10 Action Steps to Happy Hormones!
Do you have a desire to feel as good and get off the wheel of discomfort?
Do you feel like you are a complete hot mess?
I feel you! I come to you as a 46 (almost 47 year old…in 3 days) year old female battling my own hormonal demons that continue to throw me under the bus on a daily basis. I have to work hard to put one foot in front of the other and dig deep into seeing why I am deserving of my healing journey. So, one step at a time I remind myself of these 10 action steps that can make simple changes in my life.
What I strive for as I grow my business with all of you wonderful humans is to practice 100% honesty and vulnerability! That, my friends, can be really hard to do. I continue to have such an incredible passion to bring this content to all of you AND to continue practicing all these things for myself through the chaos of my life!
That brings me to HORMONES! Ladies, this is something we NEED to talk OPENLY about! We all grew up as women with the concept in our minds that we just don’t need to talk about what is happening to our bodies. Getting our periods was embarrassing and we needed to hide that we have this experience EVERY. SINGLE.MONTH. for the rest of our lives. Instead of learning how to honor our amazing bodies, and learn HOW to work WITH them, we actually learned how to MASK our pain, HIDE our bodies, and learn to NOT TALK about it.
THAT IS DUMB!
Let’s change course, ladies! Let’s talk about how we can HONOR our bodies, and give ourselves PERMISSION to honor what is taking place every single day for us. No matter how hard it can feel.
So, today I am going to give you 10 SIMPLE ACTION STEPS for creating HAPPY HORMONES! If you feel like you are continually struggling to understand your hormones…or maybe you have no clue what these hormones are or what they do…you are in the right place! We are going to focus on the foundations!
YUP, here I go again…talking foundations! Do you all see a pattern by now? I hope so!
We are going to head back to our foundations, INSTEAD of searching for the next product, fad diet, or short term gimmick to get you by. I want you to feel empowered to put your energy into the resources that are going to dial in those foundations that are going to give your hormones optimal function!
Let’s give your body the opportunity to have amazing metabolic function, success with weight management, a killer night sleep, and the ability to discover a new mindset to calm and support your nervous system!
10 ACTION STEPS TO HAPPY HORMONES:
1. Aim for 30-40 grams of Protein at every meal!
We are looking for 90-120 total grams per day! For optimal absorption of that protein combine it with super healthy fats and fiber! Think about the amazing POWER PROTEIN BREAKFAST: 2-3 eggs (protein), greens and colorful veggies like peppers, kale, spinach, and sweet potato (fiber + healthy carbs), cooked in ghee or organic butter (healthy fat). This regulates our blood sugar and helps the healthy production of our hormones.
2. Add as much colorful fruits + veggies to every meal!
Think about all those amazing veggies like beets, carrots, radishes, spinach, chard, kale, purple cabbage, and peppers! There are so many to choose from! As stated above they have great fiber in them. What does fiber do? Well, it is going to help balance your blood sugar and even better it is going to help you poop each day! Why is this important for hormones you ask? Access Estrogen is removed through the body via waste like when you poop! You don’t get a chance to poop you have excess Estrogen stored in your body! Whoa…dis-regulated hormones coming your way!
3. Stay on top of digestion and gut health!
When it comes to really supporting hormones, we need to make sure our digestion is on track! So, are you producing enough stomach acid to break down your proteins, carbs, and fats? Do you have healthy bile flow so that toxins and excess hormones have the ability to leave the body? Making sure you are supporting that digestion with digestive enzymes and eating in a quiet and mellow environment so your body can access its parasympathetic state. This is the only state your body can be in to produce stomach acid and your digestive enzymes in the first place!
4. Drink your WATER! Hydration is key!
Drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces each day! So, if you weight 150 pounds you need to consume around 75 ounces of water a day! Remember to take a look at your caffeine intake! Every 8 oz of a diuretic you will need to add 12-16 oz of water to your intake! Water helps keep all your systems functioning, tissues flexible, and toxins are able to flow out of the body when we have proper hydration!
5. Ditch the Alcohol!
Look, I understand this one is really tough, and totally can relate to the concept of a long day deserves a big glass of wine. I was on that train for a long time. It did more damage than good in terms of my overall health. Alcohol does a number on our adrenals, liver, gall bladder, blood sugar regulation, and our overall nervous system. When we choose to drink alcohol we choose to take our bodies in the complete opposite direction of healing. If anything, try to take it out for a month or so and see how you feel!
6. Move Your Body!
Get your body moving! Go for one walk every single day. Find a good hike with your dog. Find a moderate movement that can bring you joy! Yoga, Pilates, or barre are incredible strength training options that are not overly taxing on your adrenals, liver, and maintaining blood sugar. Let me emphasize MODERATE, long extended cardio workouts or hard core HIIT training provide a stress to your body that does not support your hormones.
7. Find Your Breath!
Take one deep breath. Now, take another…and another. Maybe get yourself all the way up to 10. Just simply this breath exercise can take your nervous system down and your whole body has the ability to down regulate. There are breathing apps, meditation apps and classes all around for you to start the training of your breath!
Even better, this can become a sweet daily ritual you do that can eventually turn into a meditation practice!! Prioritize your health through taking some quiet time for yourself!
8. SLEEP! Make it a priority!
Let me ask you something…do you climb into bed with your phone, iPad, or computer? Watch or binge your latest episode on Netflix?
It’s impossible to fall asleep, it’s 1 am and you just keep going because you don’t know what else to do. One simple step is to stop watching technology up to 2 hours before bed so that you allow your circadian rhythms to be on track. Repeated use of a bright screen over 5 days can delay the body clock by 1.5 hours. This means you consistently want to go to bed later and sleep in longer. This can be a real problem when you need to get up at a set time in the morning for school or work. Ditching the devices will shock you on how much better you will feel when you stop!
Try taking an Epson salt bath, this helps the body get a sweet dose of magnesium which aids a calming response and can help your body get the sleep it needs.
9. Take the LAB tests to prioritize your health!
We live in a culture of fix the symptoms and make it all go away. Instead, we need to be embracing the idea of diving deep into the root cause of our issues. A place to start is with the DUTCH test is an extensive dried Urine test that will give you loads and loads of information about your hormones, cortisol, adrenals, gut function and disfunction! The GI Map test is a great way to discover what bacteria, fungus, parasites or other issues are showing up in your gut! These tests give you the information to be informed on your own personal healing journey! Want to learn more? Click here!
10. Work with a Functional Nutrition Therapist for have total support!
What would it be like to have someone who you can share with you the knowledge and the tools necessary for you to start your journey toward healing. Give yourself the opportunity to learn about your body and all of the amazing options available to you moving forward.
I am there for you! Let’s get started! You want to reach out and see what can be done for you. 3 Pack + 6 Pack Functional Nutrition Therapy Consults are now 20 % off through the end of October and lab testing is 10% off!
Let’s get to a place where we can feel confident and happy with my body and my hormones have never been better!
Namaste!
Darcy