I am so grateful for the wisdom, support and love I have felt since joining the FLO living community last year! Nearly a decade of disordered eating and neglect had resulted in amenorrhea that lasted for over five years, and many doctors said my cycle would not return without birth control pills to "jump-start" my flow.I could barely hear my intuition at that point, but I followed its whisper and signed up for the hormonal sync system instead of taking the pills. I figured it was worth a try!Wow, during the first video session I learned more about my body and cycle than any previous books I'd read or courses I'd taken. The most surprising and inspiring part of the FLO journey was homework of adding pleasure back to my life - I had been taking myself so seriously and my life had become an overwhelming project.After two months of learning, experimenting, and making changes with lots of support from the FLO coaches and women in the program, I started to doubt whether I was doing the program "the right way" and my inner critic told me to stop being stubborn and just take the pills.Jess was leading a support call that day and I showed up and heard many women share similar stories of being stuck, and Jess loved us up and encouraged us to take the next step forward without shaming ourselves.The next morning after that call, my cycle returned after five years of being absent. I have now been back in the flow for 8 months in a row! FLO living helped uncover who I am so I can speak my truth and live in a way that honors my natural rhythms!I love that this program honors women and puts them in control of their health.Every woman will benefit from WomanCode and FLO living, and every woman deserves this gift of knowledge, empowerment, and community. Thank you, Alisa, Jess, and all of the FLO coaches and ladies on this path. I am so grateful for you!Love,Emily KoehlerHolistic Health Coach

When I started my women’s health coaching practice over a decade ago, I always had a vision for helping as many women as I could gain access to their inherent power and health.

The transformative work I experienced with individuals was too incredible to not spread it around: Clients of mine reported disappearing ovarian cysts, natural conception after years of trying everything, clear skin, painless periods, and creative leaps into their wildest dreams. What could be better than that?

As technology has progressed over the years, I’m thrilled that it has helped me integrate this work into a platform that could indeed reach many more women than I’d be able to on my own. Enter: The WomanCode System.This online program is the big sister of my other baby, WomanCode the book. Together, they are a power team designed to help you live your best life in a way that honors your natural cycles as a woman and helps you achieve what is you most desire.

If you’ve already become a member of the WomanCode System - go you! Click HERE for a fun way to share your story with me.

If you haven’t yet made the leap, I have a few things to share with you so that you are as informed and in-the-know as possible. If you’re dealing with any kind of hormonal imbalance, menstrual issue, fertility challenge, or plummet in the energy and libido department, then this program could be exactly what you need.

Here’s what you might not know about the WomanCode System:

1. It provides a built in community of women who are going through the same things you are. Did you know that as women we learn and grow better in community? Our biochemistry is wired for support. If you’ve been “on your own” with your health struggles, for too long and not seeing the results you want, this is an important point to consider.
2. Our FLO expert counselors are always on board to help you. Responses to your online community questions come within 24-48 hours, and if you need a little extra help than that, they are available for private coaching sessions. You can customize the level of support you most need by scheduling these sessions once or twice per month.
3. You can take a class anytime, anywhere. The program is virtual which means you can live anywhere in the world and follow through with it, as long as you have internet access. You can also do it at your own pace, so feel free to take your time in integrating each lesson before moving on to the next.
4. You’ll get full access to the FLO Living seasonal cleanses. In addition to the 4-day kick start cleanse I offer in the WomanCode book, the program give you access to 3 more cleanse: Spring, Fall, and the Post-Holiday Detox. You’ll be able to customize your cleanse experience to work with the seasons and cycles around you.
5. It’s yours for life. Once you sign up, the video lessons are yours forever. For-ev-er. You can retake a lesson if you need a boost in a certain area, and revisit the material anytime you’d like.

Pretty great, huh?Don’t delay any longer! Click here to get started on your WomanCode journey. I’ll be cheering you on every step of the way.

Love,

Alisa

You might consider yourself a “health nut” (and I mean that in the nicest possible way - as someone super enthusiastic about their health) if you can answer “yes” to any of the following questions:

-Have you done the paleo, raw, or vegan diet? Or maybe tried all three?

-Do you put a critical eye on ingredients labels, making sure to only buy what’s natural, non-GMO, gluten-free, sugar-free, and organic?

-Do you subscribe to all the latest health blogs and news outlets?

If it’s a yes, I can totally relate. (In my early days of becoming a health nut, I just about turned orange from drinking too much carrot juice, haha). I have always been the one in my family that gets called the health nut. And I love women that are pro-active about their health, taking it upon themselves to seek out the right treatments and solutions for them, just like I’ve always done. Here’s another question, though: Regardless of your “health nut” status, do you find you’re still experiencing any of the following symptoms?

-irregular or absent periods

-fatigue, low energy

-low libido

-cramps

-PMS, moodiness

-anxiety, depression

-skin issues

If that sounds familiar, I’d say it’s time to consider if your health-nuttiness is truly serving your hormonal balance.

If you feel like you eat in a way that’s healthy, clean, organic and fresh, plus work out, plus get your 8 hours of sleep a night, but you’re still experiencing hormonal health issues I can understand your frustration. The thing is, a lot of what we are taught to do to be “healthy” can actually harm our hormones. Health nut favorites like juice fasts, everyday cardio, elimination diets - they can all contribute to hormonal imbalances.Your period is your 5th vital sign of your health. Tracking and monitoring your cycle is important and when your period goes missing, your cycles are irregular, or if you have a lot of hormonal symptoms - then that’s a sign your body is trying to flag up a problem and you need to take notice. You may look great, but you may not feel very good. Ticking all the “health nut” boxes can still leave you with some gaps that you’re body is looking to fill for the good of your hormonal health. A great place to start is to do a period audit with my Period Type Quiz. It’s very quick and simple, just answer a few questions relating to your current period experience, and you’ll get immediate thoughts on the root cause of your hormonal health issues and some personalized advice. Your diet and your workout routine needs to be in harmony with your hormonal patterns and support your endocrine system specifically. For stable hormonal balance, your body requires certain nutrients and minerals, as well as a good source of fat, for example, which is often the ingredient that gets cast aside in the quest for healthiness. Women actually need to eat fat to lose weight and to have their period - this is just one example of how much of what we’ve been taught about “healthy living” is not right for female biology. Many of the trendiest, hottest diets just don’t work for women and are actually designed for men and their specific male biology. Some of them - like raw-centric or Paleo eating - may make you feel better in the short term, but this is rarely sustained. The only diet around designed with women in mind is the FLO Living protocol of Cycle Syncing, which is less of a diet and more of a lifestyle shift. Centering your hormonal patterns, your female biology, rather than discounting it as important is the key to living your healthiest life and feeling great. The simplest way to start Cycle Syncing is to use the myFLO app. This guides you phase-to-phase (using your period start dates) on what you need to eat and how you need to work out to support your body every step of the way. The advice is built-in, easy to follow, and will make cycle awareness like second nature in no time. From my experience, it often takes just a few tweaks with diet and a lot more knowledge about the inner workings of your endocrine system to get things balanced again.Every woman’s body is different, our hormonal patterns are individuated, and so everyone’s version of “health nut” needs to be different to accommodate our uniqueness. What’s your unique protocol going to be?Always remember, that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this – the science of your body is on your side!To your FLO,Alisa

What Period-Type are you?

How do you know if your hormones are healthy? The answer is in your period!The color of your flow, frequency of your period, and symptoms you have each month can tell you a lot about your health. There are 5 different PERIOD TYPES, and knowing which one you have will help you get healthy now and prevent disease in the future.Click here to take The V-SIGN TYPE™ Quiz NOW

Get ready, ‘cause this one’s personal!

