How to Balance Hormones With Exercise and Healthy Eating
Why should you care about hormones? How do you know if they’re out of balance? What happens when they’re not balanced? What can you do to keep your hormones balanced?
I started researching all of these questions because I knew that some hormones play a role in your complexion. I’m a total skincare junkie, and I was already pretty well researched and knowledgeable in skincare products and routines. It was really frustrating to feel like I was doing everything right as far as keeping my skin clean, hydrated, exfoliated, and using all the right products day and night to still have occasional breakouts. I realized that maybe the cause for these annoying breakouts had nothing to do with the perfect skincare routine and more to do with my hormones, what I found was eye-opening and a major “ah ha!” moment.
Here is what I learned: Exercise and eating a healthy, high fat diet are two natural ways that empower us to balance and take control of our hormone health.
Hormones and your diet:
According to celeb nutritionist Kelly Leveque, any food that increases your blood sugar can theoretically increase inflammation and insulin levels in your body, leading to the production of excess oil on your skin, ultimately resulting in a breakout.
To combat this, Kelly implements the “Fab Four” diet with all of her clients. The “Fab Four” are fat, fiber, greens and protein. Incorporating all of these at every meal will keep your blood sugar stable and your hormones balanced.
Foods to incorporate: Healthy, high-quality fats like avocados, olive oil, coconut oil and nuts, as well as spinach, kale, mixed greens, veggies, lean meat, and fish.
Foods to avoid: Processed foods, sugar, carbs, and even fruit (one serving a day is okay, too much can spike your blood sugar - all sugar is processed the same way in the body).
Other foods that potentially can cause or worsen breakouts are dairy and caffeine. Dairy doesn't affect everyone the same way, but the hormones in dairy have been thought to cause inflammation. Caffeine increases the level of the stress hormone, Cortisol in the body and can cause/worsen acne and breakouts.
Hormones and exercise:
The five hormones that are affected by exercise according to Sara Gottfried, MD and this Well + Good article are: Irisin, Estrogen, Testosterone, Human Growth Hormone, and Cortisol.
Irisin: Battles bad fat and protects the brain. Exercise stimulates the production of Irisin which helps boost metabolism.
Estrogen: Regulates female physical features and the menstrual cycle. Although women need estrogen, too much can put women at risk of breast cancer and other imbalances. Exercise can reverse estrogen dominance in the body.
Testosterone: The male sex hormone but is also produced in women, just in smaller amounts. It helps build and repair muscles. Exercise has been proven to increase testosterone levels in some women.
HGH: contributes to bone and muscle strength and also regulates fat metabolism. High resistance and intensity exercise stimulates HGH production (weight lifting and HIIT opposed to endurance training like long runs)
Cortisol: Regulates the body’s response to stress. Low intensity exercise like yoga and walking can decrease cortisol levels, while moderate and high intensity exercise can actually increase levels.