So how is your sex life? Is it robust and exciting? Predictable but enjoyable? Boring? No interest?
Did you know that your health has a huge impact on your sex life? Healthy, balanced hormones are at the core of a strong libido. When your hormones are out of whack, it can have a direct impact on your drive, your experience and whether you even want to get into things in the first place.
Which hormones affect your libido?
- Estrogen
- Progesterone
- Testosterone
- DHEA
- Cortisol and overall Adrenal Health
- Thyroid Hormones
- Melatonin
Estrogen is the main sex driver for women and Testosterone is for men but all of these hormones can impact your overall wellbeing, your energy and your libido.
So how do you balance your hormones? In a nutshell, it’s the foods we eat, the supplements we take, our activity level and our mindset and heartset. Let’s break it down.
You are What you Eat
At the core of healthy living is first and foremost to take care of your gut and your bowels. We need a combination of fibre, water and nutrients to have a healthy gut. We need to maintain healthy bowel movements so we can keep toxins from building up in our bodies. We also need to keep our liver healthy so it can process hormones (especially estrogen) to keep them in balance. The liver also removes toxins from our blood and keeps us healthy. So what are the nutrition basics that I recommend for everyone?
- Lots of pure, filtered water. General rule of thumb is one litre for every 50 pounds of bodyweight. More if you sweat a lot or work in a hot environment.
- Greens …. lots of leafy greens and cruciferous veggies. Things like broccoli (a powerhouse vegetable), brussels sprouts, kale, spinach, chard. Word of caution, these are best eaten either sauteed or lightly steamed, especially if you have any kind of thyroid issue. Vegetables in general. Don’t get hung up on whether carrots, beets and sweet potatoes have too much natural sugar. They are powerhouse veggies. If you’re that concerned, eat them with some protein or fat to help slow down absorption of the sugars.
- Plenty of clean protein and yes that includes animal protein. Unless you have a health issue that precludes you from eating animal protein, don’t be afraid of it. However, you DO need to be careful of your sources. Grass fed beef is best as long as it’s not corn finished. The corn fed to animals is generally GMO, promotes fatty meat that is not healthy. Buy the best quality of meat possible. By the way … a portion of animal protein is only the size of the palm of your hand. Chicken and eggs should be cage free, free range. If you do not eat animal protein, please look into proper food combining to ensure you get all the amino acids you need.
- A good quality vegan protein powder (or whey if you do eat meat products) can really fill in the gaps. You can also buy BCAA (branched chain amino acids) in powder form to ensure you’re getting these essential nutrients and they help balance your electrolytes as well.
- If you eat grains of any type, pasta or potatoes, a portion is the size of your fist. As far as veggies are concerned, I wouldn’t really limit those too much. One caveat though … if you’re new to eating veggies or any type of fibre, start slow and drink plenty of water.
As far as specific diets are concerned, there is no one size fits all. Some do well on keto; others do not. Some people cannot eat animal proteins; others need animal proteins to thrive. For some, intermittent fasting works wonders; for others they need food on a more regular basis.
I know I’ve spent a lot of time talking about food but food is the core of our health. I’m not going to tell you to remove anything from your diet because I don’t know your individual circumstances. I am going to suggest that you limit caffeine, alcohol, processed foods and especially sugar.
So how does this all impact your love life? If you’re not eating the right foods, keeping your gut healthy and your bowels moving, your hormones can get out of balance. When they’re out of balance, your libido goes with it.
Short term, gentle, whole foods detoxes can be very beneficial. The best times are Spring, Fall and even January. If you’re interested, I do have a 10 day whole foods detox available here. There’s also a six week hormone balance, weight loss program and a twelve-week personalized coaching program if you need extra help.
Supplements
I won’t get into the particulars because the combination of supplements that you need are as individual as you are. For a healthy immune system however, my recommendations are as follows:
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Zinc
- Goji Berry Juice
- Chaga Mushroom
- Clean, quality protein
- Quality greens supplement (can be pill, powder or liquid)
Other than the above, you may need fish oil, quercetin (for allergies), Vitamin E (which I recommend for women who have hit menopause … it’ll help keep you juicy plus it’s a powerful antioxidant), B complex, Maca, and numerous other options. It all depends on what your body needs. To help with this I highly recommend talking to a holistic nutritionist (such as myself) for help in this area.
Time to Move!
I cannot stress how important staying active is. Whether you practice yoga, run, weight lift, golf, walk, play volleyball or do tai chi, keeping your body moving will help you in your day to day activities, especially as we age. Here’s the kicker though … exercise can stress the body if you are doing it too intensely without giving it good nutrition and supplementation.
Keeping your Mind Sharp
Yes, there are supplements that can help, but nothing beats using your brain to keep it in shape. Whether you read, do crossword puzzles or sudoku, never stop learning. Participate in active discussions with people. Talk to people from other cultures about what life is like in their home country. There are all kinds of ways of staying mentally active and keeping physically active and eating a healthy diet are critical.
Heartset
This may sound a little odd to you. It is so important to get in touch with your feelings (guys … this means you too), feel what you’re feeling, talk it out (even just with yourself), and allow it to move THROUGH you. Please do NOT stifle your feelings or push them down. This just adds to stress which damages your immune system and your health.
Stress Management
I talk about stress management a LOT because it can literally kill you if it’s left unchecked. Exercise, eat healthy, take adaptogens, talk about your feelings, stay active, have sex. These are some of the best ways to manage chronic stress to ensure that it does not make you sick.
If you need help with any of the above areas, please reach out to me at sandy@letstalksexwithsandy.com. I offer a free 30 minute call to discover how I can help you best. You can book your call at https://calendly.com/letstalksex/30min.