"H" IS FOR HORMONES

When I say the word “hormones,” what images or thoughts/feelings pop into your head?  Does the word carry a positive or negative connotation?  Sadly, for most women (and men!) the word is a nasty one.  We talk about hormones when we know that they are imbalanced and are creating symptoms like: mood swings, sugar cravings, anxiety, insomnia, headaches, weight gain, Metabolic syndrome, hair loss, night sweats, bloating, aches and pains, PMS, depression, infertility, and the list goes on…..

We’ve come to believe that this is a normal part of life.  Sadly, it’s become the norm, but we were NOT created to live this way.  OUR BODIES WERE NOT CREATED TO REACH A CERTAIN POINT, ONLY TO BREAK DOWN AND CAUSE US MISERY!  In fact, hormones are supposed to help us function beautifully…keeping us YOUNG, ENERGETIC, healthy, strong, fit, trim, balanced and happy.  So what the heck is going on??

Let me first give a definition of the hormone, or endocrine system.  The endocrine system chemically controls the functions of cells, tissues, and organs through the secretion of hormones. Hormones are signaling molecules that communicate between organs and tissues for activities, such as digestion, metabolism, respiration, tissue function, sensory perception, sleep, excretion, lactation, stress, growth and development, movement, reproduction, and mood….basically, every function and process of the entire body! No wonder we feel awful when our hormones are out of balance! **I will also tell you that there are a number of hormone/endocrine disruptors that are detrimental to our systems. These are things like chemicals, toxins from pesticides, or beauty, skin, and cleaning products…just to name a few. (We will dive into these in later blog posts.)

Clients come to me for help with a number of goals like: losing weight, changing body composition, gaining muscle or bone mass, acquiring more energy, stress reduction, or an overall increase in health and immunity.  Did you know that if the hormonal system is imbalanced, each of these goals become almost impossible? 

We have to heal and repair our hormonal foundation before we can move on to BUILDING the ideal body.  To that end, when blood sugar, gut health and liver function are out of balance, hormonal imbalance is also created and our bodies become deeply stressed and do not function well.

One of the things we can do immediately to bring wellness to our blood sugar, gut, and liver is to choose foods that help balance the body, and decrease inflammation…..Foods such as: greens, lettuces, broccoli & broccoli sprouts, kale, cauliflower, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and kohlrabi. Include phytoestrogens in your diet. Found in beans and bean sprouts, phytoestrogns are plant-based substances that can help balance your hormones naturally.  Additionally, I encourage my clients to eat Nutrient Dense meals.  That means:  Empower yourself to choose the healthiest foods for your body. Your goal is to get the most nutrients you can from a single food, and to become intentional about each food choice you make every day.

That doesn’t sound fast, does it?  It sounds like time, intention, awareness, and effort….but it’s SO possible to heal your foundation, and SO worth that effort! The first order of business is to focus on the hormonal base, NOT the hormonal symptoms, because in so doing, the symptoms might just disappear.  Again, that base, or the foundation upon which we will build our healthy house is:  

THE BIG 3:  BLOOD SUGAR, GUT, AND LIVER.  

When these 3 things are brought into balance, healed, and repaired, there’s gonna be no stopping you.  

If you want to dive deeper into the BIG 3, learn how heal your body’s foundation, and enjoy a stronger, leaner, more powerful version of yourself, my program, “The Anti-Diet,” was made for you. You can download it here: http://www.lifebyloriz.com and then join the “Anti-Diet” private facebook group where I will personally coach you and cheer you on.

In Good Health,

Lori Z.