Let’s face it. While it is possible to support your hormones naturally, there is no magical, overnight fix. If there was, you probably wouldn’t be here reading this (and whomever owned that magical fix would be a gajillionaire by now!).
The truth is that balancing your hormones is all about crafting a lifestyle that supports your specific needs and that is sustainable for you.
Now, the specific of what that lifestyle looks like can differ from one woman to another.
However, there are some essential elements that are applicable to most women. And that is what this guide is going to outline for you.
So, without further ado, here are some natural hormone balance tips to kickstart your journey to health.
WHAT IS THE BEST NATURAL WAY TO BALANCE HORMONES?
1. Start With Your Diet
Every time you eat something, you can be one step closer to balance or you one more step away from balance.
Now, since you have to eat, why not make food your ally so that every bite does in fact get you closer to your goal?
In terms of what to prioritize in your diet, it’s a good idea to make sure that you eat:
- Anti-inflammatory foods.
- Nutrient dense foods.
- A healthy balance of fats, proteins and carbs (unfortunately, our hormones tend to retaliate strongly when we severely restrict one or more groups).
For a deeper understanding of why these three things matter, as well as to get a downloadable guide that you can use, check out this hormone balancing diet guide.
2. Use Herbs & Supplements For Support
Although it’s tempting to put herbs and supplements ahead of diet, they usually work best as a support or booster for your diet.
Now the hard part with herbs and supplements is knowing where to start.
If you’re new to herbs, it’s often easier to start with what you might already have in your kitchen or backyard. For example:
- Cinnamon – read more here about how it may improve insulin resistance, inflammation and more.
- Turmeric – this guide walks you through its anti-inflammatory benefits and how to use it.
- Stinging nettle leaf – this common weed is loaded with minerals, lowers inflammation and supports healthy blood sugar levels. Curious about it? Read this article.
- Green tea – from lowering testosterone to supporting weight loss, there’s a lot of potential in green tea. Get the details – including the best type to use – here.
- Sage – from soothing hot flashes to supporting bone health, sage is an herb to consider if you’re going through menopause. Get into it with this guide.
With these (and many other herbs) you can consume them in the form of tea, tincture or capsules.
As for other supplements – such as multivitamins – use this guide to decide which (if any) make sense for you.
3. Move Your Body
Perhaps one of the most detrimental messages that many of us were taught is that exercise is for weight loss (or maintaining healthy weight).
In reality, exercising does so much more. For example:
- It helps release feel-good hormones that boost your mood.
- Clears the mind and helps you feel more refreshed.
- Can increase your self confidence.
- Helps you appreciate the body you’re in and be grateful for the fact that you are able to move your body (some people don’t have that privilege due to being disabled or paralyzed, for example).
So, it’s important to move your body every day. Reconnect with it. Love and appreciate what it can do right now.
As for which exercises to do, it’s entirely up to you. What’s most important is that you find activities you like and that you stay consistent.
Remember, you’re crafting a lifestyle to support your hormones.
NOTE: be mindful of exercising too much and/or cutting calories too much. This combination can contribute to more weight gain (because the body goes into survival mode) or amenorrhea (absence of menstruation).
4. Watch Your Self Talk
Thoughts and feelings trigger the release of specific hormones and neurotransmitters in the body.
This means that if you think fearful thoughts, chemicals (such as adrenaline and cortisol) are released.
On the other hand, if you think happy or loving thoughts, chemicals like oxytocin or dopamine are released.
Your cells are listening and your body is recalibrating all the time in response to how you’re thinking and feeling.
So, watch your self-talk.
If you’re doing all the right things externally – i.e. eating healthy, taking supplements, etc. – but internally you’re judging your body or you’re angry at it (or yourself) those thoughts might slow down your progress.
5. Prioritize Self Care
Self care is a very broad term and in this case I’m referring to caring for or reconnecting with your higher Self.
It’s easy to get up in day-to-day responsibilities and forget about your spiritual side.
Yet that other aspect is what can help you feel more nourished, grounded, happy and healthy.
So, when it comes to self care, take time to look at all aspects of your life, such as:
- Career.
- Friendships.
- Hobbies.
- Family
- Relationships.
- Finances.
- Traumas.
Are there areas that you’d like to improve? Are there things you’ve been tolerating that are draining you?
Is it time to let go of certain things, people or circumstances?
Is it time to seek out the help of a therapist or coach to improve certain parts of your life?
Is it time to shift your perspective or mindset?
Take time to reflect and start taking steps, no matter how small.
Your cells are listening 🙂
And of course, make time for the more fun self care stuff such as a massage, manis, pedis, reading a good book, watching an uplifting movie and more.
6. Reduce Your Exposure to Toxins
Whether it’s cleaning products, cosmetics or personal hygiene products, we ladies tend to use them more.
This means we also tend to get exposed to more toxins than our male counterparts (source). Many of these every day toxins can be harmful to our hormones.
While it is impossible to avoid all toxins, it is possible to reduce how many you’re exposed to.
So, consider making the following adjustments:
- Switch to organic pads and tampons. From my perspective, this is the most important.
- For leave-on products in your skincare routine – such as makeup, moisturizers, serums, oils – switch to cleaner versions.
- Buy less toxic household cleaning products.
NOTE: another common source of toxins is pesticide residue from food. So, whenever possible buy organic food.
7. Don’t Neglect The Basics
The guidelines for being a healthy human still apply – and become even more important – when you’re balancing your hormones. This means:
- Get sufficient sleep.
- Drink enough water.
- Avoid excess and refined sugar.
- Don’t smoke.
- Avoid processed food.
- Don’t drink excessively (for some people it may be necessary to avoid alcohol completely because you need your liver to be focused on metabolizing hormones and detoxification. You don’t want your liver distracted by alcohol that it has to breakdown).
- Maintain an inner circle of friends/family that you can lean on during challenging times.
8. Be Patient and Flexible
Sometimes diet and lifestyle changes produce results within a few days. In other cases, they may take weeks or more.
Each person is unique and it’s important to be as patient as you can throughout your healing journey.
Also, keep in mind that what works for your body at 20 or 30, may no longer work at 40 or 50.
You are always evolving and so are your needs.
So be prepared to make adjustments if necessary.
CONCLUSION
Taking a holistic approach to hormone balance means looking at every aspect of your life, from the obvious things like food and drinks, to the more subtle things like mindset.
While it might feel awkward at first, taking this approach allows you to know yourself and your body a whole lot more.
Ultimately, it makes it easier to take of your health in the long-term and gain a greater sense of control over your well-being.
Related Articles:
5 Tips To Balance Hormones and Start Feeling Better (in as little as a week!)
I’ve always had a hormone in balance too much oestrogen & not enough pro oestrogen!!
This caused me to suffer regular migraines. Since hitting the mesopause my hair is falling out, gaining a lot of weight & very little energy…. would be great if these smithies could help me in anyway as I don’t want HRT
Kind Regards
T Knight
Hi, many of the women who have successfully used the smoothies have been in menopause too. The smoothies help to alleviate the workload on the adrenals and thyroid, as well as to improve inflammation. On the smoothie challenge page there is a section that outlines who will benefit the most from the smoothies. Read through it and if it sounds like you, then feel free to join!