5 Daily Habits for Healthy Hormones
I’ve learnt a whole lot about hormones through my biz collaborater and hormone expert, Naomi Judge. As I experience all the changes which come with turning 50 her guidance and wisdom have helped to keep my hormones happy and healthy, leaving me at a healthy weight, with stable moods, increased energy and an all round feeling balanced and pretty fantastic!
The longer we endure consistent hormonal imbalances, the more difficult it can be to correct certain issues, so I want to make sure you’re looking after your hormones like I do, and it’s easy to do with the help of Naomi who has written up her Top 5 daily habits for healthy hormones below.
Guest post by hormone-expert, Naturopath Naomi Judge
As we age hormone balance becomes even more crucial as your body begins to get into routines and rhythms, it relies on internal and external signals to tell it what to do.
For example, being in a highly stressed state through your 40’s leading into your 50’s and menopause tells your body it needs to store fat to deal with whatever is around the corner which your body thinks could be a famine (your nervous system is still in the stone age).What you were able to get away with in your 20’s is now becoming physically and emotionally noticeable to you.
The time to act is today, and by implementing small habits and hormonal balancing strategies one at a time, you can build strong foundations for another 50 years of feeling fantastic!
To get you started on supporting your hormones today you can follow these five steps:
1) Consume lots of good bacteria in the form of fermented foods, kefir and in some cases a good probiotic. Good bacteria helps to synthesize the right hormones in the digestive tract, including estrogen and thyroid hormones.
2) Consume filtered water free from chlorine and fluoride. Both of these substances have been added to tap water. Chlorine is added to kill off pathogenic organisms, but unfortunately it does not discriminate and also kills good bacteria. Fluoride has been added to prevent tooth decay, but this chemical also affects your immune cells, which are responsible for gut immunity. Too much fluoride can leave your gut open to dormant bacterias and for candida yeast to grow rampantly throughout your digestive tract.3) Increase fibre intake, you should try and eat 40 grams of fibre per day. You can add flaxmeal or chia seeds to smoothies, take pectin supplements or slippery elm, or simply increase fibrous vegetables, such as avocado, broccoli, and celery.
4) Meditation helps to balance hormones by reducing cortisol and testosterone, at the same time elevating feel good hormones such as oxytocin. Oxytocin is your best friend in hormone-land, which can also be boosted through massage and regular orgasm.
5) Change up your exercise routine. Too much intense exercise daily can reduce good estrogen levels and elevate testosterone and cortisol. Include a nice balance between light yoga, walking, strength training, intense or short burst training a few times per week.