No matter how many salads I ate, no matter how many yoga classes I attended, the numbers on the scale refused to budge," Dhara thought to herself. She blamed her eating habits for her stubborn weight gain until a visit to her doctor revealed the real culprit: hormonal imbalance. Like Dhara, many people struggle with weight issues because of hormonal imbalances rather than their lifestyles. These signs can be identified early, and the real cause could then be diagnosed and remedied.

Weight issues are not the result of diet and exercise. Hormones also affect metabolism and hunger and the rate in which fat is stored. According to this chiropractor and acupuncturist, Dr Pranav Vyas based in Chicago suburbs, took to social platform TikTok and shared five signs that hormones could be ruining the fat-loss game:

1. Difficulty Losing Weight Despite Effort

You have tried all of the fad diets, exercise routines, and counted calories but no movement in scale. It may be hormonal imbalance.

Some of the main hormones that significantly affect weight loss include insulin which is associated with regulation of blood sugar level and cortisol, which is your stress hormone. High cortisol enhances activity of hunger and appetite and keeps metabolism from working effectively. No dieting will be enough to get you off those excess pounds with such a hormonal imbalance.

2. Stubborn Midsection Fat

Well if you happen to have a "beer belly" or "muffin top" that refuses to budge, hormones may be a part of the problem. For men: Decreased testosterone leads to increased fat accumulation around the center of the abdomen. Fat tissue itself makes things worse because the body converts testosterone into estrogen from the fat cells. For women: Menopause typically brings about a decline in estrogen, redistribution of fat to the center of the body.

These hormonal imbalances make it incredibly difficult to lose belly fat through dieting or exercise alone.

3. Weight Gain in Hips, Thighs, or Buttocks

If your weight is piling on the lower body, estrogen might be the cause. For example, it has been noted that as women advance toward menopause, their estrogen levels become low, leading to noticeable changes in the distribution of fats. Weight gain in those areas may also be associated with the other manifestations of menopause like flashes of heat or mood swings.

4. Loss of Muscles and Flabbiness

Are your work out making you flabber rather than strong? To date, while exercising regularly, loss of muscle can be linked with hormonal imbalances. Stress elevates levels of cortisol, which contributes to the degradation of muscle tissue. Low testosterone and estrogen contribute to low muscle mass. This impacts metabolism and helps in weight gain.

Minimal body muscles make your body burn less calories hence gaining weight is hard as well.

5. Increased Appetite

Be to blame ghrelin, the "hunger hormone"

Ghrelin signals your brain to feed, although it can stimulate overeating at high levels. This may cause:

- Calorie restriction

- Poor sleep

- Certain diseases such as metabolic syndrome

Might you regain weight after weight loss even when you have decreased considerably? It is possible due to the reason that even when you have lost substantial weight, increased ghrelin levels will make it difficult to retain the weight lost and lead to cycles of weight regain.

What to Do Next?

If these symptoms ring any bells, it is time to see a doctor. Hormonal imbalance can be controlled by:

• Lifestyle modifications (stress management, good sleep).
• Medical treatment in the form of hormone therapy or medicines.
• Nutrition change harmonized with proper hormonal balance.

4 Effective Exercises to Help Manage Hormonal Weight Gain

Strength Training: Focus on weightlifting or bodyweight exercises like squats, lunges, and push-ups to build muscle. Muscle burns more calories, boosting metabolism and reducing fat storage, especially around the midsection.

HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training): Alternate between short bursts of intense activity and rest to burn fat more efficiently and increase metabolism.

Yoga: Poses like Downward Dog and Warrior help reduce stress, balancing cortisol levels, which can aid in weight management and muscle retention.

Cardio: Activities like brisk walking, running, or cycling can improve overall fat loss, supporting hormonal balance and helping reduce weight.

