We talk a lot about the best ways to maintain balanced hormones – eat appropriately, get enough sleep, exercise, eliminate toxins and reduce your stress levels – but what happens around age 40 when our hormones start to naturally decline?

In the years leading up to menopause, known as perimenopause, women start having hormone fluctuations starting with lower progesterone. Add in some stress and your progesterone lowers even more because your body will use it to help make more cortisol. Once menopause hits, your estrogen will begin to fall significantly, and you might notice an increase of fat around your belly. This happens because some of estrogen’s functions are to increase metabolism and insulin sensitivity. As perimenopause and menopause progress, symptoms might increase including hot flashes, weight gain, difficulty sleeping and a host of other problems. Some women can relieve these symptoms with lifestyle changes, supplements and herbs, while other women might choose to replace missing hormones with replacement therapy.

Men can’t escape weight gain due to hormone imbalances either. As men age, testosterone – a hormone with many functions to help maintain weight – starts to decline. And due to lifestyle habits, many men under the age of 40 have low testosterone levels for their age. Low testosterone leads to increase fat mass and weight gain, which then sets off a chain reaction that often leads to fatigue, depression, inflammation, and further weight gain.

We’ve talked a lot about how stress can lead to hormone imbalances and weight gain, but another side effect to stress concerns the thyroid. The thyroid is in charge of metabolism. If your cortisol is high due to stress it tells your body to conserve energy, therefore your thyroid secretes less active hormone and reduce your metabolism, leading to weight gain.

If you’re still having trouble overcoming symptoms of hormone imbalance even after making lifestyle changes, you may want to consider hormone replacement therapy. However, it’s very important to find a physician that specializes in hormone testing and is dedicated to treating the underlying cause of your symptoms and not just your symptoms. A physician who understands bioidentical hormones is also important because they have the correct shape to fit into all the receptors on the cells in your body.

There is a great deal of confusion regarding the connection between hormones and breast cancer. I believe that breast cancer can be related to an imbalance between hormones such as estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. As I have said before, many things can lead to these imbalances such as stress, poor diet, lack of exercise and toxin exposure.  One of the interesting experiences I have had since my breast cancer diagnosis is wondering what I “did wrong” to develop breast cancer. I have realized that it is an exercise in futility to beat yourself up over “how” you get something like this; you just move forward and optimize as many parts of your life as you can.

Another interesting thing about breast cancers is that there are different types. Breast cancers are typed by what hormone receptors they express. Some breast cancers express estrogen receptors (known as estrogen receptor positive). These are the breast cancers that are sensitive to estrogens and women with these types of cancer should reduce their estrogen exposure. Other breast cancers express receptors to the hormone progesterone and to HER2 receptors. In normal, healthy breast cells, HER2 receptors receive signals that stimulate their growth. With too many HER2 receptors, however, breast cancer cells grow and divide too quickly. Depending on the receptors expressed, the breast cancers can be classified as positive or negative for estrogen, progesterone and HER2. Treatment options are based on which receptors are positive on the breast cancer cells.

Approximately 10-20 percent of breast cancers do not express any of these receptors. They are known as triple negative breast cancers (TNBC). This is the type of breast cancer I have. It is not hormonally sensitive (so I could take hormones if I needed them). These types of breast cancers tend to occur in younger women (under the age of 40 or 50), black and Hispanic women and women with genetic mutations such as BRACA 1 and 2. Some of the main issues with triple negative breast cancers are that they are harder to treat and more aggressive. However, there are many therapies that show promise in treating TNBC and it is a very hot area of cancer research. I have an amazing team in my corner and am positive that I will overcome this challenge and be around to share information with you for decades to come.

When it comes to exercise, it is usually recommended that we partake in 30-40 minutes of cardio alternated with strength training sessions. However, studies are showing that interval training and strength training using complex, functional movements, rather than isolated movements, provides better fitness results in better hormone profiles.

A functional movement is one that mimics the nerve and muscle patterns that we use in everyday life. One of the benefits is that they create a high neuroendocrine response, which means they are helpful in boosting the hormones that we want boosted, such as testosterone and natural human growth hormone.

Today, I’d like to pay particular attention to a form of exercising called Tabata Exercises. Named for Dr. Tabata of the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Japan, Tabata Exercises consist of intermittent training using 8 sets of 20 seconds at maximum intensity and then rest for 10 seconds between each bout. Dr. Tabata found that this high intensity intermittent training improved both anaerobic and aerobic supply systems significantly. And what is really great is that within 4 minutes you get an incredibly intense workout. I often use this method with squats, sit-ups or pushups, but you could do it with almost anything; sprinting, rowing, cycling, pull-ups, jump rope, etc.

These short bursts of exercises, followed by 10 seconds of rest allows the body to recover and doesn’t put too much strain on cortisol.

Dr. Stanton was recently asked to contribute to an article titled, “10 Things You Don’t Know about Heart Health but Should.” Dr. Stanton explained how testosterone is very important for heart function and how men can keep their testosterone levels up by limiting stress and getting enough sleep as well as eating a proper diet and strength training.

Read the article for other facts about heart health you might not know.

With Valentine’s Day just a few days away, I thought I would focus this week’s article on libido issues and how you can increase libido and desire for a more fulfilling love life with your Valentine. Testosterone is considered the “life force hormone” as it supports sex drive and sexual function.

