Women usually suffer from hormonal imbalance, especially after the age of 25 years and up to their 40's. In the younger years, some symptoms may pass unnoticed, but they tend to become more severe with age. Hormonal imbalance manifests through all kinds of signs, like depression, fatigue, anxiety, headaches, decrease in libido or weight gain. Some symptoms, like wrinkled skin, may be less noxious than others. The bad part is that hormonal imbalance may manifest through more severe symptoms, like osteoporosis, urinary infections, uterine fibroids, fibrocystic breasts and endometriosis.

Hormonal imbalance has its roots in the existing balance in the female body between progesterone and estrogen. Any lack of equilibrium between this two hormones has important consequences in the female's health. This balance depends on a lot of factors and it can present different aspects from month to month. Factors like stress, diet, exercise and ovulation have an important impact on the hormonal balance in the body. When the amount of one of the female hormones decreases or increases, what happens is hormonal imbalance.

Lack of ovulation is an important factor that can lead to hormonal imbalance. Here is how estrogen and progesterone work in the female body. For 10-12 days from the beginning of a cycle, the body only produces estrogen. The other hormone, progesterone, is made by the ovaries and this process starts when the ovulation takes place. The level of the two hormones drops only when the menstruation appears. So, if ovulation does not occur, the body has only estrogen and almost no progesterone, and this leads to hormonal imbalance.

Hormonal imbalance can be provoked by a lot of exterior factors. In today's modern world, women lead a stressful life and their organisms are exposed to all kinds of factors. Birth control pills, pollution, chemicals used for cleaning in your own home, a poor diet or surgery made on the reproductive apparatus, all can cause an increase of estrogen in the female body. The level of estrogen cannot be balance by progesterone, so hormonal imbalance occurs.

If you think you are suffering from hormonal imbalance, there are some ways to find out if your worries are justified. Some health clinics offer free online tests that you may take if you want to know what is going on inside your body. After you answer all the questions about the symptoms you experience and the state of your health, the test will return results that will tell you important facts about yourself. You may take your research even beyond the results and learn about hormonal imbalance and natural treatments that you may follow if you want to get rid of the symptoms mentioned above.

What causes stress?

Feelings of stress are caused by the body's instinct to defend itself. This instinct is good in emergencies, such as getting out of the way of a speeding car. But stress can cause unhealthy physical symptoms if it goes on for too long, such as in response to life's daily challenges and changes.

When this happens, it's as though your body gets ready to jump out of the way of the car, but you're sitting still. Your body is working overtime, with no place to put all the extra energy. This can make you feel anxious, afraid, worried and uptight.

What changes may be stressful?

Any sort of change can make you feel stressed, even good change. It's not just the change or event itself, but also how you react to it that matters. What's stressful is different for each person. For example, one person may feel stressed by retiring from work, while someone else may not.

Other things that may be stressful include being laid off from your job, your child leaving or returning home, the death of your spouse, divorce or marriage, an illness, an injury, a job promotion, money problems, moving, or having a baby.

Can stress hurt my health?

Stress can cause health problems or make health problems worse. Talk to your family doctor if you think some of your symptoms are caused by stress. It's important to make sure that your symptoms aren't caused by other health problems.

Possible signs of stress

• Anxiety
• Back pain
• Constipation or diarrhea
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• High blood pressure
• Trouble sleeping or insomnia
• Problems with relationships
• Shortness of breath
• Stiff neck or jaw
• Upset stomach
• Weight gain or loss

What can I do to manage my stress?
The first step is to learn to recognize when you're feeling stressed. Early warning signs of stress include tension in your shoulders and neck, or clenching your hands into fists.

The next step is to choose a way to deal with your stress. One way is to avoid the event or thing that leads to your stress--but often this is not possible. A second way is to change how you react to stress. This is often the more practical way.

