If you suspect that you have any hormonal imbalance, it’s important that you do everything you can (naturally) to get your hormones back to their normal ranges, because balanced hormones are KEY for achieving (and maintaining) your optimal weight and FEELING GOOD in your body.
Maybe you’re experiencing hot flashes, or a little adult acne or eczema, hair loss, or it’s just regular energy drops mid-morning or mid-afternoon, maybe you have trouble sleeping, or difficulty losing weight, and/or have developed a little belly that won’t go away… ALL of these symptoms can be partially due to a hormonal imbalance.
Note: I say ”partially due to a hormone imbalance” because our hormonal health is very closely linked to our gut health, so it’s hard to say which of the two is the main culprit! Very often we clean up our diet, we fix our gut, and our hormones get back to their optimal levels, and most of these symptoms go away. But there a few other factors that play a role, which is what I want to share with you today!
Hormonal balance requires a holistic approach, including:
DIET: nourishing your body with a nutrient-rich diet
EXERCISE: engaging in regular physical activity
REST & STRESS MANAGEMENT: prioritizing sleep + managing stress, and
MINIMIZING TOXIC LOAD: reducing exposure to environmental toxins (as well as internal toxins!); start by switching to cleaner household products, clean beauty, etc.
Let’s discuss each of these points as they’re all equally important when it comes to hormonal balance.
4 Steps to OPTIMIZE your hormonal health
1.FOCUS ON GUT HEALTH. As mentioned above, this goes hand in hand with your hormones. Start by taking the necessary steps to get your gut into optimal health. Here are a few tips (and more info HERE):.
Try a gentle food-based detox/reset where you eliminate inflammatory foods for a period of time (and eat only whole foods, including lots of vegetables, some fruits, nuts/seeds, organic proteins, etc., and no processed foods, sugars, wheat flours, etc.)
Remove potential food sensitivities and foods that cause bloating for you
Increase probiotics and prebiotics (load up on fiber!)
Make sure you go to the bathroom everyday, so analyze your bowel movements and see what you can be doing better. READ THIS BLOG for starters. Maybe you need to be drinking more water? Maybe you need to add 5 mins of meditation/deep breathing into your morning. Maybe try adding minerals to your water, and taking magnesium at night, etc.
2. EAT A BALANCED, ANTI-INFLAMMATORY, NUTRIENT-DENSE DIET. Here I focus on two major “eating strategies”
1) Eat for blood sugar balance, to avoid large glucose spikes/dips and maintain optimal levels of insulin
2) Eat a colorful, nutrient-dense “anti-inflammatory” diet - that has enough protein, healthy fats and fiber in each meal, for which I often refer to the Mediterranean diet or Paleo diet with plant-forward emphasis. You can perfectly well do a combo of Paleo, “semi-Keto” and Mediterranean - emphasizing lots of colorful plant-based foods - for an optimal hormonal balancing diet. (Click on links for more details on these diets!)
3. MOVE YOUR BODY AND GET PROPER REST. It’s imperative to incorporate stress relief habits, like daily movement and breathwork, into your day to day, and prioritize getting proper sleep! Note: here I am combining SLEEP, EXERCISE and STRESS MANAGEMENT into one category as they are intricately linked. Here are my main recommendations:
Manage your STRESS by incorporating at least 1 of the following
prayer
nature walks
a combination of these! (read this blog for ideas/tips of managing stress)
SLEEP 7-9 hours every day. Depending what time you have to wake up every day, count back 8 hours and you want to be asleep by that time. Make sure you implement an evening routine that helps you wind down (and minimize blue light an hour before bed). READ THIS BLOG FOR TIPS TO OPTIMIZE YOUR SLEEP.
Find an EXERCISE routine that works for you, and be consistent. Ideally, I suggest combining some weights, yoga/pilates, as well as walking/jogging. In my research I find that just running, or just yoga, or just weights isn’t usually enough for optimal health; you want to combine at least 2 of these, ideally all 3. Start with what you enjoy most and is most feasible for you, then work your way up. This can look like:
10+ mins of walking a few times per week - it can be walking your dogs, or walking 10 mins with your partner or kids after dinner a few times per week, or going for a long walk or hike on the weekends when it’s nice out
Two to four sesions of weight training per week. Even if you just do 15 minutes of weights, that will do its magic and then gradually increase if possible.This can be barre with lighter weights or training with heavier weights, or TRX, or whatever you enjoy most!
At least one yoga class per week, or a gentle mat based pilates class, or maybe a combo of the two. Something that allows for lots of stretching at the beginnnin or end of class (or throughout!). TRY THIS POWER YOGA CLASS!
4. MINIMIZE TOXINS. Remove endocrine disruptors from your home. And watch what you put on your body. I have a few essential blogs for you to read and start today taking a few steps to minimize toxins in hour home/routine. I know it can seem like a lot, but this is really important for your hormones and overall health. Start slow. Focus on 1) your kitchen/pantry, and then 2) your beauty closet. Aim to
1) clean up your kitchen (aim to mizmize plastics and switch to nontoxic cookware). In this article I offer the most important steps to take ASAP to minimize toxins in your kitchen, in an easy and doable way.
2) clean up your bathroom and self-care tools/soaps/creams/makeup, etc. In this article I share lots of tips to get you on the “clean beauty” bandwagon in a sustainable way, without too much overwhelm, and I share some of my personal favorites.
By working on these 4 essential elements, taking baby steps to improve your diet, exercise, sleep and minimizing toxins, you will do wonders for your hormonal health, and in many cases, just the improvement in these 4 areas can be enough to acheiving balanced hormones (which in turn will improve your energy, skin, weight, etc.).
Don’t wait because your hormonal and gut health are key for you to feel good and be your happiest self!! If you want my personalized support, reply to this email and we can connect to find a coaching program that works for you.