1. Food before coffee
Starting our day with caffeine instead of food can impact our normal cortisol rhythm. This can cause a premature rise in cortisol that may negatively impact the progesterone to estrogen ratio. Food before coffee allows for a better cortisol response and may encourage the "saving" of progesterone.
2. Consume enough nutrients
Nutrients are key for balancing your hormones. Nutrient deficiency is a stress to the body and can be a root cause to an imbalanced ratio of progesterone to estrogen. Focusing on nutrient density and bioavailability can mitigate this stress and give your body the building blocks it needs to self-regulate hormone levels. Practically speaking, this might look like a little more grass-fed beef, and a little less raw broccoli.
3. Exercise the right amount for you
Our bodies were meant to move. Exercise can positively impact our hormones by reducing stress, moving the lymphatic system, building muscle, and increasing metabolic rate. But you can have too much of a good thing. Exercising excessively may lead to higher cortisol levels and lower progesterone, causing a decrease in metabolic rate. As a rule of thumb, your workouts should make you feel energized, not depleted. If you feel dead after workouts, they may be doing more harm than good.
