The Female Somatopause - Burrell Education...body experiences an oxygen debt. During the recovery period, your body tries to replenish oxygen by raising heart rate and increasing respiration

Reversing TheFemale SomatopauseSMART FITNESS/WELLNESS PROGRAMMING FOR WOMEN

(C) BURRELL EDUCATION 2014 WWW.BURRELLEDUCATION.COM 1

Defining the ‘Somatopause’The gradual and progressive fall in spontaneous growth hormone (hGH) SOMATOTROPIN secretion that occurs with increasing age.

Usually occurs with a parallel fall in circulating insulin-like growth factor, reduction in lean body mass, decrease in Testosterone production, decreased in Oestrodial production, increase in visceral body fat and rise in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, decline in bone mineral density, sleep disturbance, reduced immune function………..wonderful


What is the role of Human Growth Hormone (hGH)?

Produced by the Pituitary Glands, hGH is the hormone of youthfulness…….and has a pivitol role in…………fat metabolism, growth of all tissues, energy level, tissue repair, whole body healing, cell replacement, bone strength, brain function, sexual function, organ health, integrity, enzyme production, integrity of hair, nails, skin and vital organs but also………


How much does hGH decline with age?

hGH is responsible for the rapid growth during childhood – and for the repair and regeneration of human tissue throughout our lives. By the time we reach the age of 30, our HGH levels are only about 20% of their peak levels during childhood, and after the age of 30, they continue to decline at about 12 to 15% per decade. By the time most of us are 30 years old, our bodies no longer produce enough HGH to keep pace with the cellular damage that is occurring in our bodies. As our hGH levels continue to decline, the damage that we collectively call ‘aging’ accelerates and the visible signs start to manifest.

Is some of this decline PRIMARY OR SECONDARY? Can we slow the decline and indeed boost our hGH levels by implementing positive lifestyle changes? YES!


Why Do 3rd Age Women Stop Moving?1. Tired/Exhausted/Allostatic Load

2. Busy/Time Poor/Got Out Of The Habit

3. Fed Up With Effort Not = Results

4. Poor Information on the DEEP BENEFITS – there’s still an over-riding emphasis on SLIMMING, DIETING, LOOKING GOOD FOR OTHERS….RESISTANCE EXERCISE = MEN, PILATES/YOGA = WOMEN.

5. Hormonal imbalance resulting in negative emotional/psychological states.

6. Dislike the gym culture/environment – No one is ‘speaking’ to them!

7. Steered toward only slower/quiet/less demanding work.

8. Poor role-modelling.

9. In the quick-fix state-of-mind – pills, potions, fads still dominate ‘stay young media’.

10. Easily discouraged and disappointed as they are not defining success for themselves.

11. Socializing starts to revolve around eating and drinking = weight gain = less confidence in ‘exercise scenarios’.


How Do We Make Them Fall in Love With Moving Again?

1. The feminization of movement…..

2. Making space for community/talking/discussions

3. Changing ‘exercise’ into ‘self-care’ – a wonderful thing you can do for yourself daily with amazing benefits – it’s ALL GOOD & ESSENTIAL! Explain the SCIENCE BIT!

4. Do it in a nice, female-friendly space

5. Make the space look, feel and smell nice

6. Involve a little ‘luxe’/pampering

7. Choose suitable music

8. Add restorative activity as a matter of course

9. Offer ‘after & in-between care’ as a matter of course

10. Integrated/whole-life/holistic/non-compartmentalized


How Can We Improve/IncreasehGH Production via Lifestyle?


Sleep/Restorative Activity

Since the largest hGH surge in a normal day tends to occur around one hour after the onset of night-time sleep, it is vital for anyone seeking fat loss to get plenty of sleep. If the quality and quantity of sleep is inadequate there will be a reduction in the volume of hGH secreted with negative consequences for fat loss and vitality. For most people, ‘sufficient sleep’ people means around seven to eight hours. Elevated Cortisol also has a negative impact on the production of hGH! So prioritizing restorative activities and getting a handle on your capacity to deal with stress and eliminating stressors from your life is an ESSENTIAL job also.


Water/HydrationIt is also important to drink plenty of water during your waking hours and more when exercising, as dehydration has been shown to significantly reduce the exercise-induced hGH response.

1 ½ – 2 litres per day is a good starting guide.


Watch Carbohydrates& Increase ProteinResearch has also shown how high-carbohydrate diets tend to switch off hGH secretion. Many fat loss expert suggest avoiding sugar for two hours post exercise but ensuring that at least 25g protein is consumed immediately preferably in liquid form for quick absorption (a non sugary protein shake) or a ‘clean’ protein bar, lean poultry, meat or eggs as protein has been shown to enhance hGH secretion too.


How Can We Improve/IncreasehGH Production Via Exercise?


