How to Balance Your Hormones

Wondering how to balance your hormones and why it’s important? Read on to get the skinny on why hormones are essential to your health!

Hormones have been getting a bad rap for decades. They usually only enter the conversation in regards to a woman’s mood or her menstrual cycle, and even then, it’s not usually in a complementary fashion. (eyeroll)

Yet, hormones are a natural part of how our body regulates and manages all its important functions. These “chemical messengers… travel throughout the body coordinating complex processes like growth, metabolism, and fertility…

Hormones are the reason why your arms are the same length, why you can turn food into fuel, and why you changed from head to toe at puberty.” Think of hormones like the Olivia Pope of your body — when the brain needs something handled, they spring into action, instantly moving into your bloodstream to fix the problem.

But what happens when the chemicals and toxins found throughout our environment (even in the air we breathe!) disrupt this efficient process? Scandal! Okay, not exactly, but it’s definitely bad for your health. 

Tell me more!

The chemicals and toxins that are found in everything from what we put on to what we put in our bodies can disrupt how our hormones work, sending incomplete or false messages along the path from brain to the endocrine system and on to the individual cells in our body. The endocrine system (i.e. Olivia Pope’s office) handles everything from our metabolism, to our sex drive, to our “fight or flight” response to stress. And if left unattended, these disruptions can lead to chronic disease and an overall decrease in health and happiness. 

So you can see how this is a problem! 

It’s no wonder that there’s a big trend recently to take a closer look at our hormones. With rising insurance and medical costs, home hormone testing is on the rise, as people are looking for answers and cost-effective treatments to their chronic fatigue, pain, missed periods, anxiety and unexplained ailments. 

Hormones are part of a complex system, so if you’d like to look into testing, seek out a functional medicine doctor, who will typically have a stronger focus on finding the root of your health issues rather than just medicating symptoms. 

In the meantime, there are ways you can give your body (and your hormones) a little TLC to help them combat disruptions from chemicals and toxins and maintain their natural groove.  

1) Get Enough Sleep 

You know when you’re so exhausted in the morning that you put the cereal box in the fridge and the milk in cabinet? Well, the same thing can happen to your endocrine system. Regular, restful sleep is essential to your hormones running at their optimum speed, potency and efficiency.

 Plus, if you’re trying to lose weight, a “lack of sleep can also affect leptin, a hormone that is released by the body to signal satiety to the brain and suppress appetite.” Negative effects can be seen as quickly as just two days of bad sleep, so if you’re trying to meet certain fitness goals, sleep needs to be a part of your plan.  

[Click here for my tips for getting more restful sleep (and maybe even hotter sex too!)

2) Manage your Stress

Not to sound like a broken record here, but stress is a silent killer. Your body cannot sustain a constant state of “flight-or-fight” over a long period of time; you’ll deplete all your mental and physical resources and be in no shape to bounce back before the next big deadline or “crisis” emerges.  

So be gentle with yourself. Take breaks on busy days to recharge. Stay on track with your healthy habits (like drinking enough water and eating well), and be sure to get in some form of movement every single day. Exercise is one of the most effective ways to manage stress. 

[Here are my tips to get your booty movin’, no matter whether you love a traditional workout or something new + different!]

3) Superpower your Diet

One of the easiest ways to affect your hormone balance is by changing your diet. You eat food multiple times a day, every day, so what you put into your body is super important. I recommend real whole foods, organic where possible, and a super low intake of dairy, sugar, caffeine and alcohol. And you have to remove the junk food, babe! Those are the endocrine-disrupting chemical culprits we discussed earlier. 

Add a few of these superstar ingredients to your regular menu to help regulate and support hormone health:

• • Flaxseed – helps detox your body by improving elimination, may help reduce excess estrogen, perfect in your morning yogurt or smoothies.
    

  • Sea veggies like seaweed, kelp, wakame, and dulse – rich in B vitamins, help balance your hormones, delicious in soups and on top of salads and brown rice.
    

  • Bitter greens like arugula, watercress, or dandelion greens – stimulates your digestion and supports your gut health, mix these into your regular greens until you’re used to the taste.  

4) Try Adaptogenic Herbs

One way to combat stress and heal hormone health is by taking adaptogens or adaptogenic herbs that support healthy adrenal function. The adrenal glands produce a multitude of hormones your body needs to function, so when the balance is out of whack, you can definitely feel it. In fact, 80% of the population at one time or another has struggled with their adrenals. 

I personally take adaptogenic herbs myself, and I have seen a real difference in how I feel.

These include herbs and roots like ashwagandha, rhodiola, holy basil, licorice root and ginseng.  For more information about these helpful plants and how you can add them as daily supplements, check out my Plante Life breakdown here.

Have you struggled with your hormones? What questions do you still have about how they affect your health? Let me know in the comments below.  

LOVE + classy pantsuits!