The number of people coming to us suffering from Thyroid problems are ever growing. The thyroid gland is situated at the front lower part of your neck and one of it’s main functions is to control your metabolism. The thyroid gland releases hormones into the bloodstream which affect nearly every part of our bodies. When you don’t have enough thyroid hormone, your body processes slow down meaning your body makes less energy and your metabolism becomes sluggish. This is known as hypothyroidism or more commonly referred to as an under active thyroid.
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An under active thyroid is something an uneducated trainer may overlook when assessing why a client might be struggling to lose weight. It’s most definitely not just a case of eating less calories than you are burning off, if it were that easy we wouldn’t be on the verge of an obesity epidemic. I understand clients frustration when weight is not falling off them despite rigidly sticking to the plan. It is for this reason myself and the ProFitness trainers have studied hormones a lot and myself and John are qualified Biosignature practitioners as well as being to many seminars on this topic.
I honestly feel there will be a massive shift away from mainstream nutritional and training advice towards a more holistic approach that looks in depth at the hormonal profile of clients. It’s not all about flogging yourself in the gym and eating like a rabbit. Understanding and getting your hormones working for you and not against you will literally transform your life. I will soon be visiting doctor Serrano to get even more cutting edge hormonal advice to utilise with our clients.
The biosignature modulation course we did with Charles Poliquin takes body fat with a skin fold calipers from 12 places and gives an overall body fat reading but this overall score doesn’t really bother me that much. What each reading suggests from research is that we store fat in certain places and that different hormones influence why we store fat in a specific place. This is something our clients on our 6 Week Body Transformation get accessed each 2 weeks and our Small Group Training clients get accessed each 4 weeks.
The measurement for the thyroid in my opinion is extremely accurate. The point on your body referred to as the midaxillary gives you an indication of the function of your thyroid. It shows accumulated fat about 8 inches below your armpit. From my measurements of over 500 people I can always predict who has been diagnosed with a thyroid problem. Most clients with thyroid problems will store a lot of fat in most places but many clients who have not been diagnosed with a thyroid issue might store fat on their belly but not overly high on the midaxillary measurement.
Common thyroid problems are
1. Fatigue Sleeping 8 hours regularly and still waking up tired? This is an indicator of a thyroid not functioning as it should.
2. Hormones Not Functioning Correctly A lot of research suggests the thyroid is the main player and can influence so many other hormones – problems such as infertility, low sex drive and irregular periods can all relate back to a thyroid problem.
3. Weight Loss Problems Despite your best efforts to stick to a rigid food and exercise plan and still not seeing the weight fall off you may have an underlying thyroid problem which could be holding you back. Dr Serrano also says about people that gain weight when they quit smoking “One of the primary reasons is that nicotine increases the conversion of T4 to T3. Well, when nicotine is no longer there, T3 levels begin to drop!”
4. Cold Hands and Feet Are your hands and feet constantly cold? No matter what the temperature is outside you still can’t warm them up, this can also be a thyroid problem. Cold hands and feet signify poor circulation, which is a sign an out of balanced thyroid.
5. Depression and Mood Swings If you are suffering from depression or major mood swings, then your thyroid may not be working properly. Other clues to look for are anxiety problems.
What can you do to improve it?
Because thyroid function is affected by many other hormones in your body, aiming to get them all balanced should be a priority.
⇒ Take a food intolerance test to see if what you are eating may be the root cause.
⇒ Avoid all sugary and processed carbs which stimulate excessive insulin to be produced which will disrupt thyroid function
⇒ Switch to a whole foods diet trying to eat plenty of grass fed meat, fish dark green veg and healthy fats
⇒ Supplements known to help thyroid function are fish oil, zinc and magnesium
As with all things I recommend if you still have an underlying problem to consult a really good doctor in this field and not just someone who will put you on the latest drug to help your thyroid problem. When you get your thyroid tested most doctors will only test your TSH levels, ask for an extensive thyroid test to get the full picture. I would seek out a doctor who specialises in hormones if you feel you may have a thyroid problem after trying my above tips and still seeing no change.
We will shortly be closing off all applications to train with us for the month of September so if you want to transform your life and your body for the 12 weeks leading up to christmas then please apply for your free consultation by clicking here.
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Adrian Harper
