Do you feel moody, bloated, fatigued and have brain fog? These are all signs that your hormones may be out of whack. While there are many reasons why your hormones can be out of whack, exercise can unfortunately be one of them.

But I thought exercise was good for me?

Yes, it is.

The definition of exercise is ‘activity requiring physical effort, carried out to sustain or improve health and fitness.’ There are many different types of movement that fall under this definition and they are not all equal. Some exercise methods are harder on hormones than others.

Here’s some ways to help your hormones stay balanced:

Don’t overdo it.

Exercise is actually really good for your hormones, the issues arise when you over do it. Personally, I’ve seen this many times over the years. When a woman gets fit doing exercise classes she ups the number of classes, sometimes doing 2 or 3 a day thinking that the ‘more is better’ mentality. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case and it can cause havoc on your stress hormones, particularly cortisol, which in turn can affect sleep cycles and your ability to lose weight. Also doing too much can mess with your menstrual cycle.

Get help from a professional.

Get a program designed for you by a professional Personal Trainer or Exercise Physiologist. Every woman’s body is different and responds differently to stress. There isn’t a one size fits all approach when it comes to exercise programs particularly when taking into consideration hormones. Unfortunately, there are many people on the internet selling and sharing exercise programs and whilst they may have worked for them, they may not work for you. Choose your PT or Exercise physiologist wisely. Ensure that they have the qualifications and experience to be able to design programs and provide nutritional advice. (Note: Most PTs only do 1 module of nutrition in their studies, not enough to be able to prescribe nutritional programs for hormonal control.).

Be self aware of high intensity.

While workouts like CrossFit and HIIT are great for hormone balance in moderation they can wreak havoc on your hormones long-term. I’ve seen it first-hand…..a previous naturopathic client of mine was running 3 times a week and doing CrossFit classes 3-4 times a week and whilst she started out feeling fantastic, as time went on, she was fatigued, her workout performance was going backwards, she kept getting sick, was having trouble sleeping and her thyroid started to play up. Why? Because she was over doing it, not fuelling her body correctly and not allowing for enough rest to allow her body to recover. The most common imbalances I see in my Health Clinic is adrenal fatigue and period pain/cycle issues. To help deal with these issues we want to nourish the body, allow for enough rest and design the exercise program so the body thrives, not fall apart.

As a Personal Trainer and Naturopath, intense cardio workouts without adequate support with nutrition and supplementation can be very hard on a woman’s hormones. The stress hormones, along with the intensity of the workouts trigger more inflammation and hormone imbalances.

What type of workout is best for hormone balance?

The good news is that there are many ways that exercise can be really good for your hormones. The key is about having an effective mix. Resistance training/high intensity with Yoga and Pilates style workouts. Stretching, foam rolling and including a manual therapy like massage are all part of an effective exercise plan.

To book a Discovery Call with me and chat about how I can help you get started in your Endometriosis & Weight Loss Journey Click here. 

If you are ready to get started then here is the link to book straight into a Initial Consultation for the Gut Restore Program. This is a 6-8 week Program that addresses the inflammation side of the Endometriosis. Click Here to Book.

If you are just at the start of your journey and would like more information about Gut Health then here is the link to download my Endo Gut Health book which explains a little of the link of Endometriosis & the Gut Health as well as some yummy recipes!

Dee x