Hormones and resolutions

Hormones and Resolutions

Many of us have resolutions for the coming year. Research shows that most resolutions are abandoned before January ends. We usually look at the psychological aspects of success or failure—planning, motivation, willpower, short-term thinking versus long-term thinking, past traumas, etc. All of these are important, and as a psychologist, I can't deny that. But as a naturopathic therapist, I have another perspective: the role of hormones in all this. When hormones are out of balance, you are already at a disadvantage before you begin. You need so much willpower that you can't sustain it. Willpower is like a muscle that you can't stretch infinitely in a day. In this blog, we will explore the influence of several hormones.

A Selection of Hormones Influencing Resolutions

Thyroid Hormones

Thyroid hormones influence various processes in the body, including metabolism, heart rate, body temperature, and energy levels. A slow thyroid makes you tired and sluggish and can lead to weight gain. An overactive thyroid can cause weight loss. An imbalanced thyroid can cause mood swings, including depression or anxiety—not a good start when you want to change things in your life.
 

Stress Hormones

Stress hormones like cortisol play a crucial role in the body's response to stressful situations. If you've had too much stress in your life, you have too many stress hormones in your body, possibly due to early childhood traumas.

When you are stressed, it becomes incredibly difficult to stick to resolutions. Before you start losing weight, exercising more, quitting an addiction, or stopping taking things personally, you need to reduce stress. Otherwise, you risk jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Failures due to stress create more stress, leading you to feel worthless and give up. Stress hormones disrupt everything: your body goes into survival mode, your brain operates on short-term thinking, and you can't resist addictions, stay calm, or exercise vigorously. In survival mode, your digestion falters, your adrenal glands overwork, making you more tired, and you sleep poorly. This downward spiral makes weight loss nearly impossible, leaving activities like walking or gentle yoga as the most you can manage.
 

Melatonin

Melatonin, produced by the pineal gland in the brain, regulates the sleep-wake cycle. Poor sleep diminishes willpower and perseverance, increasing stress and hunger while reducing satiety, making you feel unstable. Everything feels too heavy, and your resolutions fall apart with frequent poor sleep. Melatonin production begins when it gets dark. Avoid screens late at night or use a special blue-light-blocking glasses. Preferably, sleep before 11 PM, as melatonin production works best with a regular schedule.

Insulin

Another highly influential hormone is insulin. Eating carbohydrates throughout the day causes your blood sugar to fluctuate. Carbohydrates aren't just sugar and cookies, but also rice, potatoes, pasta, lentils, beans, fruit, bread, crackers, oatmeal, and even oat milk. The result is blood sugar spikes followed by dips.

An unstable blood sugar level increases cravings for carbohydrates, leading to emotional imbalances. You might find yourself easily irritated, angry, or sad, even feeling depressed and extremely tired. Sticking to resolutions becomes nearly impossible. Your reactions to situations are heavily influenced by your blood sugar levels, leading you to give in to addictions and bad habits, losing control and feeling frustrated with yourself. Prolonged instability can lead to insulin resistance (and eventually diabetes), where insulin no longer reaches the cells effectively, leaving you hungry and storing almost every bite as fat.

Serotonin and Dopamine

Serotonin and dopamine are neurotransmitters crucial for regulating mood, motivation, reward, and self-control. They significantly impact your ability to stick to resolutions and implement positive behavioral changes.

Adequate serotonin levels help reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, making it easier to work on resolutions. Impulse control and self-discipline are influenced by serotonin.

Dopamine is involved in the brain's reward system, playing a key role in motivation. It is released in response to rewards and pleasure. Positive results from resolutions, such as weight loss or improved health, can increase dopamine levels and motivate you to continue. Unfortunately, many addictions provide a dopamine rush, making them harder to give up. Dopamine is also related to focus and goal-directed behavior. Progress towards goals releases dopamine, enhancing focus and perseverance.

A healthy gut (where most serotonin is produced) and plenty of physical activity are important for serotonin and dopamine production.
 

Progesterone and Estrogen

The influence of progesterone and estrogen on your resolutions is less known. Let's focus more on these and explain their impact through the menstrual cycle.

The Influence of the Menstrual Cycle on Resolutions

During specific periods of the menstrual cycle, a woman's body reacts differently to everything. The hormonal changes throughout the cycle affect appetite, metabolism, psychological and physical state, and energy levels. Understanding these changes can help you manage your resolutions more wisely.

Different Phases of the Menstrual Cycle

• Menstruation (Days 1-5): Women often feel tired and need more rest. Some women still have energy, while others feel less energetic. During these days, take it easy but don't give in to cravings or irritations. Recognize that your hormones are influencing you and it will pass.

• Follicular Phase (Approximately Days 6-14): Estrogen levels rise, and women generally feel good mentally and physically. This is a good time for intense physical activity and stricter healthy eating. Starting new habits or quitting addictions is easier. Socializing, asking for a raise, or tackling difficult tasks are more manageable during this phase.

• Ovulation Phase (Approximately Days 15-17): Energy and alertness peak during ovulation. This is the height of the previous phase and your optimal time.

• Luteal Phase (Approximately Days 18-28): Progesterone levels rise, leading to a more relaxed feeling. This is not the time to start implementing resolutions. Once new habits are established, you have more willpower to resist old habits. Exercise should be lighter—more repetitions with lower weight, more stretching or yoga. Allow yourself to rest more to avoid adding stress that could hinder your progress. Avoid stressful and irritating social interactions. Work hard but not at full capacity. Respect both your resolutions and your hormonal phase.

The above scenario is ideal when hormones are (reasonably) balanced. With estrogen dominance, where the balance between estrogen and progesterone is disturbed, you risk never feeling good.
 

Successfully Implementing Resolutions in Your Life

It all starts with writing down your goals. Know where you want to go and what you want to experience this year. What steps do you need to take? What is your motivation? What is achievable? Do you truly want it? Are you willing to pay the price (not participating in eating and drinking, exercising or studying instead of watching TV, overcoming social anxiety, making new friends, joining a dating site, etc.)?

First, address the stress in your life. Make different choices. There's always a way to reduce stress. Don’t follow the rules as they are but prioritize your health. We can have a session if you need tips and tricks for your life.

Eliminate estrogen dominance and balance estrogen and progesterone. A few months of treatment can make a big difference.

Eat under 50 grams of carbohydrates per day for 3 months. Use an app like FatSecret to track it. Consider wearing a blood sugar sensor for 2 weeks to see how your body reacts to food. Measuring is knowing in this case.

Get blood tests from your doctor. Check for vitamin deficiencies, thyroid hormone levels, and inflammation.

Take probiotics and betaine HCL for good gut health. Poor gut health = poor overall health. Consider taking 5-HTP if your moods fluctuate too much.

Exercise is the foundation of almost everything. Physical activity improves all your hormones.

Try to bring more structure into your life. Regular eating, drinking, sleeping, waking, tension, relaxation, and especially exercise.

And most importantly: Enjoy the process. The ups and downs. Step by step, reaching your goal. Giving up is no longer an option.