Are you suffering from sun-safety whiplash? It looks like this: You’re super woke about skin cancer (and accelerated skin aging) thanks to pretty much everyone ever telling you about the dangers of sun exposure. And they aren’t wrong. Studies suggest that most melanoma cases are caused, at least in part, by overexposure to sunlight. But lately you’ve heard rumors about the dangers of conventional sunscreens—that they are hard on the environment, that they mess with your endocrine system, that they might not protect against skin cancer as effectively as they should… and that, at the same time, they may have carcinogenic properties of their own. Oh, yeah, and some of the ingredients in conventional sunscreens may be neurotoxins. Then there’s the debate about sunscreen and low-levels of vitamin D. Some experts have suggested that the “always use sunscreen!” advice is preventing us from converting sunlight into vitamin D, which we need for optimal hormonal health, and especially for optimal fertility? It’s enough to make you want to hide out in a windowless room until science sorts it all out. But there are ways to have a fun day at the beach, get some vitamin D, and protect yourself against skin damage... without damaging your hormones. Here’s how to keep your skin AND your hormones happy while you navigate the sun safety conundrum.

The Trouble with Conventional Sunscreens

The active ingredients in most sunscreens have been linked to imbalanced hormones, premature birth, increased risk for breast, ovarian and prostate cancer, and disruption of normal endocrine function. One popular active ingredient, oxybenzone, has been shown to harm fish and damage coral reefs—in addition to human health—all while experts have raised serious doubts about the skin cancer-prevention benefits of sunscreen that contains oxybenzone.In high concentrations, ingredients like oxybenzone can have neurotoxic effects. While the concentrations of oxybenzone that have been studied and linked to health dangers are higher than what is normally found in human tissue or the environment, that’s hardly reassuring data. What’s more, the effects of repeated, long-term, and low-dose exposures to the chemicals in sunscreens haven’t been properly studied. We don’t know what using these products everyday, as we’re often instructed to do, will do to our bodies.Meanwhile, concerns have cropped up that sunscreens might not be as effective at protecting against skin cancer as once thought, and studies have shown that most sunscreen users don’t apply enough, reducing the product’s effectiveness to one quarter of what is promised on the bottle. So what’s a person to do? There are safer sunscreens on the market—and there are other ways to be sun safe, while still getting your vitamin D.

Get Your Vitamin D...While Protecting Your Skin

Exposure to sunlight prompts the body to make vitamin D, but sunscreen effectively stops this process. So many experts recommend five to 10 minutes of sunscreen-free sun exposure everyday. This can help you make vitamin D naturally, but I recommend avoiding the brightest hours (from 11:00am-ish to 3:00pm-ish) when you’re skipping sunscreen. And if you’re worried about accelerated skin aging, leave your legs or arms exposed for 10 to 15 minutes instead of your face and neck.

But many of us live in climates where—even if you go outside for a few minutes each day without sunscreen—the sun’s rays aren’t direct enough in winter to trigger vitamin D synthesis. If you live anywhere north of, say, Missouri, the sunlight is too indirect during the winter months for our bodies to make this important vitamin, which acts like a master hormone in the body. From roughly October to April, we’re cut off from our main source of vitamin D. And there’s worse news: Even direct sunshine all year round isn’t a guarantee. Studies suggest that populations who live close to the equator, where the sun is high in the sky 365 days a year, also don’t make enough vitamin D. For complicated and largely unknown reasons, vitamin D deficiency is a global phenomenon.For this reason, I recommend that women take a high-quality vitamin D supplement. Vitamin D is important for hormone balance, fertility, mood, energy, and so much more. If vitamin D is low, as it is for so many of us, it can nearly impossible to move the needle on period and fertility problems and other symptoms.

The Safest Sunscreens

If you want to protect your hormones from the endocrine-disrupting chemicals in certain sunscreens, you have a marvelous ally on your side: the Environmental Working Group (EWG).EWG is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment. The group conducts research and disseminates information on an array of commercially available products, from shampoos to lipstick to—yes—sunscreens. (In fact, I recommend that women run ALL their health and beauty products through the EWG’s fantastic Skin Deep database, which catalogues the health and safety of just about every product on the market.)Every year, the EWG publishes a guide to sunscreens. You can check out the 2019 Sunscreen Guide here. The Guide allows you to search sunscreens by brand (so you can check on the safety of products you already own); look up the safest-ranking products; and get information about potentially dangerous ingredients.

Meanwhile, here is some of my top sun safety advice, including a few of my favorite sunscreens:

‍Consider avoiding sunscreens with oxybenzone. Officially, there is “insufficient data” on the safety of oxybenzone, but concerns have been raised about endocrine disruption and systemic toxicity when it comes to this commonly used compound. (Oxybenzone is found in roughly two-thirds of commercially available sunscreens). I recommend skipping products that include oxybenzone until scientists know more. Why risk it when it comes to hormone health?

‍Higher SPF doesn’t always mean more sun protection. It’s tempting to grab a sunscreen with the highest SPF you can find, but research suggests that SPFs over 50 confer no more benefit than SPF 50 sunscreens. In fact, its been shown that very high SPF products can be more dangerous than lower SPF products because they confer a false sense of safety. People tend to think Oh, this is SPF 75! I don’t need to reapply all day! Or A little goes a long way!, when really these products function on par with SPF 50 products and have the same re-application instructions.

‍Remember physical barriers. It’s easy to forget that age-old things like sitting in the shade, wearing a hat and long sleeves, and planning around the sun’s peak hours act as natural—and 100-percent safe!—sun protection. Use these sun-safety strategies FIRST every time you’re headed outdoors.

‍My favorite sunscreens. There are many clean, mineral sunscreens on the market. Just be sure to read labels closely and opt for mineral sunscreens that use titanium dioxide and zinc oxide as active ingredients. Both titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are “generally recognized as safe and effective.” But before you buy, check a product’s safety on the EWG database.

‍Coola: This brand is mineral-based and has some excellent and versatile varieties, including beach and sport, baby, and a really silky tinted version for your face.

‍MyChelle: This brand also make a nice—and very clean—tinted face cream with SPF 50.

‍Supergoop! Makes a line of clean products for adults and kids.

‍Badger: These sunscreens can go on a touch thick, but they couldn’t be cleaner.

Did you know your brain changes by 25% over the course of your cycle?Do you know when your metabolism naturally speeds up and slows down in your cycle?Do you know how to leverage your hormonal advantages to get more done with less stress?Did you know that all of the research done on fitness and nutrition is done on men?Did you know doing self care out of sync with your cycle gives your more period problems?Knowing all that… why would you eat, exercise, or create in the same way day after day, when you change week over week?Your body needs a health and lifestyle program that is tailored to your unique biological rhythms. That’s why I created The Cycle Syncing Method™ over a decade ago. I used it to put my period problems into remission. Today, it is the cornerstone of the Flo Protocol.The Cycle Syncing Method™ is all about living in line with your natural rhythms. The protocol is designed to leverage your strengths during each phase of your 28-day hormone cycle—and, when you put it into practice, it changes everything.

How I Created The Cycle Syncing Method™

I created The Cycle Syncing Method™ to solve my own hormonal issues. I was suffering from a hormonal imbalance called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or PCOS. At my worst, I weighed 200 pounds, had severe cystic acne on my face, chest, and back, and I was deeply depressed. I had my period about three times a year. My health suffered profoundly. So did my quality of life.I visited many different experts (who ultimately put me on birth control pills and caused me even greater harm). On my own, I tried every lifestyle, eating, and exercise program you can imagine. Nothing worked. In many cases, I felt worse.If you’ve tried different eating protocols and lifestyle programs and you still have symptoms, maybe you can relate. You know how expensive and time consuming these programs are, and how much more discouraged you are when they fail.When I began to understand women’s unique hormone cycle and the power of hormonal timing, everything changed.I started eating, moving, and living in sync with my 28-day hormone cycle—giving my hormones what they needed when they needed it, instead of forcing my body to do the same thing day in and day out. My decision to engage in this type of phase-based self care transformed my life. Doctors had told me that my symptoms were irreversible, but now my skin cleared, my periods became regular, and I lost 60 pounds.Here’s what else I discovered: phase-based self care didn’t just change my body. It changed my life. I had better communication in my relationships. I was more productive (and happier) at work. My creativity went up and so did my sex drive. I was as busy as always, but suddenly it felt like I had more time for self care and relaxation.Once I understood the science of the female hormone cycle, I put my knowledge into practice—and it changed my life. I want the same thing for you.

What is The Cycle Syncing Method™?

Eating the same things, doing the same exercise, and planning the same activities day after day is a pattern that works for well for men, who have a different hormonal pattern than women. But adopting the same routine everyday pits women against the natural ebb and flow of their hormones. It works against our bodies—and it fuels symptoms.The Cycle Syncing Method™ is the practice of tailoring your food, movement, relationship, work, and lifestyle choices to your unique strengths, weaknesses, and needs during each phase of your 28-day hormone cycle.That might sound like a lot of adapting and changing, week after week. But once you start tracking your cycle and getting an embodied sense of what each phase looks and feels like in your body, the tweaks you’ll make will become intuitive.In fact, once you get the hang of The Cycle Syncing Method™, the practice feels so natural that you won’t believe there was a time when you didn’t engage in it.But I know getting started can feel daunting. I also know that ANY change we make in life is easier with support, guidance, and community.That’s why, this week, I’m opening the doors to Flo28, a monthly membership that gives you a tailored diet program for each phase of your cycle, weekly workouts for each phase of your cycle, and time management planners so you can schedule activities each week that play to your natural strengths. Flo28 takes you step-by-step through the small but powerful changes you can make to your nutrition, fitness, and time management that will revolutionize your life.If you’ve gone through the MonthlyFlo program, you’ve built a strong foundation for healing your hormones and improving your life—and Flo28 is the next step. If you haven’t done MonthlyFlo, you will still benefit significantly from Flo28.As part of Flo28, you’ll discover:

• How to become stronger, fitter, and leaner by shifting to phase-based workouts
• What to eat to support your brain and body during each phase
• When you’re at your best for socializing and when to schedule your “me-time”
• How to shift your work schedule to maximize your time and get more done
• How to turn up the heat in your relationship and have better sex
• How to be in your creative zone

...and as a member of Flo28, you’ll get:

• Phase Specific Recipes: Know what to eat during each phase of your cycle with weekly recipes delivered each month
• Workout of the Week: Stay energized and strong with exercise videos tailored to each phase of your cycle
• Cycle Syncing® Scheduling Guide: A guide to plan your day, week, and month our according to your biological clock
• Monthly Master Chats: Get advice directly from Alisa in exclusive monthly Q+A sessions and learn how to apply this to business, relationships, motherhood, and more
• Supportive Community & Events: A Facebook group dedicated to learning how to Cycle Sync,™ daily posting guide, first access to in-person events, and opportunities to connect with other amazing women

If you suffer from any type of period problem—from bloating and acne to heavy or irregular periods and severe PMS—or you want to improve your fitness, relationships, work performance, or overall health, Flo28 is the program for you. I hope you will join me (and an amazing community of women!) to discover how much better your life can be when you understand the science of your hormones.And if you don’t want to wait to get started, go here to get a sneak peek of what it looks like to engage in phase-based self care in all aspects of your life—and what you can expect when you do.Always remember that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this – the science of your body is on your side!

Monthly FLO: The Cycle Syncing System™

Put your period symptoms into remission. Discover how to live in your FLO and get it all done with embodied time management.MonthlyFLO is the first-ever woman-centric health system that syncs with your unique rhythm. It gives you the foundation for solving any hormonal issues you may have over your lifetime.Using the principles of functional nutrition, MonthlyFLO is a specially-sequenced food therapy program that recalibrates your endocrine function. Over three months, you will be guided step-by-step to make simple, cumulative food and lifestyle changes that balance your hormones naturally.

Click here to learn more about the life-changing Monthly FLO Program

If you are one of the 5% of menstruating women who experience PMDD, which stands for premenstrual dysphoric disorder, you know the havoc it can wreak on relationships, work, school, and self-esteem. PMDD is not just disruptive, it’s disabling—and it can take over your life one week each month. Many women describe PMDD as a true Jekyll-and-Hyde situation. Like PMS, PMDD occurs the week before your period, but it is far more serious than PMS. Women with PMS and PMDD both experience mood changes like irritability, anxiety, and low mood. But for women with PMDD, those changes are more extreme. Women with PMDD experience one (or more) of the following symptoms:

• Feelings of anger and anxiety that are so pronounced they negatively affect relationships with other people
• Feelings of extreme despair and hopelessness, sometimes accompanied by thoughts of suicide
• Panic attacks
• Feeling out of control emotionally
• Frequent uncontrollable crying
• A complete lack of interest in daily activities and relationships
• Intense mood swings
• Extreme fatigue and lethargy

For women with PMDD, these emotional changes are accompanied by many of the same physical symptoms that come along with PMS, like breast tenderness, changes in appetite, and trouble sleeping. In short, PMDD is a condition that causes a great deal of suffering—and significantly diminishes quality of life.PMDD is harder to treat than PMS (which can be resolved with lifestyle and nutrition changes), but this disruptive hormonal condition can be improved with lifestyle, nutrition, and targeted support. I also recommend that women with PMDD consult with a trusted healthcare provider.

What Causes PMDD?

Experts don’t know exactly why some women experience PMDD, or this more severe form of PMS, but it may involve several factors: (1) these women may be hypersensitive to the normal hormonal fluctuations that happen during the 28-day menstrual cycle, (2) women with PMDD may have more severe underlying hormone imbalances, (3) women with PMDD may experience more dramatic shifts in serotonin levels than women with PMS (or women without any premenstrual symptoms) during the menstrual cycle, and (4) women with PMDD may have other risk factors that predispose them to develop PMDD, including chronic stress, overweight or obesity, a history of trauma or abuse, and existing mental health conditions such as diagnosed depression or anxiety.

Hormones and neurotransmitters share some of the same receptor sites in the brain (in areas that help regulate mood), so experts suspect that women who are uniquely sensitive to hormone changes may have more mood issues throughout their cycle (and during other reproductive events, like postpartum or during perimenopause and menopause). Researchers also know that the gut-brain-microbiome axis plays a role in the development of some mood and mental health issues. That’s why paying attention to nutrition—like reducing or eliminating sugar and eating low-inflammatory foods—can help women manage the symptoms of PMDD. And because factors like unremitting stress, depression and anxiety, and a history of trauma are risk factors for PMDD, stress reduction techniques, like meditation and mindful exercise, can also help.

Manage the Symptoms of PMDD

PMDD is harder to treat than PMS, but you can improve your symptoms with some simple food and lifestyle interventions. Here’s what I recommend:

Incorporate high-protein and complex-carbohydrate foods into your daily diet. Some preliminary research suggests that PMDD symptoms may be less severe when eating a high-tryptophan diet. Tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin and can be found in many healthy high-protein and complex-carbohydrate foods, including wild caught salmon, pastured poultry, grass-fed beef, whole grains like brown rice and quinoa, and legumes like beans and chickpeas. Chickpeas are a great source of vitamin B, which helps with progesterone production. Progesterone helps balance and reduce estrogen dominance, which is the most common hormone imbalance in women who have premenstrual symptoms.

Avoid inflammatory foods. The luteal phase (the time between ovulation and your period) is associated with increased production of inflammatory molecules in the body. (Indeed, several inflammatory conditions, like gingivitis and inflammatory bowel syndrome, are known to get worse during the premenstrual phase.) Similarly, inflammation is thought to play a role in the development of PMDD. So avoiding inflammatory foods can help. I recommend eliminating gluten, dairy, and refined sugar and refined flour from your diet. It’s also important to skip factory-raised meat (which is high in inflammation-promoting omega-6 fats, whereas pastured meats are higher in inflammation-fighting omega-3s). I also advise saying no to coffee and artificial sweeteners, which can aggravate anxiety issues and fuel inflammation.

Balance blood sugar. Balanced blood sugar is essential for easing any hormone-related condition, and it may be especially valuable for PMDD. That’s because imbalanced blood sugar and unstable insulin levels (insulin helps control blood sugar in the body) further fuel inflammation. Blood sugar imbalances can also mess with cortisol production. Cortisol is one of the body’s stress hormones and stress management is a key component of easing PMDD.

Adopt a smart supplement strategy. Some key supplements can help manage the symptoms of PMDD and/or the help address some of the risk factors associated with PMDD:

Omega-3s —These healthy fats have shown promise in treating some types of depression, and some research shows that omega-3s may confer a protective effect against anxiety disorders. While studies that look specifically at omega-3s and PMDD are lacking, research does show that omega-3s may reduce some of the psychiatric symptoms of PMS including depression, nervousness, anxiety, and lack of concentration (it can also reduce some of the physical symptoms of PMS like bloating, headache, and breast tenderness.) Even if omega-3s don’t help PMDD sufferers as much as PMS sufferers, these supplements seem to have a positive overall influence on mood—and they certainly aren’t harmful to take. I recommend them as a good overall support for mood and hormone balance.

Magnesium and vitamin B6. As with omega-3s, research on magnesium and B6 for  PMDD is lacking, but these important micronutrients, when taken in combination, can help reduce the severity of PMS. Because women with PMS and PMDD share some similar underlying hormone imbalances, it may help to take magnesium and vitamin B6.

Calcium. Calcium supplements may ease PMDD symptoms, according to research. I recommend 1200 milligrams a day, but always consult a licensed healthcare provider before starting any higher-dose supplement.

Chasteberry. Also known as Vitex, this herbal remedy has been shown to help with the physical symptoms of PMDD, including breast tenderness, bloating, and cramps. Check with a trusted healthcare practitioner before starting.

