Skin

When I was working on my own health and, at the same time, developing the Flo Living protocol, I was surprised to realize that there was this huge emotional component to embodying my cycle and working with, rather than against, my body and my hormones. Specifically, I found that it was really important for me to transform how I was engaging in my relationship at the time to fully live in my Flo. I needed to change the dynamic of my relationship with my partner in order to heal my PCOS, acne, and weight issues - to live the life I wanted to be living.

I launched into research on the masculine and feminine energies. This may 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! Through my work with women at Flo Living, I have discovered that one of the central issues facing couples today is the fact that both the man and the woman are living in their masculine energy all of the time, every single day. This is taking a real toll on their ability to communicate, be intimate, and connect. By following my model, built around my hormonal cycle, you can have a happier relationship in just 4 weeks!

The relationship issue that causes tension, fights, and breakups

The first thing I learned in my research was that being a man or a woman does not give a person more or less access to masculine or feminine energy - we all have both energies within us. Learning how to balance both of these helps us to live a more physically, emotionally, and psychologically healthy and vibrant life. It’s also the key to a better relationship with all the great sex, connected talks, romance, support, and fun that we all desire. Embracing your feminine energy isn’t about living in that zone all of the time. For many women (including me, back then) it’s primarily about accessing that energy (often for the first time in your adult life) and using it to your benefit. Before I began working on my WomanCode protocol, I had no idea what experiencing my feminine energy would look or feel like. I was hormonally imbalanced and totally out of touch with my body. One of the quickest, simplest ways to get in touch with your feminine energy is to get in touch with your menstrual cycle and start honoring those changes that happen in your body, your hormones. The way your brain chemistry changes across your cycle takes in both masculine and feminine energies, shifting from phase to phase. We aren’t the same, consistent person all of the time, and I think that, even if we were, we would find that really dull, for ourselves and our partners, long term. So, how do you know when you’ve lost touch with your feminine energy and are spending all day in the masculine - especially when it comes to your relationship? There are some clear signs.

The 4 signs that you’re experiencing a masculine/feminine energy imbalance

• You feel disconnected from your emotions and physical sensations.
• You find it difficult to enjoy sex and receive nurturing and intimacy from your partner.
• You find it hard to verbalize your feelings to your partner.
• You feel isolated and unsupported in your relationship.

Cycle sync your relationship - for a happier, sexier, and easier partnership in just 4 weeks!

Cycle syncing your relationship has so many benefits. You create this dance of energies where each of you take on the leadership and the receptive role at different times. As women we want to take the lead, but doing that all of the time is exhausting and not enjoyable. It’s good to be the one who’s on the receiving end of your partner’s leadership sometimes - it makes sure we stay open to receiving love and pleasure too.Here’s how I cycle sync my relationship to my hormonal phases: Follicular phase - Keep it Fresh - This is the time when I like to suggest my husband and I do something new together. Or let him come up with ideas! My hormones have me in a place where I’m super receptive to new experiences and I have a ton of energy. New experiences bring us together, create memories, and help us to bond further. Take a class, go to a gallery opening, hike someplace you’ve never been, visit a new city. Doing something fun in the outdoors is even better as all that fresh air amps up the oxytocin and makes us feel close. It’s so important in a long term relationship to keep things fresh and exciting by breaking the expected schedule and the follicular phase gives you a great opportunity (and reminder) to do this on a monthly basis. Ovulatory phase - Body and Soul Connection - A great time to socialize with your friends! We can’t always just be together alone as a couple, that way leads to isolation and boredom. Use this time to make plans with your friends. You’ll feel chatty and engaged. With your partner - utilize how your hormones have aligned to convey to your goals, dreams, and fantasies. We like to take this time to touch base on what we want from our future together, where we see ourselves in 5, 10, 20 years time. We also take advantage of my soaring sex drive and the attraction pheromones that are flying around our home! (To cycle sync your sex life and boost your libido with food foreplay read this.) Luteal phase - Relationship Remodeling - I see this as the most important time for my relationship. Since living in my Flo, I’ve not experienced PMS in the way most people think of it - I don’t get depressed, anxious or angry. Our hormones align to give us increased clarity at this time and our attentions will certainly be drawn to where something isn’t working in our relationship. If you’re hormonally balanced then you will be able to express this insight without fogging your feelings with getting enraged. If you do find yourself really angry at your partner during this phase every single month that goes by, then you might need to find a new partner! Your hormones become like a truth serum and it really is best to just let what your thinking get aired out in the open, for all involved. Pent up resentment helps neither of you. When something bothers me, I just say it immediately, regardless of my phase. I had to learn to do that over time and it took practice not to just store my annoyances away. If you let a feeling fester it will make you feel frantic and then the luteal phase hormones will force you to spill in a way that won’t get you what you need and want. Stop biting your tongue, let your hormones help you convey your concerns. Your man will appreciate it so much more if you are straightforward and direct, rather than expecting him to read your mind. This is also when we tend to focus on our domestic duties. It sounds unappealing, I know, but to get the most pleasure out of your relationship all month long you do have to attend to the day-to-day stuff of life - the budgeting, the cleaning, the organizing - and you should be doing it together. Sharing this burden is going to better your partnership massively. If you clear time and space to attend to these necessary things, and share out the tasks equally, then neither of you will feel overwhelmed or under-supported. Your hormones are aligned here to make attention-to-detail your favorite thing and you’ll find repetitive uninspiring tasks much easier to tackle. Menstrual phase - Make it Me-time - I like my alone time during my menstrual phase. It’s when I really indulge in my self care practices and take some quiet moments out. We all need time apart and alone. What’s the saying...absence makes the heart grow fonder! Ask your partner to line up his guys’ nights out, so you can stay home, watch a movie, read a book, or have a close friend over for dinner. 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,AlisaGood things come in threes:

I want to hear from you!

First, do you struggle to connect with your partner? Second, do you want to cycle sync your relationship? Third, everyone you know is hormonal – spread a little good ovary karma and share this article on social ;)

Feeling Frazzled, Bloated, and Unsexy?

If you’ve noticed more distance between cycles…or some periods are light and some are super heavy…your sex drive is flat…and you’re more moody in general (anxious, depressed, or both)…and especially if you’re in your mid 30’s and up…Your hormones may be aging faster than they should. But you can start reversing this process by adding one key micronutrient that you’re likely missing.Get your free report: The Magic Missing Micronutrient to Get Your Sexy Back.

So many women are given hormonal birth control in their teens to put a stop to their acne. Although it may appear to do the trick of clearing up your skin for some, it’s doing this by suppressing your endocrine system and the natural flow of your body’s own hormones. This leads to all those side effects we know and hate - from depression, anxiety and low libido to blood clots. And when you come off - which most women do as a result of their experience of these negative side effects - the acne almost always comes back and often it is much worse than it was before, due to a drop in estrogen. This is a dirty trick, to my mind. It puts many women in this horrible bind that causes them to feel forced to return to the medication just to get their clear skin back. I hate it - it’s like these drugs have a built in insurance that you will continue to use them. However, that isn’t the only answer. Here at Flo Living I’ve helped hundreds of women successfully transition off hormonal birth control and maintain beautiful clear skin. In fact, off the hormonal birth control, their skin has never been better! First thing of course, is talk to your doctor. Let him or her know that you want to come off the drug or device. Then before you actually stop using it, start following the Flo Living protocol. Cycle-syncing your eating and exercise while you’re actually still taking the Pill can make this transition so much gentler on your endocrine system and save you a lot of the side effects women report including acne, but also - insomnia, mood swings and irregular cycles.Here’s my 3 step guide to coming off the Pill without your acne returning.Plus here’s my breakdown of the 3 most important things you need to know to heal your acne, and fast.

Shawna’s story

Shawna is one of the many women who I have helped to come off hormonal birth control and regain clear (in fact, her clearest yet!) skin. Read her story below or watch the video. “I was hooked on birth control. I was on it from 17 to 24, and it was giving me emotional ups and downs and making me crazy. I didn’t know myself. I tried to go off and my face exploded. Everyone told me it was because I went off the birth control. So I figured a quick fix to that would be to go right back on it. So, I went right back on it. I got married soon after that. We were married in ‘08 and we’ve been married for 7 years. We were thinking about starting a family, but I also just didn’t want to be on birth control anymore. So, I came to Flo Living looking to come off birth control without my face breaking out. On birth control I just felt like I couldn’t control my emotions. It made me feel like I wasn’t in touch with me. I felt victim to feelings I couldn’t control. I had a lot of real highs and real lows and there was never a good place to live in-between. It was like that almost the whole time I was on it. Flo Living was my birth control rehab. My mom heard you (Alisa) talking to Abel James on a podcast. She said she could tell you knew what you were talking about. I looked you up and bought your book. I read it, but I needed more of a step-by-step, hold-my-hand, and give me feedback experience and that’s why I signed up for the Flo Living protocol.