What if I told you there was a magic pill that could bring your sex drive back to life? (or just rev it up?)What if you could find the time and energy amidst the kids and bills and work obligations to get busy in the bedroom?You would want that, right?As a sexy scientist I’ve put years of research and self-experimentation into finding the most efficient ways to balance your hormones and help you access your vibrant, sexy, powerful self.In a moment I’ll share with you my recipe for a naturally vibrant libido, but before we get to that there’s one more important piece of news to share.Drug companies are testing out a new “magic pill” called Lybrido whose purpose is to increase your sexual desire, and the response it’s getting is quite controversial:According to a New York Times piece, scientists are scared that you might become a “sexually aggressive” nymphomaniac under the influence of Lybrido and that it could cause “societal splintering.”What?!?This fear of female power evokes an outdated mentality, and I think it’s time we change it.But instead of siding with the drug companies to make this happen, let’s partner with the best weapon we have: our bodies.Click here for my recipe on the holistic solution to low libido and let’s get started!

In this video I’ll cover:

• how to nourish the root of your sexual desire
• top foods to avoid
• the surprising truth about caffeine (hint: you don’t have to give it up!)
• one tip for your man, if you’re in partnership with one

Now, we want to hear from you!

First: How would an increased libido improve your quality of life and the life of the world around you?Second: Do you believe that a women’s increased sexual expression will promote a more peaceful and productive world?Third: You know every one you know is hormonal – spread a little good ovary karma and share this article on social by clicking the buttons below

Need more Hormone Help?

If you’re needing some health upgrading, it’s time you started you looking into what’s going on with your hormones.I’ve designed a quiz to help you understand exactly what’s out of whack and how you can start getting back to balance so that your hormones no longer have to suffer.

Click here to get your quiz!

It’s been quite a few busy weeks since the launch of WomanCode, and as I gear up for book tour dates and events (including my launch party in NYC on April 23rd!) I’ve been practicing my best strategies for staying in the FLO when traveling. And as I’m sure you’re gearing up for your own summer travel plans, I thought it would be the perfect time to share these key strategies with you!

Here are my top 5 Travel Survival Tips and what to pack for each!

1. Keep your bathroom habits regular by packing these digestion essentials:

• Fiber supplements - Try these Flax Paks for your traveling convenience!
• Probiotics - Travel only with the capsules that are room-temperature-friendly likethese from Jarrow
• Digestive Enzymes - These can be super supportive if you are eating food you might not be used to. The Rainbow Light brand is one of my favorites!
• Water - a simple yet crucial ingredient! Staying hydrated while traveling is essential.

2. Protect your blood sugar balance by packing these snacks:

• Lara bars or Pure Organic bars - Simple ingredients, great taste, and easy to keep in your bag!
• Hard-boiled eggs - An easy way to get some protein in on the go!
• Dark Chocolate (70% or higher) - This will help you avoid some of the other sweets you’ll find in the airport that won’t be as good for you or your blood sugar balance.

3. Safeguard your immune system with these supplements:

• Vitamin C - Be liberal with the Vitamin C! 2,000 - 4,000 mg per day is ideal
• Zinc - 50 mg per day is also key for your immune system

4. Stay refreshed with these goodies:

• Lavender essential oil - This is my multi-purpose go-to oil! Just smelling it can help clear up headaches and promote relaxation. You can also apply it to skin blemishes and let it’s natural antibacterial action work its magic.
• Cleansing Towelettes - I love Herban Essentials’ travel towelette packs! In lemon, eucalyptus, and yes, lavender, they are great for cleansing your hands or face when stuck on an airplane.

5. Get those zzz’s and keep stress low no matter where you go with these key ingredients:

• Magnesium - preferably in the powdered ionic form (Natural CALM is our favorite brand) taken with water before going to sleep. They even come in convenient travel packs!
• Valerian & Passion Flower - key herbs to take 30 minutes before going to sleep will help pull you into la-la-land.
• Eye mask - bring something to cover your eyes while on the plane or in your hotel. The darkness will help your body’s natural melatonin production, making those zzz’s easier to get!

How will you travel this summer? Let me know what you think of these tips and share your own in the comments below!

My motto has always been “Have ovaries, will travel,” but since I can’t be everywhere at once, I’m going to do the next best thing: video!I’ve hand-picked some of the most common and insightful questions you’ve asked me, and for the next few months I’ll be answering those questions weekly on my new vlog series: Food, Love, and Ovaries.

How harmful is the pill? from Alisa Vitti on Vimeo.

Now, I want to hear from you!

First: Have you recently come off the Pill?Second: It’s easier to #quitthepill with support – let’s share our experiences.Third: You know every one you know is hormonal – spread a little good ovary karma and share this article on social by clicking the buttons below

Need more Hormone Help?

If you’re needing some health upgrading, it’s time you started you looking into what’s going on with your hormones.I’ve designed a 4 day hormone detox and evaluation to help you understand exactly what’s out of whack and how you can start getting back to balance so that your hormones no longer have to suffer.Click here to get your FREE detox and evaluation!

We often get questions about what to eat for hormonal balance and how to make it work in a busy schedule. Well here’s a sample day in the kitchen of one of our very own health coaches, Jess Grippo. She takes the approach that we all do here at FLO: cook once and eat for days!

Here’s the breakdown of what she made and how it worked for her:

When she made it:

Sunday, late afternoon, at the beginning of her follicular phase and the beginning of Spring. It’s a lighter, liver-cleansing week!

What she made:

• Simple Veggie Soup - with onion, garlic, celery, carrots, parsnip, zucchini, and string beans
• Sprouted Mung Beans
• Quinoa - made with seasonings
• Roasted broccoli & brussel sprouts - baked in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and sea salt
• Spring salad - mixed greens, chopped radish, cucmber, and yellow bell pepper, with sliced avocado

How long it took:

About an hour

How many meals it will last her:

5-6

Average cost of groceries:

$25 (not counting the basics like olive oil and spices)

Additional cost for chicken or fish or eggs

The Prep Plan:

• Preheat oven to 400 F
• Chop all veggies first.
• Put chopped salad ingredients in a tupperware and store in the fridge
• Store any fish or chicken in the fridge or freezer
• Begin cooking the soup in a large pot, and after boiling, let it remain on simmer, half way covered with a lid
• Soak the sprouted mung beans in boiling water
• Toss the broccoli and brussel sprouts ingredients together in a large pan and begin baking at 400 F (set timer for 30 minutes)
• Cook quinoa in a medium pot (12-5 minutes)
• Soup should be done by the time the broccoli/brussels are done in the oven!

The daily meal plan:

Day 1 (Day of Cooking)

Dinner

Veggie Soup with mung beans, side of quinoa

Day 2

Breakfast

Oatmeal with figs and almonds and cinnamon

Lunch

Quinoa pilaf with broccoli & brussels, plus 1/2 avocado and hard-boiled egg

Side salad

Dinner

Veggie Soup with mung beans

Fillet of fish

Day 3

Breakfast

Oatmeal with figs and almonds and cinnamon

Lunch

Mixed green salad with cucumber, radish, yellow bell pepper, avocado

Quinoa & mung beans

Dinner

chicken or fish with broccoli & brussels

bowl of soup

Notes from Jess:

I typically like to eat the same breakfast each week, but if you get bored feel free to switch it up! Also, depending on what I have scheduled for the week, I might eat certain lunch meals or dinners out, which means the home-cooked food lasts for an extra day or two.

Try it out and let me know what you think!

Ever wonder how the food you eat affects your hormones?

We’ve designed a quiz to help you the state of your hormonal balance and how our food-based protocol can help you heal fast.[gravityform id="1" name="Sign up here to get your quiz!" description="false"]

Low libido? What to do if it’s happening to you!

While it’s been a few years since we’ve seen formal studies on low libido in young women, we are seeing more and more social studies coming out that suggest young people (women included) are having less sex.

A new study from the Archives of Sexual Behavior showed that people are having far less sex now than they did even ten years ago. Another recent study from the same journal showed heterosexual women are having fewer orgasms than any other demographic.

