Intensity Level = Natural Human Growth Hormone

After you work out, do you have the feeling that you can do anything? Well, you're not alone. That "runner's high" (which is actually triggered by any form of exercise, not just running) comes about because exercise floods your body with endorphins. These helpful biochemicals lift your mood and stimulate the release of another important hormone that affects your metabolism: human growth hormone (sometimes called HGH). This hormone is something we all want, and lots of it. It builds muscle, burns fat, helps you resist heart disease, protects your bones, and increases your overall health.

And just to be clear, I'm referring to the natural HGH your body produces. NOT the man made chemical that juice monkeys shoot up with...FYI.

The key to turning your body into a growth hormone factory is to exercise at a high intensity level. During intense exercise growth hormone spurs the body to use fat as fuel instead of glucose. So you burn more fat as you exercise, and you're keeping your blood glucose levels stable, which gives you more energy to keep going.

On the other hand, lack of exercise makes your muscles insulin-resistant and suppresses growth hormone. So make sure you are getting that high-quality, intense exercise to work up those growth hormone levels — it's the healthiest way to reverse aging and make yourself stronger.