You have seriously changed my life. I can’t even say it without getting emotional.

The functional nutrition is awesome. The food is amazing. But, it was all the emotional changes and all the “you don’t have to be perfect” and “you just do it because that’s what you want to do” stuff that was so good for me. I feel like I like myself the most for the first time ever. I didn’t expect that. I expected it to be like the South Beach Diet, Paleo, all the stuff I tried to do and hoped to stop when my skin when back to normal. It wasn’t that way at all. I learned how to do it and I liked it. I feel like somebody taught me how to eat. Like when you grow up you think you have cereal for breakfast and a sandwich for lunch...but now I know what to do. It worked completely. I dropped the NuvaRing. I quit and my skin stayed completely clear. More people said my face looked good then than did during the whole 14 years I was on birth control. Then we decided we did want to start a family and I’m pregnant! I’m 16 weeks! I think if I could go back and tell myself anything it would be to do this program 7 years ago instead of hiding and medicating the problem using birth control. I would have done it earlier. I would have rather learned this in high school. I could have gone through college more comfortable with myself and more in touch with myself. You can treat yourself with food. Food can heal and food can hurt and it depends on what food it is. You need the guidance for what food to use as your medicine. Food has much more potential than people give it credit for.”

If you’re struggling with acne and you’re ready to make a change - take action now. It will change your hormones and your life. You deserve that.

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,AlisaGood things come in threes:

I want to hear from you!

First, do you suffer with acne?Second, do you want to come off hormonal birth control? 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!

Skin Conditions

Your skin provides the hormonal clues you need to start healing your cycles, enhancing your fertility, feeling more energetic, happier, sexier and gooood! Your skin speaks to you all the time, you just need to listen. It’s one of your body’s largest organs and part of the WomanCode “elimination” group along with the liver and large intestine. These organs don’t produce hormones, but they are necessary for ushering hormones out from your body. Can you imagine what would happen if all of the hormones your body produces and all those in the food you eat, the medications you take, and the products you use, just stayed in your blood stream? You’d have an explosive hormonal situation, that’s for sure - the kind that sees estrogen build-up lead to tumor growth. It would also imbalance your whole endocrine system, leading to problematic periods, infertility issues, PMS, PCOS, low libido and low moods. So when you see changes to your skin - whether that’s acne, eczema, rosacea or discoloration - you know your skin is trying to tell you something important about your hormonal health. I’ve talked to you about acne before in detail, I even have a webinar on the subject, so here I’d like to address those other three skin issues you might encounter.

Exit Eczema

Problem: I’m just getting over a bout of eczema that came up in my post-partum period. It’s very common for women to experience at this time, because your body is busy using all of your stores of essential fatty acids for your baby! That leaves not a whole lot left for you and your skin. Solution: The best way to combat this is through heavy supplementation of a good source of essential fatty acids. Cod Liver Oil is packed with EPA and DHA essential fatty acids. Make sure you get the fermented kind of oil, because that retains twice the vitamins of processed oil. I swear by Green Pastures Royal Blue Ice Royal brand. In addition, take Evening Primrose Oil. Topically, you can use aloe vera gel and a good oil based moisturizer - I’m using LAFACE. I find epsom salt plus magnesium oil baths to be very soothing. I recommend Ancient Minerals topical magnesium oil.

Ditch Discoloration

Problem: A change in the pigmentation of your skin - particularly dark patches around the forehead area and eyes - is a sign of liver imbalance. The function of your liver is likely compromised leading to a buildup of estrogen leading to estrogen dominance. The liver is in a hormonal buddy system with your skin. This skin issue is like your liver sending you a message!Solution: Support your liver with a good quality B-100 Complex, inositol, artichoke leaf extract, and the Get Clean tea by Republic of Tea, which contains a lovely blend of milk thistle burdock, and dandelion. Start increasing your intake of greens and cycle-synching your diet with my simple 4 week plan.