Although our culture is becoming more “sex positive” and embracing sexuality as a healthy, essential part of our lives, it seems that we’re still having less sex and not always enjoying the sex we have to the fullest. Although our sex lives is a complex issue with many impacting factors, low libido or lack of sex drive is definitely one of the drivers behind this trend.

More and more women are coming to FLO Living reporting that their sex drive barely exists whether they are single or coupled, with or without kids. Having no to low libido is a common symptom that sometimes stands on its own, but more often than not is accompanied by other factors: fertility struggles, menstrual difficulties, adrenal fatigue and/or low energy.

If you can relate, then listen up. I’m calling this a silent epidemic, but don’t worry, help is at hand.

I believe that you have the power to shift this trend by making simple dietary and mindset changes. And we believe it because we’ve seen it. Women who follow the Sexy FLO program report incredible changes in their libido and energy, and we want to see the same happen for you. To start, let’s identify what could be the cause of your lack in sexual energy.

Main underlying causes of low libido in women in their 20s, 30s, and 40s:

• Over-working. Keeping up with insane work schedules in addition to other personal obligations adds up to a common result: burnout. In some countries they’ve had even to implement laws around when employees can and should check email in order to ease the work/life imbalance. Constant connection to the office via our smartphones can mean we’re never not working. Too much stress and too much demand on your mental and physical energy results in the depletion of your poor little adrenal glands, the powerhouse glands that are responsible for the output of your stress hormones and most of your testosterone, which is where that desire for sex comes from. Increased output of stress hormones means decreased output of juicy sex hormones. Stress can delay your period and make you gain weight - all because of how it impacts your hormone balance.

• Birth control or other medications. If you’re on the pill, anti-depressants, or other medication, this something very important to consider when it comes to your sex drive and your hormonal balance, as very often a side-effect is a low libido. We encourage you to talk to your doctor about this potential and partner with other practitioners to find the right kind of support and wean off what is not necessary for you. The birth control pill has a lot of side effects including several that directly impact your love life. And anti-depressants have been shown to negatively affect a woman’s fertility.

• Masculine energy dynamics. When I developed the FLO Living protocol to treat my PCOS, I launched into research on the masculine and feminine energies. This might sound a little woo-woo at first, but stay with me – it’s actually a strong, vital element of Traditional Chinese Medicine practices. It’s not about telling women to speak softly and be submissive or teaching men to be tough and aggressive – as you might expect – in fact, it’s quite the opposite. As a result of the demand on women to perform well in business, to sometimes be the primary breadwinner of the family, and to compete with the go-go-go energy of much of the working world, there has been a tendency for many women to get locked into that kind of “masculine” energy, which can be counter-productive when it comes to getting intimate in the bedroom. We all know that getting turned on is not as simple as pushing a button. The fear and anxiety producing part of the brain – the amygdala – needs to be turned off in order for a woman to get turned on, as Dr. Louann Dr. Brizendine, author of The Female Brain, explains in this article with Oprah and Dr. Oz. “It requires turning off the worrywart circuits in the female brain to have an orgasm,” Dr. Brizendine explains. We all need to balance our masculine and feminine energies - both women and men - as they are in us all. Once we lean too far to the masculine, we can suffer with the side effects.

What you can do to naturally improve a low libido

Now that you’ve identified what might be causing your low libido, let’s talk about practical tools you can begin using now to get your sexy back.

1. Support your adrenal glands. Especially if a demanding work schedule is a reality for you, you’ll need to take extra good care of your body and in particular your adrenal glands to avoid symptoms of adrenal fatigue. Taking Jarrow’s Adrenal Optimizer is one way to begin this process of adrenal support. You can also add these researched aphrodisiacs to your daily routine to supercharge your sex drive.

2. Make pleasure part of your job. Don’t just survive through your day, thrive within it. Adding pleasure to your day in simple non-sexual ways can greatly improve your ability to feel pleasure in the bedroom. Try bringing flowers to your desk or playing music you love during your morning commute. Indulge in body lotions or perfumes (organic, of course!) that make you feel beautiful. Get regular massages. Check out the ideas of our favorite pleasure revolutionary, Mama Gena. You can bring more feminine energy into your working day in some easy, simple ways. I have 4 daily practices I use to ground myself in my feminine energy and make my busy schedule work for me.

3. Take matters into your own hands. You need to ask for you what you want, but first you need to know what you want. Make time to research your sexuality and the underlying causes of your low libido. Read tasteful erotica and see what turns you on - take a wander around Literotica.com. Read about your anatomy and the physiology behind turn-on, and get to grips with the 5 Cs of self-pleasure. Once you know yourself better, don’t be shy to ask for assistance or experimentation from your partner. No partner? No problem. Then you can really take matters into your own hands more often, if you know what we mean. But give vibrators a miss, they’re actually limiting your pleasure.

‍

Always remember, that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this – the science of your body is on your side!

To your FLO,

Alisa

I want to chat with you today about what is perhaps the biggest thing that holds women back from having their businesses and their missions really take off.Maybe you’re experiencing this:Lack of clarity on your message, and/or feeling held back to get out there and boldly share it.If you are a woman who wants to get your message out into the world, contribute greatly to others, and become known for your ideas, then you need to know about what I’m going to share with you today.My friend and colleague, KC Baker, has just released a free video training series to help you address these issues so you can get out there and rock it with your message.And she knows her stuff.KC is the woman the pros hire. A previous investment banker and legislative assistant to two US Senators, she’s worked with TED, TEDx, & American Heart Association speakers, as well as hundreds of other women around the world to refine their message and find the authentic confidence and freedom to share it with the world.Even the traditional corporate world has taken note of her work, as Microsoft brought her in to share her unorthodox teachings with their corporate women to great acclaim.She’s a passionate and engaging teacher, and she’s committed to supporting women in leading with their natural femininity and womanliness.In this video, she’ll teach you her rather uncommon guidance on how you can get totally clear on your message, find the freedom to share it, and become known for your ideas.There’s lots of speaker training info out there, and people touting how to get clear on your message, but KC has the real-deal, clear, and surprising information to make this actually doable for you.In her video, she will teach you:

• How to discover & get clear on what your most valuable idea or shift in perspective is. (This is absolutely priceless in expanding your reach, your impact and your deep sense of contribution).

• What successful women thought leaders do to build their following & tribes, and how they become known for their ideas.

• The one thing you absolutely must do (immediately!) so that fear, self doubt & resistance stop holding you back. (It’s not what you think, and the impact is enormous.)

• The stunning truth about what quality of relationship you need to have with other women in order for your message and your work in the world to truly take off (as well as theirs).

She even has a beautiful downloadable workbook that accompanies the free training videos. It takes you step-by-step through the process of getting totally clear on your message.KC is offering this video series called The 5 Keys to Women’s Thought Leadership completely FREE, so go here now and check it out!PS - KC's techniques & teachings are truly unorthodox...but wow do they work. Check it out here!

“But the doctor said my blood work came back normal. Why do I still feel so terrible?”“They didn’t find anything in the blood work panel. Now what?”If you’re like us or many of the clients who walk through our virtual door, I’m sure you’ve felt similar sentiments. Interpreting your symptoms and your blood work can feel like a mystery. Whether it comes back “normal” or if the doctor tells you certain numbers are too high or too low, you can often be left with the feeling of “Now What?”Well let us step in and help clear things up.We’ve identified the top 4 points to consider when you are getting (or thinking about getting) hormonal blood work done:

1. Understanding the benefits and limitations of blood work: Remember that a blood work sample is capturing one moment in your highly fluctuating hormonal reality. While it’s important to establish a baseline through blood work periodically, for chronic hormonal issues it’s often better to do saliva testing over a period of 30 days to truly track how your hormones vary throughout the month and pinpoint what’s not working right.
2. The best time to get blood work done: If you are going to move forward with blood work, the best time of your cycle to get it done can vary, depending on what you’re testing. This is when it’s best to partner with your doctor to determine the best time for you and your health investigation.
3. How to interpret results: Get a copy of your blood work results and pay attention to the numbers. Sometimes a hormone level can be considered “normal” because it falls within the standard range, however, where it falls on that range makes a big difference in how you feel. For example, if your progesterone levels are found to be low but within normal range and you’re having a lot of symptoms with your cycle and your mood, then you can use that information to address the issue before you go completely out of range and have to rely on bioidentical hormones. And that means, from the functional medicine standpoint, that you should start changing your diet and lifestyle to support bringing your endocrine system back to balance. Which brings us to our next point...
4. Your body knows best: If your blood work doesn’t shed any light on your health, but you are still experiencing symptoms, know that there is still a way for you to make progress and improve your cycle, fertility, and/or libido. You can learn about the underlying causes of endocrine disruption and then learn how to use food sequencing to correct the imbalances and get back to feeling like yourself. While many doctors are catching on to holistic treatments options, many are still only prescribing drugs, surgery, or the “wait and see” suggestion. Don’t settle. Become the sexy scientist of your body and start running the show! Our WomanCode System is the first step to getting there, so be sure to check out the details and talk to one of our counselors if you feel it might be for you.

