5 Actionable Steps for Hormone Balancing This Fall
Hormones have profound effects on our mental, physical and emotional health. These chemical messengers play a major role in controlling your appetite, weight, mood and mental health. Our endocrine glands produce the precise amount of each hormone needed for various processes in your body. However, due to the increase in everyday stressors and our fast-paced modern lifestyle, we are seeing an increase in hormonal imbalances.
Fortunately, a nutritious diet and other healthy lifestyle behaviors may help improve your hormonal health and allow you to feel your best! This Fall I’m encouraging my clients to take action on their hormonal health and work to keep their hormones balanced and happy. These are 5 steps that I’ve been sharing with them and that I hoped would be helpful for others as well!
1. Eat Enough and High-Quality Food: Your body requires fuel and energy from food to function properly. It keeps the body nourished and in a comfortable state of satiation.
2. Get Quality Sleep: This can be so hard to prioritize during the holiday season - but it’s so important to get good sleep. Try to sleep as much as you can in between activites and minimize screen time 30-40 minutes before bed. Avoiding caffeine late in the day can also help!
3. Gentle Movement: Put the hard workouts on the back burner for now. Since your body is already under a fair amount of stress during the holiday season, those hard workouts can be too much for the body. Focus on gentle and supportive workouts like hiking, walks, yoga, light weight lifting, etc.
4. Balance Blood Sugar: By keeping your blood sugar balanced, you are keeping your hormones happy! Make sure you’re eating often to avoid low blood sugar.
5. Reduce Key Stressors: Stress can increase cortisol levels and deplete minerals in the body. Stress truly takes a toll on the body and it’s important to eliminate stressors to allow for balanced hormones. This can be easier said than done, but it’s important to focus on minimizing your stress during the holidays!