For years, fitness culture had one rule - a workout does not count if you didn’t finish it drenched in sweat and questioning your life choices. Zone 2 cardio throws that rule out. It asks you to slow down instead of speed up. Imagine a simple walk, a lazy cycle, or a jog slow enough to chat about your weekend - that is Zone 2. You are definitely properly working, just not gasping like you have just outrun a bear. And honestly that is what everyone wants.

What Exactly Is Zone 2 Cardio?

In simple terms, Zone 2 refers to a moderate level of aerobic exercise where your body is working steadily without reaching high-intensity territory. Your heart rate rises and your breathing picks up, but conversation is still possible, even if a little breathless. The trick is holding that pace for a good while, not sprinting full on and then collapsing once the workout is done. There is no single heart rate number that suits everyone, since age, fitness level and resting heart rate all shift your personal range. That is why simply copying your friend’s smartwatch target is not necessarily useful. The easiest check? If you can still talk, you are roughly there.

How Do You Find Your Zone 2 Heart Rate?

If you want to measure your personal range, start with calculating your maximum heart rate. The standard formula is:

Maximum heart rate = 220 - your age

This gives you an estimate, rather than an exact measurement. If you want precision a supervised stress test gives a proper reading. Once you have that number, Zone 2 sits at roughly 60 to 70 percent of it. Multiply by 0.6 for the lower end and 0.7 for the upper end, and there is your range. Your resting heart rate is worth knowing too, usually 60 to 100 beats per minute for most adults. It will not change the maths above, but it says something about your general fitness.

The Talk Test Is Your Shortcut

Start with speaking in full sentences, pausing now and then for breath, and you are officially in Zone 2. Another way is to sing along to the radio without missing a beat, and steadily picking up the pace. If you are struggling to get out more than a word or two, slow down, do not hurry. It is never as exact as a heart rate monitor, but it works.

What Are The Benefits Of Zone 2 Cardio?

Regular aerobic activity supports heart health, and official guidelines recommend 150 to 300 minutes of moderate exercise a week, plus strength training on two or more days. Zone 2 makes that target feel achievable rather than punishing. Walk, cycle, swim, jog or row, whatever you do, it definitely counts.

Is Zone 2 Cardio Safe?

For most healthy adults, yes, absolutely, it is about as low risk as exercise gets. If you are new to working out, then start slow and build from there. If you have a medical condition, have barely moved in months, or notice chest pain, dizziness or serious breathlessness while exercising, talk to a doctor first. And remember, the 220-minus-age formula is a quick estimate, not definitive.

You may not need to workout for hours to start moving more. A few minutes of vigorous physical activity woven into everyday life may be linked to a lower risk of several cancers, according to new research.

The study, published in BMC Medicine recently, examined 59,218 adults from the UK Biobank who wore activity trackers. With an observation and follow-up of eight years, 2,385 participants developed cancers at 13 sites previously linked to physical inactivity.

Researchers found that replacing just 3 minutes of another activity with vigorous physical activity (VPA) was associated with about a 4% lower risk of these cancers.

The link was seen when vigorous movement replaced light activity, moderate activity, sedentary time or even sleep.

Are Vigorous Movements Beneficial?

Also read: Water Or Electrolytes? Biggest Hydration Mistakes First-Time HYROX Athletes Make

Vigorous physical activity means movement intense enough to substantially raise the heart rate and breathing. It does not necessarily mean going to the gym. It also does not mean high intensity interval training (HIIT).

Short bursts of vigorous movements can include running to catch a bus, climbing stairs quickly, walking uphill at a fast pace or carrying heavy shopping, It basically includes any movement that could get your heart racing for a few seconds or a minute.

This type of brief, incidental movement is sometimes described as vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity, or VILPA.

Earlier research from the same research group found that among adults who reported no structured exercise, around 3.4 to 3.6 minutes of VILPA per day was associated with a 17% to 18% lower risk of developing cancer overall.

About 4.5 minutes a day was associated with a 31% to 32% lower risk of cancers associated with physical activity.

More Movement Is Not The Answer

Also read: Is the Gym Building Your Brain More Than Your Body?

