Part 1: Why You Should Strive For Hormone Harmony
This one's for the ladies…Let's talk hormones! Hormones are an integral part of our health, but how often do you really give them the attention that’s deserved? What comes up for you when you think about hormones? Do you feel overwhelmed & undereducated? Do you tune into your hormones, or shy away and try to ignore them? Do you feel like this was something that was just never really discussed growing up, and you don’t know where to start?
If I’m being completely candid all of these have a level of truth for me. Hormones have always been a bit of an area of mystery for me. It certainly wasn’t a topic that came up in family conversations, or even in any of my formal education, so I feel like I’m playing catch up now. It feels daunting and overwhelming to filter thru all the science, data and information to get to what is critical for my health. I know the importance of hormones and the key role they play in my body’s overall health, wellbeing and functioning, but I seem to get along fairly well just letting them do their thing - why rock the boat, right? All that to be said, I’m turning 40 this year, and I know this next decade will bring a lot of change. I’d rather be prepared, with an understanding of what to watch for, and feel confident making simple improvements that will benefit me now and later. Overall my goal is to tune into my hormones allowing them to support me in living my best life. So here we go, no more hiding away and hoping for the best, let’s do this!
Hormones can be an overwhelming topic, and frankly one we’d all like to table for another day. What’s the use of understanding them when they’re always changing anyways! Today my goal is to shed the overwhelm and look at hormones thru a less scientific lens. Instead of hearing all the science and data, we’ll dig into the practical and everyday scenarios of how hormones impact our overall health, and how we can better listen to the guidance & wisdom they’re providing us every day. Hormone harmony, here we come!
As I mentioned, I don’t want to dig into the weeds here, instead I want to share a concept with you that has really helped me understand hormones and how they impact our daily life. At a basic level, hormones provide a rhythm for our body, one that we can fall into sync with and allow to naturally guide our day. The more that we tune inward and listen to our intuition, we’ll find this rhythm guiding our day and choices. Here’s an example my from own life to bring this idea to life. I have a young family, two young daughters, and it can often feel as though our routine is determined by their schedule & needs. I found that when I was being awoken from a sound sleep from my daughter standing by my bed, quietly breathing over me, and I’d wake up in a startled panic. It always felt like I needed time to “recover” from the jarring way the day began. So I decided to experiment. I started waking up early. Please understand, I have super early risers, so this is no simple feat; but it was important to me to try and see if I could start the day differently if it was on my own terms. I started with 30 minutes before anyone was up, I poured myself a cup of coffee, sat in the silence of our home and began the on my schedule. I began to cherish this time as I started to realize it is the only time in the day that I had for myself, to do whatever I please, and to be in complete peace & quiet. I noticed that I greeted my family differently when I’d been able to focus on my own needs first. When I hear their quiet feet coming down the hall, I’d have a smile on my face, as opposed to the shocked alarm of the girls waking me in bed. I simply learned to tune into my own intuition and natural body rhythm, so I could begin the day in a way that feels good in my body.
The key is that we’re all unique and what feels good for me, may sound awful to you. Experiment, have fun and be curious and most of all be open to the impact small changes can have. This small shift in my day, simply changing when I wake and how I start my morning routine, has been a complete game changer for me and I absolutely love it. I never would have figured it out though, had I not been willing to experiment with changes and have a curiosity around how it could be different. At the most foundational level, remembering that we all have unique rhythms, and prioritizing yours instead of going with the needs of everyone else in your house is completely ok - and I for one will back you on it 110%!
Now you may be wondering what warning signs will appear when we’re out of alignment with our body’s hormonal rhythm? In a nutshell, it’s a drain on our body and our energy when we are out of alignment. Beyond that, there are a few key signs you may be pushing your body beyond its limits. Do any of these ring true for you?
You’re exhausted
Your sex drive is nonexistent
You’re gaining weight, especially around your middle
You feel guilty, ashamed and depressed, but don’t know why
You’re experiencing PMS, and more intensely than usual
You’re experiencing cystic acne
Alright, now the all important question, how can we create change if you are experiencing any of these very common symptoms? There are a ton of ways to go about creating change, but for the purposes of today we’re going to focus on changes in your primary food. Primary food refers to the way we nourish our bodies off of our plates, be it our relationships, spiritual practices, career and community. (In case you missed it, check out last week’s blog post that dug into primary & secondary food). I’m going to encourage you to determine changes by focusing inward. I’ll provide you with an understanding that we can all achieve balance and change, by focusing on areas of primary food. As a preview, this will be a two part blog series, because there’s simply too much amazing information to pack into one post. So I'll share half of the list this week and the other half next; stay tuned you won’t want to miss this. You’ve waited long enough, lets dig into today’s two areas of focus:
Empowerment
It’s natural to feel as though your health is out of your hands, and to feel completely overwhelmed. It’s a lot to handle when we feel like our lives are out of control and we simply want to get back on track, and feel good again. Start with realizing that you are not broken, no matter how badly you feel, or how lost and hopeless the search for health seems. Your body is made to heal itself, given half a chance your body will work to bring itself back to health, but you have to believe in yourself first. Empower yourself and stand up for your own health. Take a moment to acknowledge something great about your health in this moment. It can be anything , but it has to ring true to you. Hold onto this one piece of positivity and it will build. Empower your own health journey, believe in yourself first, and your body will naturally find its way back to health.
Rest
It doesn’t get much more basic than our need for rest, but how often do you ignore your body’s signs that you need more sleep? We’re all unique in the amount of rest that makes us feel our best. If I get 8 hours I’m on top of the world, but if I only get 6 I’m bound to feel sluggish the next day. My husband however feels great with 6 hours, and his naturally never sleeps a full 8 hours. We’re all different, but the key is experimenting and figuring out where your sweet spot is - and above all else, honoring the rest you need! We simply can’t expect our body’s to feel great, and achieve what we strive for, when we’re exhausted and sleep deprived. It’s amazing how you can reprioritize, or actually get all your to-do list done, even with less time. The key is giving your body the foundation of rest it needs & deserves.
My hope is that you’re feeling less overwhelmed by hormones, and instead see how much an impact they have on your daily routines, and overall wellbeing. As I’m learning, it’s better to embrace the knowledge of how we can support our bodies and empower our own unique hormone harmony! If you enjoyed this blog, you’ll love next week’s when we dig further into 3 additional areas of primary food that support our hormone health. Until then, let’s connect on Instagram, so I can provide daily support, encouragement and guidance for your health journey! Click here to connect.