Tips for dealing with stress

• Don't worry about things you can't control, such as the weather.
• Solve the little problems. This can help you gain a feeling of control.
• Prepare to the best of your ability for events you know may be stressful, such as a job interview.
• Try to look at change as a positive challenge, not as a threat.
• Work to resolve conflicts with other people.
• Talk with a trusted friend, family member or counselor.
• Set realistic goals at home and at work. Avoid overscheduling.
• Exercise on a regular basis.
• Eat regular, well-balanced meals and get enough sleep.
• Meditate.
• Participate in something you don't find stressful, such as sports, social events or hobbies

Why is exercise useful?

Exercise is a good way to deal with stress because it's a healthy way to relieve your pent-up energy and tension. Exercise is known to release feel-good brain chemicals. It also helps you get in better shape, which makes you feel better overall.

Tips to Increase Stamina:

Sticking to an exercise regimen can help you control your weight, cut your risk of chronic disease and boost your self-esteem and coordination. Whether you already get regular physical activity or are just starting out, you'll need to build stamina to meet fitness goals without risking soreness or injury. Use simple strategies to increase endurance to complete your workout.

Start Slowly
When you start a new exercise program, it's important to gradually increase the duration and intensity of your workout rather than pushing yourself into a full program immediately.  A sports medicine instructor at the Baylor College of Medicine, notes that you should combine walking and running or break up your workout into two shorter sessions each day until you build enough stamina to run the desired distance.

Consume Carbohydrates
A diet rich in carbohydrates can provide your body with starches and sugars that your muscles can use as energy to boost endurance. You should eat foods such as cereal, bread, fruits, vegetables, pasta and milk to obtain carbohydrates, and that you'll increase your fitness performance if more than half of the calories you consume daily feature carbohydrates.

Stay Hydrated
If you keep yourself hydrated while exercising, you'll prevent a reduction in your endurance. Stamina goes down by approximately 25 percent when you lose 1.5 quarts of water and recommends drinking 4 quarts each day to replace liquids lost during exercise. I recommend drinking water before, during and after physical activity. You can also consume a sports drink featuring electrolytes, which contains carbohydrates that can boost stamina.

Curb Bad Habits
Habits that affect your health and physical fitness can negatively affect your stamina. Quitting smoking, for instance, since the habit can impair your lung function and cut your endurance when participating in athletic activities.

Stay Motivated
Inspirational tactics and a positive mental attitude can help you meet physical challenges as you build stamina. Working out with a partner so you can help each other stay motivated and keep up with fitness goals. If you participate in a physical activity outdoors,  finding a way to maintain the workout routine throughout the months with inclement weather since you'll have to rebuild your stamina if you take an extended break from the routine.

Overview
Iron is a vital component of red blood cells that carry oxygen from your lung to the rest of the body. Over time, low levels of iron can lead to iron deficiency anemia. Symptoms of this condition include poor work performance, fatigue, pale skin, shortness of breath, loss of appetite and rapid heart rate. Iron deficiency during pregnancy can lead to small or premature babies.

Causes
Regular intense exercise or gastrointestinal disorders, such as celiac disease, which reduces the absorption of iron in your body, can cause low iron levels. People who have had a gastric bypass surgery or chronic blood loss can also develop a deficiency. Menstruating females and pregnant women are also likely to develop low iron levels due to the increased demand of iron. A low dietary intake of iron, such as following a vegetarian diet, can also result in low levels.

Recommended Intake
The recommended daily intake of iron is 18 mg for women ages 19 to 50 and 8 mg for men of the same age. Girls ages 14 to 18 require 15 mg per day, while boys require 11 mg. Adults ages 51 and older and children ages 9 to 13 require 8 mg daily. The recommended intake is 10 mg for children ages 4 to 8, 7 mg for children ages 1 to 3 and 11 mg for infants 7 to 12 months. Pregnant women require 27 mg to supply enough oxygen to mother and fetus.

Dietary Sources
You should consume iron-rich foods regularly to raise your iron levels. Your body absorbs the iron from animal sources more efficiently than from plant sources. Lean beef, eggs, liver, seafood and poultry are, therefore, excellent sources of iron. Seafood selections include oysters, shrimp, tuna and sardines. The U.S. Department of Agriculture lists lentils, chickpeas, soybeans, red kidney beans, spinach, turnip greens, cowpeas and tomatoes as good plant sources of iron. Iron is added to many food products such as malted drinks, bread, rice, pasta and breakfast cereals.

