Is your body dealing with HIDDEN stressors ?? We all know we deal with stress from our jobs, or our finances, or even environmental stressors like pollution, but I am talking about stressors that are going on internally, unfortunately unbeknownst to us.

I am talking about - Are there Hormonal, Immune, Digestive, Detoxification, Energy, or Nervous system (HIDDEN) stressors that your body is battling that could be the cause of your headaches, or weight gain, or even skin issues? I used to think that all my exercising (weight training everyday, followed by sprints, and a swim, and well try to squeeze in Barre Class too...all in one day!) was a good thing. I mean I wanted "burn off" that extra glass of wine, or Halloween candy indulgences. What I didn't realize was that with all that chronic over exercising I was depleting my hormone levels, most notably - my cortisol.

Cortisol is the stress hormone, yes, but it is also that "Get up and Go" hormone. Without cortisol rising in the morning (cortisol follows a diurnal pattern of rising in the morning and waning throughout the day), it is VERY hard to get out of bed. And let me tell you from experience - I had blown out ALL my cortisol from all my exercising! I was experiencing what some would call "Adrenal Fatigue", and I had a REALLY hard time getting out of bed in the morning!

Once I began my FDN coursework and ran some hormone tests on myself, I found out my cortisol levels were in the tanker...and of course that's why I felt so awful, particularly in the mornings! Knowledge is power, and it helped me realize I AM NOT LAZY, or GETTING OLDER, I was just dealing with hormonal disfunction!
I could fix that, and I have...and boy do I FEEL Better !!

The reason why I test hormones ...

The other day my 12, going on 18, year old daughter came home in an absolute terrible mood that proceeded to worsen as the evening wore on. The whole family felt as though we were walking on eggshells around her as anything said to her was met with a snappy reply and a glare. By the end of the night my husband and I just looked at each other and said, "it must be hormones".
But in reality, have you ever considered what really goes on behind the scenes with our hormones?

What are hormones exactly ?

Hormones are essentially the chemical messengers your body uses to communicate between body systems. These chemical messengers affect everything, how you look, feel, think, and even behave. And you know this don't you? Have you ever been so hungry you could, and would, run over anything or anyone that got in your way of you and the refrigerator?! That was because your insulin (blood sugar hormone) were so low your survival instinct of "must get food NOW!" took over. There are over 100 identified hormones in the body, but there are a few critical hormones that I focus on when helping a client heal from Hidden Stressors.

Well if hormones are running behind the scenes, biologically, there's nothing I can do about it...right?

WRONG!

There is so much that affects your hormones and how they are working for you, or against you. First, and numero uno, is obviously FOOD. Are you eating processed foods ? Are you eating out a lot, and therefore you are not in control of how your food is cooked (i.e. what oils the food is cooked in) ? The simple task of cooking whole, nutritious vegetables and clean sources of protein HELP your hormones work efficiently and effectively FOR you. Food is INFORMATION for your hormones.
More on what else affects your hormones in my next post...but luckily we live in the age of "Biohacking" and testing for better health, so stop guessing whether your hormones are "out of whack", or waiting for a doctor to order a test for you. Simple tests for cortisol, insulin, thyroid, and those quirky sex hormones, will guide you on how to heal those hidden stressors, and get your hormones to work for you, your metabolism, and your mental health.
Who doesn't want that?!