The Perfect Mix for More Energy and Hormone Balance
Every mother has struggled with low energy at some point in her life and that is normal. Constant lagging and exhaustion, however, are common but they are not normal.
Despite what you may have been told parenthood should not leave you feeling completely drained and struggling with feeling of guilt and shame because you just Can’t. Keep. Up.
You might get stuck wondering things like, “Maybe I wasn’t cut out to be a parent?” or, “How on earth am I supposed to take care of my health when I have no time?!”
When you’re unsure what to do AND you have no energy, it’s hard to move forward.
The good news is, you can bring some order to the chaos by implementing a few simple energizing health strategies in your day.
In this post, I’ll define energy and provide 3 dietary changes that will help give you an energy boost. I hope that this will give you an easy roadmap so you can get started with some simple healthy habits and begin to ditch the exhaustion and overwhelm.
What are the ideal ingredients for
increased energy and overall hormonal balance?
What does good energy even look like?
Healthy energy in your daily life should involve feeling content, focused, and balanced both physically and mentally. This includes having stable energy levels throughout the day, being able to concentrate on tasks without feeling scattered or overwhelmed and feeling motivated and positive.
You should wake up feeling recharged and rested, be able to get through your morning tasks efficiently and have stable afternoon energy without any cravings or crashes. This energy should slowly taper off throughout the day and at night you should be able to turn the to do list in your brain off and easily fall asleep.
Emotional health is also important, so healthy energy includes feeling emotionally stable and maintaining positive relationships with others. Overall, healthy energy should allow you to fully engage in your daily activities with enthusiasm and vitality.
In other words:
Motherhood doesn’t have to totally overwhelm you!
The added benefit of great energy and hormonal balance is that you will be a better parent and partner too.
If this doesn’t sound like you, keep reading I have some strategies to help you get started taking care of your health.
The First Ingredient – support your electrolyte balance
This is a crucial component because when your adrenals, your stress glands, are in overdrive they burn through minerals.
Many people who are new to holistic wellness start out on the right track with big dietary changes and exercise but then get stuck because they are unaware of some of these very simple but important basics. Or maybe they don’t know even know where to start in the first place. And then they wind up getting overwhelmed and quit.
The key to long term sustained energy and hormone balance is to implement some small powerful dietary changes over time that can stick. Adding electrolytes is one of them.
Consuming electrolytes supports good energy because the adrenal glands, a big player in stress management and hormone production, play a critical role in regulating the body's electrolyte balance. Electrolytes are essential minerals, such as sodium, potassium, and magnesium, that help maintain proper fluid balance, nerve function, muscle contractions, and overall cell function.
By consuming electrolytes, your body can support the adrenal glands in producing hormones, such as cortisol and sex hormones.
To get started here, you can simply add a pinch of sea salt or Celtic salt or Himalayan salt to your morning water. Or if you feel extra depleted consider a sugar free electrolyte powder like LMNT or Lytes. Just be careful not to rely on these too much for too long. A pack every few days is good. Also beware because many powders contain artificial sweeteners which are not good for health.
The Second Ingredient – reduce caffeine or drink it the right way
If you are waking up to go straight to the kitchen for your coffee, you are doing your body no favors.
At this statement many women are super concerned I am going to take their coffee away from them when I talk about adrenal health. I understand though that you might really need it to get through your day so instead of quitting cold turkey, I have a better approach.
First, I want your goal to be just 1-2 cups of coffee a day. So, if you are guzzling pots just to get by consider slowly switching a majority of that to decaf. Why?
Proper blood sugar balance is imperative for adrenal health and hormone balance. Caffeine can negatively impact blood sugar balance in several ways:
Insulin sensitivity: Caffeine consumption has been shown to reduce insulin sensitivity, making it harder for the body to use glucose (sugar) for energy and regulate blood sugar levels
Adrenaline release: Caffeine stimulates the release of adrenaline, which can cause the liver to release stored sugar into the bloodstream. This can lead to a spike in blood sugar levels.