Do you ever box yourself into either/or thinking?Do you typically feel you’re an “all or nothing” kind of girl?Especially when it comes to our health and self-care, it can be easy to get trapped into one of these modes, which usually serve to keep us stuck and not making the changes we want.“Either I go to the gym at 7am every morning or I won’t go at all.” “I can either keep working 12-hour days, or instead run away to Costa Rica and live in the jungle.”Sound familiar?As we move through this spring season, many of us may find ourselves at major turning points in our lives: graduating from school, ending a relationship, moving to a new place or leaving a job, to name a few. Spring is historically a time of death and rebirth in the world and in our lives, often causing big changes that we may not have been expecting!During these times of growth and evolution, it's important to make sure that we have the right support mechanisms in place to take care of ourselves - and even pamper ourselves - as we move through the process of change. At FLO, we believe that taking really good care of oneself shouldn't be an indulgence - it should be an easy and natural part of our existence. But for many of us who have been taught to take care of the needs of others before our own needs, placing a priority on our own self-care can feel very indulgent indeed.This is why we've created and abide by the Feminine Principle of AND. This means that instead of looking at life as an either/or, we can look at it from a position of abundance and inclusion of more than one option. We can allow ourselves to fully experience our suffering or other aspects of transition, AND we can indulge ourselves by putting all of our juiciest support systems in place, filling us with pleasure and fabulousness.Does this seem like a contradiction?Think about it -Whether you’re going through a major life transition, or just feeling the often stress-producing restlessness of spring, what would most help YOU feel hopeful, juicy, alive?Is it more time with friends, a massage, a dance class, or planning a trip?What are those things that will make you feel good, even if you’re in mourning for a job, a relationship, or the end of school?Write down the first few things that come to mind and share them with us in the comments box below.Take some time just for yourself this week - INDULGE yourself in prioritizing those things in life that make you feel like your most best fabulous YOU.And if time away is something that appears on your list, let us invite you to spend that time away with us!Alisa and the team will be holding a retreat in June at the Omega Institute and we’d LOVE to see you in person and guide you in getting the rejuvenation and balance you’re craving.Click here for more details!

Hi! We've been sending out these free educational health videos one-by-one via e-mail, but we thought you might like the opportunity to view them all in one place. So here they are! Please comment on the videos and let us know what you think. We'd also love to hear back from you on what you want to learn more about. Xoxo - The FLO Living Team

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Your relationship with your body can revolutionize the future for women

How are you holding up this holiday season? Would you like a stress free holiday?(Don't have time to even read this article? You really need some help! Sign Up Here for our Free Holiday Webinar!)

It's only the start, but you may already feel the pressure building, both emotionally and physically, to keep up with all your obligations.Added stress puts strain on our adrenals, those thumb-sized glands that sit right above our kidneys and kick in to help our body combat stress. When overworked from being in a constant state of alert, they can throw off our delicate hormonal balance, impacting our health in a negative way.Some signs that you might be suffering with adrenal exhaustion:

• difficulty waking up in the morning
• insomnia or difficulty falling asleep
• relying on caffeine and/or sweets to keep you going
• foggy-headedness
• depression
• low libido
• getting sick easily, low immunity

Do any of these sound familiar?Not to worry - we've set up a special free holiday webinar just for YOU to get back your energy and avoid the stress and overwhelm that this season can bring. Register by clicking here!Contrary to what goes on in our modern culture at this time of year, in nature winter is the time for focusing inward and nurturing the self. The colder weather outside draws us to a place of inner warmth and reflection, which is why the excessive shopping-eating-drinking-family-stress frenzy that kicks in around Thanksgiving time, is so counter-intuitive and detrimental to our health.We know how draining and stressful the holidays can be - on your adrenals and overall health, as well as your wallet - which is why we're hosting this webinar.

Here is more information on the FLO Holiday Webinar & how you can have a stress free holiday season:

A FLO Fan Holiday Webinar

FLO Living’s Food & Lifestyle Strategies to Avoid PMS Hangovers, Sabotaged Fertility Plans and Zapped Energy this Holiday Season

Tuesday, December 18th, 9:00-10:00am PST/12:00 – 1:00 pm EST

Host: Alisa Vitti, HHC, AADP, FLO Living Founder

Bonus: One lucky lady will win a free FLO Hormonal Sync System valued at $297.

PLUS, each caller receives a $50 FLO Gift Certificate to be put towards a purchase at FLOliving.com.

Sign up now!

Birth Control Side Effects

Hormonal Manipulation and YouEver read those little information pamphlets that come with your hormonal birth control prescriptions? Ever see the long list of potential birth control side effects and wonder just how much of risk there really is?Interestingly enough, many women today don't really know or understand the health risks that are associated with the manipulation of their hormones through hormonal birth control methods. Your endocrine (hormonal) system is part of a complex network that also impacts your vascular health and brain function. In the old days, when receiving a prescription for hormonal birth control, women were required to sign a piece paper stating that they were aware of the health risks involved - when was the last time you had to do this? And while the pill in particular has seen many changes since it was first released in 1962, many of the same potential side effects remain.

How many of these common birth control side effects are you familiar with?

• Nausea, vomiting, constipation, or bloating
• Irregular menstruation and spotting
• Breast swelling or tenderness
• Decreased libido
• Weight gain or loss of appetite
• Mood swings, anxiety, nervousness or depression
• Changes in vaginal discharge and vaginal infections
• Headaches, dizziness and fatigue
• High blood pressure and cholesterol
• Acne or permanent discolouration of the face
• Fluid retention
• Bone density loss
• Hair loss or changes in hair growth
• Enlarged ovarian follicles

And how about these potential long-term complications of hormonal birth control?

• Eye problems or vision impairment
• Gallbladder disease and gallstones
• Embolism
• Resistance to Insulin
• Immune system suppression
• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Breast tumors and liver tumors
• Ectopic Pregnancies
• Links with certain cancers such as cervical cancer
• Blood clots in legs, lungs, heart and brain
• Jaundice

Sounds scary, doesn't it? These potential health risks are not something to be taken lightly - manipulating your hormones is serious business. Remember all of the fuss when HRT was found to be more dangerous than previously thought for women in their menopausal years? Why, then, is it still considered "safe" to manipulate women's hormones during their fertile years?It all comes down to choice.We're not telling you all of this to scare you - many women will continue to use hormonal birth control methods, and will be pleased with their effects. Our goal is simply to empower you with all of the information, so that YOU can make the best choice for YOU. As it stands, the last 70 years or so is the first time in human history that we've manipulated female hormones to this degree. Hormonal imbalances are common in women, and infertility is at an all-time high. Can we say for sure this is all connected? No, but we also can't say for sure that it isn't. With so many options available for re-connecting with our cycles as a powerful source of our feminine energy, why take the drug?*Want to learn more?*If you're interested in reading more about hormonal birth control, here are a couple of good articles to start with:Health Risks of Hormonal Birth Control, from the Women's Health Information websiteIs the Pill Playing Havoc with Your Mental Health? from the Aphrodite Women's Health website

Need more Hormone Help?

