Hormonal balance is crucial to getting pregnant, maintaining gestation and having a healthy baby. But these hormones may become imbalanced during puberty, pregnancy and menopause – leaving a potential pathway open.
Ofttimes, hormone imbalance can be traced back to our diet and lifestyle habits. Eating healthily, getting enough restful sleep, exercise and taking vitamins/supplements that support hormonal equilibrium can all help rebalance our hormones naturally.
1. Eat a Balanced Diet
Hormones are chemical messengers that control almost every major process in our bodies, from growth and sexual drive to reproduction and metabolism. When our hormones are balanced, our health flourishes optimally; when they’re out of sync however, symptoms such as PMS, weight issues, bloating, low libido, fatigue and even depression often arise due to imbalanced hormones.
To maintain hormonal equilibrium, we must nourish our bodies appropriately. A hormonally-balanced diet aims to provide our bodies with high-quality foods containing key nutrients needed for healthy hormone production, thereby reducing inflammation and optimizing gut microbiome health as well as providing enough calories to avoid nutritional deficiencies that could contribute to sexual hormone imbalances.
A diet designed to balance hormones emphasizes the importance of eating a variety of whole foods containing healthy fats to nourish our endocrine system and boost hormone production and regulation. This means limiting our consumption of pro-inflammatory omega-6 fats found in processed vegetable oils while increasing intake of anti-inflammatory omega-3s from avocados, olives, and walnuts.
2. Get Enough Sleep
Hormones regulate our bodies’ key functions, like metabolism and mood. But they can become imbalanced when we don’t get enough restful sleep – often leading to irregular menstrual cycles, PMS symptoms, weight changes and fatigue as a result.
Rest is key for naturally balancing hormones as it can help to regulate your menstrual cycle and maintain stable progesterone levels, increasing your chances of conception while keeping pregnancy safe and healthy.
But what exactly does it mean to balance hormones? This term has become increasingly prevalent, thanks to wellness creators on social media and the immense popularity of TikTok videos tagged #hormonebalance.
Dr. Smith notes that balancing hormones is more difficult than it appears, yet you can do a few things to support hormonal health such as eating a balanced diet, regularly exercising and decreasing stress levels. Furthermore, taking magnesium, omega-3s, adaptogen herbs, mushroom or probiotic supplements as well as getting sufficient sleep will all help support hormonal wellness and avoid alcohol, caffeine and processed food products can all support good hormone balance.
3. Exercise Regularly
Hormones are chemical messengers that play an integral part in controlling core bodily functions such as digestion, mood regulation, sleep-wake cycles and sexual and reproductive health. If hormone levels become imbalanced it can lead to mood swings, weight gain or fatigue. Luckily, most hormonal imbalances are reversible through diet changes, better sleeping patterns or regular physical activity; all proven ways of getting your hormones back in balance quickly.
Exercise improves hormonal sensitivity, helping the body absorb nutrients more easily and maintain an efficient metabolism. Furthermore, physical activity stimulates production of “happy hormones” which boost libido. But it is important to keep in mind that type of physical activity you choose makes a difference.
While long-duration cardio can strain the body, high intensity interval training (HIIT) and relaxing exercises like yoga and Pilates tend to be more hormone-friendly.
Boxing can be an ideal workout for men due to its high intensity and explosive movements that help raise testosterone levels, but for women low impact strength training may be more suitable as it helps balance estrogen and progesterone levels and promote fertility.
4. Reduce Stress
If you’re trying to conceive, maintaining balanced hormones is vitally important to achieving success. Hormones are chemical messengers which regulate metabolism, sexual function and mood – they’re produced by your endocrine system consisting of thyroid, pituitary gland and adrenal glands.
Hormone levels naturally fluctuate daily, yet long-term imbalances can have serious adverse consequences for health and fertility. To naturally balance hormones, follow a healthy diet, regularly engage in physical activity, avoid environmental toxins and disruptors as much as possible and seek medical advice as soon as symptoms emerge.
Exercise helps your body receive and deliver hormone signals more effectively and lower the risk of insulin resistance, increasing “happy hormones” like endorphins while helping balance androgens (like testosterone). Exercise doesn’t need to look like intense workouts–even light activity can boost energy and mood levels while helping regulate ovulation patterns and provide stress relief.
5. Get Enough Vitamin D
Hormones are powerful chemicals that control our bodies. When hormone levels become unbalanced, symptoms may include mood swings, memory issues, fatigue and weight gain. But hormone imbalances can be corrected; by eating nutritious food and following an effective menstrual cycle tracker such as Mira Fertility Tracker; getting adequate rest; exercising regularly and reducing stress you can restore hormonal harmony and restore hormonal equilibrium.
Vitamins and supplements may also help enhance hormonal function. Vitamin D acts like a hormone in the body (despite being technically classified as a vitamin), helping alleviate symptoms associated with premenstrual syndrome and polycystic ovarian syndrome. Evening primrose oil, an excellent source of omega-6 fatty acids, may also be useful for balancing hormones.
Though eating a balanced diet is usually sufficient for maintaining hormonal harmony, supplementation may sometimes be needed to address nutritional gaps that lead to hormone disregulation. With some simple lifestyle modifications and appropriate vitamins or herbs, you can restore hormonal equilibrium without the side effects associated with synthetic hormone replacement therapy.