Iron Absorption
To maximize the absorption of iron in your body, combine iron-rich foods with vitamin C-rich foods such as citrus fruits and juices, green pepper, broccoli, cantaloupe, tomatoes and baked potatoes. An article in the June 2011 issue of the ''American Journal of Clinical Nutrition'' notes that calcium interferes with the absorption of iron. As such, you should avoid consuming iron-rich foods with foods providing calcium such as white bread, milk, cheese, yogurt and Chinese cabbage. Avoid consuming tea, coffee and whole grains with iron-rich meals as they also reduce iron absorption.

How does one put knowledge into practice around eating and exercise? Here is the process I have watched and encouraged in my clients over the decades.

Familiarize oneself with what the knowledge is; Understand that eating healthfully takes more than knowledge about how and what to eat. You have heard the expression that as people live, so they die. Similarly, I believe that as people live, so they eat and exercise.

• Healthy eating and healthy living are about knowing who we are and what we need, and how to get those needs met.
  
• Healthy eating and healthy living are about making a commitment to valuing ourselves and our priorites, our bodies, our capacity to think and solve problems responsibly and accurately.
  
• Healthy eating is about sound decision-making.
  
• Healthy eating and exercise, like healthy living, is balanced, flexible, and devoid of excess.

How to Begin

1. Choose an activity that you enjoy. The best exercise for you is the one you'll actually do, not the one you think you should do. Walking is a great place to start since it doesn't require special equipment and you can do it anywhere, but you can try any activity that involves some type of continuous movement like cycling, swimming, running, aerobics, rowing, stairclimbing, etc.
2. Start with 2 or 3 days of your chosen activity a week with a rest day between workouts.
3. Begin with a 5-10 minute warm up of light cardio to gradually increase heart rate.
4. Increase your pace and intensity to slightly harder than comfortable (about a Level 5 or 6 on the Perceived Exertion Scale or you can use Target Heart Rate to monitor intensity) and go as long as you comfortably can. Begin where you ARE, not where you want to be. You may only be able to exercise for a few minutes at a time, but that will change quickly if you're consistent.
5. End each workout with a cool down of light cardio and stretch the muscles you've worked to relax and keep your muscles flexible.
6. Each week, increase your workout time by a few minutes until you can work continuously for 30 minutes a session.
7. Don't worry about distance or pace. For the first few weeks, focus on showing up for your workouts and building time. You have plenty of time to work on your speed and distance.
8. After 4-6 weeks, change your routine by adding another day of exercise, increasing your pace/intensity, adding a new activity and/or increasing the amount of time you exercise.

Tips for Better Workouts

• Make sure you have quality shoes for your chosen activity.
• Start slowly. Doing too much too soon can lead to injuries and misery.
• Try new activities. Doing the same thing can lead to plateaus, boredom and injuries.
• Be ready for exercise by feeding your body regularly throughout the day and by staying hydrated.
• If you're sore or tired, give yourself extra recovery days if needed.

We all experience stress from time to time. When stress gets to be too much, it can take a toll on our health and wellbeing. That's why effective stress relievers are essential in restoring inner peace and physical health.

Here is a growing list of stress relievers that can help you feel less affected by stress in your life..

1. Spend quality time with friends and family
   
2. Self-Hypnosis
3. Read a good book
   
4. Journaling
5. Meditation
6. Take a bath/hot tub
   
7. Yoga
8. Breathing
9. Play with your animal
   
10. Sex
11. Laughter
12. Count your blessings
    
13. Music Therapy
14. Take a Walk
15. Plant a Garden
16. Time Management
17. Listen To Music
18. Eat a Balanced Diet
19. Learn Assertive Communication Skills
20. Watch a go
    
21. Reduce Caffeine Intake
22. Drink in Moderation
23. Don’t Procrastinate
24. Drink Green Tea
25. Work out with TAYA! ;)

Do you get enough sleep?