If you’re needing some health upgrading, it’s time you started you looking into what’s going on with your hormones.I’ve designed a 4 day hormone detox and evaluation to help you understand exactly what’s out of whack and how you can start getting back to balance so that your hormones no longer have to suffer.Click here to get your FREE detox and evaluation!

Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes to Keep you in your FLO!

Smashed Roots

• 3 large sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
• 2 turnips peeled and cubed
• 1 celery root peeled and cubed
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 T olive oil

Prepare all veggies. In a large pot place 3 inches of water and a steamer basket. Steam all veggies, one root at a time. Smash everything together with the olive oil and salt in your serving bowl and enjoy.Health Benefits:A hormone healthy alternative to mashed potatoes, the vit A in the sweet potatoes will help your liver break down estrogen and other toxins (aka alcohol) so you don’t start to break out or have PMS from hell over the December holidays. The turnips and celery root aside from cutting the glycemic load of your typical mashed potato side dish, also contain high levels of potassium, magnesium and vit B6 which help banish bloat, keep your cycle regular, and diminish symptoms of PMS. All a very good thing when trying to have a drama free holiday ;)

Baked Parsnips and Fennel and Green Beans

• 2 bulbs fennel sliced into ½ inch slices

• 6 parsnips quartered
• 1 lb of green beans trimmed
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 T olive oil

Prepare all veggies. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring one medium pot of salted water to boil. Drop parsnips into boiling water for 5 min and place in to your casserole/baking dish. In same pot of water, boil green beans for 5 min or until just tender. Finally, blanche the fennel in the boiling water for 2 minutes. Mix everything together with the olive oil and salt in the baking dish and place in to the oven. Let roast for 20 minutes until everything is golden and the green beans have a caramelized look to the skin.Health Benefits:Fennel will help with digestion and bloating, Green beans and parsnips have a tremendous amount of fiber that will keep you full. The whole effect of the dish is a wonderful combination of savory and sweet and will stave off the cravings for too much dessert after the meal.

Energy FLO Smoothie

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk

• 1 scoop egg white protein powder (or Vega, Plant Fusion)
• 1 tsp maca powder (optional)
• 1 tbsp raw cacao powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/3 banana or 1/4 avocado

Mix all ingredients in your blender or food processor.Sip and enjoy.Health benefits: Having a proper breakfast before the thanksgiving meal is a huge key in not overdoing it with food later. This combination of adrenal-supportive protein, blood-sugar-balancing cinnamon, naturally energizing and anti-oxidizing raw cacao, plus hormone-balancing maca root will keep you in the celebrating mood.

Ready for more food support?

Don’t forget that recipes like these are only one part of an entire system designed to help you eat in sync with your cycle all month long!Stay in the loop and get more recipes like these by subscribing to our complimentary weekly women’s health newsletters:[gravityform id="3" name="Get on the road to hormonal health!" title="false" description="false"]

A study from the National Institute of Health suggested the majority of women will develop uterine fibroids at some point during their lifetime. These benign uterine growths can range from the size of a pea to that of a melon, and symptoms can vary from none at all to heavy or painful periods, bleeding between periods, pain during intercourse, and lower back pain, to name a few.A diagnosis of uterine fibroids can often mean just one thing: a prescription for the birth control pill as a way to control the growth of the fibroids and symptoms.

This treatment does not get down to the root cause of this health issue or actually address it long term. Hormonal birth control comes with a raft of side effects and can actually exacerbate hormonal imbalances. The other option is often surgery. And most of us, quite rightly, want to avoid invasive surgery as much as possible. The good news is that these are not the only two paths available to most women with fibroids. You can treat fibroids naturally, thus reducing the size of those you have now, preventing the growth of more, and reversing the problem. Understanding what causes uterine fibroids is the first step to treating them.

What causes uterine fibroids?

According to Western medicine, no one knows for certain what causes uterine fibroids. What we do know is that they seem to be affected by our hormones. In other words, excess estrogen in the body seems to make them grow, and they will often decrease in size after menopause (when overall body estrogen is lower). The root cause is estrogen excess or estrogen dominance in the body’s ecosystem. To treat fibroids and alleviate symptoms you need to make food and lifestyle choices that support your body in processing and eliminating this excess estrogen as efficiently and rapidly as possible. You need to create a low estrogen environment in your body. You may have heard that women with fibroids should specifically avoid meat and dairy products from animals treated with synthetic hormones. This is because synthetic hormones (another example is the birth control pill) are unnecessary and powerful estrogens that can create estrogen dominance and provoke fibroids to grow. But, just as some foods are bad for fibroids, some foods are very good for fibroids and can do the opposite, making them shrink and eventually disappear.  Part of the fibroids puzzle is also genetics. If you have fibroids, it’s quite likely your mom or sisters also have this health issue. It’s also more likely that a daughter of yours will be at higher risk of developing fibroids in her teens and 20s. You can of course stop this domino effect in its tracks by ensuring you address the estrogen excess that is the source of the problem.

How to treat fibroids naturally

For decades, here at FLO Living, we’ve offered an alternative to drugs and surgery that has been so effective in minimizing the growth and painful symptoms of uterine fibroids. What makes our approach unique is that we get to the underlying causes of this issue—the estrogen dominance and hormonal imbalance—thus decreasing the likelihood of recurrence.The FLO Living protocol inherently decreases excess estrogen and elevates progesterone levels to bring the hormones in balance. It’s about food choices, but it’s also about eliminating sources of synthetic estrogen from your life like pesticides, chemical-based beauty products and cosmetics, and even generic household cleaners.

There are 5 stages to treating fibroids naturally:

1. Reduce your estrogen overload with changes to your diet and daily routine
2. Improve your lymphatic drainage through movement, sweating, and self-care
3. Reduce your gut inflammation and support your microbiome with fermented foods and probiotics
4. Improve your liver function to encourage elimination of excess estrogen
5. Eat more of these 5 hormone balancing foods and take FLO Living's RELEASE supplement (read more below!)

The emotion-fibroid connection

At FLO Living, we understand that our mental health and physical health are connected. Stress and unprocessed anger can play a role in developing that toxic internal environment where problems like fibroids thrive. Traditional Chinese Medicine points to a connection between the emotional state and fibroid growth. Fibroids are specifically indicative of the energy of the Sacral Chakra or Second Chakra in this practice. Abuse, trauma, blocked creativity,and  resentment can all act as blockers that need to be worked through. More and more research indicates how stress can impact our physical health. Stress weakens the immune system and suppresses the overall optimal function of the body.

An increase in cortisol, the stress hormone, causes an imbalance in progesterone, creating progesterone deficiency and estrogen dominance. Our bodies have a feedback loop and the impact of stress and anger on our physical health can be profound and extend far beyond raised blood pressure. Investigating your relationship with stress and anger and finding healthy outlets for their expression can be a key component in your healing journey. This can mean managing daily stress levels, prioritizing self-care, and elevating the amount of pleasure in your life. Always remember, that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this – the science of your body is on your side!

The best supplements for uterine fibroids

We've created a supplement kit that contains micronutrients and enzymes to promote healthy hormone balance so that you reduce your uterine fibroid symptoms naturally.Our brand new RELEASE supplement kit contains:

• Sulforaphane: Provides protection against fibroid growth
• N-Acetyl-L-Cystine (NAC): Antioxidant support to fight inflammation, Can reduce the size of ovarian cysts
• Diindolylmethane (DIM): Assists the body in removing excess estrogen, May improve hormonal acne, May reduce long periods (longer than 7 days)
• Calcium-D-Glucarate: Supports the liver in breaking down and removing xenoestrogens

Holiday Stress Quiz from FLO Living!

