Have you ever felt like something wasn’t quite right within your body? Maybe you were feeling tired, gaining weight, or becoming extra moody?
This can be attributed to Hormone Imbalance, which can effect 8 out of 10 women at some point in their life. There are many different hormone imbalances that can occur within the body – from Oestrogen Dominance to deficiency, cortisol deficiency and progesterone deficiency. All of which can have a direct impact on weight loss goals, or even cause weight gain, as well as have many other pesky symptoms that make us feel less than ourselves. Naturopath and Nutritionist Jess Blair shares how to spot hormone imbalance and how it can be sabotaging your weight loss.
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What are hormones?
Hormones act as messengers between body systems. Hormones work to help digestion, metabolism, tissue function, even stress and mood are controlled by these messengers. It is no wonder, if those little guys are out of balance we can begin to feel awful.
As well as feeling awful, if your hormones are out of whack it will be nearly impossible for you to lose the weight.
What are some symptoms of hormone imbalance?
Symptoms of hormonal imbalance may include the feeling of extreme fatigue, weight gain, anxiety, memory problems, night sweats, moodiness, heavy periods, no periods, acne, thin and dry skin, low blood pressure and foggy thinking.
What can cause a hormone imbalance?
Some hormonal imbalances can be normal as they fluctuate during stages of your life such as going through puberty and menopause. However, there are some imbalances that can cause infertility and a cascade of other health problems. Over exercising and under eating can have a detrimental effect on your hormones as well as not having enough fats or fibre in your body. However, having too many carbohydrates and processed foods can have a direct impact on your hormones. Stress, whether it be mental or physical can also disrupt your hormones.Chronic stress effects your progesterone levels. Progesterone levels are best known for their calming effect. Prolonged Stress can change your calming hormone, progesterone into cortisol, which is your stress hormone- causing an imbalance. Environmental toxins can also be endocrine disruptors as well alcohol, and heavy metals used in our make-up, and deodorants can cause havoc on our reproductive hormones.
What are some of our hormones and their jobs?
Oestrogen – Regulates female hormone and stimulates fertility.
Progesterone- Regulates cycle, menstruation and pregnancy and improves sleeping quality.
Testosterone – Stimulates muscle and hair growth and is the primarily male hormone.
Cortisol – Helps to control blood sugar levels, regulate metabolism, help reduce inflammation and assist with memory formulation.
How can we rebalance our hormones?
If you have felt any of the symptoms or just want to nourish your hormones properly the best way to do it is address your lifestyle.
– Addressing stress and adding coping mechanisms, stress is a huge contributing factor to hormone imbalance
– Making sure you are limiting processed foods and adding good whole-foods to your regime
– Using restorative type exercises such as Yoga and Pilates
– Keeping hydrated, with herbal teas and filtered water
– Our hormones need certain nutrients, vitamins and minerals to work properly. Under the guidance of your health care practitioner make sure you have Iron, folic acid, Vitamin B 12 (all your Bs are needed) essential Vitamin D Fatty acids, and Magnesium
– Our liver needs to be loved, as one of its many jobs is that it is responsible for filtering out mutated hormones
Hormones control our moods, energy levels and our weight, so its no wonder if they are out of balance it’s difficult to lose weight. Give your hormones some love and you will most likely see the effect they have in your weight loss journey.
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