L-tryptophan. This supplement has shown promise in reducing the symptoms of PMDD. As always, consult a licensed practitioner before starting a new supplement.

Prioritize stress reduction and support good mental health. Existing diagnoses of depression and anxiety are more common in women with PMDD, so it’s important to tend your mental health as well as your hormonal health. To this end, I encourage women to engage in unapologetic self-care, find and do activities that bring them joy, practice meditation or other mindfulness practices, and seek out extra support, such as finding a therapist, when needed.

Practice The Cycle Syncing® Method. To address PMDD, it’s essential to understand the distinct phases of your 28-day cycle and tailor your food and movement to each phase. For example, PMDD strikes during the luteal phase, when inflammation is more pronounced and may play a more activating role in PMDD. So it is critical to support your metabolism during the luteal phase with the right foods at the right times. That will help stabilize blood sugar and support healthy hormone balance. Likewise, it’s important during the luteal phase to hit the exercise sweet spot—not too much and/or not too intense—to decrease the cortisol output that can exacerbate symptoms.

To put these strategies into place, you first need to know which phase of your cycle you’re at any given moment during the month—and to understand what type of self care matters the most during each phase. And that is precisely what practicing The Cycle Syncing® Method is all about. The Cycle Syncing® Membership teaches you to engage in the type of phase-based self care that helps ease symptoms of PMDD (and other period problems). The Cycle Syncing® Membership makes phase-based self care simple, manageable, and makes caring for your hormones second nature.

Always remember that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this—the science of your body is on your side!

That exhausted, depleted, frazzled feeling you have every Friday night (or every night) after work)? Its burnout. And it’s a real, diagnosable condition.That’s according to the World Health Organization (WHO), who last month declared burnout a legitimate occupational phenomenon. Burnout is a result of “chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed,” said the organization, and it negatively influences one’s health.The condition is characterized by three things:

1. Feeling depleted or exhausted
2. Feeling cynical or negative about one's job, or feeling increased mental distance from one’s job
3. Being less effective and productive on the job

This news will come as no surprise to anyone with a demanding job or other workplace stressors, like a difficult boss, unsupportive co-workers, an unhealthy work environment, a long commute, and/or the expectation of “being on” 24-hours a day. As the speed of work picks up, and as more of us work around-the-clock, burnout has become a way of life.But women have a key advantage when it comes to battling back against burnout. We can tap into the natural rhythms of our 28-day hormone cycle and use our natural strengths during each phase to work more efficiently, be more productive (without feeling overburdened), and find more satisfaction—and less stress—in our jobs.

The Hormone-Burnout Connection

The idea that your hormones could help you have an easier and less stressful experience at work might seem far-fetched, but I’m not making this up!Research shows that our hormone cycles have a direct influence on our mood, energy, creativity, and worldview. So when we plan our activities in accordance with the natural flow of our hormones, we can be top-performing, high-achieving women with energy left over at the end of the day—no to-do list app necessary. (Though we benefit greatly from knowing where we are in our cycle, which is what I designed the MyFLO app to help you do.)If, however, we ignore our hormonal patterns and force ourselves to work in a 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week time construct (one that works for men because of their more quotidian hormonal patterns), we’re more likely to experience burnout—and, as women, that chronic stress shows up in our our cycles, fertility, sex drive, and mood. In other words, working the same way, with the same rhythm, day in and day out makes period problems worse… and that prevents us from taking advantage of the solution, which depends on a healthy cycle!It’s a bit circuitous, I know, but that is exactly what it is: a vicious cycle. When we don’t practice The Cycle Syncing Method™, our hormones fall deeper into imbalance—and that makes it harder to use our cycle as a powerful tool for escaping burnout. As women, our strengths, desires, talents, and behavior shifts with our changing hormone patterns each month. Having female hormones does not mean you lose a week a month to PMS and your period. It just means that by noticing these shifts and then working with your hormones, you can make your hormones work for you.

Heal Workplace Stress By Learning To Work With Your Hormones

To harness the power of your hormones, first you need to know what your hormones are doing and when. That’s where the MyFLO app comes in. It allows you track your cycle and tune into which phase you’re in at any given time. Once you’re familiar with your cycle, you’re ready to practice The Cycle Syncing Method™, which is the method I developed for engaging in phase-based self-care. The Cycle Syncing Method™ involves working with food, movement, and time management to feel and perform your best (you can learn more about every aspect of the practice here), but for today I’m going to focus on how you can engage The Cycle Syncing Method™ specifically to battle workplace burnout.Here are the four phases of your 28-day hormone cycle and how you can harness your natural strengths during each one to perform better at work, while stressing less!Follicular Phase

• When: The week after your period ends
• What’s happening hormonally: Estrogen is on the rise
• What to do: Set your intentions for the coming weeks, clarify your vision and purpose at work, organize what you want to accomplish next. Get moving on new projects. This is a time to really lay the groundwork for what comes next.

Ovulation Phase

• When: Mid-cycle for 3–5 days
• What’s happening hormonally: Estrogen is at its highest point
• What to do: Share your intentions with colleagues, collaborate with like-minded folks, schedule meetings, connect with others, brainstorm to find solutions. This is a time to bring others on board with your vision and to work as a team.

Luteal/Premenstrual Phase

• When: About 10–12 days before your period begins
• What’s happening hormonally: Progesterone is at its highest point
• What to do: This is your ‘get it done’ time! You are at your most organized during this phase and you love getting granular about the details. Make this phase all about accomplishing the activities and goals you outlined during your follicular phase.

Menstrual phase

• When: The days when you are bleeding
• What’s happening hormonally: All of your hormones are at a low point
• What to do: Slow down, reflect on what’s happened over the last month, and practice gratitude for all the good things you’ve accomplished. Think back on any areas of your work life that feel less than optimal or that need more attention and use them as a starting point for setting intentions during your next follicular phase.

I guarantee that if you start to prioritize projects at work in line with your cycle, you will experience less stress and greater productivity. Burnout will no longer be a way of life. And if you really want to transform your work life, you’ll engage the other aspects of The Cycle Syncing Method™ in combination with the changes you make at work. This involves food, movement, supplements, and self-care. If you put all these changes into place, you will be unstoppable at work — and in life!Always remember that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you. You can do this—the science of your body is on your side!

COACH CONSULT

Get Actionable Advice in a FLO Coach ConsultationWe believe that no woman should suffer simply because she has a period. And we also know that it’s not always possible to get access to functional and holistic healthcare solutions — sometimes they’re too far away and most of the time they are way too expensive. That’s why we offer phone and Skype consultation sessions with our FLO coaches. In your consultation session, your coach will go over your health history and symptoms, get feedback on any health changes you’ve implemented from our resource library, review your hormone test analysis if applicable, and help you develop a plan of action to solve your symptoms.

[Book Your Session]

Ladies, It’s time to take masturbation into your own hands...literally!

Yep, that’s right, today we’re talking about how you give yourself self pleasure—and why that matters so much for your hormonal health.

Now you might be thinking, Alisa, c’mon! How much difference can masturbtion really make in solving my period problems?! I mean, I believe in supplements. I know nutrition matters, but how I self pleasure? I’m skeptical.

‍Well, get ready to become a true believer! Yes, food, lifestyle, and supplements all play a big role in hormonal health, but so does orgasm—specifically the slow-build orgasms you can have when you use your hands to get yourself off.

Let’s get this self-pleasure party started by looking at the research on orgasm. I’m not lying when I say that the science is solidly on your side when it comes to having more orgasms. After I lay out all the juicy science on the benefits of orgasm, I explain why using your hands for self pleasure—and skipping the vibrator—will net you even bigger health benefits.

The Benefits of Orgasm

Some of the studies cited below involved partnered sex, but they speak to the general health benefits of sexual activity and orgasm. (And in the next section, I’ll get into the specific benefits of manual masturbation.)

• Women who engage in sexual activity at least once each week are more likely to have regular menstrual cycles.
• Sexual activity can help grow new brain cells and reduce anxiety. (In other words, sex can make you smarter and calmer!)
• Sexual activity supports a healthy immune system
• Regular sexual activity helps you look younger. Research suggests that getting it on three times a week in a can make you look 10 years younger.
• Sexual activity may help ease migraine headaches.
• Orgasm can boost lymphatic circulation, helping your body’s natural detoxification process to improve digestion and mood and support optimal immunity. (This study was done on men, but women may experience the same increase lymphatic circulation.)
• Sexual activity may help protect women from cardiovascular risk later in life.
• Sexual activity Increases levels of the hormone oxytocin, which is linked to passion, intuition, and social skills—the hormone of bonding and success!

But Not All Orgasms Are Created Equal...

...and that’s why it matters how you give yourself pleasure.

Using vibrators to self-pleasure might seem like the easiest way to reach orgasm, but these powerful sex toys rob you of some of the benefits of orgasm. Sure, they can feel good and get the job done fast, but you will miss out on some major health benefits.

To understand why, it’s important to know the four stages of sexual response first identified by pioneering scientists Masters & Johnson in the 1960s. I outline them in detail in my book, WomanCode, and here’s a quick review:

‍Initial arousal: This is the excitement phase, lasting anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. Sex organs become engorged with blood and glands in the vaginal walls secrete lubricating liquid to make you feel wet.

‍Plateau: This is a continuation of arousal, when tissues continue to swell and your breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure continue to rise.

‍Orgasm: At the moment of orgasm, vaginal lubrication increases, muscles in vaginal wall constrict, and overall pleasure increases. If you climax (which is not always a given), you’ll experience quick cycles of contractions in your pelvic floor muscles.

‍Resolution: After climax, your muscles relax and your body releases from its aroused state.When you use a vibrator, you skip most of the Plateau stage and move directly to climax. This means you’re also missing out on some of the most hormonally-healthy chemicals your body produces during this Plateau phase! So what exactly are you missing out on when you use a vibrator?

1. You miss the benefits of nitric oxide and oxytocin. Using a vibrator forces your body to bypass a large part of the plateau and orgasm phases, which cuts down on your exposure to oxytocin and nitric oxide. These natural chemicals provide you with better immunity, improved cervical mucus, and regular ovulation patterns. They also have anti-aging benefits!
2. You limit your orgasmic potential. Quick, vibrator-induced orgasms lengthen what we call the refractory period between orgasms. This means the sensitive nerve endings get fried by the strong vibrations, so you have to wait longer until you’re ready again for your next orgasm. Essentially, this means you can only have one orgasm at a time, maybe two if you’re lucky.
3. You don’t get as much stress reduction. A big benefit of sex is stress relief, but when you skip the orgasmic plateau, your body doesn’t get a chance to fully flush the cortisol from your system. Cortisol is your main stress hormone, but it also plays a big role in blood sugar regulation and fat storage. That means the more cortisol in your body, the likelier you are to experience big blood sugar swings and store excess fat around your waist.

A better way to Self Pleasure

So, Alisa, what do I do without my vibrator?

‍So glad you asked!

First of all, be sure you’re setting aside at least 20 minutes for your self-pleasuring sessions. You need the gift of time to maximize your pleasure. What we see in pornography of instant climax is not based on any biological reality. You deserve not only to have great orgasms, but to take all the time you need to achieve them solo or with a partner.

To make this even easier, time your sessions during ovulation and the first half of the luteal phase to take advantage of your estrogen and testosterone peak for a pleasure boost.

Next, be sure to use lubricant – Aloe Cadabra and Sustain lube are my favorites. When you’re using your hands to get the party started, you’ll need to be lubricated, but you don’t want to put liquid plastics (silicone based lubes) on your lady parts.

Then take it slow, use your hands, and let them go wherever feels good. Think of your pleasure potential on a scale of 1-10, 10 being climax. Explore getting yourself to an 8 and hang out there for as long as you can to build all the nitric acid and oxytocin you can. It’s this phase that is the most health beneficial and the part that is typically bypassed when using vibrators.

I think you’ll be amazed at what happens to your orgasmic experience when you go au natural.

But, Alisa, Help! I Don’t Feel Like Getting Off At All—Even By Myself

So you want to get the health benefits of orgasm, but your sex drive has disappeared? Even solo, you just never feel in the mood?

You’re not alone. Sex drive can disappear at any age for any number of reasons: a stressful job, emotional stress, exhaustion (from taking care of a new baby or just from life), the onset of perimenopause, or taking the birth control pill (yes, the pill can zap your sex drive).

Restoring sex drive requires a multipronged approach, starting with nutrition and lifestyle. It’s also important to take stock of your relationships and the emotional aspects of low energy and low libido. But when your sex drive has disappeared completely, you need tools that will fasttrack your healing. Getting initial relief from symptoms will keep you motivated to make the other important self-care choices that will bring your sexy back.

‍Supplements are a brilliant way to kickstart your libido and start noticing changes fast. Here are the five you should have on hand to help get you in the mood:

1. B Vitamins prevent the breakdown of too much dopamine and serotonin during stressful times, leaving enough for you to remain buoyant and energized.
2. Zinc helps boost testosterone production — and testosterone boosts sex drive.
3. Magnesium makes it harder for your testosterone to bind onto proteins and allows for more of it to remain “free” in your bloodstream...which is exactly how you want it to be for a higher sex drive. More free testosterone means more desire. Magnesium also combats anxiety and may help with mild depression.
4. Omega-3 fatty acids help balance out your progesterone and estrogen levels, which in turn will increase dopamine—which will, in turn, help you produce more nitric oxide. This is absolutely essential for the dilation of blood vessels and tumescence that leads to bigger and better orgasms.
5. Probiotics may not directly affect your sex hormones, but they do impact your mental health, which—as you already know—directly affects your sex drive. Studies have linked psychiatric disorders like depression to imbalanced gut bacteria and probiotics can help restore microbiome balance.

Warmer weather is finally here and that means a couple things: longer days, more socializing, more sunshine (...and natural vitamin D (!), which is a great thing for hormones though you should still take a supplement), and more travel. It’s all exciting and energizing stuff. But the more you get out—and especially the more you travel—the harder it can be on your hormones. Why? When you travel, your sleep schedule tends to go sideways. Healthy eating can feel difficult, if not impossible, in airports and train stations. You might skip the key supplements you usually take and crossing time zones can mess up your internal clock. Exercise becomes an afterthought and hydration often goes out the window… at which point constipation can become the norm. And when your GI tract is backed up, excess estrogen gets stuck in our system and wreaks a bunch of havoc. All these shifts are hard on hormones. Actually, that’s an understatement. Sleep, food, supplements, hydration, exercise… these are THE things that keep your hormones working for you and not against you. When you have these lifestyle strategies locked down, you put an end to period problems like acne, bloating, PMS, severe cramps, heavy or irregular periods, hormonal migraines, and irritability and moodiness. But when you travel and your hormone-supportive strategies get thrown off track, you can feel rotten quickly...and who wants to be bloated, moody, and covered in zits on summer vacation?!For this week’s post, I’ve gathered my best strategies for staying in the FLO when you’re traveling. A few small tweaks can keep you feeling great when you’re on the move.Your Summer Travel Hormone Survival GuideFollow these steps and your hormone health doesn’t have to go out the window when you go on vacation. Step 1: Drink water. Travel is dehydrating, especially plane travel. No matter how you get around this summer, make sure you are drinking enough water or herbal tea. (Skip caffeinated tea, though. Say no to coffee, too. Caffeine is devastating for hormone health.)One of the best ways to stay hydrated is to bring a stainless steel water bottle with you on the road. Empty bottles will get through security at the airport and once you’re at your gate you can fill your bottle from a water fountain or with bottled water. A good guide for how much water to drink in any given day is half your bodyweight in ounces. So if you are 120 pounds, you’d want to drink 60 oz of water that day. You’ll want to aim for a bit more when you’re traveling.Step 2. Proactively protect your digestive system. One of the biggest things I hear women complain about when they travel is how their normally regular GI system comes to a screeching halt. Take action before you hit the road! I suggest starting a fiber supplement a few days before you leave and continuing it while you travel. You can find many healthy fiber supplements in single-serving packs that are easy to take on the go.The other must-have supplement when you travel is a probiotic. This will help with constipation and it will also keep your gut healthy as you encounter new foods. Even if your packing space is at a premium and you opt to leave some of your normal supplements at home, don’t skip these two. They are a travelers best friend when it comes to preventing symptoms and it is worth making room for them in your bags.Step 3: If you plan to engage in “vacation eating,” bring along digestive enzymes. Sometimes when you go to a new place, you want to engage in the local customs and eat foods you normally wouldn’t. Let’s say you avoid dairy religiously back home because of its negative effects on hormone health, but you are headed to Italy and want to try some of the country’s famed pizza. These one-time splurges are a treat emotionally and socially… but not so much physically. Your body is likely to have a negative reaction to foods you typically avoid. Digestive enzymes can help temper those negative effects. Step 4: Pack smart snacks. Airport and train station food is notoriously unhealthy. (So is most of the food available to you on road trips.) Avoid getting hungry on the move by packing snacks that keep blood sugar balanced. I like to pack hard-boiled eggs, dark chocolate (70-percent or higher), almonds (or other healthy nuts) and pumpkin seeds. Step 5: Safeguard your sleep. Travel messes with your internal clock. Even going short distances can leave you feeling wide awake at 11:00pm and dead tired at 11:00am. Bring magnesium with you to relax before night; an eye mask and ear plugs to block out distractions on planes and trains; and if you’re really worried about a disrupted internal clock (international travel), bring valerian root or melatonin to help with sleep in your new time zone. Step 6: Pack a “Just in Case” Case. It stinks to get sick on vacation. So it is worth making room in your luggage for some rescue remedies if you start feeling crummy. First, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as they say, which is why I always bring along all-natural hand sanitizing wipes. They are good for hands and for wiping down oft-touched surfaces (like the touch screen TVs on planes). If you do start to feel a little off, make sure you have vitamin C and zinc. I recommend being liberal with the Vitamin C: 2,000 mg per day is ideal. Take 50 mgs of zinc each day to keep your immune system strong. Now, here’s to a healthy, happy summer filled with amazing adventures!Always remember: once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this – the science of your body is on your side.