The most significant testosterone robber is a large waist, which leads to low sex drive, erectile dysfunction, depressed mood, sleep disturbances, lethargy and diminished physical performance. Weight gain also accelerates decline in testosterone levels.

For many men, erectile dysfunction can be resolved with weight loss, instead of medications. So, put away the Viagra and start the following regimen to improve your libido. 

• Manage stress – excessive demand for cortisol limits testosterone production and over time, leads to increased belly fat, further reducing testosterone levels.
• Proper diet – too much sugary and starchy foods will spike blood sugar, which is a form of physical stress triggering excess production of cortisol and then we’ll end up with the scenario mentioned above.
• Physical activity – even just daily walks will help get your testosterone levels up and maintain other hormones at healthy levels.
• Sleep – getting enough sleep is a prerequisite for maintaining optimum testosterone production.
• Saw Palmetto – Native Americans used berries of the saw palmetto to boost libido and today it is available as a dietary supplement for prostate health.

Of course, a healthy lifestyle also has more significant benefits to your overall health since low testosterone is associated with heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and prostate cancer. But if increasing libido is what gets you on the path to health, I’ll take it.

There are a lot of factors to take into consideration when keeping your heart healthy – diet, exercise, family history. New research suggests you might also want to keep an eye on your testosterone levels.

Over the last decade, a large body of literature has emerged suggesting that a link exists between androgen deficiency and cardiovascular disease. It has been concluded that testosterone levels are consistently lower in men with cardiovascular disease.

A number of other studies have suggested that reduced testosterone levels are also associated with increased total cholesterol and increased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL). Testosterone replacement therapy for androgen deficiency reduced total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Lower testosterone levels in aging are also associated with elevated triglycerides and increased risk for insulin resistance and diabetes.

So what are some ways you can elevate your testosterone levels?

• Lose the belly fat. Excess weight around the midsection leads to more estrogen, less testosterone.
• Lift weights. Training your muscles by lifting weights has shown to increase testosterone and your natural production of growth hormone.
• Make nuts your snack of choice. Monounsaturated fats help raise testosterone. Good sources are nuts, organic peanut butter, canola oil and olive oil.
• Don’t overtrain. Yes, lifting weights is good for raising testosterone, but you also must give your body adequate time to recuperate. Get eight hours of sleep and never train the same muscles two days in a row.
• Don’t binge drink. Alcohol can cause a reduction in your testosterone production and the higher levels that occur with binge drinking make it worse.

Also, keep a good eye on your testosterone levels by having your physician test them periodically. If your levels are too low and you have symptoms of low testosterone, you may want to speak with your physician about prescribing bioidentical testosterone to fit your needs.

I’ll be participating in a free teleseminar series on hormone health called “Turning Back the Clock: Rejuvenate Your Hormones, Your Health and Your Life – Naturally,” presented by Pomegranate Health and WomenWise International.

The series will take place from October 26-December 7 and feature seven of the natural health world’s leading experts on hormone health. My appearance will take place November 2 and will focus on keeping your mind sharp as a tack.

Here’s more details on my topic: The Brain Hormone Connection – How To Feel Well, Have Fun And Remember What You’re Doing!!

Most people think about menopausal symptoms when they think about hormones. However, hormone balance is very important to the overall health of your brain. Hormones such as estrogen, testosterone, cortisol and thyroid all profoundly affect how you think, feel and remember. Attendees will find out how to keep these hormones in balance to optimize your mood, memory and concentration while minimizing your risk for brain health problems like Alzheimer’s. You’ll discover the best nutrients and lifestyle tactics for your mental health.

Sign up and reserve your spot at www.healthywomanseminar.com. All you need is a phone or computer with speakers.

Our sex hormones – estrogen, progesterone and testosterone – work together to build us up, giving us our strength and resilience, however, as we age, these key hormones start to decline. Other factors besides our natural aging cycle can also cause a decrease in levels. Those factors pertain to our lifestyles, such as, eating the wrong foods, living in a state of chronic stress, being overweight, getting too little exercise and being exposed to too many environmental toxins.

Sex hormones play many important roles in our bodies. Estrogen performs more than 400 functions in the female body, such as maintaining memory, mood and muscles, maintaining bone and protecting against osteoporosis and protecting against heart disease. Progesterone has a calming effect and enhances mood, balances blood sugar and thyroid function and rebuilds bone. Testosterone builds muscle, increases energy and libido, enhances sense of well-being and strengthens bone.

This situation of declining sex hormones can be addressed with bioidentical hormones, but in order to sustain long-term health and well-being, certain lifestyle requirements must be followed. Changes in the way we live can be difficult at first, but once it becomes routine, it becomes the new way of living and can be done naturally, without much thought.

Proper nutrition and getting essential nutrients is key. Then comes stress management. We can’t live in a constant state of stress. It is important to stop and evaluate what the major stressors are in life and address ways to control and respond to this stress, not react to it. Taking part in physical activity also helps build up our hormones by eliminating excess weight, which is one of the biggest robbers of testosterone.

Adopting a way of life that fosters optimum functioning of our hormones will lead to a healthier, happier and longer life.