Your thyroid is located in your neck, and it produces two important hormones: thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). These hormones are involved in proper metabolism, growth, body temperature, and heart rate.
These hormones promote vital chemical functions throughout the body, such as protein synthesis, vitamin acceptance, and so much more. The brain communicates with the thyroid to control how many hormones are being produced.
Can Too Much Exercise Harm My Thyroid?
When you exercise, you heighten your levels of cortisol – the stress hormone. This hormone is a natural response to stressors.
However, consistently high levels of cortisol can cause inflammation in the body, which diminishes the brain’s communication with the thyroid to correctly produce the T4 and T3 thyroid hormones. It can even prevent the T4 and T3 already produced from being used.
If you over-train, you may start to notice increased fatigue, mental fogginess, weight gain, decreased libido, low energy, and feeling colder in the arms or legs.
How to Exercise Properly
Proper exercise can boost your energy levels, help you manage your weight, and help you develop a strong body. Engaging in too much exercise can negatively affect your health and put too much stress on your thyroid.
If you’re struggling with thyroid dysfunction, the best way to work out is to alternate between low-intensity and high-intensity training. If you’re trying to lose weight, exercise for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
Keep your body moving throughout the day as much as possible. If you work at an office, take a 5- to 10-minute walk every couple of hours.
Moving your body regularly is key to maintaining your good health, but too much training can make your body over-stressed. That’s why it’s so important to take rest and recovery days.
Strength Training in a Healthy Way
Building your strength – not just burning calories – helps you get that lean and trim body you want. Compound lift exercises like squats, deadlifts, shoulder military press, and pull-ups are great exercises that you can do with just your body weight or with additional weight added.
Your doctor or a fitness trainer can give you some good advice about how to achieve your fitness goals. Different exercises and different weight-training techniques deliver different results.
Controlling your training routine will help keep your thyroid from being over-powered. And a healthy thyroid will help keep your heart, your metabolism, and your body temperature operating at optimum levels.
Personalized Doctors in Maryland
At Rockville Concierge Doctors, we’re available to address all of your health concerns, whenever they occur. We offer personalized medical care to ensure your well-being, keeping you happy and healthy.
If you have any questions regarding our 24-hour service and how it may help you, or about the benefits of concierge medicine, please call Rockville Concierge Doctors today at (301) 545-1811 to request a free, no-obligation meet-and-greet. If you are already one of our patients, you can request an appointment online.
We look forward to establishing with you a healthy doctor-patient relationship you can trust for a lifetime.