Monthly FLO: The Cycle Syncing System™

Put your period symptoms into remission. Discover how to live in your FLO and get it all done with embodied time management.MonthlyFLO is the first-ever woman-centric health system that syncs with your unique rhythm. It gives you the foundation for solving any hormonal issues you may have over your lifetime.Using the principles of functional nutrition, MonthlyFLO is a specially-sequenced food therapy program that recalibrates your endocrine function. Over three months, you will be guided step-by-step to make simple, cumulative food and lifestyle changes that balance your hormones naturally.Click here to learn more about the life-changing Monthly FLO Program

Anxiety is real, and it is serious. It can show up in a variety of different ways—from excessive worry about life events like work, health, and family to obsessive thinking, severe social anxiety, or full-on panic attacks. And, for women, anxiety can show up at different times of the month.
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Anxiety for women can actually be hormonal, and it often follows a distinct pattern within your 28-day menstrual cycle. If you notice that your anxiety gets worse the week before your period (luteal phase) or the week after period finishes (follicular phase), that means one thing: your hormones are a factor in your anxiety.

Now, anxiety has many root causes, including poor gut health, micronutrient deficiencies, and lifestyle factors like being sedentary or getting poor quality sleep—and that’s why anti-anxiety medication (which has been the only tool in the conventional psychiatric tool box for many years) has failed so many women. Medication paves over symptoms. It doesn’t treat root causes.

Happily, some psychiatrists and other experts are starting to treat the root causes of anxiety—including hormone imbalances— by using food, supplements, and lifestyle changes. And you can, too. If hormones are a root cause of your anxiety, you can make lifestyle changes that address your specific hormonal anxiety-type.

Are you ready to worry less and enjoy life more? Below are some top recommendations for women who experience ANY type of anxiety, with specific steps for easing hormonal anxiety.

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How to Stop Anxiety

If you’re a woman who experiences anxiety, you’re not alone. Women are twice as likely as men to wrestle with anxiety and almost 25 percent of women—that’s one in four of us—were diagnosed with an anxiety disorder in the past year. Because anxiety has many root causes, it responds best to a multi-pronged approach. If your anxiety is severe and persists for a long time, you should consult a trusted healthcare practitioner. In the meantime, try the following anxiety reduction strategies:

Reduce inflammation to reduce anxiety. Research has shown a link between inflammation and anxiety. So when you take steps to lower your inflammation—which is good for your health in so many ways—you help fortify your body against anxiety. I recommend a couple key ways to lower inflammation:

1. Take omega-3 fatty acids. These are the health-promoting fats found in high ratios in fish and some plant foods, like flax seeds, and they help lower inflammation. Eating nutrient-rich, omega-3-dense foods is important, but I recommend that all women take an omega-3 supplement because it can be difficult—if not impossible—to get healing amounts of this nutrient with diet alone. Also, many fish contain high levels of mercury and other toxins, so you don’t want to rely solely on fish for your omega-3s.
2. Avoid toxins and other hormone-harming chemicals. Hormonal anxiety is driven by hormone imbalances—and one of the root causes of hormone imbalances is exposure to everyday toxins, like the gnarly chemicals found in conventional health and body care products, household cleaning products, air fresheners, fabric treatments, lawn chemicals and pesticides, and many other places. Avoid these chemicals as much as you can to protect yourself from hormone-driven anxiety.
3. Support your body’s innate detox system. With so many chemicals in the environment, our bodies are working overtime to process and eliminate them—even when we assiduously avoid them in our homes and medicine cabinets. It’s a sad fact of modern life that our body’s detox system needs a little extra help to do its job well. I recommend plant-based antioxidants, like green tea extract and turmeric, to help your body detox.

Focus on gut health. Gut health is a factor in many mental health issues, including anxiety, so it’s important to support the microbiota that manufacture hormones like serotonin and dopamine. You can do this in a couple key ways:

1. Fiber, fiber, fiber. The importance of fiber to the microbiome can’t be underestimated. The bugs in our gut thrive on healthy, whole-food sources of fiber. Emphasis leafy green vegetables, brassica vegetables like broccoli and cabbage, flax seeds, and high-fiber fruits like pears.
2. Eat fermented foods. Naturally fermented foods (foods fermented without vinegar), like sauerkraut, kimchi, coconut yogurt, and fermented drinks like kvass, bring good bugs to your GI tract and promote an increased sense of calm.
3. Take a probiotic. Fermented foods are great, but most of us need even more gut support. I recommend all women take a probiotic for hormone balance and emotional support. The idea of feeding your microbiome to heal anxiety might seemed far fetched, but the gut-brain axis is real. A core component of good mental health is good gut health!

Understand and address hormonal anxiety. If you experience hormone-related anxiety, you don’t need the research to tell you that your anxiety gets more severe during certain times of the month. But the data is there, if you want official confirmation. Studies show that fluctuations in female reproductive hormones influence the presence and severity of anxiety. Experts think this is one of the reasons that panic disorders are more prevalent in women than in men. So the first step in addressing hormonal anxiety is understanding your 28-day hormone cycle and adjusting your food, movement, and lifestyle to match your unique needs during each week of your cycle. I call this The Cycle Syncing Method™ and if this is brand new to you, you can learn more about it here. You can also start tracking your period with the MyFLO app. Once you’ve adopted The Cycle Syncing Method™, you’ll know where you are in your 28-day cycle week to week and you can track your moods and hormonal shifts even more closely. For now, you can think of your 28-day cycle as being divided into two parts: the first half and the second half. The first half is from right after your period ends to when you ovulate. The second half is from just after ovulation through your next period. Most women don’t experience anxiety (or increased anxiety) during ovulation. (If you’re not ovulating, it’s a different story and you should work to get your ovulation back on track.)

• If you experience anxiety during the FIRST half of your cycle the cause is likely too much estrogen, which stimulates the brain to become antsy, edgy, and tense.

Natural remedy for anxiety in the first half of your cycle: Emphasize liver-loving foods and supplements during this time to help your body’s main detox organ process and eliminate excess estrogens from the body. Eat foods high in fiber and antioxidants, including cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower, flax seeds or chia seeds, and low-glycemic, high-fiber fruits like pears. Get additional support with supplements like turmeric and green tea extract.

• If you experience anxiety during the SECOND half of your cycle it could be a few factors: you might be sensitive to the drop in estrogen, but that should stabilize as progesterone increases during this phase. If you are deficient in progesterone, you might not experience that calming effect. You might also be experiencing blood sugar dips if you’re not eating enough slow-burning, whole-food carbohydrates during this phase. Finally, if you experience anxiety the day or two before your bleed begins, you may be responding to the drop in both progesterone and estrogen that happens at this time. When both hormones plummet, you may feel anxious.

Natural remedy for anxiety in the second half of your cycle: I recommend vitamin B6 to help increase your progesterone levels. B6 is vital for your body to create the corpus luteum that makes and releases all of your progesterone. I encourage all women to take a B-vitamin complex everyday, but you should also incorporate healthy, whole food sources of vitamin B6, including bananas, grass-fed beef, chicken, spinach, sweet potato, garlic, and salmon. If blood sugar is a root cause of your anxiety during this phase, try incorporating more slow-burning carbohydrates like sweet potatoes, brown rice, or quinoa.

•  If you’re experiencing postpartum anxiety, you are not alone. Research suggests that postpartum anxiety is common and that it likely has multiple root causes, including the significant drop in estrogen and progesterone that follows childbirth. Another factor is the disrupted sleep schedule you experience when caring for a newborn.

Natural remedy for anxiety after giving birth: I recommend that new moms continue their prenatal supplement routine into (and well past) the 4th trimester. This will help give you the nourishment you need for breastfeeding. I also recommend that new moms take hormone-supportive supplements to patch up micronutrient deficiencies (micronutrient deficiencies can fuel anxiety) because pregnancy often depletes the body of key micronutrients.

• If you’re experiencing anxiety related to PCOS or PMDD, you may need even more support to reduce anxiety. Both conditions can be uniquely challenging when it comes to anxiety.

Natural remedy for anxiety if you suffer from PCOS or PMDD: I encourage women with these conditions to take a concentrated, multipronged approach. Estrogen dominance is very likely a factor in your anxiety, so eating fiber-rich, nutrient-dense whole foods is key. I also recommend supplementing with liver-supportive nutrients, like selenium, green tea extract, and turmeric. The microbiome plays a key role in helping in eliminate excess estrogen, so supporting gut health with a high-quality probiotic is essential. Consider supplementing with calcium, which has been shown to help with mood disorders, including anxiety, during PMS. You will also want to eat foods that keep blood sugar balanced and use The Cycle Syncing Method™ to eat and exercise in sync with your cycle. Anxiety-proof your daily life. You can take other steps in your daily life to downsize anxiety:

1. Keep blood sugar balanced. Balanced blood sugar is one of the biggest factors in balanced hormones and stable mood. You can use The Cycle Syncing Method™ to balance blood sugar. Learn more here.
2. Ditch coffee. Caffeine makes your heart race and your head spin. It is literal fuel for anxiety. Just say no to coffee and caffeinated tea! (Plus, coffee is a nightmare for hormone balance.)
3. Consider ditching the pill. While research on the link between hormonal birth control and mood and anxiety has been inconclusive over the past half century, enough research (and anecdotal evidence) has linked the pill with depression and other mood disorders. The pill has also been shown to deplete mood-supporting vitamins and minerals like vitamin B6, zinc, and magnesium.
4. Take a magnesium supplement. Magnesium has a calming effect on the body, and having healthy magnesium levels in the body supports a healthy stress response.
5. Strengthen your vagus nerve. Experts believe that the vagus nerve is how the brain communicates with the body, and how the body communicates with the brain. Studies suggest that strengthening your vagus nerve may help reduce anxiety. You can help tone this important nerve with singing and music and laughter!

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Always remember that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this – the science of your body is on your side!

Research of the mind-body connection is gaining ground in mainstream science, no longer relegated to “alternative” medicine. We now know, in a deeper and more detailed way, how thoughts and feelings can affect our physical health and well-being. This is a concept I think we all understand instinctively, and often relate to in our own lives, but it’s good to see the science support our shared experience.In previous posts, I’ve talked about how emotions can affect your menstrual cycle— how stress can delay or even suppress ovulation, as well as contribute to hormonal health issues such as PCOS and PMS.

I’ve talked at length about emotions and endometriosis, ovarian cysts, and uterine fibroids.  In today’s post, and in honor of Mother’s Day, I explore how we can mother ourselves better by attending to the emotional root causes of our hormonal issues. If you suffer from reproductive issues like endometriosis, PCOS, uterine fibroids, and ovarian cysts, it’s important to pay attention to nutrition and lifestyle, but you may find even more healing by engaging in tender, loving, and maternal emotional self-care.

Emotions and Reproductive Health: An Overview

While it’s critical to look at the root causes of hormone imbalances from a functional nutrition standpoint, you can support —and improve — your chances for long-term recovery by tending to the emotional root causes of hormonal conditions. That’s because there are neurological, endocrine, and immunological conversations at work in every one of us that reflect our emotional state. The emotional patterns behind ovarian cysts, fibroids, endometriosis, and other conditions are common to many women and represent a shared female experience. Understanding this aspect is an opportunity to have compassion for ourselves and for other women.Your female reproductive organs (uterus, ovaries, vagina) act as a “low heart” and hold many of the unconscious, deeper emotions that your “high heart” is not yet ready to process. The emotions are held here, only to be released once you’ve processed the source of these held feelings. This thinking has its origins in Jungian psychology. A student of Jung, Marion Woodman, developed the concept of “feminine psychology” and her work details how unconsciously held emotions, feelings, and thoughts can affect the female body. One element of Woodman’s work focuses on how women feel about their bodies. Many of us are brought up to be fearful and distrustful of our bodies, and she believed this has a significant impact on our health. She theorized that the unconscious trauma experienced by many women — as the result of individually experienced acts of abuse and violence and as the result of cultural oppression — can manifest itself in physical symptoms.

Your Emotions and Ovarian Cysts

Functional ovarian cysts are small fluid-filled sacs that grow on the ovaries, often cyclically and in connection with your hormonal shifts. There are two kinds of functional ovarian cysts: follicle cysts and corpus luteum cysts. Follicle cysts happen when the ovary follicle does not open to release an egg and instead stays closed. Corpus luteum cysts happen when the follicle releases an egg but then does not seal and close off afterwards. Functional ovarian cysts are very common. Many women have them at some point during their lives, but not all will have symptoms. It’s possible for a cyst to grow very large if left untreated and even burst, requiring immediate surgery. Ovarian cysts, especially those that are symptomatic and recurrent, may be a sign of unfulfilled creative expression. Energetically speaking, ovarian cysts tend to represent blocked creative desire or ideas that don’t fully blossom in one’s life. It’s important to remember, however, that this block has nothing to do with your personal choices and everything to do with the position of women in society and how we are conditioned to organize our lives. Many women put childcare and housework needs before their own or work always comes first. Making shifts in how we prioritize our own self care can be part of a broader protocol in addressing ovarian cysts. For an even deeper dive on the connection between emotions and ovarian cysts, click here.

Your Emotions and Uterine Fibroids

Uterine fibroids are benign uterine growths that can range in size from a pea to a melon. Symptoms can vary from none at all to heavy or painful periods, bleeding between periods, pain during intercourse, and lower back pain.Experts aren’t entirely sure what causes fibroids. What we do know is that fibroids are affected by our hormones, specifically that excess estrogen in the body seems to make them grow. Fibroids often decrease in size after menopause (when overall body estrogen is lower). So addressing excess estrogen in the body’s ecosystem can help. Stress and unprocessed anger may play a role in developing that toxic internal environment where problems like fibroids thrive. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) points to a connection between the emotional state and fibroid growth. In TCM, fibroids are linked to the energy of the Sacral Chakra or Second Chakra. Abuse, trauma, blocked creativity, and resentment can all act as chakra blocks. More and more research indicates how stress can impact our physical health.  Stress weakens the immune system and suppresses the overall optimal function of the body. An increase in cortisol, the stress hormone, causes an imbalance in progesterone – creating progesterone deficiency and estrogen dominance. If you have uterine fibroids, it’s important to address estrogen dominance, but investigating your relationship with stress and anger—and finding healthy outlets for their expression—can play a role in healing fibroids. This can mean managing daily stress levels, prioritizing self-care, and elevating the amount of pleasure in your life.To read more about uterine fibroids and emotions, click here.

Your Emotions and PCOS

The connection between PCOS and emotions goes back to your first period. For many women, their first period is traumatic and confusing (thanks to a culture that doesn’t celebrate menstruation). This initial subconscious response can twist itself into the (erroneous) belief that your female body is a burden. Many young girls with PCOS have erratic periods during their first years of menstruation and this can add to the feeling of burden and hormonal whiplash.Over time this disconnection from one’s body can transform into a negative self image and self-critical thinking. Negative self talk can have harmful effects on your hormonal health. This self-talk might be “I’m fat” or “I’m not pretty enough” or it might be “I’ll have PCOS forever” or “My body will never work like it’s supposed to.” When you say these things to yourself, your body hears—and takes you seriously. Your body reacts with a stress-response and this is how those words become obstacles to your body’s healing and recovery. What you think about your body shows up in your periods.With PCOS, as with every hormonal condition, diet and lifestyle changes are also essential components of treatment, including taking the right supplements, eating the right foods for PCOS, and avoiding foods that trigger symptoms. How women with PCOS feel about their bodies is just one factor, but it’s a factor that I think deserves attention.Stopping the pattern of self-criticism that drives many of us, and not just those of us who suffer with PCOS, was part of my personal process in managing my PCOS and putting it into remission, and it’s part of the process I help women through here at FLO Living.For an in-depth post I wrote specifically on the connection between PCOS and emotions, go here.

Your Emotions and Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a serious reproductive health issue with debilitating symptoms. When a woman comes to me at FLO Living with endometriosis I share guidance on dietary triggers for those symptoms and lifestyle changes that can ease symptoms. That’s not all. Endometriosis requires a comprehensive strategy for management, addressing the health of the microbiome, liver health, inflammation, and excess estrogen.For many women, the Emotion-Endometriosis connection is all about taking care of others more than taking care of yourself. Many women put partners, parents, siblings, or children first and that comes at the expense of our own health and well-being. And as the saying goes, “you can’t pour from an empty cup.” With endometriosis, the uterus seems to mirror this “put others first” behavior by having the material of the womb—the endometrium, or the first maternal embrace an embryo receives—grow outside of the womb in an attempt to mother the woman who isn’t mothering herself. When this causes painful symptoms, the thinking goes, a woman is forced to put her own needs first. The emotional root of endometriosis is by no means the only root cause of endometriosis, but it’s an element that I have found to be important in my work with endometriosis sufferers at FLO Living. As I’ve said before, this has nothing to do with your personal choices in your life, and everything to do with the position of women in society, and how we are conditioned to organize our lives and act towards ourselves.  Your uterus is offering you a gift, an opportunity to reflect on your patterns and revise them for not only better health, but a happier life. If you want to learn even more about the emotional root causes of endometriosis, click here.

Always remember, that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this – the science of your body is on your side!

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To you FLO,

Alisa

Attention, Coffee Drinkers! Did you know that caffeine disrupts your hormones for a full 24 hours?

