Something I have been really focusing on at the moment is how hormones affect your body shape and your mood. What I have found has been really interesting. Over the past 19 years of training women especially, I have been given what has seemed the herculean task of helping them reduce their midline after starting the menopause. I have time and time again failed to help them, even though I was using all the knowledge in my arsenal. Until I read about hormone resetting!
I had no idea that firstly you could reset your hormones and secondly that the way to do it is by what you eat. Amending your diet with the tips I am about to share with you, can drastically change not just your shape, but also how it makes you feel and how much better symptoms of hormonal change can be reduced. Now I am not going through the menopause yet, I’m not too far off, but still very much in the middle of my cycles. I have found that by utilising the following, my periods and my mood and my comfortability during this part, has drastically improved for me.
Now what is hormone resetting and how do I start with it?
Hormone resetting can come in a couple of forms. There is a 21-day diet that claims to do just that, my only issue with that it is quite full on and consuming. These are not ideal traits for a diet change, as it will lead to cravings and feelings of missing out.
I have put together the things that I have been doing that I have had results from that are a bit easier to manage and less likely to disrupt your daily routine.
1 – Have 3 structured meals per day. This means you stick to the old fashioned 3 meals per day with no snacking. This works as your body keeps a certain time schedule, so there is no fear of not getting fed, thus leading to panic and fat storage. With fuel unlike your muscles, your body likes continuity, your muscles like to be kept guessing and your fuel doesn’t it likes routine. This also assists with keeping your metabolism steady, so no sugar rush or drop. This will stop you wanting to snack and refuel all the time, you will feel fuller for longer and less tired in the process.
2 – Eat real food. I promote good food that you cook and prepare yourself that is easy to do and can fit easily into your schedule. With hormone resetting it is no different you are just adhering to a slightly different food ratio. Whilst resetting, your diet should consist of 50 % Fiber, 30% lean protein, 20 % healthy fats with omega 3 and 6. The high fiber is the main component of the resetting. Good fiber is slow-release energy, keeping you fuller for longer. It clears your intestine as it leaves the body, due to its sticky texture (think plasticine on your newly hoovered carpet, it finds dirt you didn’t know was there). This way of eating is also great for people with type 2 diabetes, as it assists with sugar control. Dr’s are now trialing this style of diet along with my favourite, the Mediterranean diet to help people to become pre-diabetic or non-diabetic with incredible results. Steer clear of sugary drinks including diet drinks or flavoured water, as they will activate the sugar receptors in the brain to crave sugar.
3 – Reduce your stress. Stress is severely harmful to hormone regulation, whatever you can or like to do to reduce stress, do it. Most people will go for the meditation, yoga or Pilates route. However, lots of people don’t like this type of relaxation and find it stressful, so find something that you like. Read a book, do some gardening, boxing classes, cook or bake, watch your favourite tv show, whatever it is that makes you calm and light, do that.
4 – Along with stress reduction, get adequate rest. Sleep is so powerful and so beneficial for many health issues and ailments. When you sleep you restore. You burn up to 500 calories just to restore the daily routine your body adheres to, and your lymph system will flush out any toxins you may have put into your body that day.
5 – Don’t eat past 8pm. When you eat you create energy, the last thing you need before sleep is additional energy. If you are having trouble sleeping this could be part of the cause. By stopping any food after 8pm and mixing it with the 3 meals per day structure, you will be experiencing a different type of an additional diet, fasting. Fasting if done correctly is so beneficial for you and as you probably won’t eat breakfast until around 8am the following day, you will be entering a 12 hour overnight fast. By doing it overnight whilst you sleep, this is a major benefit as you won’t even realise you’re doing it, there is no sacrifice to this so is very likely to assist with success. The benefits of fasting are improved BMI, fights inflammation, reduces insulin resistance, improves blood pressure and cholesterol, boosts brain function, increases growth hormone for better muscle strength and weight loss, the benefits are endless.
Stay happy, stay healthy, Gem x
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