Renounce Rosacea

The Problem: The redness and bumpiness to the skin that comes with rosacea is linked back to the health of your gut/microbiome. It is essentially a symptom of inflammation that, quite literally, shows up as inflamed skin. If not specifically clearly triggered by one food type, it will be your diet as a whole that is the source of the problem. The Solution: Make friends with your friendly bacteria and you will heal your skin. Approximately 5lbs of bacteria lives inside of you and the quality of their eco-system – the healthiness of the microbial life plus the diversity – governs your health. A poor internal ecosystem caused by bad diet, exposure to chemicals and stress, will suppress the good bacteria, promote the bad bacteria, and will lead to a toxic buildup of hormones and signs of systemic inflammation on your skin. I’ve outlined some Dos and Don’ts of taking care of your gut and I recently interviewed Dr Kellman, author of “The Microbiome Diet”. 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,AlisaGood things come in threes:

I want to hear from you!

First, do you suffer with rosacea or eczema? Second, what treatments have you tried for eczema or rosacea? 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!

Five essential formulations working together to

Where to go from here?

Five essential formulations working together to

BALANCE YOUR HORMONES

I don’t know about you, but I think that by the time you hit 35 you’ve just got to start being kind to yourself. Many of us spend our 20s feeling anxious and less than confident about our bodies. All that stress is so bad for us! The truth is however that as you get older, you start to make less hormones, e.g. your metabolism slows down, and the hormones you have are telling you to store fat and not burn it for fuel. The solution is not to restrict, it’s to eat more micronutrients that increase the production of youthful hormonal patterns.

Break the cycle

We are trained to view weight loss as an effort in control and restriction. We’re told that it’s a simple matter of eating less and so we starve ourselves. When we don’t see the results we are promised we get depressed. Then we binge on comfort food to feel better! It’s a vicious cycle.This kind of eating pattern does real harm to your hormones, especially as you get older. It puts stress on the body, which causes an inflammatory response. This inflammation creates an imbalance of your hormones and leads to functional issues like PMS, problem periods, and acne. I see at Flo Living how these kinds of health problems can make women feel really down on themselves, and so they are triggered to eat in a way that soothes them in the short term, but does more damage in the long term. I’ve been there myself, I know what it’s like! In addition, we also try working out really hard, and we do it without consideration for our hormonal patterns - we literally work against our fat burning system! (Click here to learn how to workout with your cycle.)

Calorie restriction, depression, and fat

The out of control hormones and erratic blood sugar levels that come from restrictive eating or extreme dieting rob your body and brain of micronutrients that they need to have balanced appetite control neurotransmitters and balanced metabolism boosting hormone levels. Your mood is going to take a hit, your metabolism is going to slow and you’re not going to fit into your skinny jeans.I always like to put dietary theory to the test, so just for fun, I recently decided to see what it would be like to follow a ketogenic diet, which is a high fat, but low carbohydrate protocol that is recommended for weight loss. After just two days I woke up in the worst state of hypoglycemia I’d ever experienced. I was shaking, sweating, feeling faint - it took me about 5 hours to recover. My body reacted poorly to me choosing to cut out carbs like the quinoa, oatmeal, and buckwheat I usually eat every day. Eliminating food groups like carbs and fats doesn’t give you access to key micronutrients that boost hormone production and can keep stubborn weight right where it is.The solution of course is to start eating the foods for each phase of your cycle to optimize the levels of nutrients your body needs to balance these hormones that keep your metabolism working properly!

Focus on how foods make you feel to lose weight faster

Food should make you feel AMAZING, vibrant, vital, energized, clear, and happy. If you eat things that make you feel anything but the above, try eliminating those items from your diet. I promise you, you’ll see the weight melt off. The foods that dampen your energy and mood are likely foods that are creating inflammation in your gut, preventing good micronutrients from being absorbed, increasing binge eating, disrupting your hormonal balance and not helping you achieve your ideal weight. Eating from a place of pleasure and enjoyment, rather than anxiety and restriction, will also boost hormones like oxytocin that help heal the adrenals from stress overload. We strive for mindfulness in many areas of life these days, and yet we still seem to have such a difficult relationship with food. Women who eat for their FLO know how food makes them feel and how they feel about food is all-important in a healthy eating plan.

