Module 9
Strengthen your thyroid "muscle"
Learn what is the best exercises for optimal thyroid health and healing.
Why is exercise necessary to thyroid healing?
Exercise is like physical therapy for your thyroid...
No, your thyroid is not considered a muscle; it’s a gland with muscle-like tissues that help it to produce and move hormones throughout the body. Although you can’t technically “strengthen” the thyroid with exercise, you can engage in exercises that will provide your thyroid with optimal function capabilities and boost your metabolism. In addition, you want to find the right balance of intensity and duration of exercise in order to not stress the thyroid or the body causing a spike in cortisol production. Therefore, traditional or old school trains of thought regarding fitness and long cardio sessions can actually do more harm than good. But don’t let that scare you away from exercising. Exercise is a crucial component to the healing process when done correctly.
By incorporating regularly scheduled workout sessions you will detox and heal faster of autoimmune symptoms because you are releasing toxins through sweating. Additional benefits of exercise include:
- Balance hormone levels
- Restore the body's natural sensitivity to insulin
- Increase the natural production of human growth hormone (HGH) to boost metabolism
- Build lean muscle
- Burn calories which will aid in losing or maintaining weight
In addition, exercise will actually help to boost your energy levels, ward off adrenal fatigue, experience more clarity and less brain fog, and reduce stress and anxiety.
What IS the best exercise for optimal thyroid healing?
It's not just a trend, it's scientifically proven...
You may have heard a lot of fitness gurus throw around the term HIIT. And over the years it became a fitness craze. Turns out, scientifically, this form of exercising is great for the healing of autoimmune symptoms caused by illnesses such as Hashimoto’s.
What is HIIT?
HIIT is the acronym for High Intensity Interval Training. It is a type of workout that utilizes exercises and movements that forces your heart and your body to adapt to constantly changing conditions. It raises and lowers your heart rate and kicks your metabolism into high gear. The benefits continue for hours after the workout is complete as sort of an "after-burn." This after burn is called EPOC which stands for Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption. What this means is HIIT will:
- Increase calorie output or burn
- Manage insulin resistance
- Reduce oxidative stress
- Improve your antioxidant status
Why is HIIT so beneficial for the Thyroid?
The reason HIIT is so beneficial for the thyroid is because it puts the least amount of stress on the body, therefore avoiding the adverse effects of “flight or fight” response mode which can cause the body to produce too much cortisol. With HIIT, your workout session can be accomplished in 30 minutes or less. A HIIT workout consists of alternating between periods of high intensity and low intensity, expending the maximum amount of energy and effort over a shorter period of time. This will result in a larger calorie burn than traditional exercise.
The beauty of HIIT is that it is very easy to customize to your level of fitness and challenge you to the next level. You can modify it for the type of workouts you enjoy whether its aerobic or weightlifting. Best of all it can easily be done from anywhere and with minimal or no equipment. Many HIIT type exercises use your own body weight as resistance.
Example of hiit workouts you can do anywhere
Walking/Running
Alternate periods of fast walking or jogging/running with a slower pace. Aim to increase speed and distance with each session. If you are experiencing severe joint pain then stick to walking, increasing the time and pace as you begin to feel better of your symptoms. Walking for 15-20 minutes per day also has a profound effect on your mood, helping to lower stress levels. When you are feeling strong enough, add in intervals of brisk walking and jogging to increase intensity and raise your heart rate.
Body Weight Exercises
Body weight exercises are strength-training exercises that use an individual's own weight to provide resistance against gravity. It incorporates functional movement (movements we use in our day-to-day lives to perform everyday tasks) like pushing, pulling, squatting, bending, twisting, and balancing. The benefits of using body weight exercises are that it is less stressful to the joints, it helps to improve your coordination and balance, and it is inexpensive because no equipment is needed (which means you can do it anywhere).
When doing body weighted exercises, alternate between high intensity exercises and low intensity exercises. High intensity exercises include high-knee sprints (done by alternating lifting each knee high to the chest like marching in place), speed skaters (mimics a side-to-side skiing motion), and jumping jacks. Low intensity exercises include squats, calf raises, leg raises, lunges, abdominal crunches, pushups, and pullups. Keep movements smooth and controlled. Aim to complete three sets of ten reps of each exercise with 30-45 second rests in between each set.
