WTF HORMONES?
Hormone: A chemical substance produced in the body that controls and regulates the activity of certain cells or organs. Many hormones are secreted by special glands, such as thyroid hormone produced by the thyroid gland. Hormones are essential for every activity of life, including the processes of digestion, metabolism, growth, reproduction, and mood control. Many hormones, such as neurotransmitters, are active in more than one physical process.
As you see by that definition, hormones are a pretty important part of us. We all have them and we need them to regulate everything that goes on in our bodies. When they get out of whack though….
So, my hormones are whacked out right now. Here is just a little sampling of my symptoms:
hot flashes like crazy
bitchy
choppy crappy sleep
irritated as fuck (a different way of saying bitchy)
short tempered (a different way of saying bitchy)
annoyed by everything (a different way of saying bitchy)
fat as fuck (not really, just feel that way)
can’t lose weight
I sent in a saliva sample to get my hormones tested and to see where I’m at right now. Not that I needed a saliva sample to tell me my hormones are out of balance, but it is nice to know the ratios.
I am definitely not a doctor and am not 100 percent sure how to read these results, but…
My results indicate that the Estadiol (a steroid and estrogen sex hormone, and the primary female sex hormone. It is named for and is important in the regulation of the estrous and menstrual female reproductive cycles. Estradiol is essential for the development and maintenance of female reproductive tissues, but it also has important effects in many other tissues including bone ) slightly higher than expected, which is common in early menopause during the 40s to early 50s when ovaries may continue to intermittently release estradiol in response to the high levels of LH and FSH. Ummm, okay.
The report also told me to consider taking one of more of the following to help counter the symptoms of estrogen imbalance: increase estrogen clearance with exercise (can do that), herbs, diet containing more fiber (going to do that) and nutritional supplements such as cruciferous vegetable extracts. I think I will just add more vegetables. The report also said to balance the estrogen with natural progesterone supplementation.
So, how do I begin to balance my hormones with progesterone supplementation:
I wondered what the hell natural progesterone supplementation was, so I did some research. There are several creams and lotions a person could use to help increase progesterone, but I would rather go the nutrition route. Zinc, magnesium, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C help to increase progesterone. Foods rich in zinc include dark chocolate, pumpkin and watermelon. I like all of these. Foods rich in magnesium include spinach, nuts and halibut. B6 foods include walnuts, bananas and spinach. Intake of Vitamin C of 750 mg daily is another way to increase progesterone production. There are also herbs that can be taken, one of which, chasteberry, stimulates progesterone production. I find it interesting that Black Cohosh which is supposed to help women with hot flashes is one that can increase estrogen, so that is not one that I would want to take. Controlling stress is also a good thing to do. Stress really is hard on people and is a contributing factor in whacky hormones.
So today, I am formulating a 12 week workout and nutrition plan to help balance my hormones and lose weight. I will beta test myself and see how things turn out. I am planning on 3-5 workouts every week. I plan to increase foods that help up progesterone levels and will definitely add fiber and Vitamin C
If anyone wants to follow along with what I am doing, I will be documenting all of my workouts and what I am eating. I will be evaluating every four weeks. (If you want to be a beta tester with me, let me know, I will share all my workouts with you).
Here’s to happy hormones!!