The ‘Right Type’ of ExerciseRight Type, Time & Intensity to Build Muscle and Create EPOC

& Flip the Metabolic Switch

Get hot

Get sweaty

Get out of breath

Feel the lactate burn in your muscles

In short bursts, work until you feel truly challenged/need to rest

A suggested exercise strategy for optimizing hGH secretion through exercise is as follows: Perform 3-5 short ‘metabolic’ sessions per week, each involving at least 10 minutes’ work above lactate threshold. Keep total workout time to between 20-30 mins and include a

variety of styles and principles to maintain muscle confusion.

Work hard, keep it short and sweet!


Increased Body TemperatureIf you are not sweating during your workouts, chances are that you’ve not reached the necessary intensity to produce a growth hormone release. You need to raise body temperature in order to achieve the desired hormonal response.


Get Out Of BreathThis creates an oxygen debt….oxygen demand is an important regulator in the body’s release of growth hormone during exercise. The objective with high-intensity in short bursts is to get a short-term ‘winded state’. After 10-30 seconds of 90-100% maximal high intensity effort, the body experiences an oxygen debt. During the recovery period, your body tries to replenish oxygen by raising heart rate and increasing respiration. It’s the oxygen debt that works to trigger a growth hormone release.


Feeling The BurnFor many this is probably the most offensive part of exercising but while discomforting, it a hugely positive sign. The problem is that most people feel the burn and use this as their signal to stop when really the mindset for the 3rd Age woman needs to almost be “I’m fighting fire with fire”…..reaching lactate threshold and ‘feeling the burn’ needs to be welcomed as a key sensation to achieve when the goal is revving the metabolism and shifting stubborn fat through the release of growth hormone.


Lactate Threshold Studies

A 2003 study published in the British Journal Sports Medicine found that “exercise intensity above lactate threshold (when you ‘feel the burn’) and for a minimum of 10 minutes appears to elicit the greatest stimulus to the secretion of hGH.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18184755?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

2006 Tabata Study

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8897392


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18184755?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8897392

Adrenal ResponseFor the body to release growth hormone, there must be an adrenal response….specifically the release of adrenaline or nor-adrenaline by the adrenal glands during high intensity exercise that triggers the growth hormone response.

Basically, without a high enough intensity during your exercise session, growth hormone cannot be triggered….so the old style 3 sets of 10 and walk to the water fountain for a chat and watch a bit of tell routine……ditch it! That won’t work any more in the 3rd Age!

The key in this type of session is ALWAYS to workout with a greater intensity for a shorter period of time!


The Key Elements of 3rd Age Woman® Movement /Nutrition/Self-Care Makeover

POSITIVE HABITS FOR LIFE!

Prioritize Restorative

Activity, Self-Care & Sleep

Eat Nutrient Dense & Clean Diet & Hydrate For Life – NO

DIETING!

Metabolic Resistance

Training

Overall Increase in Daily

Movement

Ownership of the need to

positively embrace this

new phase of life


The 3rd Age Woman®Protocol1. A 6 week progressed metabolic training programme using ‘Metabolic Fire’® Principles.

2. Exercises become progressively more challenging over the 6-week period.

3. Work/Rest Ratio becomes progressively more challenging over the 6-week period.

4. Pelvic Floor Safe.

5. Integrated ‘core work’ and ‘release & mobilization’ strategies.

6. Ticks all the EPOC boxes.

7. Progressions are all clearly guided – client knows EXACTLY what she should be doing on each day & week of the programme.

8. Includes guidance on pre/during/post nutrition and hydration.

9. Peer and instructor support/community via FB Group.

10. NON-EXHAUSTING & time efficient.


‘Metabolic Fire’® Overview……..1. 5 Exercises x 4 Rounds (20-30 minute workout max)

2. Week 1-2 – 45/15 WR Ratio

3. Weeks 3-4 – 50/10 WR Ratio

4. Weeks 5-6 – 60/10 WR Ratio

5. Exercises increase in difficulty over the 6 weeks

6. 3-5 ‘Metabolic Fire®’ Workouts/Week


Great Resources

A Great Tutorial on Growth Hormone & Insulin Growth Factors: http://www.sophia.org/tutorials/metabolic-effects-of-growth-hormone


http://www.sophia.org/tutorials/metabolic-effects-of-growth-hormone

As wellness professionals, we have an important role to play in setting a hugely positive tone for those confused by or terrified of the aging process…..

3rd Age Woman® =

Staying curious, and in a place of gratitude for being gifted our amazing lives is a wonderful place to reside.

Helping our clients stay more in that space is hugely important valuable work to be doing in this world.

Empowering women to speak up when they just don’t feel themselves and to seek all the help they need. Become your own

HEALTH DETECTIVE AND ULTIMATELY………LOSE THE WAR ON SELF! It’s exhausting!


Documents

The Female Somatopause - Burrell Education...body experiences an oxygen debt. During the recovery period, your body tries to replenish oxygen by raising heart rate and increasing respiration