Your body naturally produces human growth hormone, or hGH, in your pituitary gland, which is a smallish structure at the base of your brain. As a child, hGH helped you get taller. As a teenager, it helped you make the transition to adulthood. As an adult, it helps you maintain tissues and organs. As you age, your body makes less hGH. Although you could take hGH injections under a doctor's supervision, doing so may cause swelling, joint and muscle pain, and skin tingling. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, synthetic hGH can also increase your risk of cancer and diabetes. By following basic healthy living practices, you can provide your body with the tools it needs to produce its own natural hGH without the scary side effects.
Step 1
Start exercising. HGH output increases with exercise. If you are just starting out, begin with a moderate-intensity full-body exercise like swimming or walking.
Step 2
Increase your intensity level. A 1998 study in "The Journal of Applied Physiology" showed that athletes who worked at a higher intensity level produced more hGH. After you have built up some basic physical strength and endurance, make your workouts harder, not longer. If you are a runner, run sprints with short breaks for about 20 minutes per session.
Step 3
Find a full-body workout. The more muscles you exercise, the more results you will reap, so pay attention to upper-and-lower-body balance in your workouts. Some plyometric exercises like burpees, jumping jacks and burpee-pullup combinations will provide both intensity and a full-body challenge.
Step 4
Eat right. Consult with a dietitian, doctor or MyPyramid.gov to construct a healthy meal plan. Eat a wide variety of foods from all the major food groups.
Step 5
Limit your food quantity. Avoid eating too much food at once or overall throughout the day. Keeping your food intake in check helps your body function more effectively.
Step 6
Rest well. A study published in "The Journal of the American Medical Association" in 2000 showed a relationship between the quantity of REM sleep and the amount of hGH in healthy men.
Tips and Warnings
- Your body tends to produce the most hGH when you follow a general pattern of healthy living. Taking care of yourself will help you produce this youth-enhancing hormone without any of the side effects of synthetic hGH.
- If you are usually sedentary, are overweight or deconditioned, consult with your doctor before you start a high-intensity workout program. High-intensity activities like sprints and plyometrics come with a higher risk of injury than moderate-intensity exercise. Be sure to increase your intensity slowly so your body can adjust.
References
- Drug Enforcement Administration: Human Growth Hormone
- "Journal of Applied Physiology"; Impact of Acute Exercise Intensity on Pulsatile Growth Hormone Release in Men; Cathy J. Pritzlaff, et al.; June 1998
- American Council on Exercise: What Is CrossFit Training and Is It Appropriate for the Average Person?
- "The Journal of the American Medical Association"; Age-Related Changes in Slow Wave Sleep and REM Sleep and Relationship With Growth Hormone and Cortisol Levels in Healthy Men; Eve Van Cauter, Ph.D., et al.; 2000
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