4 days to transform your eating

I want you to experience what it’s like to eat foods that help you boost these micronutrient levels, balance your hormones, and make you feel amazing. If you’re ready to ditch diets forever, then download my FREE 4-Day Hormone Detox. This is the one that’s in my book, WomanCode, that women have been using for years to lose weight the right way, like me! As well as simple recipes and meal plans, I include a “Self-care reset” protocol that addresses how you feel. I encourage journaling and vision boarding to get in touch with your emotions, hopes, desires, and dreams. You need to take care of the body and the mind, together.My Flo Living grads report feeling lighter, energized, and even blissful after just a few days of following this transformative protocol. Not only that, but they have lost up to 15 lbs pounds! The results you want and a complete change of mindset. Isn’t it about time?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,AlisaGood things come in threes:

I want to hear from you

First, are you finding it harder to lose weight after 35? Second, did you try my 4 Day Detox? Share with me your experience! 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!

I don’t know about you, but I love my food porn. I love looking at pretty pictures of artfully arranged dishes. Just this week I’ve been salivating over the Breakfast Criminals colorful and creative ideas for the first meal of the day. I love that they sell an Instagram-friendly heart shaped bowl too, which will make you smile over breakfast every day.However, I’m also a super busy lady. I have a baby to take care of and a business to run. So I don’t always have a whole lot of time to put into creating a beautiful breakfast for myself and my family. Sometimes I just need it to tick my top boxes - to be healthy, tasty, and sustain me until lunch. I’m a big fan of keeping it basic if it means that it’s easier and more efficient for you to make better choices. Simplicity is sometimes the key to getting what you need.

The benefits of a big breakfast

Research shows that starting your day with a big breakfast will improve your fertility and decrease hormonal imbalance symptoms. This study by Professor Daniela Jakubowicz in Tel Aviv proved that having a larger meal at breakfast was related to a reduction of insulin resistance in women with PCOS. Not only does this help with fertility, but it also can help manage other symptoms associated with the disorder, such as unwanted body hair, hair loss, and acne, as well as protect against developing type-2 diabetes.With this in mind, I want to share with you my personal favorite breakfast and brunch ideas. I tend to rotate through these throughout the week. On the weekends I get a bit more time to indulge. I teach my Flo Living ladies that breakfast time is when you want to go all out and eat as much as you want - really filling up will set you up for stable blood sugar and hormone levels the rest of the day. And, as studies show, it will also help you to lose weight.

Weekday ideas

• Avocado smashed on toast - I love to spice up this filling and tasty bite with chia seeds, turmeric, sesame seeds and Himalayan salt. I always use gluten-free black rice Food for Life brand bread.
• Tartines - I so enjoy a nice French-inspired savory open-faced sandwich for breakfast with wild salmon and hummus or egg and dairy free pesto.
• Fruit toast - My favorite nut butter is sunbutter which I love to spread on gluten free toast and top with fresh peach or strawberry slices when they’re in season.
• Eggs - I love eggs all ways for all meals of the day. Scrambled, poached, hard boiled. Check out the viral hashtag #putaneggonit for some scrumptious ideas. Everything can be improved by an egg, I say! One of my new favorites has to be an egg baked inside half an avocado - that’s just genius!
• Smoothie - I’m not a smoothie-only breakfast kind of girl, but if I do have a smoothie I whizz up ½ banana, ½ avocado, frozen blueberries, spinach, almond milk, flaxseed meal, and cinnamon.
• 3 Power Grains - I’ll have oatmeal, quinoa or buckwheat. I’ll either make it sweet with sunflower seeds, coconut oil, and fresh blueberries or I’ll have it savory with olive oil, Himalayan salt, steamed baby kale - and I’ll absolutely put an egg on it!

Weekend indulgences

Any of the above breakfast options are great for brunch for a relaxed, leisurely weekend breakfast time with my husband and baby girl. When I want to indulge though, I pull out a few other recipes which happen to work well as desserts too!I also just discovered and love the easy and healthful Zemas Foods sweet potato pancake mix.Check out my take on sugar, the best sweeteners, and get some healthy baking tips here.Chocolate Avocado Pudding on Toast (this beats Nutella!)Ingredients: 3 ripe avocados, 4 soaked dates, 1/4 cup coconut nectar plus 2T maple syrup, 1/2 cup raw cacao powder, 1/2 cup almond milk, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt and then some good millet bread.Instructions: Add all to Vitamix or food processor and puree until smoothTaste and adjust for sweetness and texture with more sweetener and milk.Serve on millet toast for breakfast. Add sliced fresh strawberries as desired.Banana BreadIngredients: 3 bananas, 1/3 cup coconut oil, 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/4 cup coconut nectar, 1.5 cups oat flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp saltInstructions: Mix wet into dry, pour mixture into a parchment lined loaf pan, bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 min and then let cool completely.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,AlisaGood things come in threes:

I want to hear from you

First, what are your favorite breakfast dishes? Which ones hold you the longest until lunch?Second, try some of my ideas and share your photos on Facebook and Twitter with me!Third, You know every one you know is hormonal – spread a little good ovary karma and share this article on social! ?

