What every woman should know about hormones

Women's Health Expert Sarah Boyd shares essential hormone insights and tips for building lasting habits for energy and wellbeing.

The way hormones in your body interact plays a significant role in how you’re feeling and, for women, things can change regularly.

Sarah Boyd, a personal trainer, nutritionist, lifestyle coach, and author of The Habit Revolution, spoke to CTV Your Morning Ottawa to explain what changing hormones can do and how to manage how they make you feel to ensure you have a healthy life.

“Your hormones change as you go throughout the month, but they also change throughout your life. So, there’s a lot of different times where you have to relearn your body and what it’s going through,” she said.

Common symptoms are information not failures

Boyd says the signals you get from your hormones are simply your body giving you information and are not a sign you’ve done something wrong.

“As we’re going through our life, our hormones are going to change the way we feel. They’re going to change our cravings, how we sleep, how we should exercise. And so, this is all information we get,” she said. “A lot of times we think, ‘I’m having cravings at night. I’m doing something wrong.’ Or, this time of year, we’ve set some lofty new year’s resolutions, and by week two or three you’re not able to stick to them because you’re tired or you have other things going on and we think that we’re failing because of it. But we’re not.”

Boyd said if you’re feeling tired or you’re having cravings, your body is giving you information.

“It’s about learning to listen to that information so that you can help support your body better.”

Everyday habits have a big impact

How do you manage those symptoms? By setting and forming regular habits.

“Your everyday habits, like your fitness, are something we can use to regulate hormones,” Boyd said. “So, whether you’re having cravings or hot flashes, exercising is actually something you can do to help it. Same thing when it comes to our nutrition. Our hormones are built in our gut, so what we’re eating directly affects how those hormones are being regulated throughout our body.”

Nutrition and exercise should remain flexible

Exercise and proper nutrition don’t have to be stressful. Just doing something consistently is better than doing nothing.

“Everything changes throughout the month and as you go through your phases of life, so really learning how to listen to your body as that goes through is important and knowing what I can eat this week vs. next week to help support those hormones,” said Boyd.

“Things that you eat, alcohol, wine, it does directly affect things like hot flashes. If that’s something you’re experiencing, limiting those things is something that can help you to help treat the symptoms.”

Focus on your overall goals for the week or the month.

If you’re feeling great one day, perhaps you can make your workout more challenging. On the other hand, if you’re feeling tired, a lower-impact workout can be a better idea.

“Our body doesn’t know that we’re doing three strength training sessions a (week). What our body’s really going to know is, ‘Hey, I got those 12 strength training sessions in this month,’” said Boyd. “Sometimes, for me, I’m feeling great one week, so I’ll get four sessions in, and the next week I’m not feeling good so maybe I’ll do two. But I still did those six sessions within two weeks, so I’m keeping my goal flexible to stay consistent through them.”

Simple, consistent habits

It’s a time for new year’s resolutions, but instead of setting an all-or-nothing resolution, set a simpler, more flexible goal.

“I like to set goals, and I love a recalibration. When you set that flexible goal, you’re able to stay more consistent,” said Boyd. “Moving my body can look many different ways. I can go for that hard-hit workout, or I can just go for a walk and stretch, and both ways are helping me stay consistent toward my goals.”

The Habit Revolution

Boyd’s book, The Habit Revolution, is meant to be a guide to helping women understand their hormones, support their energy, and build habits that actually fit their lives.

“It’s going to introduce you to what your hormones look like throughout the month and as you go through each phase of your life. It’s going to walk you through how you can use your nutrition, your exercise, your sleep and your recovery to help you manage your symptoms that you’re experiencing,” said Boyd.

The book is available on Amazon.