 25-30 grams per day. And PLEASE don’t read this and start eating spoonfuls of psyllium husk. Your body will be very angry. Increase it slowly and with various types of fiber.
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): In some cases, hormone replacement therapy may be necessary to restore balance. Whether it's sex hormone replacement or thyroid hormone replacement, HRT can help reset your body and support your fitness goals.
Ready to Take Control of Your Hormones and Health?
If you’ve recognized yourself in any of the symptoms discussed here, it might be time to take action. Hormonal imbalances don’t have to control your life. Whether you’re struggling with weight loss, muscle building, or just feeling off, you don’t have to do it alone. At Hyer Health, we specialize in helping men and women restore balance through personalized hormone testing, tailored treatment plans, and lifestyle guidance.
It all starts with a conversation. Visit our website www.hyer-health.com to book a free 15-minute consultation today to discuss your health concerns, explore your hormone levels, and find the right plan to help you feel your best. Your body has a unique story, and we're here to help you rewrite it. Let’s work together to bring your hormones—and your health—back into balance.
