12 Days of Xmas - Day 9 - Tips to avoid stress and balance your hormones!
Sunday, December 28th 2008 @ 11:19 AM
Day 9
The following strategies are great for all year round, but particularly useful when the extra stresses of Xmas can play havoc with your hormones!
* Eat within one hour of waking! One of the most critical underlying systems associated with “balanced” hormones is ensuring your blood sugar levels stay balanced. Not eating, or leaving long periods between meals is not good news! When blood sugar levels plummet, the body goes into stress, and levels of cortisol rise. Elevated cortisol upsets sex hormone balance, making you feel edgy, unhappy or low in energy. This simple strategy will begin the day on the right note! Choose 1-2 pieces of fresh fruit, a freshly made juice or smoothie, or some scrambled or boiled eggs. If you like to immediately exercise when you get up – go for it! Just ensure you eat some fruit when you’ve finished!
* Ensure you are adding the equivalent of 1 tbsp of quality "oil" into your diet every day, in the form of EITHER 1/2 and avocado, a piece of oily fish such as wild salmon, trout, mackerel or sardines, 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds, a small handful of walnuts, almonds, pumpkin or sunflower seeds. This "food oil" addition will feed your body with the right food substances that produce your adrenal hormones, sex hormones and thyroid hormones - all of which work "in synergy" to create healthy (and happy) hormone balance!
* Avoid stressing your body with processed foods. Eat and enjoy foods created by "Mother Nature" - NOT foods created by a factory! Natural wholefoods contain all the nutrients, fibres and plant chemicals that feed your cells, tissues, organs and metabolism correctly, and re-alkalise and “balance” the body in order to produce boundless energy!
* Last, but not in the slightest, the least - Get enough sleep! You will know just how much sleep you specifically need, as the right amount leaves you feeling refreshed, energised and "healed"! Respect the importance of sleep for mental and physical regeneration, and you will be a healthier, less stressed, more productive and a happier person for it!
P.S. Evidence shows that the most regenerative sleep we can benefit from is during the hours BEFORE midnight!