That’s not all. Caffeine stays in women’s bodies longer than men’s and it robs them of essential hormone-balancing nutrients and minerals. Studies link coffee consumption with infertility and poor gut health, which interferes with your body’s ability to detox excess (toxic) hormones.

Then there’s the link between caffeine consumption and cysts in your breasts and ovaries.

In other words, coffee is dangerous stuff if you suffer from hormone imbalances… and it can be dangerous stuff in general. That’s because many people can’t tolerate caffeine and don’t know it.

So that brings up two key questions: how can you tell if you have a hormone imbalance? And how can you tell if you have a caffeine intolerance?
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Let’s start with signs of a hormone imbalance...

How to Tell if You Have a Hormone Imbalance

How do you know if your hormones could use a little TLC...and that caffeine might be something you should eliminate from your daily routine?

Here are some signs and symptoms of a hormone imbalance:

‍PMS

‍Severe period cramps

‍Bloating

‍Acne

‍Moodiness/depression

Anxiety

You have been steadily gaining weight for a few months or years

You can’t seem to lose weight even with a healthy diet and increased exercise

Chronic exhaustion/fatigue

Cyclical migraines

‍Sugar cravings

‍Breast or ovarian cysts

Low sex drive

Low energy

Endometriosis

PCOS

I encourage any woman who is experiencing one or more of these symptoms to ditch caffeine for good, especially if you don’t tolerate caffeine well…and research shows that only 10 percent of the population produces enough of the specific enzyme that helps breakdown and eliminate caffeine. That means 9 out of 10 of you reading this right now are caffeine intolerant, whether you suffer from hormone imbalances of not!

How to Tell If You Have a Caffeine Intolerance

As I just mentioned, caffeine intolerance is surprisingly common, but most of us think of ourselves as immune. Three cups of coffee each morning might affect my coworkers or my sister, but not me! I explain the genetics of caffeine intolerance—and why hormone imbalances and caffeine intolerance often go hand in hand—below, but first let’s take a look at the signs and symptoms of caffeine intolerance.

Almost everyone who drinks coffee or other caffeinated beverages will recognize that familiar pick-me-up feeling that caffeine brings. But if you experience any of the symptoms on the following list—symptoms that are often attributed to other conditions or physiological responses—you might be caffeine intolerant. Symptoms like:

Anxiety

Insomnia

Restlessness

Fatigue (yes, fatigue!)

High blood pressure

Poorly balanced blood sugar

Digestive distress

Feeling wired but tired

Racing heartbeat

In many cases, these symptoms are chalked up to other diagnoses, like adrenal fatigue or anxiety disorders, but the real culprit might be coffee OR the causes of your symptoms are multifactorial and coffee consumption is one of the factors.

Why Caffeine is SO BAD for Hormones

Here’s why caffeine is so problematic for women with hormone imbalances:

‍Caffeine Problem #1:

Caffeine may increase the risk of benign breast disease (BBD), and specifically a form of BBD called atypical hyperplasia, which is a marker of increased breast cancer risk. This is scary stuff! One in eight women will develop invasive breast cancer in her lifetime, so it is wise to take every step you can to protect yourself. Giving up caffeine is easy (and free!), and comes with a host of other benefits, like reducing anxiety and supporting better blood sugar balance.The good news? The same study suggests that taking multivitamin supplements can have a protective effect against developing BBD.

‍Caffeine Problem #2:

Caffeine consumption is linked to infertility. A woman is more likely to miscarry if she and/or her partner drink more than two caffeinated beverages per day in the weeks leading up to conception, according to research from the National Institutes of Health and Ohio State University. Women who consumed two caffeinated beverages every day during the first seven weeks of pregnancy were also more likely experience pregnancy loss.Studies suggest that caffeine consumption may delay pregnancy among fertile women. Male partners, beware! Some research suggests that caffeine consumption among wannabe dads may reduce the chances of conception. Men who drank two or more cups of coffee per day had only a one in five chance of conception through IVF. Caffeine increases cortisol levels, and high cortisol sends signals to the body that it is not an ideal time for conception. Finally, caffeine depletes the body of vital nutrients needed for ovulation and healthy fertility (including B vitamins and folate). If you hope to become a mom someday, you need optimal levels of five key micronutrients, which you will want to take in supplement form…and you won’t want to deplete them at the same time by drinking coffee! Don’t do the good work of getting your essential micronutrients and then shoot yourself in the foot by drinking caffeine.

‍Caffeine Problem #3:

If you struggle with hormone imbalances (and if you’re reading this right now, you or someone you love probably does), it can be sign that your body has a hard time metabolizing caffeine. Hormone imbalances might be a sign that you don’t process caffeine efficiently. That’s because the same process in the liver that helps metabolize caffeine is also involved in the metabolism of estrogen.Caffeine is broken down by the liver using the enzyme CYP1A2. Your ability to produce this enzyme is regulated by the CYP1A2 gene. If you have a mutation in this gene, it will affect how your liver breaks down and eliminates excess caffeine. You will also have a harder time processing and eliminating excess estrogen.Based on your gene variation, you’ll either make a lot of this enzyme (and be a successful caffeine swiller) or a little (and have a tough time with caffeine). Turns out only 10% of the population make a lot of this enzyme. That’s just one in 10 of us! So if you fall into the majority — if you’re one of the 9 out of 10 women who don’t process caffeine efficiently — you also, very likely, have a buildup of estrogen in your body. And estrogen dominance is what gives rise to a lot of the unpleasant period problems you experience.This is why getting off caffeine is such an important part of the FLO Protocol. Estrogen dominance gives rise to so many of the symptoms of hormone imbalance and you don’t want anything blocking your ability to detox estrogen.

Ready to Ditch Caffeine? Here’s How

Ready to say no to the hormone-damaging effects of caffeine, but afraid of withdrawal? Never fear! You can quit caffeine without symptoms—and without losing energy. If you follow these steps, you will feel great as you wean off caffeine and you’ll be much less likely to relapse.

1. Start to wean off caffeine during the ovulation phase of your 28-day menstrual cycle, when you naturally have the most energy.
2. Nourish your adrenals with adaptogens that help combat stress, like rhodiola, ashwagandha, and maca root powder.
3. Use magnesium to replenish your mineral reserves, balance your mood, and combat headaches.
4. Supplement with B vitamins. Make sure you’re getting B5 and B12 as part of your B complex.
5. Rehydrate with coconut water that is rich in electrolytes.
6. Do gentle exercise, like walks and yoga, but avoid heavy cardio in the week or two after stopping coffee.
7. Eat a big, healthy breakfast every morning, which will give you fuel for the whole day.

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Always remember, that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this – the science of your body is on your side!

The last days of summer are for savoring. Fall will be here before you know it (with its plugged-in, back-to-school energy), so it’s time to make the most of August. It’s a month for getting outside, hanging with friends, and making a dogged commitment to rest and (cyclical) self-care. Happily, summer eating doesn’t mean sacrificing your hormone health. Food is the foundation of optimal hormone balance, and what you eat (and don’t eat) can mean the difference between experiencing period problems — like PMS, heavy or irregular periods, severe cramps, bloating, acne, moodiness, fatigue, and migraines — and having a seamless, symptom-free period. So think of the last days of summer as the time when you can have your chocolate—and eat it, too!Here’s one of my favorite hormone-supportive summer meals. It’s great for dinner parties and backyard cookouts and provides a few days of leftover meals for maximum relaxation!Appetizer: Gluten-free bruschetta with chopped tomatoes, basil, and olive oilChop up your best heirloom tomatoes, place in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and drizzle with olive oil. Rip up some basil leaves in your hands and drop in the bowl, stir well with a fork and let sit while you toast the bread. Top toasts with tomato mixture and serve immediately. Save the remaining tomato mixture for leftover recipe below. Main course: Salmon en papillote on the grill “En papillote” refers to cooking something wrapped in parchment paper (or foil). Place individual portions of salmon on a sheet of parchment, top with 2 lemon slices, and 1 TB chopped parsley.Fold half the parchment over the fish so it touches the half under the fish and fold from one corner to the other until the parchment is completely sealed. Wrap the parchment in 2 sheets of foil to protect the parcel on the grill. Grill for 10-12 minutes.If you want to bake in the oven, omit the foil, bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. If you’re not a fan of salmon, use chicken or another cut of fish instead. Cooking it this way does two things: First, it keeps the steam in, ensuring moist salmon every time. Second, it protects the meat from charring on the grill, which creates carcinogenic chemicals.Side dish: Grilled corn on the cob with goat butter Soak the corn with the husks still on in a large pot of cold water for a minimum of 20 minutes before grilling so the husks don’t burn. Grill the corn in the husk to minimize the dangerous compounds generated by the grilling process. Will take about 15 minutes.Side dish: Sautéed Greens with garlicChop and steam any fresh greens you like with a pinch of salt in an inch of water in a shallow pan with the lid on. When the greens are wilted, add sliced garlic, shut the heat and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Find a local organic farm to get greens that are farm fresh and in season!Side dish: Zucchini Salad Lidia Bastianich, famed chef and author, changed my zucchini experience with her fail-proof technique.Add whole uncut zucchini into rapidly boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove from water and let cool.Slice it and dress with garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and minced parsley for the most refreshing cool summer salad. Dessert: Cherries and dark chocolateSummer desserts are the easiest with an abundance of fruits and berries in season. Choose a dark chocolate with at least 75-percent cacao content. Next day leftovers: LunchSalmon-salad sandwiches (instead of tuna) with fresh lettuce and basil on GF bread. (Use honey mustard instead of mayonnaise when mashing the salmon with a fork.) Served with crudite of cucumbers, bell peppers, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes.Next day leftovers: DinnerCut the corn off the cob, chop remaining leftover zucchini mix, and mix both together with leftover bruschetta topping. Serve on top of fresh greens. Top with a boiled egg and goat feta, if desired. Happy eating, and happy August! Always remember that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you. You can do this – the science of your body is on your side.

Is Your Period Healthy?

How do you know if your hormones are healthy? The answer is in your 5th vital sign – your period.The color of your flow, frequency of your period, and symptoms you have each month can tell you a lot about your health. There are 5 different V-SIGN TYPES, and knowing which one you have will help you get healthy now and prevent disease in the future.Click here to take The V-SIGN TYPE™ Quiz NOW

If you want to get pregnant one day but, when the time comes, it doesn’t happen as easily as you hope, you’re not worried. There’s always IVF. Celebrities get pregnant all the time with the help of reproductive technology. And you’ve read about women in their50s (and older) who get pregnant. So while you’re hoping you’ll get pregnant the old fashioned way, it’s no sweat if you don’t, you think. IVF will work.

But IVF isn’t always a guarantee. The per-cycle success rate is only 20 to 35 percent — and that’s despite the enormous cost of the procedure. The average cost of one cycle of IVF is between $12,000 and $15,000 not including the cost of medication, which can cost another $3,000 to $5,000.Then there’s the toll that the IVF drugs, like Clomid, take on your health. This drug works like the Pill, but in reverse (forcing ovulation instead of suppressing it). And it can bring about a raft of deeply unpleasant short-term symptoms (diarrhea, vomiting, abnormal bleeding, headache, bloating, weight gain, breast tenderness and blurred vision) and long-term consequences (potential for increased risk of certain cancers). In other words, Clomid can be a valuable tool in helping you conceive, but it can send your body into a state of hormonal whiplash that lasts for months or years—whether or not you get pregnant. But don’t despair. If IVF is in your future, you can dramatically increase your chances of conceiving with a few simple lifestyle interventions. Here’s what you need to know.

How to Improve Your Chance of Conceiving on IVF

Your doctor might tell you the truth about the disappointing success rates with IVF. But your healthcare practitioner is less likely to tell you about simple strategies you can use to boost your chances of getting pregnant with IVF. Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health monitored the fat consumption of 147 women undergoing IVF treatment and discovered that those who ate the highest amounts of monounsaturated fat were 3.4 times more likely to have a child after IVF. They concluded that avocados contain the best kind of monounsaturated fat (and the least saturated fat, which was found to decrease the amount of “good eggs”).Another study, this time with 4,000 Danish women, found that women who drink five or more cups of coffee were 50 percent less likely to become pregnant with IVF.These studies reveal an important secret: dietary choices affect fertility. “Food is medicine” is a guiding principle of the FLO Protocol, and these studies support but we’ve been saying for the past 15 years!IVF shouldn’t be treated as a sure thing. You stand the best chance of conceiving when you take a proactive approach and support your body with lifestyle strategies during your fertility journey. And being proactive isn’t about going against your doctor’s advice. It’s about complementing their guidance with fertility-friendly choices you can make at home every day. You and your doctors can work as a team to improve your chances of getting pregnant.

Your Strategy for IVF Success

Here is my two-part strategy for getting pregnant with IVF:Strategy #1: Focus on Food. I mentioned the importance of avocados (and other healthy fats) above, and in previous posts I’ve shared the best fertility-boosting foods. But there is more you can do when it comes to what’s on your plate. I recommend preparing your body for pregnancy six months to a year before starting IVF. That might sound like a long time, but your hard work now will pay big dividends when the time comes to start the IVF process. Start by adopting The Cycle Syncing Method when choosing what you eat and when you eat it. Taking this step by itself will put you ahead of the game. Next, make it a priority to:

Reduce inflammation: During your follicular phase, eat sprouted and fermented foods to deliver as many bioavailable nutrients as possible to the ovaries.

Energize your eggs: During ovulation, eat raw fruits and vegetables to increase egg-boosting glutathione levels.Boost Progesterone: During the luteal phase, add in more root vegetables, like sweet potatoes, and leafy greens from the brassica family, like kale, to support your liver and detox estrogen efficiently. This helps your body maintain an optimal ratio of estrogen to progesterone for pregnancy and reduces the chance of miscarriage.Boost your mineral stores: Replenish your minerals during the menstrual phase by consuming sea vegetables, avocados, and/or some free-range animal protein to deeply nourish your endocrine system for the next cycle. Consider taking key hormone-supportive supplements during this time. Strategy #2: List to Your Body’s Internal Fertility Barometer. Your body can offer you clues about your fertility—that is, if you know what to look for. Make it a practice to track your menstrual cycle, your skin, your GI tract, and your vaginal microbiome. Track your cycle: Your monthly bleed can tell you a lot about your progesterone levels and how prepared you are to sustain a pregnancy through the critical first weeks. Look at the color, texture, and number of days of your period, and learn how to interpret what they mean by clicking here. Be sure to share this information with your doctor to get support in avoiding miscarriage. If tracking your period is brand new, my the MyFlo app, which makes tracking your cycle a cinch. Check your poop: If your GI tract needs some TLC, you will notice it in your bowel movements. Are you constipated? Do you always have diarrhea? Do you poop regularly but only a little bit at a time (it feels like you’re not getting it all out)? Or you might notice other signs of GI distress—chronic heartburn or bloating, for example. If you experience any of these things, focus on healing your gut with fermented foods, probiotics, and a high-fiber diet. A healthier gut will improve your ability to absorb key nutrients like vitamin D3 and omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for balancing hormones.Check your skin: Your skin will give you hints about your liver health. If you’re breaking out a lot, your liver might not be detoxing estrogen effectively. If this is the case, prioritize eating green leafy vegetables and vegetables from the brassica family, both of which help support liver function. You might also consider taking a liver-support supplement. Don’t forget the vaginal microbiome: The gut isn’t the only area of the body with a microbiome. Your vagina has its own unique ecosystem, and the health of your vaginal ecosystem is important for fertility. Chronic bacterial overgrowth and STDs are linked to decreased fertility rates. Address chronic BV (bacterial vaginosis), UTIs, and yeast infections by following my guide to natural remedies. Then get checked for common STDs like HPV and chlamydia that can create a less than optimal environment for an embryo. Both are highly treatable, so don’t fret if you find something.Strategy #3: Maximize Your Micronutrients.Certain micronutrients are essential for getting pregnant. I recommend using targeted, hormone-supportive supplements to boost your chances of conceiving on IVF.B6. Vitamin B6 is critical for the development of the corpus luteum, the group of cells that’s produced in the ovary after the egg is released. The corpus luteum makes progesterone during the luteal phase of your cycle and during the early stages of pregnancy. A deficiency in vitamin B6—and, hence, a deficiency in progesterone—will have a profound effect on your reproductive health. Supplementing a B-vitamin-rich diet will help ensure a healthy balance of progesterone.Magnesium. Stress causes the body to jettison magnesium. So does eating sugar and drinking caffeine. Why does that matter? Magnesium helps with cortisol regulation, blood sugar balance, thyroid support, sleep, and—perhaps most importantly for fertility—hormone creation. Magnesium’s ability to support the creation of new hormones is especially helpful for women in perimenopause or women who have just come off the pill and want to conceive.D3. Ninety-three percent of women dealing with infertility are deficient in vitamin D3, and women with higher vitamin D3 levels are four times more likely to conceive via IVF than women with low levels. That’s because low levels of vitamin D3 have been linked with estrogen dominance, which is a common trigger for hormone symptoms and problems.Probiotics. A healthy gut is essential for conception because a specific community of gut flora called the estrobolome helps with the metabolization of estrogen. When you take medications, eat dairy, gluten, and foods covered in pesticides, you disrupt the gut’s bacterial balance and compromise your ability to eliminate excess estrogen—which can interfere with fertility. Zinc. Zinc deficiency is a very common issue for many women, and it can have a negative impact on your natural hormonal balance. That’s because zinc helps to boost your testosterone production and it blocks the enzyme responsible for turning testosterone into estrogen (again, staving off the possibility of estrogen dominance, which is so widely responsible for endocrine dysfunction and subsequent fertility issues).Always remember, that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this – the science of your body is on your side!

