Hormone Wildfire: PROGRESS

It’s been less than a month since my latest update with my DUTCH results and I wanted to give an update on how things are going/feeling.

Can I just say this first: when we focus on supporting our bodies, not stressing, and give our bodies time, nutrients, mental space, GRACE….it’s amazing how quickly we can be rewarded.

I’ve continued my supplement regime, and haven’t missed a day, as well as limiting my coffee to one cup of black coffee each morning and my energy levels are INCREDIBLE. I was drinking 3-5 cups of black coffee per day and this was every afternoon and morning and I was nervous to change this to one cup, honestly. I’ve added in tea with adaptogens (which I LOVE) or turmeric tea (another favorite of mine) and I have forgotten how much I love hot tea! I’ve also added in minerals to a glass of water each day. Minerals are the foundational blocks of health, so this makes sense that they need to be part of this recovery! Also, for those that sweat a lot in their workouts or highly actively humans (teens and adults)….adding in minerals is necessary because you’re not just sweating water!

My exercise routine is 3 days a week of lifting, one day a week of biking, and one day of yoga. The other two days are very busy work days and these can be taxing days when you take care of other people, so instead of fighting through fatigue and a workout that I don’t want to do….these are my days off and I focus on more moments of peace and quiet at the beginning and end of each day. Lots of movement happens throughout my day at my clinic so this is always helpful too!

Let’s talk about my energy: my ability to get up in the morning has drastically changed. Here I am, on a snow day for my kids, wide awake at 4:30am. Feeling refreshed and energized and freaking awesome! This was not like this a month ago. I was struggling to get out of bed! Some of my kids would actually wake up first and then it felt like a rat race to hurry out the door which continuously left me irritated that I didn’t wake up sooner to prepare myself mentally for my day. My sleep is incredible and my deep sleep tracker on my Fitbit is averaging over 1.5 hrs each night. *Deep sleep is the place our bodies repair, heal, and rejuvenate.* I’ve also noticed that I am able to eat slower and truly enjoy my food without feeling hangry or feel my blood sugar crashing. Eating slower and thoroughly chewing my food so my digestive system can optimally digest these nutrients has been a conscious effort for the past year because of my terrible habit of eating so quickly!

My skin is improving and the hormonal acne is improving, which is wonderful. Ya know, because I’m 35 and my skin was better at age 16 than it is now. But progress is progress and that’s what I need to see happen! My body is definitely changing and I’ve noticed a few days of spotting, which is so different than feeling like you’re about to bleed to death. PROGRESS!

My mental bandwidth is also sharper and in my line of work, I need to be my best for each patient I see because they are coming to me with a problem that I can (potentially) help them with. It’s amazing to be able to support your brain and see the benefits from this practice in your work and family dynamics or communication. I can’t tell you how many times in the past year that I truly felt like I couldn’t say anything or answer a question because I didn’t have the mental energy to do it. Maybe it was because I was bleeding to death, but regardless it was a terrible feeling for me.

So, this is good, guys. Progress is happening and this makes me emotional because having my cycle more often than not in the past year has been horrid. Hopefully my story can help other women through their journey too.

Ask questions.

Fight for yourself.

Listen to your gut instinct.

Don’t give up.

I’ll keep you updated on this progress and journey!

-Dr. Kelsey