New year, new you - a good reason to do less (without the guilt)
It's never too early in the year to talk hormones, so we are coming right out of the gate with this one. And ladies and gents, hormones and hormone health is for everyone, so don’t even think about clicking ‘next’. First up - what are hormonal imbalances? At the crux of it, and according to Medical News Today, “hormonal imbalances occur when there is too much, or too little of a hormone in the bloodstream. Because of their essential role in the body, even small hormonal imbalances can cause side effects throughout the body.”
Hormonal imbalances can severely impact our mood, appetites and overall health in ways we can’t even begin to comprehend. While there are factors that exist outside of our control when it comes to hormonal health - the natural ageing process, for example - there are things we absolutely can work to manage to have those wonder hormones work a little harder for us.
Travelling through our bloodstream, to our tissues and organs with such veracity that we are constantly in awe of our bodies, our hormones essentially tell our organs what to do and when to do it. Clever? Very! So when things are a little out of sync, our major bodily processes can be a tad affected. While there are a number of hormones that impact women more than men and vice versa - we want to touch on one that is applicable to everyone.
Let’s talk about cortisol - our ‘fight or flight’ hormone. Produced by our adrenal glands, cortisol is a naturally occurring steroid hormone that - amongst other things - gives us that very helpful boost to respond to potential threats. Not only does it assist us in raising an internal red flag if we need to, cortisol increases the body’s metabolism of glucose, it supports in controlling our blood pressure and as well, works to reduce inflammation.
So where does it all go south for cortisol we hear you ask?
Our day to day lives and the activity and situations within them can cause cortisol to spike, throwing that fine balance right out the window. Our bodies can release too much cortisol in response to highly stressful situations. This is where we ask the question - are all those “stressful” situations really worthy of your, well, stress?
We can definitely be grateful for cortisol because it assists us in ways that we can't always comprehend - hands up if the first couple of months of 2020 back at work already have you feeling like it's mid-September and that Christmas break can't come soon enough? Think of it like this - stressful situations equal a higher release of this hormone. When the adrenal gland is constantly receiving signals to release cortisol we can, in effect, send it into overdrive and the effects on our bodies can result in weight gain, high blood pressure, disruption to our sleep, irritability and mood swings, reduction in our energy levels and the potential contribution to diabetes. For many women, an increase in cortisol levels can also lead to irregular menstruation cycles.
Before you start fretting about your cortisol levels (word to the wise - talk to a medical professional if you have any major concerns), there are some things you can do to start looking after your hormonal health:
Stretching is great, but dedicated recovery training is even better.
We all know we should stretch more, and usually when we do, it’s 10 minutes post an intensive training session after the body has been shocked into literal overdrive. Dedicated recovery based training, or rehabilitation training, where your body isn’t being put through any real stress is a 2020 fitness resolution we want you to keep. Think: yoga & pilates - exercise that focuses on muscle release and relaxation (even better if it’s in an environment that somewhat resembles a far north coast retreat).Taking a quiet moment throughout your day is brilliant, but factoring in mindful meditation for an hour each and every day will be a life saviour.
Thanks to our tech constantly reminding us to ‘get up and walk for 30 seconds’ or ‘breathe for 1 minute’, we are all getting better at taking a moment or two. But, is that enough? In our opinion, it isn’t. It isn’t enough time to release tensions, stress and over-stimulation. Dedicating time to mindful meditation and tapping out for an hour is vital to balancing cortisol levels - quieten the brain and readjust your thoughts.
SLEEP! It’s common knowledge that everyone needs between 6 - 8 hours of sleep each night. Wherever you sit in that spectrum, take what you need and don’t feel guilty about it. Remember, we tend to get our best quality sleep before midnight, so turn in early whenever you can and SWITCH OFF your phone, limit distractions and avoid caffeine before hitting the hay. And yes, that email can wait until tomorrow.
Take a mental health day… in fact, take two.
Mental health and cortisol levels go hand in hand. Deadlines, requests, emails, phone calls and meetings - the wonderful workplace stressors that send our cortisol spikes into overdrive. We all have to work - rent, mortgages, groceries and so forth - are not going anywhere, but you know when you finally resolve to take a “mental health day”, actually take it. Don’t casually check your emails, or answer the phone - you’ve elected to have that day. Your boss knows it, your team knows it - in the unlikely event of a crisis, they can manage just fine without you.
While guilt has long taken precedence over wellness, 2020 is the official year of slowing down (without the guilt). Our hormones control and impact so much of what is going on inside us. While that deadline might be looming, and that request from your boss might seem like the single most important thing on the planet right now, we can assure you - in ten years time reflecting on your decision to finally slow down will be the only thing you will remember.