Understanding our bodies as we mature and age, and the chemical functions happening inside of us, is essential. Our lives depend on this knowledge- literally.
However, understanding medical terminology and practices can be difficult.
Here is a guide to simplify the beginning steps in learning more about your incredible female body.
Included is information about hormones and how to learn more about your own hormones through blood work. New habits to benefit your life that you can incorporate today. Vocabulary so you can get an idea of what you might not know yet. And recommendations of resources that will assist you in furthering your own research to empower your own life.
Recently I had an empowering conversation with Nurse Practitioner, Heather Hardy, at her clinic Inspire Health Clinics in South Jordan, Utah. Heather has a masters of science in nursing and is board certified through the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
Heather says, “I started my nursing career as a registered nurse working in the Neuro Shock Trauma ICU at Utah Valley Hospital. I saw the most extreme cases of illness while working there and felt that there was so much more that I could do to help prevent people from ending up sick for so long at the end of their lives. I went back to school to become an NP but was disappointed in the lack of education around health, wellness, prevention, and hormones.”
While Heather was in her NP program she was able to find and learn from a leader in hormones and integrative medicine. Through this connection and additional learning, she was offered a job which led to her current role at the astounding wellness clinic she currently resides.
Through her educated background, and personal passion, she offers women strategies that will make high-powered differences in their lives.
Heather states, “It is better to focus on preventative lifestyle choices to avoid brain fog, fatigue, unwanted weight gain, and severe disease and illnesses, rather than waiting until the problems arise and become persistent until we do something about them.”
With a few adjustments women can feel more empowered, strong, and capable – while simultaneously taking charge of their health.
“Choose your hard in life. What I mean by that is eating healthy, exercising and getting enough sleep, can be hard for people to implement in their life. But being sick and injured for the last 30 years of your life is a lot harder. Choose your hard. We have to be inspired to live our life the best way we can. Choose to say, ‘I’m ready to choose this- I’m ready to feel better.’” -Heather Hardy
Hormones And How They Affect The Body
Hormones are essential for regulating functions that happen within the body. Acting as chemical messengers, they convey important signals throughout muscles, skin, organs, and other tissues, directing the body on what actions to take and when.
Proper hormonal balance is vital for numerous processes, including mood stability, metabolism, sleep patterns, reproduction, sexual health, blood sugar regulation, blood pressure control, and electrolyte balance, among others.
See why it is so important to get started on your own research of hormones?
They affect everything going on inside the human body!
What Is Found In Blood Work & Its Relevance To Your Health
All hormones affect how a person feels, and the balancing of hormones is unique to every individual. When a person is feeling “simply off,” having their hormones checked through blood work can help identify the source of the problem. Adjustments can then be made in lifestyle, eating habits, or supplements to make a person feel at their best. Blood work can also show what is going well in the body and can encourage a person to continue on with healthy life habits already in place.
Where to start? Make an appointment with a wellness physician to discover the levels of your own hormones. From there, you will be able to make a wellness plan of your own with the assistance of your trusted practitioner, targeting specific areas that are unique to your body.
Heather explains,
“There is so much people don’t know about what’s working inside their body. With labs, they are very personalized so it’s hard to generalize it. But some of the things I check are thyroid function, sex hormones, vitamin levels, kidney function, liver function, cholesterol and other cardiovascular disease risk markers, blood counts, iron and stored iron levels, cortisol level, blood sugar, and insulin levels. Looking at all of that information along with a patient’s symptoms gives us the info we need to develop a plan for wellness.”
Things To Start Doing Today To Improve Your Health
As told by NP, Heather Hardy
“Start now, where you are. Start early in life. Don’t wait for the problems to occur.”
1. For overall health, exercise is first and foremost. Start where you are and slowly increase in the difficulty of the work out. Gradually increase the resistance in cardio and weight lifting until you can reach more of the high-intensity workouts to really strengthen your body.
Between the ages of 30-40, the ability for the body to hold onto muscle mass decreases, so does the ability for the body to put on muscle. Starting early will help optimize all results for today and later on.
2. Sleep at least 7-9 hours every night. Without adequate sleep each night, hormones will fall out of balance. Cortisol levels go up, which also raises stress and can result in unwanted weight gain and other problems.
Sleep more rather than rely on stimulants to have energy and focus.
3. Learn more about hormones and what happens when approaching menopause. Women should watch for signs of decreasing hormones including weight gain or the inability to lose weight, or simply “feeling off.” When this happens, seek professional help from a wellness practitioner to find solutions that can be implemented as soon as possible.
Again, being mindful early on helps prevent unforeseen problems later.
4. Stay away from processed foods as much as possible. Our society has never had so much food ready available and because of the options, we have plenty of opportunities to choose healthy foods.
Focus on the organic foods found at the grocery store. Although more expensive, the benefits are worth it. Walking the outer perimeter of the grocery store is also helpful, as that’s where you’ll find more of the unprocessed foods.
Ensure that you’re also reading the labels of everything you buy, so you know and understand what you are putting into your body.
What Every Woman Should Know
Heather continues to speak out to other women, “I want women to know that they are not alone. They are not the only ones to feel their bodies are changing even though they are doing all the same things they’ve done their entire life. They are not alone. A lot of women are going through the same things. I hear it every single day. Reach out to other women and talk with your women friends about these issues. Let’s support each other and cheer each other on!”