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!

I take my self care very seriously, I thought it was time I shared with you my favorite health-conscious and health-boosting beauty and spa treatments.I teach my Flo Living ladies how to detox their cosmetics bags and bathroom cabinets and how to replace their chemical-laden products with chemical-free and effective cleansers, moisturizers, masks, and shampoos. So it makes sense that we continue to be aware of potential endocrine disruptors when we choose our beauty treatments.I’m going to walk you through all my personal favorite beauty luxuries and how to make the best choices for your hormones in a way that will boost your fertility, sex drive, mood, and energy. I encourage you to take time out on the regular to indulge in relaxing treatments; it really is vital for your health and well-being.So sit back, relax, and let’s talk health-conscious and health-boosting me-time.

Manicures and pedicures

I love a nice pedicure! Since becoming pregnant I have opted out of nailpolish all together, but when I do go back, here’s how I polish safely:My tips

• Choose a salon that is well-ventilated with a door open to the street and/or plenty of windows. Ask to be sat as close as possible to the door. That way, even if others are opting for more toxic treatments (like gels and wraps), you won’t be getting the full onslaught in your breathing space.
• Most good salons give you the option of having your own personal nail kit kept on hand with nail clippers, nail files and so on, so you don’t have to share with anyone else. I personally bring my own utensils, lotions and polish. I love SpaRitual - they have a whole online shopping section for manicure/pedicure essentials including callous remover, cuticle oil, and nail files. All of their nail care essentials are formulated without DBP, toulene, formaldehyde or formaldehyde resin.
• Choose a salon that uses only organic product ranges, or bring your own. It’s not relaxing for me to have cheap, endocrine disruptive lotion rubbed into my feet and legs for 20 minutes, so I just bring my own favorites from home. Naturopathica makes amazing foot and leg cream!
• Most salons offer the formaldehyde-free OPI range of nail polishes, but you could also bring your own better choices like I do. I like the “5 free” nail polish range from Priti. These polishes are free from formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), toluene, formaldehyde resin, and camphor. Great colors too!

Hair cut and color

Before I got pregnant I was very picky about my hair salon, but now I am breastfeeding I’m even more choosy when it comes to where I go! I like to choose a place that has a separate room for those getting a hair color treatment, that way I don’t have to be exposed to the fumes of those products while I’m getting my cut. If that isn’t available, then I am sure to be seated close to the window to get some fresh air.Here in New York City I like Salon 26 and Aveda because they offer chemical-free and organic hair products. Again you can bring your own products if you like. Personally, I use an aloe-based hair shampoo like Shikai Everyday Shampoo.My top beauty tip: Are you worried about grey hair? I’m 38 and I just started going a little grey at the temples (even though it’s in my genes to be completely grey by now!). My secret to slowing down the greying process is living by the Flo Living protocol, but especially eating plenty of black sesame seeds - they will turn your hair back to black they’re so effective!

Facials

As someone who used to suffer with acne, I’m not very comfortable having someone “work” on my face. It’s not a very relaxing experience for me. I prefer to pick great products, spend my money on those, and treat myself to facials in the comfort of my own home. It’s a great ritual I do for myself every menstrual week!I especially like the new online shopping experience of Credo - created by the founder of Sephora to meet the growing need for natural and chemical-free beauty products. They have my longtime favorite brands while also helping me to discover new must-haves.Naturopathica has two face masks that I love for my at-home facials – the Pumpkin Purifying Enzyme Peel and the Sweet Cherry Brightening Enzyme Peel. They are so clean and fresh you could literally eat them!