COACH CONSULT

Get Actionable Advice in a FLO Coach ConsultationWe believe that no woman should suffer simply because she has a period. And we also know that it’s not always possible to get access to functional and holistic healthcare solutions — sometimes they’re too far away and most of the time they are way too expensive. That’s why we offer phone and Skype consultation sessions with our FLO coaches. In your consultation session, your coach will go over your health history and symptoms, get feedback on any health changes you’ve implemented from our resource library, review your hormone test analysis if applicable, and help you develop a plan of action to solve your symptoms.

[Book Your Session]

The teenage years can be a tricky time. Teens have to navigate newfound independence, more responsibility at school and at home, and, of course, surging hormones. The hormonal piece of teenage life almost always comes with a few bumps. As hormones like estrogen rush through the body for the first time, a breakout here or bout of big emotions will be normal.

But the teenage years don’t have to be a hormone roller coaster ride for young girls. Intense cramping, horrible PMS, severe breakouts, intense emotionality, and heavy or irregular periods do not have to be part of your teenager’s life—now or in the future. You can help your daughter feel better now AND help set her up for a lifetime of symptom-free periods.

Why a Lifetime of Healthy Periods Matters SO Much

The menstrual cycle is now declared as the “fifth vital sign” of health for teenage girls by the American Committee of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

That's right: a young woman’s 28-day hormone cycle is considered as important as heart rate and blood pressure—and clinicians are encouraged to use the menstrual symptoms as early warning signs of reproductive health issues like PCOS, thyroid disease, and endometriosis, which can be indicated by abnormally long cycles, excessive bleeding, or lack of periods entirely.

In the ACOG report, teenage girls are encouraged to track their periods and build awareness of their 28-day cycle.

So, here is our first tip for adults who want to help a teenager girl in their lives escape period problems: talk to your daughter about the importance of tracking her cycle so she knows if/when things go sideways with her hormones. This can be when a period comes late or is overly heavy, for example, or when symptoms like acne are worse than normal. With knowledge comes power. When young girls know their cycle, they can tell when their hormones are sneaking out of balance—and they can take steps to balance them.

A great way for girls to track their period is with our MyFlo app. The app will go with her wherever her phone goes….which, for most teenage girls, is everywhere! It’s easy to use and it will help teenagers with more than just tracking symptoms. The app can help girls and women (moms, this app is for YOU, too!). It helps you figure out why symptoms are occurring and what foods will help manage them. In addition, the MyFlo app will teach your daughter all about how to use her cycle to her advantage - a conversation she certainly will not be getting in school!  She’ll learn that it’s okay to be different each week, that it’s okay to change her activities based on her changing energy levels.  She’ll learn that she doesn’t have to force herself to be the same every day, which is at the root of a serious toxic condition of perfectionism, which has many iterations, like anxiety, disordered eating, and more.  Your daughter will learn their best weeks to be social, the best time to curl up at home and do something relaxing, the best ways to manage a busy schedule, and the best ways to move their body during each phase of their cycle.  It's both intuitive and empowering!

So the first place to start is a conversation about the importance of understanding and tracking your cycle.

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How to Help Your Teen Have Healthy Hormones & Symptom-Free Periods

Helping teens have a healthy period—right now and for the rest of their lives—goes far beyond teaching them how to use a tampon or pad. If you’re a mom, aunt, sister, godmother, grandmother or loved one of a teenage girl, here are some of our suggestions:

‍Lead by example. It’s like that familiar airplane-safety schpeel: “Help yourself before you help others.” Your daughter will learn the most by watching what you do. Actions speak louder than words. So your best first step is to adopt The Cycle Syncing® Method when it comes to what you eat and how you exercise.  And if you haven’t yet addressed your own hormonal issues, let her know what your issues are, and that you are embarking on this exciting journey of hormonal recovery for yourself.  

As Michelle Obama said, “I think it's the worst thing that we do to each other as women, not share the truth about our bodies and how they work.”  

I couldn’t agree more! Talk about your period honestly and how not knowing about how to take care of it affected your life. The next generation doesn’t have to suffer if we help them.

‍Make education a priority. Menstrual education goes far beyond how to put in a tampon. Adult women need to support teens beyond the practicalities. My books, WomanCode and In the Flo dive deep on The Cycle Synching® Method. Another great resource for teens is the book Cycle Savvy by Toni Weschler (who wrote the comprehensive cycle-knowledge bible Taking Charge of Your Fertility).

‍Help teens avoid hormonal birth control as the first treatment for period problems. When young women experience period problems like heavy or irregular periods, severe acne, horrible cramps, and other PMS symptoms, many clinicians’ first instinct is to put them on the pill. But this ‘treatment,’ which is really a form of covering up the root causes of period problems instead of fixing underlying hormone imbalances, does a big disservice. If the teen in your life is dealing with reproductive health issues like those mentioned in the ACOG report, then consulting a doctor is an important part of getting her back on track. However, we must always question the prescription of hormonal birth control as it never treats the underlying health issue, but only masks the symptoms. Once your teen decides to come off, and this might be years down the line, she will discover that the health issue will return and possibly be worse than before.

‍If the teen in your life is dealing with very common problems like acne or PMS, then the pill is not the answer. While it can be tempting to reach for these drugs to put a stop to the problem, it’s important to know that doing so can set a young women up for a lifetime of side effects—including depression, low libido, anxiety, hair loss, cancer risk, and even life-threatening blood clots—and suppressed functioning of her endocrine, metabolic, and immune systems. Read up on the negative side effects of the pill and share those with your daughter. So many women who have suffered with synthetic birth control syndrome wished they had been told that negative side effects were even a possibility, that their future fertility might be affected, and that they had known there was a natural solution to their condition.

‍Talk to your teen about food. A main source of hormone imbalance in teenage girls is diet, with busy high schoolers eating sugary snacks on the run, indulging in late-night eating, skipping breakfast, and generally ignoring the food-hormone connection. Food is one of the most powerful levers we can pull to balance hormones and have better periods. If your teenage daughter is plagued by symptoms like acne and crippling PMS, shifting how she eats is key. Talk with your daughter about the food-hormone connection. Emphasize the importance of eating plentiful amounts of dark, leafy, greens (to support liver detox and the movement of excess hormones out of the body), eating foods rich in key hormone-supportive micronutrients, and eating enough (healthy) calories to support metabolic functions and optimal micronutrient levels. Talk about the dangers of too much processed sugar and how caffeine can sabotage hormone health.

‍Keep toxic chemicals away from developing bodies. The endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in many everyday products, from makeup and perfumes to household cleaners, are hormone disruptive for every women—but they can be especially hard on young bodies that are still developing. Make sure your daughter has access to clean makeup, safe deodorant, and non-toxic soap, lotions, and shampoos. Eliminate toxic household cleaners and other chemicals (like pesticides) for the health of the whole family.

‍Introduce your teen to the FLO Protocol. The FLO Protocol is all about engaging in phase-based self care and it is as applicable for teens as it is for adults. There is absolutely no reason that you and your daughter can’t adopt the FLO Protocol together.

Spring has sprung! The warmer weather and longer days mean you’re getting out of the house more, which is great...that is, if you feel like being social. Acne can make you feel anxious about skin revealing clothing. I would know. I suffered from severe cystic acne for years until I resolved it using lifestyle, nutrition, and a specific skin care routine. You don’t have to hide out this spring. You can clear your skin in as little as three months with simple lifestyle, nutrition, and supplement strategies. Here’s everything you need to know about getting glowing, radiant, ACNE-FREE skin in 2019.

Why Acne Happens in your 20s, 30s, and 40s

Your skin shouldn’t sabotage your self-esteem. By learning why acne strikes adult women—and what you can do about it—you can regain control of your beautiful face and body. You can love your skin again. Adult acne is hormonal. That’s why you’re likely to notice breakouts at certain times of the month, in particular when you’re moving from the ovulation phase (mid-way through your cycle) to the start of your period. That said, the four phases of your menstrual cycle are normal, natural, and inevitable… but breakouts aren’t. If you’re breaking out at certain times of the month, it signals a hormone imbalance. You may have too much estrogen relative to progesterone (called estrogen dominance) or high levels of androgens (male hormones). Why do sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone affect skin in the first place? Research suggests that the oil-producing glands in the skin can act as their own independent endocrine (hormone) organs, responding to messages from hormones like estrogen and testosterone. When those hormones are in balance, they send an “all clear” message to your oil glands. When they get out of balance, that clear skin message goes sideways…and you’re left with unwanted breakouts.

Natural Remedies for Hormonal Acne

Here’s are the remedies I recommend for clear skin. These are the exact steps I took to heal my severe cystic acne:Natural Remedy #1: Food. Clear, glowing skin starts with what you eat and when you eat it. That’s because hormonal healing starts on the inside. When you use the Cycle Syncing Method™ to align what you eat with your 28-day menstrual cycle, you can see changes in your skin in three months from just this step alone. Flax and cilantro are particularly good to help the liver and large intestine flush out excess hormones. Natural Remedy #2: Exercise. The same phase-based self-care strategies that work for food also work for exercise. When you line up up how and when you move with the four phases of your menstrual cycle, your skin will glow even more. Natural Remedy #3: Customize your skin care routine. Your skin goes through natural shifts in elasticity and oiliness/dryness every month, and how you take care of your skin during each phase of your cycle should reflect and support where your skin is at. Here is a week-by-week guide to skin care. This routine is a crucial step in putting an end to hormonal acne. Day 1 – Day 6 (Bleeding). During menstruation, focus on restorative, soothing skin care. Think hydrating and calming masks, and collagen masks.  Day 7-12 (follicular phase). If you get facials with extractions, schedule one during your follicular phase. This is also the time to do any hair removal.Day 13-24 (ovulation/first half of luteal). Facials are still okay during this time, but it’s best to go for masks, not extractions. Dry brushing will help the lymph offload the estrogen. You don’t need much in the way of products during this phase.Day 25-Day 28 (the second half of luteal). This a perfect time for home care with your favorite products and using oil-based serum to reduce sebum production. Clay masks are also great during this time, and you can use products with lactic acid to shrink pores. NOTE: Don’t have any extractions or hair removal during the second half of the month when skin is thinner and increased blood flow to your capillaries means more post-extraction swelling. Save facial appointments until right after your bleed is over.Natural Remedy #4: Maximize your micronutrients. Make sure you are getting the essential micronutrients you need to support healthy skin. I take Balance Supplements every day of my cycle to optimize my hormonal health. Remember, clear skin starts on the inside. You can have the healthiest skin care routine in the world, but you won’t banish acne without considering what you eat and how you supplement.…. and if you don’t have any idea where you are in your cycle, start tracking it now with the MyFLO app. You can only practice cyclical self-care when you know which phase you’re in!Always remember, that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this – the science of your body is on your side!

BALANCE by FLO Living Hormone Supplement Kit

Because you've asked for hormone-friendly supplement recommendations, I created a solution that I am so thrilled to be able to offer to you on your hormonal balancing journey:Balance by FLO Living Supplements are a complete package that work together to keep your hormone levels healthy. They include a 2 month (2 cycle) supply of the following formulations so you’re never caught short in any phase of your cycle.When you take these 5 supplements daily, you’ll be giving your body excellent micronutrients to support healthier hormone levels. Which means that you’ll start to see your worst period symptoms get better… and even disappear after a while.Click here to learn more about the BALANCE Bio-Hacking Supplement Kit.

If you follow FLO Living, you know I talk ALL THE TIME about how food is key to balanced hormones. And that’s true. What you eat—and when you eat it—is the critical first step in healing your hormones and resolving period problems.One of the key reasons food is so important for hormones is because of the essential micronutrients it delivers—micronutrients like magnesium, omega 3 fatty acids, B vitamins, and vitamin D—but the sad reality is that we often don’t get enough of these micronutrients in our food… even when we’re eating perfectly.That’s because many fruits and vegetables are grown in nutrient-depleted soil, so they don’t contain enough of the good stuff to support optimal health. It’s also because a lot of environmental factors— many beyond our control—collude to rob our bodies of precious micronutrients faster than we can take them in. It’s also because of the very real limits of our busy lives. Many of us simply don’t have the time to cook, let alone eat, 9 to 11 servings of vegetables a day.Food must come first when healing your hormones and trying to resolve things like acne, bloating, PMS, severe cramps, heavy or irregular periods, and other period problems. But sometimes a micronutrient-rich diet of hormonally-supportive foods isn’t enough to achieve optimal hormone health. Sometimes your body needs an extra boost.

What’s Your Deficiency Type?

As I said above, sometimes micronutrient deficiency just happens—even when you’re doing everything right.But there are some habits and practices that might seem healthy (or at least not harmful) but that, in fact, deplete essential micronutrients and make hormone imbalances worse. Here are a few ways you might be unintentionally speeding up micronutrient loss in your body: You drink caffeine. Caffeine leaches precious micronutrients from the body. You drink alcohol regularly. Regular alcohol consumption bleeds the body of micronutrients, too. You take the pill (or you have in the past). Same problem as caffeine. The pill causes your body to jettison micronutrients faster than you can replace them.You engage in extreme diets. Maybe you only eat one or two types of food. Whether healthy or not, these foods can’t possibly give you the wide breadth of micronutrients you need for optimal hormone health. Or maybe you don’t eat enough calories each day. If you’re not getting enough calories, you’re not getting enough micronutrients. You exercise too much. Over-exercise depletes the body of essential micronutrients faster than you can replace them.You use conventional health and body care products. These products are full of toxins that tax the endocrine system and prevent optimal micronutrient levels.You use conventional house-cleaning products. Same deal as using conventional health and body care products. You experience chronic, unremitting stress.Emotional stress taxes the body and works against optimal micronutrient levels.

The Micronutrients You Need for Hormone Health

In my nearly two decades of research, I’ve discovered the micronutrients that are absolutely essential when it comes to balancing hormones and resolving symptoms like PMS, weight-loss resistance, acne, mood swings, bloating, cramping, missing periods, and painful and heavy periods. The micronutrients you need more of when it comes to hormone balance are:Vitamin D3Vitamin KB vitaminsMagnesiumMicronutrients that support liver healthCompounds and nutrients that support gut healthThese micronutrients, in the right amounts, will help you get back on track hormonally and bring relief from your symptoms.

Why Supplements Matter for Hormone Balance

In the FLO Protocol, food comes first. After that, taking high-quality, targeted supplements is the single best way to help yourself recover lost nutrients and restore hormone balance. Supplements can help undo the havoc caused by caffeine, stress, hormonal birth control, and environmental toxins. And when you’re first starting the FLO Protocol, they will help you build a stable hormone base faster. The other beautiful thing about supplements is that they don’t just expedite healing; they help support long-term maintenance. Even the most hormonally-aware among us occasionally relapse into less-than-hormonally-ideal habits (coffee happens, I get it!). By continuing to supplement your (almost always) healthy diet and lifestyle with the right nutrients, you’ll be able to replenish your depleted stores quickly.It’s easy to feel protected by a virtuous diet. And if you’ve started using The Cycle Syncing Method™ to eat in phases in accordance with your 28-day menstrual cycle, you might feel like you’ve already gone the extra mile…. and you have! You have taken the best first steps to healing your hormones. But don’t let factors beyond your control—like vegetables with fewer nutrients and ambient environmental toxins— rob you of the symptom relief you deserve. Use supplements to fill the gaps, protect your hormones, and feel your best!Always remember, that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you!  You can do this – the science of your body is on your side!

BALANCE by FLO Living Hormone Supplement Kit

Because you've asked for hormone-friendly supplement recommendations, I created a solution that I am so thrilled to be able to offer to you on your hormonal balancing journey:Balance by FLO Living Supplements are a complete package that work together to keep your hormone levels healthy. They include a 2 month (2 cycle) supply of the following formulations so you’re never caught short in any phase of your cycle.When you take these 5 supplements daily, you’ll be giving your body excellent micronutrients to support healthier hormone levels. Which means that you’ll start to see your worst period symptoms get better… and even disappear after a while.Click here to learn more about the BALANCE Bio-Hacking Supplement Kit.

If you’ve been following FLO Living, you know that eating and exercising in sync with your cycle is the key to getting rid of period problems and achieving the body and the life you want. (If you’re new to FLO Living, I’m so excited you’re here!). But did you know that you can align your life with your cycle in ways that extend beyond food and exercise—and when you do, you will:

• Look and feel better
• Improve body composition
• Experience fewer period problems, problems like bloating, acne, PMS, cramps, and heavy or irregular periods
• Help optimize fertility
• Help ease symptoms of PCOS and endometriosis
• Enjoy greater productivity at work and in life
• Have an easier time achieving work-life balance
• Feel more connection and support in your romantic relationships
• Have more energy

I developed The Cycle Syncing® Method over a decade ago to help women live in line with their natural, 28-day hormone cycle. Practicing The Cycle Syncing® Method changes everything. I know, I know...that sounds like a fantasy. It’s not. When you work with your body and your natural 28-day hormone cycle, rather than against it, you will notice benefits in every aspect of your life.

‍If you’ve tried different eating plans, exercise routines, time management programs, and other strategies for successful living and NOT gotten the results you want, I hope you’ll try this intuitive, simple, and profoundly effective practice. Now you might be thinking, “Engaging in phase-based self care… What does that even mean?” Or, “Shift my whole life to match my cycle? That sounds like a full-time job!” But the practice is straightforward, the changes simple and intuitive, and the rewards profound.

Keep reading for a closer look at what it means to put The Cycle Syncing® Method into practice in every area of your life.

What Does it Mean to Sync With Your Cycle?

