[ad_1]
Feeling tired despite long naps, gaining weight despite barely eating, and acting out despite a dedicated meditation routine often make you feel like crazy. But often, it’s not you, it’s your hormones. Wellness and PCOS influencer, Rachel, who goes by the handle @getyourglowww, explains what’s going wrong, for newcomers to the block ready to commit to true holistic wellness.
poor diet
Just keeping your stomach full is not enough. If you suspect hormonal health disturbances, the quality of the product you are consuming becomes many times more important. Rachel suggests organic meat, healthy fats and an abundance of complex carbs, vegetables and fruits as the cornerstone of a long-term eating pattern that will work for your body, not against it.
chronic stress and anxiety
Everyone struggles with stress. Its progressive overload over time eventually gives way to anxiety, creating an endless cycle of being in fight or flight mode. This automatically unbalances cortisol and increases inflammation. As silly as it sounds to say ‘don’t stress’ in situations like this, the key is to consciously slow down, actively relax, set boundaries and let your nervous system become your default setting. Remember, if you don’t give your body the rest it needs, it will find ways to make up for it.
Identify and reduce endocrine disruptors
Rachel explains that endocrine disruptors (or EDCs) are chemicals that can interfere with the body’s hormones by essentially acting like “inhibitors,” destabilizing their levels depending on the context. The most common culprits are found in tap water, plastics, pesticides, fragrances and even cosmetics. Although it’s a lot of work to sort out, a great place to start is to stay away from plastic (especially in the kitchen) and look for ‘fragrance-free’ and ‘non-toxic’ labels on all the products you use.
food is not an option
Skipping meals is no longer a good idea. Rachel explains that skipping meals, especially breakfast, puts the body into a state of deficiency, causing hormone metabolism to no longer be a priority. One obvious side effect of hormonal imbalance is weight gain. But in this case, ironically, eating three meals a day (and the number cannot be compromised), and ideally having breakfast within 30 to 60 minutes of you waking up, is absolutely essential.
sleep it off
There’s only one more thing that’s as important as prioritizing eating three times a day, and that’s good, quality sleep. Not getting enough sleep, endless screentime before bed, and going to bed late are cheat codes for wreaking havoc on your hormones. Rachel says that going to bed between 9 pm and 10 pm improves hormone production. The goal is to achieve at least 7 and ideally 8 hours of good sleep, in addition to turning off all screens right before going to bed.
alcohol and caffeine crisis
Rachel explains that alcohol disrupts sex hormones, thyroid, cortisol and insulin. Caffeine does the same, destroying your natural melatonin as well. If you are heavily dependent on alcohol and caffeine, there is no way out of it except reducing it. While there’s no need to be dramatic and try to go cold turkey, there are two things you should start following right away: don’t consume caffeine on an empty stomach and don’t consume it at all after 2 p.m. As far as alcohol is concerned, try taking an adaptogen or experimenting with mocktails.
Unplanned change rarely lasts long and often causes major recurrences. The above is meant as a starting guide from which you can eventually get yourself to the point of having enough discipline so that whatever changes are necessary can be incorporated as non-negotiables to your routine.
Remember, slow and steady – after all, Rome wasn’t built in a day!
[ad_2]
