If you have been tuning into our IGTV and Live Instagram posts, you might have noticed that the recurring theme there has been about balancing our hormones!

 

There is a reason for that, it's clear that with the varying pollutants in the environment our hormonal health is constantly under threat. Xenoestrogens produced by plastic, additives to skin care products, pesticides and herbicides, our household cleaners and detergents carry chemicals that present themselves as estrogens in our bodies and take up space on our cell receptors. Xenoestrogens are 100's of times more powerful in their ability to latch on to our cells than our own hormones. Our body is under constant exposure and the over production of hormones can lead to many health issues that we may face in our lives.

Avoiding exposure becomes and impossible virtue, but there are little adjustments that we can make to reduce the chances of our body and hormones losing the ability to function optimally.

 

Here are some tips!

 

• Use clean, environmentally safe cleaning products

• Reduce the use of makeup products that contain phthalates

• Avoid products that contain parabens

• Drink good quality water - preferably from a spring and not in a plastic container

• Reduce the use of plastic containers in your home

• Detergents and dryer sheets should be chemical free

• Eat for your liver! And take good care of your liver - as it is the mane organ that breaks down hormones

• Manage your stress! Cortisol levels and adrenal exhaustion will destabilize our hormones and the output of our stress hormones

• Sleep and rest improves adrenal function - an endocrine gland that helps the body by releasing stress hormones and also sex hormones

• Eat a good amount of fibre, since it can pull away toxins and support a healthy digestive system

• Manage your gut flora - we have specific gut bacteria that breaks down estrogens!!

• Find space for relaxing activities that don't demand constant heavy strain on the body

• Wait a few hours before drinking your morning coffee - our cortisol levels spike between 6am and 10am, drinking coffee right in the morning will boost levels too high

• Use calming nervine teas before bed to support deep rest

• Watch your exercise schedule - evening workouts are not recommended as cortisol levels start to reduce so that the body can release melatonin for sleep!

 

For more information, tune into our instagram page @layaspayoga and look out for future posts that are relatable!

 

 

 

 

 

~Alessandra de Oliveira,RMT

Laya Spa & Yoga