10 Ways to Balance Your Hormones Naturally
1. Hydrate in the Morning
You become dehydrated while you sleep, so it’s important to drink at least 2 cups of water before anything else upon rising. Aim for 1 liter within the first 4 hours of being awake. Room temperature water with fresh squeezed lemon is alkalizing for the body and kickstarts your digestion. Another thing to keep in mind is that sometimes you may think you’re hungry when what your body is actually asking for is water. One of the well known keys to weight loss is hydration. Here are 5 more benefits of drinking lemon water daily.
2. Start Your Day with Protein and Fat
Kicking off the day with bread, pastries, or sugar-laden lattes can cause chaos for your hormonal system and spike your blood sugar causing unwanted weight gain. When you fuel your body with protein and healthy fat first thing, you signal to your body that it’s safe, and that it doesn’t need to hold on to extra fat. This means your body will get the green light to produce the hormones it needs, burn fat where necessary, and your brain will also have more energy for the day. Try some cooked greens with pastured eggs and avocado slices for breakfast and see how you feel.
3. Get 30 Minutes of Gentle Movement Daily
You may have heard you need to break a sweat to get the benefits of a workout, but the science shows that a simple 30 minute walk a day is enough to get the benefits of a healthy body, provided of course that you’re also eating clean and getting enough sleep! Work a 30 minute walk or yoga class into your day, evening or before bed ritual to help calm down your system, reduce stress levels and boost your hormone production.
4. Make a Commitment to Sleep
Sleep is by far one of the most neglected practices of our time, yet it’s a huge factor in how healthy we are. Lack of sleep leads to lower willpower, higher body fat, stress and illness. However, getting the proper amount of sleep can help you build a resilient, strong and fit body. While you sleep, your brain is filtering and sorting out all the information you in that day, your body is healing, repairing and renewing itself, while your digestion is taking a rest and your organs are doing their daily detox. Without sleep, all of this progress is put on hold and the result is hormonal imbalance and fatigue. Aim for 7-9 hours per night with a goal to be in bed before 11pm for the best results.
5. Try Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is an adaptogenic herb originating from India that has traditionally been used to strengthen and lift the immune system. It’s widely consumed to help naturally lower stress levels overtime while improving the body’s ability to deal with new stressors that occur. Ashwagandha also supports healthy thyroid function and with the thyroid being a key player in terms of having balanced hormones this is a very good thing. This herb has mood boosting, libido boosting properties and overtime can help stabilize the nervous system.
6. Eat Greens for Breakfast
Eating leafy green foods is essential to your Clean Eating plan. Greens like kale, chard, collards, bok-choy, broccoli and watercress are all super nutrient dense options that you can rotate in your meals daily. Try having 1-2 cups of steamed or sauteed leafy greens with pastured eggs and fresh avocado slices in the morning topps with 1 tsp. Of coconut oil, grass-fed butter or ghee to balance your blood sugar, boost weight loss and supercharge your hormone balancing efforts.
7. Be Smart with Sugar Intake
Another high-impact change you can make to your lifestyle is to reduce your sugar intake, and choose wisely when you’re opting for something sweet. Natural sugars like fruits, and sweeteners like honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar are healthier options to processed sugars. You can also choose low to no impact sweeteners that aren’t artificial like monk fruit sweetener or stevia leaf. These two are 0 calories and don’t spike your blood sugar whatsoever when they’re consumed. Consider using these options in hot drinks for a simple way to reduce your sugar intake consistently. If you find you struggle with stress-eating, here’s ten tips on how to avoid it and take back your power with food.
8. Create a Self-Care Plan
To enjoy a healthy life, self-care needs to be a priority. It can be tough at times with family to take care of, work, and other obligations, though you’re your own best friend so look at how you can create time to enjoy self-care. Whether that means going on a walk in nature, taking a yoga class, or enjoying a hot epsom salt bath, ask family members or friends for help so you can do what you need to do to take care of yourself. As modern human beings it can be difficult to ask for help, but remember we’re designed for community, so reach out! Chances are, there are other moms in your community who also need support in creating the space to practice self-care, so consider the ways in which you can work together to make it happen.
9 . Reduce Your Stress
You’ve probably heard of Cortisol by now, one of the major players when it comes to stress hormones in the body. Cortisol is in charge of regulating many functions in the body, including the metabolism. When you’re under stress, you begin to burn less fat. Too much cortisol can cause a hormone imbalance resulting in fatigue, weight gain and low-energy. Cortisol isn’t entirely bad though. You want to have a sufficient amount to enjoy sustainable energy throughout your day, and to be able to sleep restfully at night. Taking adaptogenic herbs like Ashwagandha to help balance your hormones can help regulate your levels, rather than forcing them up or down. Other beneficial herbs for stress are Holy Basil and Reishi Mushroom which can both l be brewed into teas or taken in tincture or capsule form. Virtually everything on this list will contribute to lowering your stress levels too, so be sure to save this article for future reference.
10. Eat Clean
What you eat can have a serious impact on how quickly your body begins to shift. The less energy your body spends on digestion, the more it spends on healing. Eating Clean is the smart way to signal to your body that it’s time to begin coming into balance. By giving your body real, whole foods that it can recognize you’ll notice improvements in your digestion, your skin, and your hormonal health. Seriously, I can’t tell you how many transformations I’ve witnessed just from diet changes alone.
Having enough energy to get through the day, sleeping well, feeling playful and even going number two regularly are all signs that your hormones are in check. If you’re not experiencing these things, it’s a sign you might need to make some shifts.
Check out more recipes like the Cilantro-Lime Quinoa Salad pictured above and order the CleanFoodLove bundle if you want hundreds of recipes and to be a part of a community of other women on the same path as you.
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