Massages

I have worked with the same massage therapist for 15 years! Establishing a healthy long term relationship with an amazing massage therapist is a must!The skin is our largest organ and absorbs everything and anything we put on it. A massage is a great way to detox, but not if you’re spending an hour soaking in endocrine disruptive chemicals. That’s why I bring coconut oil or jojoba oil for my massages.If I can, I like to relax in a dry sauna before my massage and a steam room after. If I can’t do that then I’ll warm myself up by doing bends and stretches to bring heat into the body. When I get home I take my washcloth and do a hot scrub in my bathroom to further the detoxification process.

Baths

My mother got me started on the natural bath track. She believes in using simple nourishing items in the bath like Epsom salts and essential oils. Not only is this just as relaxing as bubble bath, but it’s actually a mixture that’s beneficial to your hormones, vaginal microbiome, skin, and overall health and well-being as it is rich in magnesium.If you love beautiful products and gorgeous packaging, find a gorgeous apothecary style container from an antique shop in which to store the salts in your bathroom. It looks pretty and it makes the experience feel more luxurious. You don’t need to buy into spending a ton of money on pretty packaging that’s full of ingredients that mess with your hormones to have a special night in!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,AlisaGood things come in threes:

I want to hear from you

First, what are your favorite natural beauty products?Second, which spa treatments do you splurge on?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!

Is adult acne really getting you down? We assume that acne is something we get to leave behind in high school, along with the bad fashion choices and the mean girls, but for many women acne can linger on or even reappear after your 30th birthday. It’s enough to make you want to throw a teen tantrum, it’s that unfair!Listen, I know your pain. I used to have painful cystic acne all over both my face and my back. I tried antibiotics, Retinol-A, Proactiv, every potion, lotion and late night infomercial miracle cure I could get my hands on, and none of it worked. In fact, take a look at this post to see how popular beauty products can actually be harming your health.It would take me forever just to leave the house as I carefully tried to cover my acne so I could face the world. Acne can give your confidence a kicking and be a real source of depression. It really isn’t fair, so let’s fix it together.There are three important pieces of information you need to make note of if you are going to heal your acne.

1. Your age. The root cause of acne is different depending on this factor - acne in your 20s typically suggests poor diet choices; in your 30s breakouts can be a part of the pregnancy hormonal rollercoaster or high levels of career stress; and in your 40s it all comes back to declining estrogen production.
2. Location. Where exactly it is that you get your acne - whether it’s on your back, your cheeks, your forehead, your chin - will tell you a whole lot about what’s going on inside your body. Each area is linked back to a bodily system, allowing you to pinpoint the flagging organs behind the breakout. Often the culprit is found to be hormonal imbalance, malnourished liver, or gut inflammation. The key is knowing where to start the curing process. “Face Mapping” is a hybrid of modern skincare expertise and Traditional Chinese Medicine ancient knowledge. Read on to learn more.
3. Timing. Noticing when you get acne is also a crucial tool for preventing breakouts. Is it before your period or when you’re ovulating? All acne is hormonal, but some is more integrally linked to our hormone cycle and can illustrate key imbalances.

I dig deeper on this topic and reveal the secrets to sussing out the causes of your acne and getting rid of breakouts for good in my acne webinar, Get Gorgeous Skin - Clear Acne Naturally! I’ll tell you about how different foods can be used in conjunction with “face mapping” knowledge to skillfully treat your skin issues. We'll also cover:

• What causes your hormonal breakouts vs persistent adult onset acne
• My 3 step skin clearing protocol
• Foods to keep the youthful glow and collagen levels of your skin
• The real deal on supplements and which ones are really needed

And to get you started before the webinar...

Here are my top three recommendations for healing acne:

• Probiotics. Take a good quality Jarrow brand probiotic. Supporting your gut microbiome will help your skin microbiome to heal by reducing inflammation. For more about making friends with your microbiome read this.
• Cod Liver Oil. It’s not a trendy supplement, but it works. Cod Liver Oil delivers the Vitamin A and D our skin needs to glow. It’s also packed with EPA and DHA essential fatty acids. Make sure you get the fermented kind of oil, because that retains twice the vitamins of processed oil. I swear by Green Pastures Royal Blue Ice Royal brand. **Top tip - capsules are easier to take than a spoonful of oil, because it tastes as bad as you might think!
• Cortisol flush. A good clean stress hormone detox in the way of a burst of sweaty exercise (I like jumping on a mini trampoline in my living room!) or even a really good orgasm will give you a dewy glow and help to banish stress related and hormonal acne.