Increased cortisol levels: Caffeine consumption can also lead to an increase in cortisol levels, which can contribute to insulin resistance and blood sugar imbalances.
Disruption of sleep: Caffeine consumption can disrupt sleep patterns, which in turn can lead to hormonal imbalances that affect blood sugar regulation.
NGL, this reduction probably won’t feel great at first, but once your body regulates you will begin to notice you have much more balanced energy. And those afternoon cravings and crashes will start to slowly go away.
For the caffeine that you do keep in your life, the key is to not have it on an empty stomach. This simple hack helps blunt the negative impact of caffeine on your blood sugar. Simply move your coffee to after food or add a scoop of clean protein powder to your morning coffee.
Here is a short post on how I level up my coffee.
The Third Ingredient – balance your blood sugar
Here’s where you’ll really start to bring it all together and support good energy.
Of course, this ingredient may take some time so be gentle to yourself.
Like I said before balanced blood sugar levels are crucial for energy and hormone health. Your adrenal glands play a key role in controlling blood sugar levels in your body. The more you live on that blood sugar roller coaster the more your stress your adrenals. The more your stress your adrenals the more you affect your hormone balance in a not-so-good way.
When blood sugar levels fluctuate significantly, the adrenal glands have to work harder to maintain an optimal balance. Chronic spikes and drops in blood sugar can lead to adrenal fatigue (aka HPA axis dysregulation), a condition in which the communication between the brain and adrenal glands break down, so they are unable to adequately respond to stress.
Maintaining stable blood sugar levels through a healthy diet can help support good energy and hormone health in the long term.
Here are few easy natural ways to help balance blood sugar:
Omit/reduce sugar. Sugar is a treat, something eaten in excess daily is no longer a treat :)
Omit/reduce sugar substitutes too, just the taste of sweet causes a biochemical cascade within the body. If the body expects a nutrient and doesn't actually receive it, then you will crave it more. This process can cause addictions with artificial sweeteners AND super refined so called "healthy" sweeteners like sugar alcohols, monk fruit and stevia.
Take some raw apple cider vinegar diluted in water 10-15 mins before meals. The enzymes and nutrients found in ACV will soften sugar spikes.
Each fewer carbs, especially highly refined and quick carbs, these kinds of carbs quickly turn to glucose, aka blood sugar, within the body. Focus on slow carbs in moderation.
Start each meal with a green food. Eating your veggies first can soften a sugar spike. Start your meal with the veggies on your plate first, begin with a side salad, or snack on some carrots and guacamole right before meals. Veggie appetizers are your blood sugar BFFs.
Mix slow carbs with high quality fat + protein and eat the carbs on your plate last. This will also help to dampen a blood sugar spike.
Never eat dessert alone, eating it right after a meal or adding protein + fat to it will help you to process the sugar more slowly.
Move after meals. Food is fuel so movement after a meal helps to process excess blood sugar. It doesn't have to be major, a quick 10-minute walk, 30 squats or a 30 second plank are all good choices. Just raise your heart rate a little bit. A bonus is your kids will LOVE to do this with you!
Combine several of these ideas and it packs a powerful punch to combat that blood sugar rollercoaster!
Putting it All Together for Your Perfect Mix
There you have it! The 3 ingredients for your perfect energy mix!
● Add in some electrolytes.
● Drink caffeine the right way
● Then, support your blood sugar balance
When you add these ingredients to your life, you’ll be well on your way to vibrant, lasting energy and better hormone balance.
It may sound like a lot, but like most things practice makes perfect. Just focus on one small step at a time, rather than trying to do it all at once. This will help you make sustainable changes that truly last. Ultimately holistic health is about duration and prevention.
What’s next?
Download Healthy Living Made Simple
If you need more help getting started, my Healthy Living Made Simple eBook simplifies some very important health basics so you can feel great and have vibrant energy and hormonal balance.
