Balancing Hormones in Your Late 30s: Some thoughts on a Holistic Approach through Exercise, Nutrition, and Rest
Entering your late 30s (me) can feel like a pivotal moment in your life. It’s a period marked by a balance of maturity and vitality, where the choices you make can significantly impact your health in the decades to come. One crucial aspect of maintaining overall health during this stage is ensuring hormonal balance, ive noticed so much shift in self without change in rhythm and routine and its got me questioning things. Hormones are the body’s chemical messengers, playing a vital role in regulating everything from metabolism to mood to reproductive health and energy levels.
Through some research and self analysis, I found the below info helpful and wanted to share;
Hormones such as estrogen, testosterone, cortisol, and insulin are key players in your body’s function. An imbalance can lead to various issues, including weight gain, fatigue, mood swings, and even more severe health problems like diabetes and heart disease. Achieving hormonal balance involves a aware sense of self, taking an holistic approach the right exercise for you, good quality rest, a nutritious diet with some specific focuses, something I'm leaning into more and more to understand.
Our exercise needs to be moving towards balance. Strength training whilst keeping it calm and steady. In your late 30s, muscle mass naturally begins to decline. Strength training helps counteract this process by promoting muscle growth and improving insulin sensitivity, which can regulate blood sugar levels and prevent weight gain. Aim for at least two to three strength training sessions per week, focusing on major muscle groups.
Cardio workouts that dont spike our cortisol, think things you like to do, swim, cycle, adding nature to this can be hugely supportive. Cardiovascular exercise is essential for maintaining heart health and managing stress levels, which directly impact cortisol levels.
Flexibility, stretching releasing space through the body. Yoga can support all the above, but adding in a yin, restorative class to your week could be essential. These practices encourage the release of endorphins and reduce cortisol, helping to balance your overall hormonal profile.
Nutrition: Its too big subject for me even though i do plan to tacle in my own way and am doing more study to understand the science of it all. Fueling hormonal health wiht a balanced diet. A diet rich in whole foods is crucial for hormone production and regulation. Focus on consuming a variety of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, healthy fats, and whole grains. This ensures you get the necessary vitamins and minerals to support hormone health. It's simple but not easy theres also alot of evidence to suggest fasting could help as well as when we eat certain foods and how we combo things together.
Adding in enough food is very supportive not having enough can have a negative effect more than we may realise. Healthy fats, omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, flaxseeds, and walnuts play a significant role in hormone production. They help reduce inflammation and support the function of hormones like estrogen and testosterone.
Obvious but do we always recognise how ultra processed foods are really made, they are not real food, avoiding processed foods could be the simple key for many of us even if you don't have very much the few you do could be creating your imbalance.
Hydration, staying hydrated is essential for all bodily functions, including hormone regulation. I sometimes skip out on this, its funny because I don't drink any juice or anything but water (wine) but i do miss getting enough water on a daily basis more often than i care to admit.
Rest: The silent regulator, I perceive myself to be good with gifting myself rest, but in truth my mind is busy and I'm not always in deep rest and release even if I'm sitting in a seat of rest. Make sure you rest is true and full , without guilt, with full indulgence and receiving of the rest. Sleep is your ultimate rest too. Sleep is a critical component of hormonal balance. During sleep, the body repairs itself and regulates the production of various hormones, including cortisol, growth hormone, and insulin. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night to support these processes.
Integrating It All: Is to live a balanced lifestyle, something we can sustain, meaning there will be days of less rest, less water etc but balance those moments and days with awareness notice when you're getting out of sync and call yourself back.
Choose foods and movement practices that you like, that you want to bring into your day, to enjoy the creating and cooking, enoying the journey to the movement practice make it fit who you are. Choose things that make you happy, be prepared to make changes in the direction of being the person you seek to be. Try dancing over running if running isn't your jam. Get muddy in the garden and use this as a practice of supporting stress relief. Get creative
Creating a harmonious balance between exercise, nutrition, and rest is the key to maintaining hormonal health. Here’s a sample weekly plan to help you get started:
Balancing your hormones in your late 30s through exercise, nutrition, and rest is a dynamic and ongoing process. By integrating strength training, cardio, and flexibility exercises with a nutritious diet and ample rest, you can support your body’s hormonal health and enhance your overall well-being. Remember, it’s not about perfection but consistency and making mindful choices that promote a balanced and healthy lifestyle. Embrace this phase of life with vitality and confidence, knowing that your efforts today will pay off in the years to come.
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