Having balanced hormones is a key part of being healthy, but it can be hard to know exactly what you need to do to keep your hormones in check. Fortunately, you can do plenty of things to help your body maintain good hormone levels. In this article, we’ll look at how stress impacts hormones and how you can overcome it for better health. We’ll also discuss diet and lifestyle changes that can improve your body composition and keep your metabolism running as efficiently as possible. The bottom line is that you can take action towards better control of how well your body works—and taking charge of it will improve all aspects of your life!
A Look At How Hormones Impact Your Body
Hormones are chemical messengers that are produced by the body to communicate between all the different organ systems it has. These messengers regulate many body functions, including growth, metabolism, and reproduction. Stress, diet, and exercise can all affect hormone levels in your body.
Hormone levels naturally fluctuate throughout your female cycle and may also be affected due to factors such as eating habits, stress, and exercise — which explains why you might feel more energetic on days when your estrogen is at its highest level (days 5-15 of your cycle, ovulation) or a little under the weather when progesterone rises (days 16-28 of your cycle, luteal phase).
As we get older, our bodies produce fewer sex hormones, making us feel less energetic overall. Other hormonal imbalances such as thyroid disorders and autoimmune diseases can also result in uncomfortable symptoms that, left untreated, can wreak havoc in our bodies.
How Cortisol, The Stress Hormone, Can Affect Other Hormone Levels
Cortisol is a hormone that’s produced by the adrenal glands when your body experiences stress. It helps to regulate blood pressure and keep you energized, but too much cortisol can cause weight gain, interfere with sleep, and lower your sex drive. In women, excess cortisol can also slow down ovulation and cause irregular periods.
One way to help reduce your cortisol levels is by modifying your diet: eat lots of fiber-rich foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains, avoid refined sugar and processed foods that promote inflammation in the body (like bagged chips and sweets), drink plenty of water throughout the day to stay hydrated, and include nuts and olive oil in your regular diet since these are anti-inflammatory. You should also try getting at least 3 workouts sessions in on your week—exercise releases endorphins which help fight depression while at the same time reducing stress hormones like cortisol.
A Balanced Diet Can Help You Keep Your Hormone Health In Check
What you eat can profoundly affect your hormones. Research has shown that being underweight or overweight can have an impact in the way your body produces and uses hormones. Ensuring your bodyweight is in a healthy range is vital for your overall health and hormone balance, so make sure you are keeping track of your weight changes and adjust your portion sizes accordingly. Also, some nutrients are essential for correct thyroid function, such as iodine. Iodine can be found in seafood, iodine salt, milk products and eggs, so including these foods in moderate amounts in your regular diet will aid in hormone production. A sufficient intake of protein (found in meats, fish, eggs, milk and plant sources such as beans and soy) is also important to create or maintain muscle mass, which will in turn have a positive impact in the regulation of your hormones.
Healthy fats are also vital for hormone production and regulation, while providing an anti-inflammatory effect. You should include moderate serving sizes of these in your regular diet:
- Olive oil
- Olives
- Unsalted nuts and seeds
- Avocado
- Avocado oil
Reducing your intake of refined sugars (sweets, bakery products, desserts), fast food, ultraprocessed products (bagged chips, microwavable meals, prefried food) and processed meats (sausages, hamburger patties, canned meat) can also positively impact your hormonal health.
Other Lifestyle Changes That Can Make a Difference On Your Hormones
Sleep
Having a good quality sleep every night is another way to optimize your hormonal health. When you sleep, your body produces hormones to help regulate your metabolism and appetite. In turn, you will have better hormone levels overall, and have an easier time maintaining your weight (which has been proven to be an important factor in hormone balance). As a bonus, research suggests that getting enough sleep may also protect against depression and anxiety.
Strength Training
If you want to improve your hormone and energy levels, adding strength-training to your routine should be a priority. Strength training is a type of physical activity that involves repetitive exercises using weights (even bodyweight) that work out major muscle groups. It’s helpful in many ways:
- Strength training can help you lose weight. By increasing the amount of lean muscle mass on your body, strength training can help boost metabolism and shed extra weight.
- Strength training can help improve posture and bone density.
- Strength training reduces stress and helps regulate hormones through the release of diverse chemicals such as serotonin and glucagon.
Getting Tested Regularly
Getting tested regularly for hormonal imbalances can help you get prompt treatment in case of abnormal results, and avoid developing more serious illnesses, as well as effectively manage your symptoms. Symptoms of hormonal imbalances include:
- Fatigue
- Intolerance to hot or cold temperature
- Unexplained weight loss or weight gain
- Hair loss
- Infertility
- Anxiety and Depression
- Elevated cholesterol levels, or elevated glucose levels
Time To Take Control
There are many ways to improve your hormone health and feel better! In this article we discussed how a healthy diet, a consistent strength training regime and good rest can positively impact your hormonal balance. Try some of these tips on for size, and see what works best for your needs!