Chronic Dieting and Excessive Exercising
Many females struggle with hormonal imbalances due to chronic dieting and overexercising. When we eat below maintenance calories our hormone level drops, which can cause major health complications and may play a role in why we are not achieving the aesthetic or performance goals we have. Below are key points to consider when building a balanced and sustainable diet and exercise routine that supports hormone health.
1. Maintenance calories for most active females are well beyond 1,800-2,000 calories. If you have been switching from diet to diet, your body will need some time to maintenance calories. Eating 1,200 calories is not enough for your body to repair. Consider working with a nutrition professional who can slowly help build you back to eating maintenance.
2. Eating a diet that contains proper portions of carbs and fat will help create happy hormones. When we consume a consistent low carb and low-fat diet, we may experience hormone and period problems. Most active females should eat a minimum of 60 grams of fat and 150-200 g of protein. Remember that macronutrient breakdown will be based on the person’s lifestyle, genetics, and goals. A sustainable diet should include all three macronutrients: Protein, carbs, and fat.
3. Eating whole food meals frequently throughout the day will help the body’s blood sugar levels remain stable. When building a meal choose minimally processed foods and include protein, carb, fat, veggie, and fiber at every meal. Eat at least 25 grams of fiber and add veggies including broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts to aid healthy levels of estrogen in the body.
4. Sleep 7-10 hours and keep caffeine consumption less 200-300 mg.
5. Drink ½ your body weight of water in fluid oz daily.
6. Workout 3-5 x a week in a way that you enjoy and walk 7-10k steps daily. If you are repairing hormone health consider taking a break from high-intensity training like CrossFit, Orange Theory, Spin, or Bootcamp classes.
Making simple nutrition and lifestyle changes can result in positive outcomes when it comes to our health and how we feel, and guess what? When we chase health aesthetics will follow. Instead of focusing on a short-term diet plan that will change the body for a short period of time, we need to create a sustainable and balanced diet that makes both our bodies and minds healthy. A diet is not something you do for 30 days, a diet is a lifestyle, something that both your body and mind can sustain over a long period of time.