Choose the answer in the holiday stress quiz that most applies to you, A, B, or C. Write down your answers.

1. When you think of Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s, etc., your gut reaction is:

---A. Dread and discouragement—holidays are never as much fun as they should be.

---B. Worry about stress and busyness, but looking forward to some fun times with family and friends.---C. Relaxed and amused—everyone else gets crazy at the holidays, but that doesn’t mean I have to!

2. When it comes to attending holiday parties and networking events, you:

---A. Say Yes to every event and after-party. You try to be "good" with your eating habits beforehand which results in not eating enough and then bingeing on food and/or alcohol at the parties.---B. Attend most of the events and try to avoid drinking too much or over-indulging on sweets, but find your willpower slipping.---C. Only choose the events that you really will enjoy and want to go to. You also know how to strategize your meals earlier in the day so that by the time the party comes, you're able to make healthy choices that feel good in your body.

3. Financially this year has been tight for you. At the holidays each family member spends $60 on you, and you do the same for each of them. This year you decide to:

---A. Open a new credit card account and go into debt in order to buy each person the gift they expect from you.---B. Talk to your family members, explaining your financial situation, apologizing for not being able to spend as much as usual, and asking them not to spend on you.---C. Show up on the day with a tin of homemade cookies for each person and a card telling them how much you love them.

4. Your December calendar: the dreaded office party, six other holiday parties, gift shopping, the big year-end report for your boss, and frantic hours at the gym so you can fit into your New Year’s Eve dress. Your strategy:

---A. Rush around and get through it like you do every year. At least the parties provide sugar and alcohol to keep you going, and you can crash in January when it’s all over.---B. Cut back on your activities so you won’t be as tired as usual. You get your boss to extend your deadlines, replace half the parties with restful evenings at home, and use exercise time to manage, not create, stress.---C. Decide that stress is no fun. You hire a temp to work late for you, skip all the parties except one with your close friends, do your shopping online, and replace gym hours with bubble baths, sleep, and love-making.

5. Your lover has just hatched a plan to whisk you away to a Caribbean island for the holiday weekend. You:

---A. Decline the invitation. You always spend the holiday with your family—your mother needs help with the dinner and everyone will be offended if you don’t go see them.---B. Call your mother and siblings to talk it over. If everyone else is cool with you going, you’ll take the trip.---C. Call your mother to tell her the good news and start bikini shopping online!

6. For once you are not hosting the big family dinner, and you are looking forward to relaxing the day before the holiday. Your sister is hosting, and she calls to ask you to make all the desserts, buy the wine, and come early to help her set up. You:

---A. Do as she asks.

---B. Do as she asks, after asking Uncle Willy to pick up the wine, and after letting sis know that she’ll have to find someone else to help next year.---C. Promise to bring your favorite chocolate brownies, suggest several other relatives she could ask for help, and tell her you are taking this year off.

7. You and your mother are in the kitchen chatting and chopping vegetables for the family meal. She makes an unnecessary comment about your weight/your marriage/your children. You stop chopping and:

---A. Your eyes well up with tears of anger and frustration. It’s supposed to be a nice holiday! Why can’t she leave you alone? You take a swig of wine and try to tune her out.---B. Start a conversation with her about why she is so critical of you especially at the holidays, trying to see her side of the issue while making it clear that you don’t like to be spoken to in that way.---C. Take a deep breath, realize there’s nothing wrong with you, go have a five minute chat with cousin Jackie who thinks you are nothing but fabulous, then return to your chopping.

8. Sometime in the last few years you’ve suffered a serious loss, and the holidays just haven’t been the same since. Your plan as you face another holiday season is:

---A. Not to let your friends and family see how much you are affected—holidays are hard on them too, and you don’t want to be a burden. When you are alone you will eat, drink, and sleep a lot; hopefully you’ll feel better in January.---B. To talk to your friends and family about how you are feeling, plus cut back on some of your holiday busyness so you have some extra time to rest and deal with any feelings that come up.---C. To spend the holidays with the people who support you the most, even if that is not your family, and to rally a great support team—good friends who will listen to you and cook you meals; a massage therapist or other healer to make you feel extra nurtured; and a professional counselor if you notice yourself getting very depressed.

Quiz Results: Finding Your Radical Support

Tally up your answers and note how many A’s, B’s, or C’s, then read on…Mostly A’s: Build your support network now!You are very negatively impacted by the holidays. It’s hard for you to say no to other people. You over-commit yourself and deny your own needs—resulting in negative impacts on your health and emotional life. Please call us for some professional support. It is not necessary or healthy to ignore your own needs in order to create a “nice holiday” for other people. You can have healthy relationships that nurture you more, and we’d like to help you. Start now by opening up to a close friend about how you feel at the holidays and by clearing one or two commitments off your calendar. Then schedule a massage so you can start feeling nurtured right away. Then seek out some professional support from counselors like us.Mostly B’s: Cut yourself some slack!You are skilled in the art of compromise. You’ve reduced the kinds of stress that ruin the holidays for you, while still fulfilling many obligations to friends and family. You are honest with the people close to you about what you are thinking and feeling because you want to have real intimacy with them. But there are a few key areas where you are afraid to let go of other’s expectations and love yourself unconditionally. Look back over the quiz and see where you still hesitate to give yourself the support you need to come through this holiday season with flying colors. Rally your friends into a more formal holiday support team for each other. Unschedule three favors for other people and replace them with bubble baths or snuggling with your honey.Mostly C’s; Smile- you're the Holiday Know-it-All!Want to come teach a workshop on how to have a fabulous holiday season? You have figured out that the best way to enjoy the season is to refuse to play by the usual holiday rules. You know that putting self-care first gives you the energy and emotional stability to be loving with your family and tolerant of their holiday craziness. As a dropout of the American holiday stress game, you are qualified to lead them to better self-care, so let that be your gift to them this year. Be a good listener, help them unbook their calendars, and bring them along to your massage appointments. And of course, keep taking wonderful care of yourself.

The Four Pillars of Radical Support

At FLO Living we believe that women deserve a lot more support in their daily lives than they ever dare ask for. That’s why, when you get this support that is normal and healthy, it can feel RADICAL. We recognize Four Pillars of Radical Support for Women; they are especially important at holiday time when stress levels are high.Supportive Listeners: Counselors and friends who have your best interest at heart and who will deeply listen to you speak about your life.Grounding Body Care: The right balance of exercise, rest, hot baths, massage, and loving touch to nurture you out of your head and into your body.Unbooked Time: Permission to clear your calendar and say no to other people’s needs, so that you can have time just for you.Mood-Stabilizing Diet: Check out all of our FLO friendly recipes and contact us with food questions.

Transforming Relationships, Transforming Holidays

Practicing radical self-care and receiving radical support from friends and professional is the absolutely necessary first step to transforming your relationships with your family members and breaking old patterns that keep the holidays stressful. By first learning to give yourself love, you begin to see clearly what kinds of love you want to receive from your family and friends.

You can have a healthy Halloween!Halloween is a time when sugar and candy are running rampant, overshadowing the real lure and mischief of the holiday. If you find yourself being drawn to the sweet treats, you might be lacking in the trickery and mischief.All the "being good" pressure that we put on ourselves is enough to make anyone rebel - and understandably so! When you don't allow yourself to break the rules or playfully be "bad," your mischievousness can emerge in a self-sabatoging way. Which is why the "treat" tends to overshadow the "trick" during Halloween.

Have a Heathy Halloween!

On your path to hormonal balance, it's not about being perfect with what you eat and how you care for your female body. It's about making informed decisions for your body, while honoring your feelings and emotions. If your "badness" is coming out in the form of poor food choices that are affecting your health, it's time to make some shifts! Wouldn't it be more fun and satisfying to find other outlets of mischief that don't leave you feeling gross or guilty or sad?Halloween is the perfect time to concoct ways to create fun, harmless mischief in your everyday life. Here are some ideas you can try:

• call out sick to work to spend a day in bed
• don't wear underwear for a day (or longer)
• whistle back at the construction workers

And if you want to indulge in a sweet treat or two, make healthy choices and enjoy every minute of it ;)Try:

• high quality dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa content)
• baked apples with cinnamon and ginger
• natural sweeteners like agave, stevia, and coconut sugar

In other words, choose to trick AND treat!Share your favorite recipes for tricking and treating in the comment box below - and have a happy, healthy Halloween!