Good question. On the surface it sounds like something really technical and complicated, guaranteed to take up time and effort. In practice, however, The Cycle Syncing® Method is simple. To sync with your cycle—or, as I call it in practice, to engage in phase-based self-care—is simply to know which of the four phases of your 28-day menstrual cycle you are in at any given moment and then tailor your food, movement, relationship, work, and lifestyle choices to your unique strengths, weakness, and needs during that phase. That might sound like a lot of adapting and changing, week after week. But once you start tracking your cycle and getting an embodied sense of what each phase looks and feels like in your body, the tweaks you’ll make to your food, movement, and life will become intuitive. Once you get the hang of it, phase-based self-care feels so natural that you won’t believe that there was a time when you didn’t engage in it.

Food and movement are two key components of syncing with your cycle, but they aren’t the only ones. You can bring this practice to every area of your life and experience even greater results. Starting this week, I’m opening the doors to a program to help you do just that. It’s called Flo28 and it’s designed to revolutionize your relationship with fitness, nutrition, and time management. Flo28 will help you simplify the phase-based self care, support you in the process, and allow you to achieve optimal health and happiness. But I don’t want you to have to wait to get started. Here’s a peek at what it looks like to engage in phase-based self care in all aspects of your life—and what you can expect when you do.

These are the topics and strategies that we will focus on in Flo28:

‍Food.

‍When it comes to food, phase-based self care is all about what to eat during each week of your cycle to best support your brain and body. If you’ve ever noticed that you’re hungrier during certain weeks of the month or that you tend to buy more food (in particular more sugary food) during those times, you’ve felt your body’s shifting nutrition needs. You already know, on a deep cellular level, that your body and brain will run their best when you eat the key micronutrients and essential macronutrients you need during each phase. Start matching your food to your hormone phase right away with my four-week food challenge. Do a deep dive into eating for your cycle with Flo28. (And if even the idea of tracking your cycle is new to you, use the MyFLO app to track your natural hormone shifts.)

‍Exercise.

‍When you tailor your exercise to your 28-day hormone cycle, you will get more of the results you want with less effort. That’s because doing intense workouts in some phases of your cycle will work with your reproductive hormones—and doing high intensity workouts in other phases works against them. In other words, high-intensity training at the wrong time each month will sabotage your weight loss and body composition efforts. Stop shooting yourself in the (exercise) foot. Start syncing your exercise routine with your cycle for more results, faster, and with less effort.

‍Productivity.

‍As women, we will excel at different tasks and responsibilities at different times of the month at work (and with life logistics) because of our shifting hormones. Now let me be clear, this does NOT mean we are less capable than men. Far, FAR, from it. It simply means we are primed to be even better at certain things at specific times each month. We’ll be better at communication certain weeks, for example, and better at detail-oriented tasks other weeks. What this means is that you can use your hormone cycle to consistently bring out your strengths at work, experience greater success at work, and achieve greater work-life balance.

‍Sex Drive.

Turns out you’re not supposed to be in the mood all the time! It’s normal to feel peaks and dips with desire and that’s ok and healthy.  The challenge is that when we’re hormonally imbalanced, we can start to experience consistent lower libido. When you start to eat, move, and live according to your unique hormonal needs each week, you can experience a profound and positive shift in your hormonal symptoms, including low libido. I consider syncing with your cycle the first, best thing you can do to balance your hormones and bring your sex life back to life.

‍Relationship.

‍You can leverage your strengths during each phase of your cycle to improve communication and connection in your primary relationship. The Cycle Syncing Method™ can help you reduce relationship tension, decrease fights, and make communication easier.

‍Manifesting your dreams.

‍Yep, syncing with your cycle and engaging in phase-based self care can even help you manifest your dreams. Our bodies move rhythmically through a creation cycle 12 times each year—and, knowing that, we can harness “new year/new you” energy all year long to achieve even more of our dreams.

Many women fear perimenopause, that time in life when a woman’s reproductive hormones start to downshift.

Indeed, perimenopause has gotten a bad reputation because it can be accompanied by a raft of unpleasant symptoms, including weight gain, mood swings, severe period problems (like heavy or irregular, bloating, and PMS), feeling tired all the time, lackluster skin and hair, thyroid issues, non-existent libido, and infertility.

But here’s what most women don’t know: these symptoms aren’t inevitable. ‍

Yes, the hormonal shifts during perimenopause are real, but the symptoms are optional. When you adopt a phase-based self-care routine, you can sidestep the unpleasant symptoms of perimenopause.

And don’t stop reading if you’re in your 20s and perimenopause is the last thing on your mind! If you’re experiencing any type of period problem or hormonal imbalance right now, your symptoms are a harbinger of things to come… and not in a good way. If you feel crummy now and you don’t take steps to balance your hormones, you stand to feel even worse during perimenopause.

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What is Perimenopause?

Perimenopause means “around menopause” and it starts for most women around age 35 and lasts until menopause (your very last bleed). Symptoms can crop up during perimenopause because of the inevitable hormonal shifts that happen as the body starts to move out of its childbearing orientation. More specifically, perimenopause is characterized by uneven swings in estrogen, progesterone and androgens. These hormones follow a more or less even pattern during your 20s and early 30s, but they start to behave more erratically as you enter your late 30s and 40s and, as you get closer to menopause, they start to trend downward. Environmental Factors Make Perimenopause Symptoms WorseNow add in the fact that life in one’s late 30s and early 40s can be full of unique stressors: raising young children and teenagers, working long (often stressful) hours at the peak of one’s career, navigating busy family schedules, and caring for aging parents. This can send the stress hormone cortisol on its own frenzied roller coaster, so now in addition to shifts in reproductive hormones, a woman might be facing the symptoms of high cortisol, like feeling tired-but-wired all the time, never sleeping, intense sugar cravings, and imbalanced blood sugar. Your level of exposure to endocrine disrupting toxins also makes a difference in how well you’ll navigate perimenopause. Today there are more endocrine disruptors in the environment than ever before, and these chemicals can overwhelm the body’s detox system (which is in charge of getting rid of used-up hormones as well as toxins) and wreak a special kind of havoc on the thyroid, which is very sensitive to chemical exposure.

The Two Phases of Perimenopause

Perimenopause happens in two phases: Phase 1 and Phase 2. Today I’m going to focus on how you can ease symptoms and engage in cyclical self-care during Phase 1, but it’s important to understand both phases.Phase 1 (35 to 45 years old)This phase is when reproductive hormone production starts to shift and become less consistent. That said, if you’re in good hormonal health and you’re engaging in cyclical self-care (see my advice below) you shouldn’t feel symptoms during this phase. You should be ovulating and menstruating regularly and have good muscle tone, skin quality, energy, and sex drive. In other words, you should still be making enough hormones to feel vital and youthful. If you are experiencing symptoms like difficulty with fertility, vaginal dryness, accelerated skin aging, or dry hair (or all of the above), these are signs that your hormones need some TLC...ASAP!Phase Two (45 to 55 years old)During this phase, FSH levels rise to the point where you no longer ovulate. And while that sounds dramatic, this phase will be relatively smooth sailing if you’ve taken care of your hormonal health during Phase 1. However, many women let the symptoms they experience in Phase 1 go unaddressed and that compounds their symptoms in Phase 2.But as I said earlier, extreme symptoms aren’t inevitable during perimenopuase. You can use targeted strategies in each phase to ease symptoms and feel your best.

Phase 1 Perimenopause: Symptoms & Solutions

I recommend that all women follow the same core food, supplement, and cyclical self-care strategies in Phase 1 to minimize perimenopause symptoms. Then, if you still don’t feel your best, you can customize the protocol by taking specific steps to address your unique symptoms. Here are my three core strategies for every woman in perimenopause, followed by steps you can take to address specific, lingering symptoms.

The 3 Core Strategies for a Symptom-Free Perimenopause

Strategy #1: Practice Phase-based eating. The first essential strategy for having a symptom-free perimenopause is to eat specific foods each week of your cycle, changing what you eat in each phase to support optimal hormone balance and metabolism. This phase-based approach to eating provides the most variety of micronutrients to support overall hormonal balance. It also ensures that you’re getting key foods at critical times to break down the excess levels of estrogen that can cause breakouts and PMS. Not to mention that this approach will improve the quality of your bleed, support fertility, and boost sex drive, energy, and mood. You’ll enjoy a wide variety of cuisines when you start eating cyclically – macrobiotic, raw, ketogenic, Mediterranean, some intermittent fasting and not ever get stuck doing one day in and day out. Phase-based eating is the true differentiator for the FLO protocol. Everything about your diet and lifestyle should be relevant to your female biochemistry, and the FLO protocol ensures that. ‍

Strategy #2: Engage in phase-based exercise. The cyclical nature of your 28-day menstrual cycle provides the perfect architecture for planning how to work out and when to work out. During each phase of your menstrual cycle your body is primed for different kinds of exercise. At certain times—during the luteal phase and during menstruation, for example—the nutrients and hormones in your body are directed toward building up the lining up of your uterus, so you won’t have all the internal resources you need to work out at full capacity. During the other phases, however, your body can channel all its resources into a really strong workout.By engaging in phase-based exercise, you will save yourself from exhaustion, burn-out, and unpleasant perimenopause symptoms. Get my recommendations for what type of movement to engage in and when right here.

‍Strategy #3: Maximize Your Micronutrients With Perimenopause Supplements. If you’re eating a whole-food, phase-based diet and you’re exercising in sync with your cycle, do you need to take supplements to have a symptom-free perimenopause? Yes!Supplements are non-negotiable for keeping hormones balanced and stable as you enter Phase 1 perimenopause. Food should always be your first strategy. To heal your hormones, you have to feed your body a micronutrient-rich diet of hormonally-supportive foods in a cycle-syncing pattern. There’s no single supplement that can make up for bad or inconsistent food choices. But supplementing with specific micronutrients gives the body the extra support it needs during times of hormonal transition. This is why we created the EASE supplement kit—to help you prolong youth with healthier hormones. Here are the micronutrients you'll find in EASE, and how they will support your perimenopause journey:

• Melatonin: Supports slow hormonal aging by increasing egg quality and chances of conception and promoting deeper sleep and rest. Also helps support a healthy sex drive and may support healthier bones.
• B vitamins, Saffron, and Scelectium: This combination supports healthier, more regular ovulation, boosts energy and clears stress, increases mental focus, reduces hot flashes and stress, and supports moods.

In addition to EASE, you may want to consider a probiotic. A healthy microbiome is essential for managing hormonal conditions—and this is especially true as you enter perimenopause. Women aged 35 to 45 need optimal gut health in order to absorb the key micronutrients they get in their food and supplement. Good gut health also means a healthy estrobolome, or the community of bugs in the gut that help metabolize excess estrogen.

Specific Strategies for Lingering Perimenopause Symptoms

Once you’ve put my 3 core strategies in place, you will start to feel better. But you may still need additional support in certain areas. That’s normal. Here are some of the common symptoms unique to perimenopause and additional steps you can take to help ease them:

‍Irregular, heavy, or painful periods.

Try taking Vitex, also called chasteberry. It has been shown to support regular ovulation and healthy progesterone levels. But proceed with caution if you have PCOS. In some women with PCOS, certain reproductive hormones are already high and Vitex may raise those hormones even further, which you don’t want.

‍PMS/PMDD.Studies also suggest that Vitex, also called Chasteberry, may help improve symptoms of PMS and PMDD. One study even found that Vitex outperformed fluoxetine (generic name for Prozac) for easing symptoms of PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder).

‍Fertility struggles. By supporting regular ovulation and healthy hormone levels, Vitex can be a great choice for fertility support during perimenopause. Research that looked at a proprietary blend of herbs that included Vitex found that the supplement supported fertility without negative side effects. (Don’t combine Vitex with fertility drugs, however, because that can lead to over stimulation of the ovaries) CoQ10 has also been shown to help improve egg quality. Depression and irritability. Try taking maca powder, which studies suggest may help improve symptoms of depression. Some animal research also suggests that maca may help with cognitive function and concentration.

‍Weight gain. Try alpha lipoic acid, which helps support healthy blood sugar and insulin balance and, in turn, healthy weight loss and healthy weight maintenance. The compound may also guard against bone loss. ALA also helps support and nourish the liver and optimal liver function is essential for getting rid of excess estrogen and keeping reproductive hormones balanced. Alpha lipoic acid is one the key ingredients in the my Balance Detox supplement. Dull skin and hair. A high-quality omega-3 supplement will help nourish dry skin and hair. Also, an obvious tip, but one that often gets overlooked and under-appreciated: stay hydrated! This works wonders for skin and hair.

‍Low sex drive.Studies suggest that maca may help boost sex drive in menopausal women, and other research found that maca may act as a “toner of hormonal processes” in early post-menopausal women. Additional research has shown that maca may help with low libido as a side effect of taking SSRI antidepressant medications in menopausal women. The adaptogenic herb ashwagandhamay also help support sexual function in women.

‍Stress and anxiety. Taming stress requires a multipronged approach, one that includes lifestyle modifications, exercise, and more. But adaptogenic herbs can be a powerful part of your stress-reduction arsenal. I recommend ashwagandha, which research suggests is a safe and effective way to build up resistance to stress and improve self-reported quality of life. Holy Basil is another great choice for stress and anxiety support, according to research.

‍Coming Off Birth Control to Conceive. If you’re coming off birth control after many years on the pill, I recommend several important steps for hormone healing and fertility support. But one of the best things you can do is prioritize eating leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts. These foods help support estrogen metabolism in the liver and bring your hormones back into balance after years of hormonal birth control.

‍Thyroid issues. With thyroid concerns, your first best bet is always to consult a trusted healthcare practitioner. You’ll want to run thyroid lab tests and discuss next steps with a licensed professional. But you’ll also want to make it a top priority to avoid endocrine-disrupting chemicals as much as possible. The thyroid is uniquely sensitive to endocrine disruptors. I recommend ALL women take steps to protect themselves from these environmental chemicals, but it is especially critical if your are working to heal your thyroid.

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Always remember, that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you!  You can do this – the science of your body is on your side!

You have a new baby and you’re ecstatic! You’re also….. exhausted. Sure, you’re tired from waking up multiple times a night to nurse or bottle feed, but you can feel in your body that something more is going on. You feel depleted in a different and deeper way. And that is perfectly normal. YOU are exactly where you should be. Don’t let the culture tell you otherwise. I wanted to share my personal strategy and game plan for recovery with you for this special postpartum time - the first 9 months after you give birth is an important opportunity for you to heal short term and set yourself up for long term hormonal health. As self care can be confusing and overwhelming, I always like to project plan out what to do and what I should expect. It makes me feel centered and calm when big transitions are happening.New moms are barraged with messages about getting their body back after baby. We’re fed advice on reclaiming our energetic, happy, and in-the-mood selves ASAP after delivery. But the truth is that being pregnant and nurturing another life for nine months is a full-time, energy-and-nutrient-consuming job for the body. And the body’s work isn’t over after giving birth. You’re caring for a newborn around-the-clock and, if you’re breastfeeding, your body is very likely still losing essential micronutrients faster than you can replenish them.So if you’re experiencing low energy, low mood, and low libido after pregnancy, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you, especially if you’ve given birth in the last three months. In fact, I like to think about the nine months after giving birth as having its own trimesters—just like during the nine months of pregnancy—and each three-month period of time postpartum comes with its own experiences, expectations, and self-care rituals.I’ve written before about self-care and nutrient support when you’re trying to optimize fertility, when you’re pregnant, and when you’re postpartum. Today I want to dig deeper into the specific steps you can take during each of the “postpartum trimesters” to support your body and take care of yourself during this unique time in your life.

Your Month-By-Month Guide to Postpartum Healing

In the West, we’ve been trained to think of delivering a baby as the end of the process. The hard work is done, we’re told, and now everything can return to normal. We’re encouraged to get back to our busy lives, running errands, hitting the gym, cleaning the house—in other words, overextending ourselves—while we’re simultaneously not getting enough sleep and, potentially, letting our nutrition needs slide.In Chinese culture, the time period right after birth is considered special and unique. Women follow a traditional “cocoon” protocol, where they stay tucked inside with baby for 30 days and eat specific foods to keep their bodies balanced and healthy.I think this Eastern perspective gets a few things right, namely the need to treat the period of time right after birth as special for both mom and baby—a time when it’s important to nourish your body, practice deep self-care, and connect with the new human in your life. I encourage new moms to continue tailoring their self care to their unique needs after the 30-day mark.Here’s what I recommend for nourishing your body, balancing your hormones, and reclaiming your energy in each “postpartum trimester.”

The First Three Months Postpartum

Your goals during this three-month window are to use food and supplements to replenish the micronutrients your body used during pregnancy; keep pace with your increased micronutrient needs during breastfeeding (or if not breastfeeding, recovery in general); and guard your precious time and energy—saying yes only to the things that feel supportive and good for your body. First Postpartum Trimester (Months 1 to 3 After Giving Birth)Food: During pregnancy, your body’s primary task is to supply nutrients to your growing baby. In fact, your body’s nutrient demands are so great during this time that it can be hard for even the most conscientious eaters to get optimal nutrients during pregnancy. This can leave you with a low-level nutrient deficiency when the baby is born. Then, if you opt to breastfeed, you will continue to share nutrients with your newborn—and further deplete your own nutrient stores. The worst culprit however is the pressure to “get your body back” after baby. Dieting and overexercising are hormonally disruptive during this time and can make you feel worse. If you’ve just had a baby, you need to heal and recover and food can help you do that. I advise women who have just given birth to set have three primary nutrition goals:

1. To use food to keep blood sugar balanced. Blood sugar balance is essential for steady, consistent energy and for restoring your body’s delicate hormone balance. You’ll want to prioritize healthy, whole foods that keep your blood sugar steady during this time. These include healthy sources of fat, like olive oil and avocados; nourishing sources of protein, like pastured meats (if you eat meat), and beans and lentils; and whole-food sources of complex carbohydrates, like brown rice and sweet potatoes.
2. To use food to replenish lost nutrients. Micronutrient deficiencies—like being low in B vitamins, magnesium, vitamin D, and omega 3 fatty acids—deprive the endocrine system of the essential support it needs to stay balanced and healthy. When your body is in a micronutrient deficit, you can experience low energy, low mood, low libido, and the symptoms of hormone imbalances, including bloating, skin issues, irritability, and brain fog.
4. To eat enough food. Finally, women who are postpartum and breastfeeding need to eat enough food. This is what I ate after the birth of my daughter, and it might seem like a lot, but you cannot shy away from food during this time. Your body needs the calories because your baby needs the calories. When I adopted this protocol during breastfeeding, I lost all my baby weight (50 lbs. of it) within six months. Within just three months, I’d already lost 30 lbs. So you don’t need to deprive yourself after baby is born. In fact, if you do, you’ll only suffer more.

