6 months ago, I decided to take a leap of faith for my body, and come off the pill after being on it for 10 years. Why, you ask? I guess relying on this micro-hormone-‘regulating’ tablet just didn’t seem right for my hormonal health anymore – especially when promoting a holistic lifestyle.
Disclaimer: this is just me, sharing my journey with you. So, whether you need to be on the pill for medical reasons, or it’s your personal choice, I back you!
As you might have guessed, coming off the pill is going to affect your mood, skin and weight – which to most women can be a very crucial reason to stay on the pill.
Here are some tips that helped me manage my hormonal health during the transition. However, please remember that our bodies all respond uniquely.
Be kind to yourself in the process if you do choose to change your lifestyle.
# 1 | Don’t over exercise!
It’s so easy to ignore your body’s cry for a sleep-in when your physique is shifting and there’s been no real change to your lifestyle. However, adding any extra stress to your body will cause ‘keep me alive’ hormones to surge, instead of balancing them out. This brings me to the next point.
# 2 | Exercise with your flow, not against it
Did you know that you have four completely different physiques and energy expenditures within the four stages of your full cycle? If not, I suggest you download the MyFlo app and educate yourself on how you should be training during each week of your flow.
# 3 | Eat enough calories
Our natural instinct when gaining weight is to take it out on our plates. A restrictive diet can, however, cause havoc to your hormones. Why? Well, when you don’t feed your body as a woman, starvation signals get sent to the brain – which put your body into ‘I’m being attacked’ mode. As a result of this, the incorrect hormones (or incorrect amounts of the right ones) can be produced.
# 4 | Take a break from hormone disruptors
This might be a tough one as it includes things like coffee or soy. By eliminating these, you allow your brain and body to communicate perfectly! And who wouldn’t want that?
# 5 | Sleep & water are going to be your new BFFs
It feels like a no brainer, but these are basically the two cheapest and most accessible lifestyle habits to include to help shift weight – crazy hormones or not.
For more info on hormonal health, contact me, or follow me on Instagram.
