Ladies, could your hormones be to blame?
- Are you months or years postpartum and still not quite feeling like yourself?
- Are you over 40 and having difficulties finding balance in mood, body weight, or energy?
- Are you menopausal and are struggling with memory, metabolism, or aches and pains?
If you answered YES to any of these questions, a hormone imbalance may be contributing to your concerns.
Estrogen, testosterone, cortisol, insulin, and thyroid hormones are extremely important chemical messengers that affect nearly every aspect of your health. Various endocrine organs work to control the level of hormones circulating throughout the body, and if even one is slightly imbalanced it can wreck havoc on your whole body.
Unfortunately, as we move through different stages of life these hormonal imbalances become more common. For some women, like myself, with conditions such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), it feels like our hormones were never balanced starting in our teenager years. Of course, we know hormones fluctuate during pregnancy, but they don’t always just fall back into place. And then as we get older change happens again!
In fact, the amount of estrogen in a woman’s body can begin decreasing as early as the mid 30’s. The result of these hormonal changes can include cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders (such as unexplained weight gain and diabetes), hypertension, osteoporosis, brain changes (including memory and mood), and autoimmune disorders.
What’s a woman to do when hormone imbalance starts to affect her quality of life?
I recommend starting with lifestyle changes – including nutrition and movement strategies. These aren’t a quick fix pill to solve all your hormone problems, but the big benefit is they have no side effects – except a leaner body, more energy, and better mood.
Eat more healthy fats
Medium and long chain fatty acids (including saturated fast and cholesterol) are fundamental building blocks for hormone production. They keep inflammation levels down and boost the metabolism. Choose healthy fats such as nuts, seeds, avocado, fatty fish, coconut, or olive oils.
You can give your body a boost of health fats and hormone supporting nutrients with seed cycling . . . check out this recipe -> Lemon Sunflower Bites.
Focus on key nutrients
Hormones require an optimal amount of vitamins and minerals to function properly. Some key nutrients for hormone production are iron, zinc, selenium, magnesium, and B vitamins. Powerhouse sources of these nutrients include pumpkin seeds, avocado, and dark leafy green vegetables.
Relax while you eat
Eating all the right foods doesn’t do us much good if our body isn’t able to break it down and use it. The first step to proper nutrient absorption is eating in a relaxed environment and chewing food adequately. During a busy day, sit down and take three deep breaths before diving into your food in order to prepare your body to rest and digest.
Move your bowels regularly
Toxins hanging out in the body can affect hormone production. Our bodies eliminate this junk through our bowel movements. If you find you aren’t having at least 1 easy to pass bowel movements a day work on slowly increasing the fiber and water in your diet to help this along.
If diet doesn’t seem to help, or increasing fiber leaves you with gas and bloating, we can explore other natural ways to get your gut back on track. Scroll to the bottom and click on “Free Wellness Consult” and we can get you moving in the right direction.
Change up your workouts
Be sure your exercise regimen includes a combination of cardiovascular and strength training workouts. High-intensity exercises are best – including squats, lunges, push-ups, and pull-ups with minimal rest time in between. Consistency in exercise is also important to a steady flow of healthy hormones for the long term.
If aches, pains, or injury get in the way of you performing higher intensity exercise, check out “How to Do Burst Training With Pain”.
Avoid Endocrine Disruptors
The products we clean with in our home, the plastic water bottles we grab from the fridge, and even the serums we massage into our face at night can contain harmful chemicals that disrupt our endocrine system. The result is usually too much estrogens, but other hormones can be effected as well. This disruption can most commonly cause unwanted weight gain, but could also increase our risk of hormone related cancers.
Get more sleep
A lack of sleep may be the worst habit contributing to hormone imbalance. If you are staying up too late your body isn’t able to regulate the stress hormone cortisol. This, in turn, affects all your other hormones as well. If you are not getting enough rest your body is also not able to repair and recover adequately to function at it’s best.
I often have difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting into deep restorative sleep states. I highly recommend the natural ingredients in Sleep Strips. They help me rest, recover, and find balance while being safe to use as often as I need.
But, that’s not all . . . In addition to these 7 tips, there are many other tweaks and changes that can affect your delicate hormone balance.If you struggle in one of the above areas, supporting your body through detoxification of endocrine disruptors, healing the gut for proper elimination, or natural botanicals to support perimenopausal or menopausal symptoms can be very effective.
It’s important to listen to your body and monitor how it responds to any change you make. There is no one size fits all option here – everyone’s hormones are different.
Need some suggestions on the right supplements or the next best step for you? Click the link below to schedule a Free Women’s Health Consult and I can help you come up with a personalized game plan. Nothing to lose, but about 30 minutes of your time, and so so much to gain when your body is on the right path to hormone balance!
Free Wellness Consult
You may find you need more guidance along this journey. Perhaps it’s support, encouragement, accountability to fully implement these changes to optimize your hormone levels and restore vitality to your life.
If this sounds like you, head over to our website and find out how wellness coaching can assist you on this path to a healthier, happier you (no matter your age)! Click the link below to find out more.