There’s a great cookbook for new moms. It’s called The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nurturing the New Mother and I strongly recommend it for the first month postpartum. If you are breastfeeding, eat this way until you stop breastfeeding. If you aren’t breastfeeding, eat this way for the first month postpartum and then transition back to your regular hormone-supportive diet. You may also need fewer snacks during this time period than new moms who breastfeed.Supplements: I recommend taking key supplements during this window of time—no matter how well you are eating and how much you are eating. If you are breastfeeding, continue taking your prenatal vitamins, and add (or continue with) a fish oil supplement and a probiotic. Taking supplements is key to help rebalance your hormones and replenish key micronutrients.Your exercise goals in the first postpartum trimester: None. In the first month, sleep when the baby sleeps. In months two and three, listen to your body. Very short walks with baby are okay, but enlist the support of a postpartum physical therapist to help you work out your abs, lower back, and hips. This will help stabilize your body for the long term. When it comes to mood, energy, andsex drive in these first three months, know that this is a period of major hormonal downshifting from all the estrogen and progesterone that was coursing through your body during pregnancy—and your mood, energy, and sex drive are along for that (downshifted) ride. If your mood, energy, and libido are lower than normal, that’s perfectly normal. During this time you’re also going through a process called matrescence, a profound rewiring in the brain that happens during the transition to motherhood. It is a lot like adolescence, only experts believe the chemical shifts during matrescence are even more profound than the changes during puberty. So, in many ways, you are becoming a new person—and you are getting to know yourself as a new person. This is a process, so don’t judge. Just observe yourself with a loving eye. And make sure you have a trusted health practitioner to call on if you experience any postpartum anxiety or depression. It is also normal for vaginal births to lead to some vaginal trauma, which can make penetration less appealing during this time. If you’ve had a C-section, you will need even more time for recovery. If you or your partner are interested in sex during this time, it is absolutely okay for your vagina not to be involved. You and your partner can find other ways to be intimate. Be clear and direct with your partner about what will work for you during this time, and what is off the table for now.

Second Postpartum Trimester (Months 3 to 6 After Giving Birth)

Food: If you are breastfeeding, I recommend keeping up with your first trimester eating routine. If you’re not breastfeeding, you can eat more normally. And if your period has come back, you can begin to eat cyclically again, making sure you don’t skip meals (or you will dig yourself into an energy deficit).Supplements: If you’re still breastfeeding, it’s critical to continue with your prenatal supplements, including probiotics, fish oil, and prenatal vitamins, if you’re not breastfeeding continue with the Balance Supplements, (or to start them if you didn’t take them during the first three months after giving birth!). Your body is still working hard to provide for you and your baby and you can use all the extra support you can get.Exercise: Now is the time to think about adding more movement back into your daily life. More walking, more yoga, some strength training. Your body should be able to handle a bit more now, and during this time exercise should feel more energizing than depleting. Mood/Energy/Sex drive: As I mentioned, giving birth can sidetrack your sex drive for a while. Even if your baby is sleeping through the night during this phase, you probably still have a sleep deficit from the first postpartum trimester.Or you’re in the unlucky (albeit temporary) position of having a baby who is experiencing sleep regression. This is when baby starts waking up multiple times a night or refuses to fall asleep after previously sleeping well… and there is nothing like this special torture to raise your cortisol, throw a wrench in your melatonin production, and make you feel edgy, irritable, tired, and, oh yeah, not in the mood for sex.But if you’re feeling ready to support your libido during this phase, I recommend a couple strategies:

1. First, be aware that sex drive is complex and can be affected by many physical, emotional, and relationship factors. Be gentle with yourself if you’re not feeling as libidinous as you did before giving birth. This remains a unique time, and it is normal for it to take time to feel interested in sex again.
2. Second, feel empowered to ask your partner for more foreplay and more direct clitorial stimulation. You may need more time to get in the mood; that’s normal. And if your vagina is still healing after giving birth, stick to clitoral stimulation and save penetration for a later time. And due to the shift in your hormones, especially if you’re breastfeeding, ALWAYS assume you need to add lubricant before you start any activity.
3. Third, be realistic about your expectations. You’re likely to get interrupted by your baby at some point, so count any sexy-time activities you engage in—whether a quick cuddle or a full-blown roll in the hay—as a win. Don’t have an all-or-nothing approach during this time. The more little bits you get in the habit of doing, the more it will continue to prime your desire and physical response for more activity.

Third Postpartum ‘Trimester’ (Months 6 to 9 After Giving Birth)

Food: It’s likely that your period has returned by this point. If so, you can begin to eat cyclically again. If you’re breastfeeding, continue to make sure you are getting enough calories each day to nourish yourself and baby.Supplement: If you’re no longer breastfeeding, stay on the Balance Supplements. If you’re breastfeeding, it’s imperative that you continue the prenatal trifecta - prenatal, probiotic, fish oil, regime, both for yourself and your breast milk quality. Taking herbs that help with breast milk supply is great as well. Exercise: Exercise cyclically and focus on getting strong and flexible. Any extra weight you are carrying will take care of itself.Mood/Energy/Sex Drive: This is a great time to check in and evaluate how you’re doing with your health overall. Schedule a session with a FLO coach or take stock of energy, mood, libido, and other concerns with your OB/GYN to see if anything clinical is needed. If you’ve taken good care of yourself with nutrition, supplements, and targeted exercise in the first two postpartum trimesters, you’re apt to feel more like your sexy self again. In fact, you should feel your sex drive roaring around ovulation. Continue to ask for the type of physical intimacy that suits your needs, and if a penis is involved make sure you use condoms. You can absolutely get pregnant even if your period hasn’t returned.If your sex drive hasn’t returned, there is no reason to think that anything is wrong with you. Instead, use this time to evaluate any physical, emotional, or relationship factors might be cropping up for you and continue to be gentle with yourself. Consult a doctor, therapist, or physical therapist if you feel you need more support.I also recommend prioritizing self pleasure. I recommend one session per week of self pleasuring (no vibrators!). Give yourself 20 minutes of pleasurable touch. This will boost oxytocin and nitric oxide levels, both which can help you recover your libido. Try my 5Cs of self-pleasure to get yourself there.Your mood and energy should feel more cyclical as you return to your non-pregnancy hormonal patterns. One final note: synthetic hormones, like the birth control pill or Depo shot, are often prescribed postpartum to prevent pregnancy and “cure” symptoms of hormone imbalance, like low energy and low libido. But these drugs don’t cure anything, they just mask symptoms and prevent your body from doing the underlying repair and healing that needs to happen to ultimately feel your best. So if you’re on the pill or other hormonal birth control and you’re not feeling great, consider alternative birth control methods and remember to return to food as a first-line strategy for reclaiming your energy and sex drive postpartum.Always remember, that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this – the science of your body is on your side!

BALANCE by FLO Living Hormone Supplement Kit

Because you've asked for hormone-friendly supplement recommendations, I created a solution that I am so thrilled to be able to offer to you on your hormonal balancing journey: Balance by FLO Living Supplements are a complete package that work together to keep your hormone levels healthy. They include a 2 month(2 cycle) supply of the following formulations so you’re never caught short in any phase of your cycle.When you take these 5 supplements daily, you’ll be giving your body excellent micronutrients to support healthier hormone levels. Which means that you’ll start to see your worst period symptoms get better… and even disappear after a while.

Click here to learn more about the BALANCE Bio-Hacking Supplement Kit.

The start of a new year is an exciting time, filled with promise and possibility. It's the only time, all year long when it is acceptable to really dream about the future and set intentions, to manifest our hopes and desires, and to create newness out of nothingness. Women (and men) are allowed to bring the feminine energy of creation to the masculine energy of endless to-do lists, and it is the combination of these energies that makes the time so magical. But as women, we have a superpower when it comes to manifesting our dreams: we get the opportunity to dream big, to create something out of nothing, to manifest our hopes and desires, 12 times a year. That’s because our menstrual cycle brings us new year/new you energy once a month. I know this might sound woo woo, but it’s true: our bodies move rhythmically through a creation cycle 12 times each year — and with that knowledge, we can harness new year/new you energy all year long. All we have to do is tune into our cycle, follow our rhythms, and not be afraid to manifest our wildest dreams. You might be thinking: That sounds lovely, but extremely vague. How would I even do that?The secret is that tapping into this natural cycle is easy, and the steps to get there are straightforward and concrete. I’m going to walk you through them right now.

Manifest Your Dreams Every Month

In almost two decades of helping women achieve hormonal balance, I’ve seen one thing over-and-over: manifestation has a mind-body component. When my clients tune in to their cycles—when they understand the unique strengths that come along with each of the four phases of the 28-day cycle—they start to experience changes. Big things start happening in their home lives, in their careers, and within themselves. Here’s a step-by-step guide to tuning in:Step 1: Know your period. If the idea of tracking your cycle is brand new, the first step is to identify where you are in your cycle and learn how each phase feels both physically and emotionally. In the beginning, it can help to track your symptoms with the MyFLO app. I recommend continuing to track your period indefinitely, but after some time you will begin to intuitively feel where you are in your cycle. Step 2: Engage in phase-based self care. What does it mean to practice phase-based self care? It means feeding your body what it needs during each phase of your cycle and nourishing your endocrine system with the right micronutrients. It also means aligning your exercise with your unique, ever-shifting hormonal needs each month. Step 3: Address your specific period problems. Hormone imbalances in the body often have similar (and connected) root causes, but you can tweak your approach to easing your period problems based on your specific symptoms. You can eat to help ease acne or tailor your meals to ease endometriosis. You can take specific steps to address bloating and work to treat fibroids naturally. You can even modify your meals to tame terrible PMS. Step 4: Embrace your feminine energy. The idea of “feminine energy” might seem far out, or it might seem like something exterior and irrelevant (like how you dress or style your hair). But feminine energy is something far deeper and more intrinsic. Embracing your feminine energy is about embracing the incredible strengths you have during each phase of your monthly cycle and learning to harness them in a way that allows you to achieve your personal, professional, romantic, and spiritual intentions and manifest your dreams. Step 5: Treat the beginning of every cycle as the beginning of a new year. Remember how I mentioned that we get the chance to embark on a journey toward a new self not once a year but 12 times a year? That’s thanks to the new year/new you energy that every menstrual cycle brings.

Here’s how approach each phase to manifest your dreams each month:

1. Your next period – Feel into the main areas of your life (your relationship, work, interests, plans). How do you feel about them and how do they make you feel? What do you desire as a result of this investigation? What do you want to transform? This is a good opportunity to journal about those feelings and desires that you wish to create. This stage is all about intuitive feelings and emotions.
2. During your follicular phase – This is when you can plan out the specific goals you want to work toward this month. During this phase, planning and strategizing are your super powers. You’ll have boundless energy and feel very hopeful and optimistic (and ambitious!) about the month ahead.
3. During your ovulatory phase – This is the best time to communicate to everyone (your partner, your work colleagues, your boss) what you are working on this month. You’ll have great speaking skills right now and can be very clear and concise in your explanations. You’ll also be convincing and persuasive, while keeping a helpful level of empathy and understanding of other’s perspectives and needs.
4. During your luteal phase – This is the time to take action to bring your goals to completion. This is a great time to bring projects to fruition. You’re creatively minded, but also happy to put in the necessary heavy-lifting to get things done.
5. Your next period – Now you’re back where you began. Evaluate the past month’s progress and really feel into the problems you may have faced and what you have achieved. You might consider changing course or starting again with a new approach. How has this month made you feel? What things do you want to transform in the coming month? It’s a new opportunity, your own personal “new year” every single month.

Imagine what having 12 opportunities to make forward progress would do in your upcoming year? This new year, I hope you join me in taking advantage of the powerful momentum that your body brings to manifesting your dreams.Always remember, that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making healthy choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this – the science of your body is on your side!

Is Your Period Healthy?

How do you know if your hormones are healthy? The answer is in your 5th vital sign – your period.The color of your flow, frequency of your period, and symptoms you have each month can tell you a lot about your health. There are 5 different V-SIGN TYPES, and knowing which one you have will help you get healthy now and prevent disease in the future.

Click here to take The V-SIGN TYPE™ Quiz NOW

The simple act of giving gifts releases positive emotions and energy, but when you're pressed for time (and these days who isn’t?) finding that perfect gift can become stressful. It's about balance and we all know that you best serve others when you take care of yourself. Here to support you, I've decided to put together a list that will assist in your shopping efforts this holiday season! These are some of my favorite, go-to items that are great as gifts for any occasion as well as staples to have in your own home:

Womancode

Your best-selling, must have women’s hormonal health resource. You'll find you make extra space in that suitcase for any traveling with this paper companion. This book makes a great gift to give to a friend.

Balance Supplements

Looking to get off birth control or trying to resolve period symptoms? Balance is the first and only hormone biohacking supplement subscription box for women. Crafted with 5 formulations containing all the micronutrients your body needs to keep your hormones balanced.

Felix Gray Blue Glasses

I love this brand of glasses that helps filter blue light while working. It’s so important to take care of your eyes - something that doesn’t always resonate when you think of your health. These glasses are stylish and unisex.

Pique Tea Crystals

This tea brand is changing the way we enjoy tea and really, how we consume antioxidants. Improving gut health and digestion, reducing stress and sustaining energy, this is definitely a nice idea to gift anyone needing a boost in their daily routine.

Maude

Making sex better for everyone, one 100% natural product at a time. I highly recommend this personal lubricant that is completely natural and organic. No more guessing what ingredients are in personal products with this company. It’s sex made simple.

MyFLO app

Newly improved, this ultimate functional medicine period tracker helps keep hormones balanced. Women's Health Magazine's FemTech Awards named MyFLO as one of the 4 best period apps on the market.

Moon Calendar

Still my favorite calendar and produced using a hand-pulled silk-screen technique on 100% PCW recycled paper. It's a wonderful reference for your day-to-day activities and an affordable and thoughtful gift..

THINX

This team reinvents the way we wear periods, literally. Risk-free trial underwear AND you can tailor a set based on your cycle. How smart is that?

Kali Boxes

Kali takes the worrying out of finding the best products to aid you through your menstrual cycle. You can customize boxes based on product and frequency.

Vitner’s Daughter

Vitner’s Daughter doesn’t believe in creating shortcuts when it comes to producing some of the finest skin care on the market today. This active botanical serum is a game changer with my skin care. A smart and essential stocking stuffer.

Rahua

This control cream creates lift for my hair; finally products for curly hair that don't contain chemicals or liquid plastic that actually work!

RMS

Less is always more and as a mom on the go, if I can make any product useful in more than one way, that’s a bonus. RMS products are unrefined and organic. You better believe this lip-to-cheek stain is in my beauty arsenal.

Juice Beauty

Antioxidants are key for us as we age. I personally love a tried and true serum that not only minimizes fine lines but hydrates and soothes my skin. Another all natural and organic brand that is a staple in my skincare regimen.

Living Libations

I can’t get enough of this all-in-one body oil, face oil, cleanser and exfoliator.A little goes a long way and you only need a few drops to leave your body feeling completely moisturized. Made from all natural, wild crafted and organic oils and ingredients, Living Libations is another affordable favorite of mine

Moon Cycle Bakery

I have a special place in my heart for a brownie that is pretty much guilt-free AND one that satisfies my sweet tooth! Moon Cycle Bakery does just that. Birthed with a strong focus on women’s health and empowerment, this bakery serves up some of the finest vegan, gluten free, dairy free and overall cycle-conscious treats.

Innersense

Struggling to find products that work with my curly hair is an understatement, but Innersense’s I Create Lift lotion has transformed my hair care regimen. Perfect for any hair type and 100% Organic.

JETSWEAT

JETSWEAT is made for any woman who is interested in syncing her workout according to her hormonal cycle. Meet JETSWEAT, an on-demand, customizable fitness platform that provides exclusive access to premium boutique studio classes and structured programming personalized to fit individual goals. That coupled with real-time performance tracking empowers an active lifestyle wherever, whenever.Sign up for JETSWEAT here and use promo code JETSWEATVIP at checkout for 50% off of your first month (that's only $5 this month!)

For many women, the new year means one thing: changing how we eat. After the indulgences of the holidays, we often feel pressure to clean up what’s on our dinner plates and reset our health with food. So we jump on whatever food fad is trending this month, whether it is a “hot” new diet, a detox regimen, or eliminating a whole group of macronutrients (“No more carbs!”).

We’re determined to undo holiday damage. But do any of these approaches actually work?

Every diet that crosses your social media feed this month will promise to transform your life, but the only approach that will actually give you results is the approach that matches your unique hormonal needs during each week of your 28-day cycle.

If you struggle with any hormone-related symptoms, including weight loss resistance, severe PMS, irregular or heavy periods, PCOS, fibroids, hormonal acne, or impaired fertility, it’s imperative that you understand your hormone cycle and how to match what you eat to your shifting hormone needs throughout the month.