The latest study does not mean that vigorous physical movement is the ultimate answer to prevent cancers. It just means that it looked beyond vigorous exercise and examined how people divided their entire 24-hour day between sleeping, sitting, standing and different levels of physical activity.

The findings suggested that any movement could be better than remaining sedentary.

Replacing 15 minutes of sitting and scrolling or sleeping with 15 minutes of movement was associated with about a 2% lower cancer risk. Replacing sedentary time or sleep with around 30 minutes of standing was also associated with lower risk.

However, vigorous activity appeared to have the strongest association. The researchers found that the VPA component was particularly important when moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was considered as a whole.

What Does This Study Imply?

The study is observational, meaning researchers looked at existing patterns of physical activity and subsequent cancer diagnoses. It cannot prove that three minutes of vigorous movement directly prevents cancer.

The researchers also studied a composite of 13 cancers associated with physical inactivity rather than claiming that every cancer can be prevented through exercise.

However, the findings add to growing evidence that physical activity does not have to mean long, structured workout sessions in the gym to be meaningful.

With HYROX making waves in India, including the Masters' Union HYROX Delhi event held from July 24 to 26 at Yashobhoomi, Dwarka, many first-time athletes are asking one question: Is just water enough, or do you need electrolytes?

The answer depends on how long, how hard, and how much you sweat during the race. HYROX combines 8 km of running with eight functional workout stations, making it a prolonged, high-intensity event that places significant demands on hydration.

What Is HYROX?

HYROX is a global fitness racing competition that has become increasingly popular this year. Unlike obstacle races, the format of HYROX does not change, giving fitness enthusiasts a way to measure their progress outside the gym.

The sport combines endurance running with functional strength exercises. Every HYROX event follows the same format, allowing participants to compare their times with other athletes worldwide.

Participants are supposed to complete one km run and one workout station with eight repetitions. The workout stations include:

• 1,000 m SkiErg
• 50 m Sled Push
• 50 m Sled Pull
• 80 m Burpee Broad Jumps
• 1,000 m Row
• 200 m Farmer's Carry
• 100 m Sandbag Lunges
• 75 or 100 Wall Balls (depending on division)

Also read: Is 'Hyrox' Challenge Worth The Hype Or Just Another Fitness Trend?

Regular Gym-Goers Vs HYROX Athletes: Who Really Needs Electrolytes?

HealthandMe spoke to Dr Akshat Chadha, Lifestyle Medicine Specialist & General Physician, about the importance of electrolytes for physically active individuals. The expert also explains how HYROX athletes must approach electrolytes.

Dr Chadha says, "Electrolytes have become a big market overnight. Electrolytes are important for someone who is participating in a marathon or a high-intensity event like HYROX. It's not important for someone who is just going to the gym or just going for a walk."

Talking about natural electrolytes vs packaged electrolytes, the expert said that regular gym-goers or moderately active individuals don't require store-bought, packaged electrolytes that contain a long list of ingredients.

He says, "Electrolytes is a very generic term. I am talking about packaged electrolytes. You don't really need any packaged electrolytes if you are not doing any high-intensity exercises or if you are not sweating a lot. Basically, you could go for natural electrolytes. If you get tired during a workout, you can take a bottle of water mixed with lemon, salt, and jaggery. That's one of the best natural electrolytes that you can sip during workouts or after workouts."

Dr Chadha also spoke about the kind of electrolytes HYROX athletes should take in order to stay energised and hydrated after a strenuous session. He stresses upon checking the labels and ingredients to avoid buying unnecessarily "enhanced" electrolytes.

He says, "But if someone is preparing for HYROX and wants to take packaged electrolytes, they should choose it carefully. They should look at the ingredients as there are a lot of unnecessary things added to packaged electrolytes to enhance them. Basic electrolytes are more than enough. So, if you need it, then please check the ingredients or talk to an expert before buying it. If someone is preparing for HYROX, they most likely must be under someone's training. So, ask your trainers which is the best electrolytes."