If you missed Alisa's informative talk on Dr. Nancy O'Reilly's radio program you can listen to it here! Dr. Nancy and Alisa talk about how nutrition benefits your hormonal health and also discuss research showing that what we eat can transform our ability to feel and BE well.From menopause to PMS, female hormones get a bad rap. In fact, our hormones affect our moods, creativity, drive and energy as well as our ability to reproduce. Click here to tune in!

Hair loss in women is a common and growing (!) issue. Whether you're dealing with menstrual issues, fertility concerns, or energy and libido struggles, chances are your hair will be affected at some point. It doesn't have to be a cause for concern, though. With the proper care and treatment of the underlying causes, you can prevent hair loss from happening and help restore any that has already been lost. Read on to find out how!As you might imagine hormones both stimulate hair growth and hair loss. Understanding the interplay between your hormonal balance and your diet can help prevent the most distressing aspects of hair loss. Female hair loss is caused by the combination of the presence of an abundance of the androgen dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and having hair follicles that have more androgen receptors for DHT. While there is a genetic component to this issue, you have the ability to do a lot to support your body's ability to process hormones efficiently. Hair follicles are very responsive to hormonal changes and imbalances in the body. The good news is that most hair loss is temporary and resolves itself after the body has regained its equilibrium and with the proper care.

These are the 8 most common causes of hair loss in women:

1. Hormonal Birth Control - Women who have hair loss issues, especially if there is a genetic predisposition to them, can have hair loss occur at a much younger age by taking birth control pills. Usually this is reversible.
2. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) - Women with this condition suffer from a variety of possible symptoms, one of which can be hair loss. It is best to address the complexity of this hormone imbalance through holistic means.
3. Pregnancy/Childbirth - Already mentioned, some women experience major shifts in their hair due to hormone fluctuations. This may mean curlier or straighter hair than normal, thicker hair, and often hair loss. Some women experience these changes during pregnancy while more women experience it after pregnancy. Either way, in most cases it usually resolves itself completely.
4. Thyroid Disease - Both an overactive thyroid and an underactive thyroid can cause hair loss. Thyroid imbalances can be diagnosed by your physician through laboratory testing. These imbalances are completely treatable through holistic means.
5. Deficient diet - With so many fad diets and extreme "detox" plans out there, it's very easy for women to inadvertently affect their hair's texture and thickness. Oftentimes an extreme shift in diet, particularly a low protein diet, extreme calorie restriction, or a predominately junk-food vegetarian diet may cause a protein deficiency that results in massive amounts of hair shedding, often two or three months after the shift in diet began. Choosing safe detox programs and restoring a proper balance to your diet can reverse the hair loss.
6. Medications - Prescription drugs that treat anxiety and depression, as well as blood pressure may cause temporary hair shedding in a small percentage of people. It's important for women to know this as so many women opt for mood-stabilizing drugs when they feel at a loss in facing major life transitions. Most of the mood stabilizer and antidepressant drugs can cause this side effect.
7. Low Serum Iron - Iron deficiency can cause hair loss. Women with heavy or too frequent menstrual periods may develop iron deficiency. Low iron can be detected by laboratory tests and can be corrected with iron supplementation.
8. Stress - Stress is an interesting factor in hair loss for some. It can result from a major stress episode, and will cause the shedding three months after the episode and hair regrowth can resume three months after that. However, so many women now deal with chronic low grade stress, and depending on their genetic predisposition, this kind of stress can trigger earlier onset of androgenic hair loss.

What can you do to prevent hair loss?

First and foremost, avoid taking birth control pills or antidepressants if you don't absolutely have to. Even if you think you do, seek another opinion and alternative first. If you are hormonally sensitive, and increasing numbers of women are (due to the amount of xenoestrogens in the environment and in food), then adding in synthetic hormones can further exacerbate a hormonal issue. In addition, it's very critical to maintain a healthy diet - avoid fad diets, extreme detox programs, or experimenting with vegetarianism without guidance. Physical activity is another fantastic preventative; it serves double duty both in promoting circulation of key nutrients to hair follicles and also in mitigating the hair compromising effects of the stress hormones on your body.

What can you do if hair loss is happening to you?

If you're finding yourself with hair that's thinning, or dealing with a hormonal issue, then first and foremost schedule a call with us at FLO. On the call we'll identify which of the many causes might be the culprit in your situation. What's most important is to learn about what's causing your hormonal imbalance and then to proceed through a healing process that addresses these underlying factors - including proper nutrition, support of the organs of elimination, and stress management. You can also go to your general physician or gynecologist and ask for a full hormonal panel. This way you'll know if there's anything you can work on in the short term - like an iron or thyroid issue. If it's not thyroid-related or if it's not a protein or an iron deficiency, then it's really an indication that your elegantly complex endocrine system needs some attention. Luckily, our programs are designed to do just that!

Does it happen to EVERYONE?

In fact, it is more common than it is discussed. Although it's normal to lose between 50-100 hairs a day, most people experience excessive hair loss at some point in their life. The good news is that most causes are temporary while only a few are permanent. The best news is that learning about how your body works, understanding how to properly care for your hormonal system, and then making that the basis of your healthy lifestyle is the easiest thing you can do as a woman to improve your health for the long term!

FLO is committed to helping you understand the amazing natural healing options that are available to you, so that you can make knowledgeable, powerful choices about how to care for your body and your menstruation, fertility, and sexual health.

The Top 10 Health Benefits of Orgasms for Women

1. Improves circulation to organs in the pelvic cavity, delivering nutrients, growing healthy tissues, and regulating your menstrual cycle. Women who have intercourse at least once a week are more likely to have normal menstrual cycles than women who are celibate or who have infrequent sex.

‍2. Increases fertility and sense of wellness by energizing your hypothalamus gland, which regulates appetite, body temperature, emotions, and the pituitary gland, which in turn regulates the release of reproductive hormones that induce ovulation and cervical fluid.

‍3. Provides overall lymphatic massage, helping your body’s natural detoxification process to improve digestion and mood and help prevent cancer.

‍4. Promotes healthy estrogen levels to keep vaginal tissues supple and protect against osteoporosis and heart disease.

‍5. Induces deep relaxation by boosting endorphin levels and flushing cortisol (an inflammatory hormone released by the adrenal glands) out of the body.

‍6. Spikes DHEA levels in the body. DHEA hormone improves brain function, balances the immune system, helps maintain and repair tissue, and promotes healthy skin.

‍7. Helps you look younger —studies show making love three times a week in a stress free relationship can make you look 10 years younger.

‍8. Boosts infection-fighting cells up to 20%–helps fight colds and flu!

‍9. Cures migraines and helps treat other types of pain by elevating pain thresholds (a bonus when preparing for childbirth!)

‍10. Increases levels of the hormone oxytocin, which is linked to passion, intuition, and social skills—the hormone of bonding and success!

‍If you are missing out on these amazing health benefits of orgasm, it’s time to investigate the reasons why.

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What About Squirting / Female Ejaculation?

Female ejaculation is the expulsion of fluid from the Skene's glands, which are located near the urethra. This phenomenon has been the subject of much discussion, and there is still much to learn about it. However, there is some evidence to suggest that there may be health benefits associated with female ejaculation.