If you are like most people, the answer is probably "no".   Add care giving to the equation, and the ability and time to get enough sleep fades quickly.  Most of us use weekends to catch up on sleep just a little.  But if you require extra sleep each weekend or are tired during the day, you are probably not getting enough sleep during the night.   

Everyone's sleep requirements vary between 6-8 hours for an average healthy adult.  Most people need around 8 hours but get substantially less than that every night.

Sleep deprivation takes its toll in many ways. You're more likely to lose your sense of humor and control of your emotions, be depressed and get sick. It can also be deadly. Driving while drowsy is responsible for more than 70,000 accidents a year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Sleep experts say Americans have not been adequately educated on the importance of healthy sleep. As a result, few Americans make sleep a priority. William Dement, M.D., founder and director of the Stanford University Sleep Disorders Center and author of the book The Promise of Sleep, considers the lack of awareness about sleep deprivation to be a national emergency: "The consequences of a sleep-deprived society include lost lives, lost income, disability, reduced productivity, accidents and decreased quality of family and social life." He adds that sleep actually has more influence on longevity than diet, exercise and heredity.

Are you sleep deprived? "If you are falling asleep at times when you don't plan to, that's a sign you're not getting enough sleep," says Thomas Roth, director of the Sleep Disorders and Research Center at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Mich. Signs you're sleep deprived include

• Waking up often and having trouble going back to sleep
• Falling asleep after a heavy meal
• Having difficulty remembering or concentrating
• Needing a nap most days
• Sleeping longer on weekends
• What you can do to get more sleep
  
  Managing your sleep debt is easier said than done. Today's 24-hours-a-day society makes our days longer and nights shorter. Roth suggests trying to get at least eight hours of sleep a night, catching up on missed sleep on weekends and napping when possible--and not treating sleep as a luxury. "There is a belief that productive people sleep less," Roth says. "People like Winston Churchill hardly slept, so people view sleep as a waste of time. Nothing could be further from the truth."Sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea further increase the national sleep debt. Increase your chances of getting some quality shut-eye with these tips from the National Sleep Foundation:

• Consume less caffeine (or none at all)
  
  
• Avoid alcohol
  
  
• Drink fewer fluids before going to sleep
  
  
• Establish a regular bedtime and waking schedule
  
  
• Avoid nicotine
  
  
• Avoid heavy meals close to bedtime
  
  
• Exercise regularly, but do so at least three hours before bedtime
  
  
• Try a relaxing routine, like a hot bath, before going to bed
  
  

"People generally are very poor at estimating how sleepy they are or how close they are to falling asleep," Dement says. "Because of this, they are in jeopardy of creating a tragic accident. Sleep debt is always going to win in the end."

If you’re like the majority of us, finding the motivation to start a workout is the hardest part. I’m not sure if it’s our natural resistance to change or our fear of slight discomfort, but we must start if we are to reach our goal. And if at first you don’t succeed: try, try again. It’s the parental mantra – live it, do it, keep your chin up, and your eyes on the goal.

Write Your Goals Down
To get started, write down your goal somewhere where you can see it often. It can be on the refrigerator, in a closet or locker, or even on a on a small note pad (ex: food log). This is a very effective method to stay focused and motivated, and motivation is the key to our success. Athletes often write their goals on the inside of their lockers as a constant reminder to keep pushing themselves to meet their goal.

Create Milestones
Sometimes our goals seem so abstract that we lose sight of where we are, in terms of attaining them. We need milestones and recurring assessments to stay focused. I’ve found the most motivating tool for me is to enter a running race. When I send away my $15 for a race, I feel committed. It can be a 1-mile fun run / walk, a 5k, or even a marathon. By entering a fitness event, like a race, you’re further demonstrating your commitment to reach your goal. Races are also wonderful social events where you can meet members of the community with goals similar to yours. It may also lead to a walking / running partner relationship, which are invaluable! If the race is your long-term goal, schedule a few ‘treats’ in the schedule. I usually pick something out like a running shirt, new shoes, going out to dinner, or another reward for meeting milestones.