Why THESE Popular Diets Don’t Work for Women with Hormone Imbalances

Let’s take a close-up look at why some of today’s most popular eating plans don’t work for most women.

The Ketogenic Diet & Women

This low-carb plan is intended to put your body into ketosis, which occurs when you restrict glucose and start burning fat as a fuel source. People on this diet get 85 percent of their calories each day from fat, 10 percent of their calories from protein, and 5 percent from carbohydrates. The diet is used as a medical intervention for children with epilepsy and it is being studied as an adjuvant therapy for certain cancer patients. While studies suggest that the diet may have health-promoting potential, the protocol restricts carbohydrates so severely that most experts recommend doing it only with medical supervision. No one, whether you wrestle with hormone imbalances or not, should undertake a ketogenic diet lightly or without trusted medical support.

• The potential upside: People who follow a ketogenic diet tend to feel full for a long time after each meal (because fat is so satiating) and this can lead to eating fewer calories overall. It also means most junk food is jettisoned from your diet because almost all packaged foods have more than the allowed limit of net carbohydrates.
• The hormonal downside: There is conflicting information on how the ketogenic diet affects of thyroid health, with studies suggesting that it might negatively affect T3 production. The thyroid is one of the master glands of the endocrine system and for optimal hormone health women need optimal thyroid health. The very low number of carbs on the ketogenic diet can also put stress on the adrenal system. Adrenal fatigue is, by definition, a hormone imbalance. And it is best to avoid any diet has the potential to contribute to an existing hormone imbalance.

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Eating Raw Vegan & Women

Eating an abundance of rainbow colored vegetables and fruits, whether cooked or raw (or a combo of both, is a major win for health and hormone balance. But a true raw diet consists only of plant-based foods that haven’t been heated over 104-118 degrees F, and that can come with some drawbacks. The diet also dictates that nothing you eat is pasteurized, refined, or processed. Advocates of raw veganism believe cooking food destroys important enzymes and reduces their nutritional content.

• The potential upside: Loading up on organic, fiber-rich vegetables and fruits is always a good idea. An abundance of these phytonutrient-rich foods can improve digestion, enhance heart health, reduce inflammation, support cellular health, and have anti-aging benefits. 
• The hormonal downside: Studies have linked strict raw food diet to amenorrhea. If your gut microbiome is out of whack (perhaps because you have a history of taking synthetic birth control), your body will not be able to absorb the important nutrients in raw foods. As many functional medicine practitioners say, “We aren’t what we eat. We are what we can digest and absorb.” Nutrient deficiencies can compromise your entire hormonal system and show up as a host of symptoms, from missing periods to mood issues to weight gain.

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Eating Grain-free & Women

Gluten, which is the main protein in wheat, has gotten a particularly bad rap in recent years, and for good reason: it’s not good for your hormonal health, which is why I recommend removing it from your diet when you follow the FLO Living protocol. But many diets advocate removing all grains as a way to lose weight and optimize health.

• The potential upside: If you cut all grains and replace them with healthy fats, proteins, and complex, phytonutrient-rich carbohydrates, you may lose weight in the short-term. Some people also report a reduction in brain fog. 
• The hormonal downside: If you struggle with cravings and binge eating, going grain free can set you up for major cravings and make you vulnerable to moments of binging carbs, which can lead to blood sugar and insulin spikes—and turbulent blood sugar and insulin can interfere with ovulation and wreak havoc on metabolism and fat loss.  

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Intermittent Fasting (IF) & Women

Intermittent fasting is going for short or intermediate periods of time without food. This “not eating” window can be as short as 12 hours and include sleep time—for example, you could stop eating at 8:00pm one night and not eat again until 8:00am the next morning and call it a fast—or as long as 16, 20, or 24 hours.People fast in different ways. Some people try to go 12 or more hours without eating everyday. Others try to go 12 or 16 hours without food a couple days a week. Some people don’t eat for a full 24 hours one day each week.

• The potential upside: Studies suggest that intermittent fasting may help stabilize blood sugar and promote weight loss. 
• The hormonal downside: Intermittent fasting has been linked to hormone disruption in women. Specifically,  intermittent fasting can disrupt estrogen balance and estrogen imbalance may show up as:
• Low energy
• Poor glucose control
• Weight gain
• Impaired cognitive function
• Decreased bone density
• Poor muscle tone
• Reduced skin and hair health
• Poorer cardiovascular health
• Infertility

A disruption in one hormone system in the body can trigger other hormone imbalances. The other major hormone considerations for women when it comes to intermittent fasting are cortisol, the stress hormone, and thyroid hormone. When cortisol is imbalanced, symptoms include:

• Anxiety
• Low energy
• Insomnia
• Feeling wired-but-tired
• Sugar cravings

When thyroid hormones are imbalanced, symptoms include:

• Weight gain
• Brain fog
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Dry skin
• Dry hair
• Irregular periods
• Trouble regulating body temperature

So while intermittent fasting may have some benefits, this cascade of negative health effects for women may outweigh any benefit.

The Best Way for Women to Eat

These disparate diets do have some benefits, but none of them fully support a woman’s hormonal health. The cyclical nature of female biochemistry isn’t supported by eating the same way day in and day out. We must shift what we eat each week to support our unique micronutrient needs that specific week...which is something that none of these plans take into account. Your body isn’t the same every day and your diet shouldn’t be either! I created my phase-based eating concept 15 years ago to support each stage of a woman’s cycle.

Women are the biggest consumers of health-industry products and protocols—and we’re especially susceptible this time of year, when New Year’s fitness routines promise to burn off pounds and build lean muscle in no time.But here’s the dirty secret that no one is talking about this time of year (or ANY time of year): most of the research on optimal health and wellness is done on men, and because women’s bodies work differently—and because these differences are something most experts in the health space rarely talk about (I’m here to change that!)—we are left to try everything, be disappointed, and then try some more. It’s a cycle that costs us stress, energy, money, heartache, and sanity.If you’re tried any of these fitness routines, you already know on some level that they don’t work. Maybe you made progress for a while, but then it stalled. Maybe you never made progress or, worse, your symptoms got more severe when you started a new health and fitness routine. This phenomenon is all too common. I’ve worked with so many women who started a new health protocol—like eating Paleo and doing short, intense workouts—and seen their symptoms get worse. The thing to remember is that women are biochemically different than men and we need to adopt health-promoting strategies that work for our unique female biochemistry.In other words, we need to biohack like a girl. So what does that look like? The first step is to understand your 28-day cycle and then match your food and exercise to your natural hormonal shifts during those 28 days. When you sync your cycle to your food and movement routines, you’ll experience easier periods, less PMS, reduced bloating, clearer skin, and improvements in weight and body composition. By acknowledging your hormonal reality, you’ll finally be able to look and feel your best.

Your Exercise Needs Change With Your Cycle

Here’s an interesting catch-22: historically women have been excluded from nutrition and exercise research because of how our 28-day menstrual cycle affects our metabolism. (Researchers assume it will mess up the data and so instead of designing tests for us, they just leave us out.) But it is precisely because of those hormone changes that we need research into how we should eat and move.So the research on menstruation and exercise is limited, but not completely non-existent. We know a few things! First, research suggests that women in the luteal phase (the second half of the 28-day cycle) fatigue faster during workouts and need more time to recover. This is one reason to do higher intensity workouts during your follicular phase (the first half of your cycle) and save gentler movement practices, like yoga, for the luteal phase. We know from another study that a woman’s resting metabolic rate (also known as our basal metabolic rate) decreases during the follicular phase, hitting its lowest point one week before ovulation. So doing high intensity workouts during this phase serves as a counterbalance to a slower metabolism. … which brings us to a key biohacking takeaway for women: since your metabolism is naturally slower during the first half of your cycle, you have the power to speed it up — and lose weight and gain muscle! — by doing high intensity exercise during this time.Other research has found that insulin sensitivity is higher during the follicular phase and lower during the luteal phase. A separate study found that the body uses carbohydrates more efficiently during the follicular phase. What does this mean when it comes to exercise? It means that during the first half of your cycle you need less insulin to keep blood sugar stable and keep your body supplied with energy… and that makes it the ideal time to high intensity workouts like strength training and HIIT workouts. As estrogen and testosterone drop during the luteal phase, your energy for doing high intensity workouts will wane, too. And while a woman’s calorie needs go up during the luteal phase, her resting metabolic rate also rises. In other words, you will eat more in the last half of your cycle, but you will burn more, too. As your energy slows in the luteal phase, allow your workouts to slow down, too. Shift from high intensity bouts of exercise to activities like yoga, walking, and easy bike rides. Not only will these types of movements match your energy level (and you won’t be fighting your natural hormonal rhythms, which is counterproductive and unhealthy) but you will get better results, too. If you experience estrogen dominance (and almost every woman with period problems does), exercising hard all the time can backfire (I wrote more about why that happens here). In the end, the biggest takeaway is that a woman can’t exercise the same way every day and expect to see results. When you align your exercise with your menstrual cycle, you can finally look and feel your best.

What You’ll Get When You Start Exercising With Your Cycle

You can expect to lose weight and gain muscle more easily and sustainably, as well as prevent injury by varying your movement consistently. When you sync your exercise with your cycle, you’ll experience remarkable results. You’ll will also deepen your intuitive sense of what type of movement your body wants and needs every day—and at every phase of your cycle. Always remember, that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this – the science of your body is on your side!

Secrets of Cycle Syncing™

Did you know that you have optimal times each month for exercise, going on a date, asking for a raise, starting a creative project, and for tapping into your intuition? The secret is coded in your monthly cycle! Let me show you how to leverage your cycle to optimize your energy, productivity and happiness! In this masterclass you’ll discover:

• How your hormones shift and their effects on your mood, energy, and cravings
• Using your cycle to optimize your energy for your work and social schedule
• And how to cycle sync™ for better relationships and more love

Download "Secrets of Cycle Syncing™

The simple act of giving gifts releases positive emotions and energy, but when you're pressed for time (and these days who isn’t?)

finding that perfect gift can become stressful. It's about balance and we all know that you best serve others when you take care of yourself. Here to support you, I've decided to put together a list that will assist in your shopping efforts this holiday season! These are some of my favorite, go-to items that are great as gifts for any occasion as well as staples to have in your own home:

Womancode

Your best-selling, must have women’s hormonal health resource. You'll find you make extra space in that suitcase for any traveling with this paper companion. This book makes a great gift to give to a friend.

Balance Supplements

Looking to get off birth control or trying to resolve period symptoms? Balance is the first and only hormone biohacking supplement subscription box for women. Crafted with 5 formulations containing all the micronutrients your body needs to keep your hormones balanced.

Felix Gray Blue Glasses

I love this brand of glasses that helps filter blue light while working. It’s so important to take care of your eyes - something that doesn’t always resonate when you think of your health. These glasses are stylish and unisex.

Pique Tea Crystals

This tea brand is changing the way we enjoy tea and really, how we consume antioxidants. Improving gut health and digestion, reducing stress and sustaining energy, this is definitely a nice idea to gift anyone needing a boost in their daily routine.

Maude

Making sex better for everyone, one 100% natural product at a time. I highly recommend this personal lubricant that is completely natural and organic. No more guessing what ingredients are in personal products with this company. It’s sex made simple.

MyFLO app

Newly improved, this ultimate functional medicine period tracker helps keep hormones balanced. Women's Health Magazine's FemTech Awards named MyFLO as one of the 4 best period apps on the market.

Moon Calendar

Still my favorite calendar and produced using a hand-pulled silk-screen technique on 100% PCW recycled paper. It's a wonderful reference for your day-to-day activities and an affordable and thoughtful gift..

THINX

This team reinvents the way we wear periods, literally. Risk-free trial underwear AND you can tailor a set based on your cycle. How smart is that?

Kali Boxes

Kali takes the worrying out of finding the best products to aid you through your menstrual cycle. You can customize boxes based on product and frequency.

Vitner’s Daughter

Vitner’s Daughter doesn’t believe in creating shortcuts when it comes to producing some of the finest skin care on the market today. This active botanical serum is a game changer with my skin care. A smart and essential stocking stuffer.

Rahua

This control cream creates lift for my hair; finally products for curly hair that don't contain chemicals or liquid plastic that actually work!

RMS

Less is always more and as a mom on the go, if I can make any product useful in more than one way, that’s a bonus. RMS products are unrefined and organic. You better believe this lip-to-cheek stain is in my beauty arsenal.

Juice Beauty

Antioxidants are key for us as we age. I personally love a tried and true serum that not only minimizes fine lines but hydrates and soothes my skin. Another all natural and organic brand that is a staple in my skincare regimen.

Living Libations

I can’t get enough of this all-in-one body oil, face oil, cleanser and exfoliator.A little goes a long way and you only need a few drops to leave your body feeling completely moisturized. Made from all natural, wild crafted and organic oils and ingredients, Living Libations is another affordable favorite of mine

Moon Cycle Bakery

I have a special place in my heart for a brownie that is pretty much guilt-free AND one that satisfies my sweet tooth! Moon Cycle Bakery does just that. Birthed with a strong focus on women’s health and empowerment, this bakery serves up some of the finest vegan, gluten free, dairy free and overall cycle-conscious treats.

JETSWEAT

JETSWEAT is made for any woman who is interested in syncing her workout according to her hormonal cycle. Meet JETSWEAT, an on-demand, customizable fitness platform that provides exclusive access to premium boutique studio classes and structured programming personalized to fit individual goals. That coupled with real-time performance tracking empowers an active lifestyle wherever, whenever.Sign up for JETSWEAT here and use promo code JETSWEATVIP at checkout for 50% off of your first month (that's only $5 this month!)

Innersense

Struggling to find products that work with my curly hair is an understatement, but Innersense’s I Create Lift lotion has transformed my hair care regimen. Perfect for any hair type and 100% Organic.

I’ve made this prediction before and I’m going to make it again this year: You’re likely to have a really rotten period in January (and probably in February and March, too).If you’ve already gotten your period and you’re thinking How did she know?!?!, well, I can’t see the future. But I CAN see the past, and if your holiday was anything like mine it was full of joy, connection, and good memories, but yours may also have been crammed with stress, travel, disrupted sleep, and more sugary foods and alcoholic beverages than usual. Oh, and it probably left you with very little time for your normal self-care routines, like regular workouts and getting the essential micronutrients that keep your hormones happy. All that travel, stress, and sugar increases the chances that your body won’t make enough progesterone during the luteal phase of your cycle in the coming month(s). Less progesterone means more estrogen in the body relative to progesterone and it is that imbalance — more estrogen with less progesterone to balance it — that strands you with all the stereotypical symptoms of PMS. The same holiday trio of travel, stress, and sugar can delay ovulation in the new year, too. A lot of women worry they’re pregnant after the holidays because their period arrives days late!

Why Hormone Health is EXTRA Important in January

You can’t go back and redo the holidays. But you can take steps now to get your period back on track. And now is the time of year when you really want to optimize your hormonal health. If a hormonal imbalance has you feeling less-than-stellar, you won’t have the energy or interest in reaching any other health and wellness goals you’ve set for the new year. In other words, if your PMS is worse than ever in the first quarter of 2019, you’re more likely to rely on old, comfortable, and unhealthy habits to get you through. And any health and wellness resolutions you made for 2019 are less likely to happen!That’s why addressing hormonal imbalances and solving your PMS is the most important step you can take right now when it comes to living healthier in the new year. Being in optimal hormonal health now means that you are more likely, and more able, to reach your other health and wellness goals all year long.

How to Have a Pleasant Period This Month

Ready to escape a horrible January (and February and March) period? Here’s what I recommend:Make sure you’re getting the right micronutrients. I’ve been researching the menstrual cycle and hormones for close to two decades and I’ve learned that there are specific micronutrients women need to optimize hormone health. Holiday stress and high doses of sugar and alcohol during November and December can deplete these nutrients. These micronutrients are magnesium, vitamin D3, B vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids and if you aren’t getting enough of these micronutrients in your diet, I recommend taking a supplement. Micronutrient support is one of the best lines of defense against a terrible January period. Do a healthy, short detox. I also recommend doing a four-day hormone detox after the holidays. It’s a quick food program to help clear your system of all the holiday treats that tasted so good going in but are causing hormonal trouble now. I recommend doing this detox right after your last period. Get my complete four-day detox plan for free here. Curb sugar cravings with your food choices. When you finish the detox, prioritize eating complex carbohydrates, cruciferous vegetables, clean sources of protein, and healthy fats to help you with sugar cravings that may have developed over the holidays. If you’ve noticed that your sugar cravings really spiked during the holidays, consider making one or two days each week grain free this month. On those days, emphasize healthy fats like coconut oil, pastured eggs, and avocados, and drink bone broth. Take a fiber supplement to help sweep out the last of the processed flour and sugar. Add a healing juice to your daily routine. I’m not a fan of juice-only cleanses, but adding one healing juice to your daily food plan can turbo-charge your hormone-recovery efforts. Combine a handful of spinach, 1 carrot, 2 stalks of celery, half a bunch of cilantro, one-third a bunch of parsley, half a lemon with rind, half a green apple in a blender or juicer.Prioritize sleep. Try to get back on a regular sleep schedule, where you go to bed around the same time and wake up around the same time each day. Always remember, that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this – the science of your body is on your side!

Need more Hormone Help?

If you’re needing some health upgrading, it’s time you started you looking into what’s going on with your hormones.I’ve designed a 4-day hormone detox and evaluation to help you understand exactly what’s out of whack and how you can start getting back to balance so that your hormones no longer have to suffer.Click here to get your FREE detox and evaluation.