1. Stress relief: Like an orgasm, ejaculation can be a release of tension and result in relaxation. It is possible that female ejaculation may have a similar effect, potentially providing stress relief.
2. Improved sexual satisfaction: Many women report that they experience greater sexual satisfaction when they are able to ejaculate. This may be due in part to the fact that it can increase intimacy between partners and can be a sign of a deeper connection.
3. Improved bladder control: The Skene's glands are located near the bladder, and it is possible that the muscles used during ejaculation may also help to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, which can improve bladder control.
4. Increased lubrication: Female ejaculation can produce a significant amount of fluid, which can help to lubricate the vaginal area, making sex more comfortable and enjoyable.
5. Possible immune system benefits: Some studies have suggested that the fluid produced during female ejaculation may contain antimicrobial properties that could help to boost the immune system.

It's important to note that not all women are able to ejaculate, and the amount and consistency of the fluid can vary greatly from woman to woman. Additionally, more research is needed to fully understand the health benefits (if any) of female ejaculation.

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Why you’re not having orgasms

Every body is different, so first try and reflect on whether you are more focused on your own pleasure or if you are focused on trying to be "normal." Stress is actually a major cause of decreased libido. Added stress puts strain on our adrenals, those thumb-sized glands that sit right above our kidneys and kick in to help our body combat stress. This can become a very unfair vicious cycle - orgasms are one of the best stress relievers (physically and mentally) and yet stress can make it very hard for women to have an orgasm. The adrenal glands secrete the hormones necessary to keep your libido intact. When overworked from being in a constant state of stress, the last thing your body wants to do is have sex or procreate – which means you won’t get to experience the health benefits of an orgasm! Your body goes into survival mode and is just worried about sustaining itself.

Aside from low libido, here are some other signs that you might be suffering with adrenal exhaustion:

• Difficulty waking up in the morning
• Insomnia or difficulty falling asleep
• Relying on caffeine and/or sweets to keep you going
• Foggy-headedness
• Depression
• Getting sick easily, low immunity

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Does this sound familiar? Take time to address your stress and heal your adrenals with some extreme self-care in the coming weeks. Cycle Syncing® your life is the ultimate strategy for “doing it all” and “having it all” without feeling like you're always on the brink of total burn-out.

How to have more orgasms

You can use the MyFLO app to track when you have sex, but also to learn about the best way to approach sex for each phase of your cycle. The app provides comprehensive advice and tips on how to make sure sex is always great for you, regardless of whether you’re premenstrual or on your period.

For women - the best path to orgasm changes depending on which phase of your cycle you’re in and what’s happening with your hormones. Tracking your cycle and knowing this information can help you to have more and better orgasms.

For example, during your pre-menstrual phase you will likely need more foreplay (like a good make out session on the couch first) and when you’re in your follicular phase you could be more turned on by something novel and new in the bedroom.

Learn more by downloading the MyFLO app. Through the app you can have emails sent your partner that will automatically nudge them towards the kind of intimacy you need during each phase of your hormonal cycle. Thankfully, there’s lots you can do to start having more orgasms .

• Take these 4 sex drive-boosting supplements
• Add these natural aphrodisiacs to your diet - in fact, you can start with this sexy salad recipe
• Try these 3 simple life hacks to increase your libido
• Stop using a vibrator - sorry ladies, it’s true, vibrators are preventing you from receiving the full health benefits of an orgasm
• Ditch the birth control pill - studies show the pill decreases libido for many women, as well as lowering the frequency and intensity of orgasms. Once you’re off the pill, be sure to support your body in making essential hormones again so your libido can bounce back.

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How to Have Better Orgasms to Improve Your Health and Balance Your Hormones. Watch now!

Is there a magic food to rev up your libido?We've all heard of aphrodisiacs - which are wonderful and very powerful - butif certain other aspects of your diet and endocrine system are not balanced, chances are you won't feel a thing just from eating oysters. So what foods can boost your libido and improve your love life?Foods that support your adrenals and rev up your libido are those that keep your blood sugar balanced, your mood stabilized, and your cortisol levels low, while naturally upping DHEA production. If these factors aren’t in place, you are probably feeling tired, depressed, foggy-headed, having difficulty sleeping, getting frequent colds, or some combination of them. Not only from a nutritional perspective will this weaken your sex drive, but also from an emotional perspective – you just won’t have the capacity to thrive.So get started on the road to better health and a better love life.

Here are the 5 food strategies you MUST know about!

1. Switch to decaf – Caffeine first thing in the morning will zap the life out of your adrenals, leaving you even more tired at that 3 or 4pm lull. If you’re an avid coffee drinker, start by switching to decaf or green tea, then eventually switch over to herbal teas.
2. Skip the salad at lunch– That’s right! Contrary to popular belief that salads at lunch are the healthy way to go, depriving your body of a whole grain carbohydrate source at lunchtime will bring on sweet cravings later in the day and disturb your blood sugar balance. So throw some brown rice into your salad bowl, or eat a sandwich or sushi rolls.
3. Take shortcuts with your snacks – Instead of mindlessly munching Cheerios or fruit snacks with your kids, keep balanced snacks around for yourself. Always have on hand protein sources like: organic sliced turkey breast (which provides the building blocks for mood stabilization), whole hard boiled eggs, canned salmon and sardines (skip the tuna! Too much mercury and not enough EFAs). Whole grain quick fixes include: Mary’s Gone Crackers and precooked brown rice bowls from Trader Joes. And don’t forget about sliced veggies with peanut butter or hummus!
4. Nourish your adrenal glands with supportive foods - Load up on sea vegetables (nori, hijiki, dulse, kelp – which come in flakes that you can easily sprinkle onto your food), black sesame seeds, black and kidney beans. These foods work to nourish your tired adrenals.
5. Get in your Essential Fatty Acids – Especially if you’re breast feeding, your body can be starved of the EFAs, essential for mood stabilization. If you can’t get in things like avocado, salmon, nuts and seeds, then take a fish oil or flax oil supplement.

Get started now and let us know how you feel in the comment box below!

And don't forget that our expert health coaches are here to support you along the way. If you're looking for personalized support and a step-by-step program to guide you through the process, click here to book your complimentary FLO Focus Session!

Yes! It is possible to heal your hormonal symptoms with food.“But I tried raspberry leaf tea and it didn’t work!”“I don’t believe there’s a magic food that can actually shrink my cysts.”We hear you, sisters!And you’re totally right.Standing alone, raspberry leaf tea is probably not enough, and there is no one magic food.We have a news flash for you:When it comes to healing your hormonal symptoms with food (which is totally possible, by the way) it’s not about spot-treating your cyst or cramps or low libido or fill-in-your-compliant-here by eating a magical substance that will make it go away.On the contrary, it’s about looking at how EVERYTHING you eat is affecting your delicate hormonal system. Specifically, there are 3 underlying causes of most hormonal imbalances that you must be aware of.The 3 underlying causes of your hormonal symptoms are….

1. Mis-managed blood sugar. Do you feel that afternoon dip in energy? Crave sugar or carbs throughout the day? Need a nap after meals? Those are all signs your blood sugar needs help!
2. Burnt out adrenal glands. Are you stressed out? Have trouble waking up in the morning? Rely on caffeine to keep you going? Chances are you’ve been putting your adrenal glands into over drive which will wreak havoc on the rest of your hormonal system.
3. Slow detoxification and elimination. Are your bowel movements irregular or slow to move? (i.e. less than twice a day, every morning and afternoon) Do you have acne, eczema, or rosacea? Looks like your liver and digestive system could use a bit of support. After all, your liver is responsible for breaking down the excess hormones in your bloodstream, and your digestive tract is how those hormones get eliminated from your body. If they aren’t working properly, those hormones will continue circulating in your bloodstream and contribute to the symptoms you’re experiencing!

Our WomanCode System helps you get to the bottom of all of these, PLUS puts additional emphasis on the energetic and emotional barriers that might also be contributing to your symptoms.Empowerment starts with education. Learn about how your body works before you start feeding it random potions hoping for a magical solution. ;)Get started here.Still not sure if the program is right for you? We invite you to a complimentary FLO Focus Session with one of our expert counselors!View the schedule and book your appointment here!