Rest
It’s a natural tendency for us to want to streamline the processes and reach our goals as soon as we can. This can be overall detrimental to your fitness plan. Our bodies are wonderful biomechanical devices, fully equipped to adapt to our activity level and environment. But our bodies need rest after hard work. It’s in this rest that muscle rebuilds and energy stores are filled up again. When you plan your fitness program, schedule rest days. You may start with a 2-3 times a week workout plan, and increase this a few months later to a 3-4 workout per-week plan. Athletes that train every day often find themselves injured and taking months off. The body will get its rest one way or another.

Patience & Persistence
View your fitness program as a series of gradual steps. Steps will lead you to the top more effectively than climbing the face of a cliff. The reason that most exercise / fitness programs are short-lived is that we aggressively pursue our goal to the point where we exhaust ourselves in week 1 and lose the self motivation to continue. Give yourself time to reach your goal. If you’re exhausted, take an additional rest day. It’s better to lose a day here and there, than to stop the good habits that you’ve started. Your committed to the cause, take your time in getting there. Your fitness program should help enhance life’s enjoyment! :)

Having excess pounds on your body can not only cause you to feel self-conscious, but it can also raise your risk for multiple health problems. According to the University of California San Francisco Medical Center, being obese can raise your risks for high blood pressure, sleep apnea, cancer, osteoarthritis, diabetes and depression. If you have a few or a lot of pounds to lose, there are several things you can do to promote the process.

Reduction of Calories
Calorie counting might not be your thing, but if you are serious about losing pounds, it should be. Losing weight is really just a game of numbers. You need to expend more calories than you take in. This is called a caloric deficit. You can find your daily intake by tracking your calories for a full week, adding all the amounts together and dividing by seven. After getting this number, subtract 500 to 1,000 calories from it. It takes a 3,500 calorie reduction to lose one pound, so you can promote one to two pounds of weight loss per week by following this reduction.

Dietary Overhaul
Foods that are high in sugar, saturated fat and sodium should all be left out of your body when you want to lose pounds. The only foods you should consume are ones that are packed with nutrients. Exchange the burgers, fries, pizza, cupcakes and ice cream sandwiches for eggs, chicken breasts, lean beef, fish, whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables.

Increased Meals
To help promote weight loss, eat more often, but keep your portion sizes under control. This can keep you feeling satisfied, promote a higher metabolism and also give you high energy levels. Consume meals that are balanced with protein and complex carbs and eat every two to three hours throughout the day. Baked cod with steamed cauliflower and long grain rice is one example of a good meal.

Water Intake
Beverages that are high in calories and sugar can not only prevent you from losing pounds, but they can add more pounds. Milk shakes, slushies, dessert coffees, soft drinks, sweetened teas and alcoholic beverages all need to go. Drink water instead, as it can keep your calories under control and also hydrate your body. By drinking water with your meals, you can give yourself a false full feeling.

First Meal of the Day
It is said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and for good reason. By skipping this meal, you set yourself up for poor eating habits the rest of the day, plus the chance of becoming ravenous later in the morning and pigging out on junk food. Take the time to prepare and eat a well- balanced meal as soon as you get up. It doesn't need to be a five-course breakfast with all the trimmings. It just has to be healthful. A cup of yogurt with granola and fruit mixed in is a quick, satisfying meal.

Cardiovascular Training
Exercise is a must when you want to lose pounds. Cardiovascular training can burn calories efficiently while increasing your aerobic capacity. Any form of cardio is sufficient as long as you like and it gets your heart rate elevated. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, 60 to 90 minutes of cardio, performed four to five days a week can help promote weight loss. Brisk walking, swimming, running, stair stepping, kick boxing and jumping rope are examples.

Weight Training
Weight training is a form of exercise that builds muscle. This, in turn, can help raise your resting metabolic rate and promote a higher caloric expenditure when you are sitting still. Perform exercises that target all of your major muscle groups, such as push-ups, lateral raises, back extensions, triceps extensions, biceps curls and squats. Aim for 10 to 12 reps, three to four sets, and work out two to three times a week.