Lift Weights/Resistance Training
There are numerous benefits associated with weight training and none of them include becoming “bulky.” As a matter of fact, weight training, or strength or resistance training as it’s sometimes referred to, will help you to build lean muscle and burn more calories.
Alternate your weighted reps with HIIT movements like push-ups, full body squats, high knee sprints, and jumping jacks. Aim for three reps of each with a rest in between sets. For example, a block may include: two weightlifting workouts, followed by a HIIT move, and followed by a 30-45 second rest before moving onto your next block of work.
Benefits of weightlifting include:
• Helps you become stronger by building lean muscle.
• Improves the strength, range of motion, and mobility of your muscles, ligaments, and tendons.
• When done correctly, helps to strengthen and tone your core muscles.
• Helps to boost metabolism because building muscle increases your metabolic rate allowing for a greater calorie burn which will continue in the hours following your workout.
• Great for heart health, regulating blood sugar, and increasing energy and stamina. Weighted exercises can be done with minimal equipment. A set of light, medium, and heavy dumbbells or resistance loop bands is all you need.
Examples of weighted exercises you can do with dumbbells include:
• Bicep curls
• Overhead press
• Chest press by laying down with knees pulled up over ankles, or a decline chest press with hips raised off the floor and knees pulled up over ankles.
• Front loaded body squats and calf raises with weights held up to your chest or held down by your sides like carrying a suitcase
• Lunges with weights held in your hands either at chest level or hanging by your side
• Weighted crunch with overhead reach (hold the dumbbell out in front of you as you reach up in a crunch).
Alternate your weighted reps with HIIT movements like high knee sprints, speed skaters, and jumping jacks. Aim for three sets of ten reps of each exercise with a 30-45 second rest before moving onto your next set.
Cardio Machines
Proceed with caution when it comes to cardio machines. Although they do provide a great workout for raising your heart rate and getting in a good sweat, the problem is that it's human nature to get hung up on all the numbers on the screen. I’m not against tracking the progress you are making but try not to get too concerned with the amount of calories you are burning. Instead, when using cardio machines like treadmills, bikes, or ellipticals be sure to alternate between high and low speeds and high and low resistance for no longer than a 20–30-minute session.
The key is to engage in workout sessions that are no longer than 30 minutes in duration and raise and lower your heart rate by using interval training. By working out this way you are not putting as much stress on the body which can cause spikes in cortisol resulting in adrenal fatigue, slower metabolism, and ultimately weight gain instead of weight loss.
Mindful minute
"Conquer the mind, transform your body."
-Shaun T, Beachbody Super Trainer
Consider this....
When incorporating fitness into your healthy lifestyle, it’s important to start slow, building up stamina and strength as you go. So, if it’s been a while since you’ve worked out start with 15 minutes a day of movement, incorporating some of the exercises in this section. Work up to 30 minutes over the course of several days. Practice perfect form before utilizing weights. However, if you are someone who has been hitting the gym really hard but are baffled by not seeing results, try throttling back. (I know that’s going to be easier said than done but trust me on this.) Do shorter sweat sessions and lighter weights with more reps. Incorporate yoga before and after a workout and on rest days. Yes, make sure you have 1-2 rest/recovery days built in.
Mindset is key to success when it comes to building a sustainable healthy lifestyle and that includes fitness too!
Take a few moments to create your own fitness program/schedule. Consider journaling about the following so that you have a clear picture of your goals and where you'd like to be in your fitness journey 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, even a year from now.
- What does fitness mean and look like to me?
- My short-term fitness goal is?
- My long-term fitness goal is?
- My workout schedule for the next 30 days (create your workout schedule and program)
Need more guidance and structure in regard to fitness?
Then feel free to reach out to me for more guidance. As a Beachbody Online Fitness Coach, I have the tools and resources to match you with the fitness program that fits your workout personality, fitness level, and that will challenge you toward reaching your fitness goals.