Implement these holistic habits to regain your hormonal balance.
Oftentimes, when we feel we might have a hormonal imbalance, we will turn to some sort of OTC or prescription medication to help us find our footing again. While this is not bad (sometimes it's extremely necessary!), there are holistic ways to help supplement the medication or even head off the need for medication.
The fast-paced lifestyle that we have become accustomed to wrecks havoc on our hormones. We are used to feeling stressed out from the moment we wake up to long after our heads hit the pillow.
This chronic sense of "busy," strangles out any feelings of restfulness and replaces them with a too-much-coffee-jitter that lasts all day long. While our brains may have gotten used to this state of busy, our hormones have not.
If you read my last post about the potential signs of a hormone imbalance, you may be wondering what to do next. Here are a few natural ways to help regain your hormonal balance and finally feel yourself again.
Don't say that you can sleep later—after you finish working, or cleaning the house, or, or, or. No. For optimal hormone health, aim to go to bed at a reasonable hour and sleep for at least seven hours a night without interruption.
Your hormones need consistent sleep in order to restore and rebalance—especially if you are exercising! Exercise breaks your muscles down in order for them to grow back stronger. But how can they repair themselves when you aren't giving them the rest they need? Your body does the majority of its repair work while you sleep. So, if you feel out of whack, the first thing you should think about is how well you are sleeping. If you are not sleeping well at night, consider changing what you eat before bed to help you fall asleep and stay asleep.
Like I said earlier, stress plays a huge part in hormonal imbalances. One way to combat rising stress levels and help regain a chemical balance is through vigorous or not-so-vigorous exercise. I know when I spend an hour plus in the gym, my mental well-being skyrockets. I feel more in control of my body and, therefore, more in control of myself.
So, the first thing you can try if you have experienced any hormonal imbalance symptoms is to get your body moving. Clear your schedule and clear your head with a morning run or an evening swim. When you focus on your body moving the way it needs to, all other stressors fall away. You can tune in, forget about the world for the time being, and spend time a little time with yourself.
Shoot for at least three workouts a week to balance your stress levels and more if you can!
Say yes to fats. Not all sorts of fats (sorry, bacon) but the healthy fats. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which include omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, fuel your joints, reduce inflammation, and aid in muscle recovery. These fats also help satisfy you and hold you over for longer.
Don't fear the calories. While it may be a little more than you are used to up front, you will realize that you aren't as hungry at your next meal or snack time and need less to fill you up. It all evens out, really.
Foods with these fats include nuts and nut butters, oils, fatty fish, and avocados. Try incorporating a little of these fats into every meal.
Waiting too long in between meals can lead to the low-blood-sugar "hangry" that we all have experienced. If your body has learned that you frequently miss meals, it moves into starvation mode and shifts your hormones in order to try and keep your body as balanced as possible without the necessary kcals or nutrients. But it places a lot of stress on the body. This hormonal shift can lead to an initial weight loss and then sudden weight gain because of the increased levels of cortisol, the stress hormone.
Understand your own calorie intake needs. First, you can download an app that helps you track how many calories your body needs on a daily basis. You input your height, weight, age, and exercise schedule and the app will tell you how many calories your body is asking of you. Then, you can track how much and when you are eating to make sure you stay in a healthy range.
Excess sugar, especially refined white sugar, will spike your blood sugar and then drop it as your body quickly processes and digests it. This constant roller coaster of sugar highs and lows shifts your body into high gear to try and balance your body by pumping insulin (the hormone that regulates blood sugar) into your blood stream. It's exhausting and hard to catch up. Over time, this back and forth can lead to insulin resistance and cause a whole slew of other insulin-related health conditions, such as diabetes, chronic exhaustion, sugar cravings, anxiety, and depression.
Try to keep your diet on a steady path of whole foods and little processed ones. When you do eat foods that are high in sugar, whether naturally like fruit or processed like dessert, try to also consume something with fiber along with it. Fiber will cause your body to slow down and release the sugar in smaller intervals as it steadily digests and processes your meals.
Keep in mind that refined carbs also turn to sugar. Instead of ordering white rice, switch it to brown rice or quinoa. Even better, swap the carbs for steamed or roasted veggies! These grains and greens take much longer for your body to digest and will not spike your blood sugar like the white rice would.