Part 2: Why You Should Strive For Hormone Harmony
Wow, hormones, who knew this would be such a powerful topic?! Clearly hormones a topic we’d all like to unpack and understand better, because Part 1: Why You Should Strive For Hormone Harmony was a huge hit! Today we continue the conversation. Last week we started the deep dive into understanding how our hormones provide a natural rhythm in our lives. When we tune into our body’s rhythm we are able to keep our hormones in balance. Now we’ll dig into 3 more powerful ways we can tune inward and strive for hormone harmony. My goal is for you is to understand how hormones impact our overall health, and how we can better listen to the guidance & wisdom they’re providing us throughout every day.
Digging into understanding hormones or the idea of your body’s natural rhythm may be new to you. If so, I want to share simple ways you can spot misalignments. First, it’s important to know that when we are out of alignment it’s a drain on our body and energy levels. But we can often look the other way, or chalk up the signs to the stresses of everyday life. But the sooner we identify where things may be out of alignment, the sooner we can work towards change. Below are 6 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 you know where you stand - are you ready for a change? Instead of taking a scientific approach, I’m going to teach you how to balance your hormones thru focusing on primary food. Primary food refers to the way we nourish our bodies off of our plates (think relationships, spiritual practices, career and community). Today, I encourage you to see the possibility of change by focusing inward, not understanding the latest scientific study that was published. Below, I’ll provide you with an understanding that we can all achieve balance and change, by focusing on areas of primary food. Without further ado, lets dig into today’s 3 areas of focus:
Balance Your Nervous System
Our nervous system has two paths it follows. The first is to be in a state of stress, fear and overwhelm, most commonly known as “fight or flight” mode. Fight or flight, aka your sympathetic nervous system, takes over when your body is ready to dodge imminent danger. Here’s the crazy part, our bodies can’t distinguish between literal stressors (aka being chased by a bear) and chronic stress (aka daily stress from your job, kids, and daily life). When your sympathetic nervous system is activated your body is unable to rest or repair, because it’s preparing to fight off the stress or danger that lies ahead.
On the other hand, our nervous system can operate from a parasympathetic state, which is commonly known as “rest and repair.” It’s the opposite side of the spectrum where your body is able to relax, have fun and work towards health & wellbeing. While both systems have valuable purpose in our lives, the more we can work to move our body to a parasympathetic state, the better physical and mental health we can achieve. Meditation, yoga, sleep, laughing and time with loved ones, are all wonderful ways to bring your nervous system into the beautiful state of rest and repair.
Reevaluate Exercise
Have you ever stopped to consider whether your exercise routine actually feels good for your body? We all get stuck in our own routines, going to a spin class or barre classes 4-5 times a week. Working out is great, and incredibly important, but it’s really beneficial to stop and listen to whether the workout routines you’ve formed are working best for your body. If you typically follow high intensity workouts, consider balancing that with 1-2 days a week of walking or yoga. If yoga is your go-to, what if you tried a more intense form of training. Balancing and varying the ways we move our bodies is incredibly beneficial for our physical body, and also for our mental health. Experimenting, trying new things and learning a new way of moving is a powerful exercise for our brains and our body!
Embrace the Power of Your Tribe
Having a supportive tribe, is such a crucial part of your holistic health. The community of people we surround ourselves with have a profound impact on our health, happiness and quality of life. When we feel alone and disconnected we’re more likely to feel depressed and overeat, and more likely to get sick. Consider the people that make up your tribe, whether that’s friends, family, neighbors, colleagues - all the people that you surround yourself are a huge influence on your hormonal balance.
My hope is that you’re now feeling empowered and educated about your hormones, and understand how much of an impact they have on your daily routines, and overall wellbeing. That being said, this was just the tip of the iceberg on hormone insights. What other questions do you have? Connect with me, so I can create future blogs that will be the most beneficial for your health journey!