Episode 44: Hormones, Diet, Steroids, and More! With Guest Mike Gibbs

When I became curious about the effects of different hormones on the body, I started to do some research. I still had some questions, so I thought it would be a great opportunity for a conversation with my friend Mike Gibbs from Elite Fitness Now. Mike is a nurse practitioner, strength and conditioning coach, and yoga instructor, he has lots of experience surrounding exercise and nutrition as well as other relevant areas that are tied into these two such as mental health. He also has a great deal of knowledge on hormones. Our discussion was, to my delight more wide ranging than I anticipated. I hope you enjoy! Topics covered in addition to those mentioned in title: psychological attraction to food, the ketogenic diet, the glycemic index, why Mike is not a fan of grains (but is a fan of getting enough carbs in the diet), body-fat percentages, insulin resistance and diabetes. Mike's website: https://www.elitefitnessnow.com/ Elite Fitness Now Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elitefitness.now/ Mentioned/Relevant: Hormones- affect bodily processes and take place in organs. Catabolic Hormones: convert muscle into energy, reduce inflammation, and stop immune response.  (A common catabolic hormone is Cortisol which is the "stress hormone" known for breaking down muscle. Mike discusses on the podcast why we still need SOME cortisol despite its negative connotation.) Anabolic Hormones: essentially do the opposite of catabolic hormones, especially stimulating muscle growth and bone density. (Among these are Testosterone (male sex hormone), Estrogen (female sex hormone), and Insulin which takes sugar out of blood and send it into cells (Mike and I talk a lot about insulin.) Neurotransmitters- neural connections that take place in the brain. (Examples are the "feel good chemical" Serotonin, the fight or flight chemical Adrenaline (Epinephrine and Norepinephrine), and Dopamine (compulsion, rewards, pleasure, habit/addiction) The Sympathetic Nervous System- Parasympathetic (relaxation) and Sympathetic (release of Adrenaline, increased heart rate, etc.) Takeaways- a good exercise, diet, and sleep routine will take you where you need to be in the aspect of having healthy hormones for the most part. Many men above 40 would benefit from hormone replacement therapy, I know I will look into this at a later age!