Hormones are your body’s chemical messengers. 

They tell your tissues and organs what to do, and control everything from reproduction to metabolism. 

While your hormone levels can fluctuate throughout the month, as well as throughout your lifetime, other hormonal changes can happen due to your nutrition and lifestyle habits. 

This article will talk about six ways to balance your hormones naturally.

Signs You’re Hormones Are Imbalanced

Let’s first dive into signs your hormones may need some lovin.’

If you’re struggling with symptoms such as:

• irregular periods
• painful periods or PMS symptoms
• weight loss resistance
• menopausal symptoms 
• fatigue
• fine, brittle hair
• frequent urination
• increased or decreased heart rate
• low libido
• dry skin
• anxiety and irritability
• infertility
• excess fat between the shoulders
• joint pain or muscle weakness
• low body temperature

It could mean your hormones aren’t exactly where they need to be.

Common Hormone Disruptors

There’s several nutrition and lifestyle habits that can wreak havoc on your hormones.

Some examples include: 

• Undereating or going too long without eating
• Too much caffeine 
• Consuming a lot of excess sugar
• A lack of fiber in your diet
• Skincare, body products and makeup with ingredients that are endocrine disruptors (like phthalates or BPA)
• Blue-light exposure at night 
• Not getting enough sleep 
• A lack of stress-management
• Too much exercise or too much high-intensity type workouts
• Cutting out high-quality fats and meat

6 Ways to Balance Your Hormones

Now that we know signs of hormonal imbalances and things that wreak havoc on your hormones, let’s talk about ways to support them naturally. 

Make sure you’re eating enough 

When you don’t nourish your body enough, your hormones will suffer. The average average resting metabolic rate for women is about 1,400 calories (the amount you need just to sit on the couch), yet so many women are eating much less than that (and many diet programs promote that!) 

So making sure you’re eating enough is key for supporting your hormones. Although I’m not all about counting calories, it is important to know how many you should be consuming each day based on your lifestyle. You can see your calorie needs using a basic calculator like this one. 

If you find your calorie intake is low, an easy way to bump it up is to incorporate more nourishing fats. Here are some examples:

• Avocados
• Avocado Oil
• Coconut Oil
• Olive Oil
• Ghee or Butter
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Olives

Focus on balancing your blood sugar

Balancing your blood sugars is key for balanced hormones⁣⁣.

If your blood sugars are high, the hormone insulin gets secreted more often. This can lead to more fat storage and excess testosterone (which can cause heavy periods, acne, facial hair, insulin resistance, and PCOS)⁣⁣.

If your blood sugars are low, your body relies on the stress hormone cortisol to keep your blood sugar level up, and your body starts to crave high-carb and sugary foods to increase it (this can lead to more sugar cravings, fatigue, and binging). ⁣⁣

If you’re looking for simple ways to balance your blood sugar naturally, check out my new blog post “8 Ways to Naturally Support Balanced Blood Sugars.”

Minimize toxin burden through your water, skincare, beauty and household products

Did you know that there are nearly 800 toxins that are suspected to be hormone disruptors? This can impact things like energy, weight, fertility, and even increase your risk for developing cancer.

We’re exposed to toxins on a daily basis, so although we can’t avoid them entirely – there are ways to reduce our exposure. Here’s a couple of simple ways:

• Swap plastic for glass containers 
• Use coconut oil, ghee or avocado oil for cooking instead of vegetable or canola oil
• Filter your water
• Use vinegar and baking soda for a non-toxic cleaning solution
• Open your windows each day
• Avoid artificial colors or flavors in food – look for terms like “artificially flavored” or “blue 2” or “red 40”
• Get an air purifier at home
• Avoid using artificially scented products like candles, soaps or lotions
• Swap out skincare or body products for non-toxin options. Two brands I love to use are Beautycounter  and Primally Pure (get 10% off your order with code “AUTUMN” at checkout).

Optimize your sleep quality

While you’re sleeping, every hormone is getting recharged, so it makes sense that a lack of sleep causes an imbalance in hormones. 

As a mother to two, I understand that sleep isn’t always in your control, but there are ways to improve your sleep quality such as:

• Avoiding electronics (yes, that means social media!) at least an hour before bed
• Avoid caffeine past lunchtime
• Keep your room on the cooler side (around 65 degrees)
• Get a white noise machine
• Make your to-do list at night for the next day
• Try mouth taping (check out a post I did on that HERE). 

Take stress-management seriously

I know you’ve heard a million times to manage your stress, but are you actually doing it? 

If you have a Type A personality like me, stress-management might not come so easily for you. This area of health has been a work-in-progress for me for awhile, but I have found several things that have helped me during stressful times. Some of my favorites include:

•  Deep breathing/meditation (check out apps like Calm or Insight Timer to help you get started)
• Using essential oils such as lavender or ylang ylang
• Getting outside as much as possible
• Schedule time for fun
• Using adaptogens and supplements like magnesium and l-theanine
  • Stress depletes magnesium in the body
  • L-Theanine is an amino acid that can help with stress 

Focus on smart exercise

No, you don’t need to spend hours at the gym doing cardio. In fact, doing so can do more damage than good for your hormones. Instead, focus on smart and effective exercise for you and your lifestyle. 

To start, focus on incorporating a consistent exercise routine (at least 30 minutes each day or 10,000 steps). This could be walking, yoga, dancing, etc. 

Once you got that down, then focus on adding in strength training 2-4 days per week. 

After that, if you feel like your nutrition, sleep, and stress levels are balanced, then add in more cardio-type of exercise.

Let’s Balance Your Hormones Together!

Helping my clients support their hormones naturally is a key piece of my coaching program.

If you’re looking for personalized support with this – make sure to fill out my short coaching application and let’s get started!