Women talk about a lot of things but hormones rarely makes the list of hot topics. From the time our body begins to develop and we start our menstrual cycle to the time we see our doc about menopause and hormone replacement therapy and everything in between, hormones are in the spotlight yet we generally just keep it hush hush. After all, why ruin a good “girl’s night out” by talking about what weird things our body is are doing at this very moment.
Just for a minute let’s ignore mood swings, that rogue hair on our chin, or our over/under-active sex drive. Let’s puff out our chest with pride at the awesome job our hormones do to help keep our bodies running like clockwork. Hormones are so much more than just getting grumpy during our periods; they play a key role in regulating all of our bodily functions. Our cardiovascular, digestive, immune, respiratory and reproductive systems all depend on our hormones being in balance. The scary thing is that most women just see their hormones as something that happens to them that they have no control over.
Something amiss? Blame it on the hormones.
We do have control over our hormones because our hormones are a part of our body and who has control over the fuel our body runs on and the amount of exercise it gets? WE DO! So it only makes sense that these things will affect our hormones as well. It is up to us whether we want to play nice with our hormones or just turn a blind eye and let them run amuck.
While menopausal women most often come to mind when we talk about hormones, females of any age should be mindful of the ways they can positively influence hormonal balance. Think about it – when isn’t a female dealing with hormones? Pre-teens, teens, child-bearing age women, peri-menopausal, menopausal, and post-menopausal women… ALL dealing with hormones.
So what can we do to make our hormones happy? Well, for starters, fresh veggies, healthy fats, fresh fruits, plenty of sleep, exercise and hydration…hydration…hydration are all ways to give your hormones a great big hug.
On the other hand, sugar (and sugar substitutes), caffeine, refined carbs, too much alcohol, too little water, making sleep an option and not a priority, stress, and inactivity are all ways of giving your hormones your approval to go crazy. Something none of us want.
Will doing everything just right keep your hormones 100% in check… probably not. You’re still going to have some PMS during “that time of the month” and you will still get hot flashes during “the change” but taking a mindful approach to your health and the health of your hormones can (and most likely will) help reduce the many weird things our bodies do on a regular basis that we avoid talking about at girl’s night out.
If you have used a health and wellness approach to keeping your hormones in balance I would love to hear about it. Give me a shout on Facebook!