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,AlisaGood things come in threes:

I want to hear from you!

First, do you get acne?Second, will you try my top three recommendations? How do they work for you? Third, You know every one you know is hormonal – spread a little good ovary karma and share this article on social! ?

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!

I was recently showing my dentist a photo of me with my baby, and she asked who the woman was holding the baby - I didn’t understand - she said again - who’s that teenager? I was like - lady - that’s me - hair up and no makeup! She was shocked and so was I. I mean, I know my biological age is much younger than my chronological age, but I guess I didn’t realize how young I look and feel compared to other women my own age.With so many things disrupting our hormonal FLO, we’re increasingly at risk for aging too fast from the inside out. Added to this is the issue that you start to make less hormones around age 35. This lowered concentration of hormones is a big driver of the aging process. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could slow this down somehow? So we could enjoy our young sexy trim bodies, our firm skin, our hot sex drive, our vibrant energy levels, and our optimal fertility longer?I want to share my secrets to turning on your inner fountain of youth like me. We absolutely can thankfully because hormones are so responsive to food therapy.This process is perimenopause and it’s an important biological shift that is far less discussed than menopause itself. This means few women realize it’s happening to them, even when they’re suffering with the consequences.It’s critical to connect the dots with your new symptoms and the beginning of this process so you take the right steps to eliminate your symptoms and slow down the hormonal aging process.You go along for years with your hormones acting one way, and then seemingly suddenly things start changing and we don’t know it’s perimenopause. I see so many women spending time, money and effort trying to cure their newly heavy periods or missing periods, sleeplessness, sudden weight gain, moodiness, depression...with all kinds of detoxes and products and fixes and medications - and none of those things really work, because they don’t admit and address the root cause - shifting hormones. We try and spot treat each new problem, without realizing it’s all connected and if we eat foods that help our body make more hormones, our symptoms can clear up on their own.Learning how to tackle this hormonal inflection point head on will make it seamless and you’ll protect yourself from all the inflammatory diseases that can mar post-menopausal life for women who let their hormonal imbalances go untreated.

I feel fine/ I’m on the pill/ I want to have babies - maybe it’s not happening to me?

Perimenopause is the slow process of your pituitary gland making more and more FSH to cause you eventually after a decade or so to stop ovulating permanently. That’s the whole purpose of this transition - after that your period stops and you enter the post-menopausal chapter of your life.This should be a slow process, 10-15 years long, with minimal symptoms, but the problem is it’s happening much more quickly for women these days at younger ages. In fact, Premature Ovarian Failure is on the rise for this very reason.Going through this process too quickly is a form of premature aging and it means your fertile window closes sooner, your libido can evaporate, metabolism stall, and you can find yourself feeling like you have landed in a body you don’t recognize. The truth is however, that just like I keep telling you that PMS is a hormonal imbalance that you’re not meant to have, very symptomatic perimenopause is also not normal and treatable with food.The stereotypical symptoms you hear about only come when your other hormones get off balance due to diet.This should concern you because you are likely not eating for your FLO, if you are on the pill to manage hormonal imbalance already, you will feel the impact pretty dramatically, and if you want to have children like me in your late 30’s, then ignoring this puts your fertility at risk by aging you prematurely. Any woman going through IVF knows high FSH levels are terrible for conception.

Signs of Hormonal Aging

Often a change in your period - be that in length, heaviness, or the symptoms you experience around it like cramps and PMS - will be the first noticeable difference. It might start to look very different to the period you had in your 20s. You can also experience insomnia, headaches, night sweats, hot flashes, acne, mood swings and weight gain.The changes may not be anything dramatic, but the perimenopause process is going on inside your body, beginning slowly, as you start making slightly lower amounts of hormones than were produced in the peak fertile years.I know this discussion, the effects of aging, comes with a whole lot of emotional baggage. Us women get such a hard time about getting older - even though, in truth, men start going through andropause at 25! Yes, 25! That’s when their testosterone levels slowly go downhill and they experience their own set of similar symptoms.How much you feel the impact of this hormonal shift in your day-to-day life will depend very much on your diet and lifestyle. The less healthy and hormonally-supportive those are, the more likely it is that perimenopause will hit you hard right at 35. You’ll be producing smaller concentrations of hormones and you will really feel this.

What to Expect

Perimenopause is much like the luteal phase in that it has 2 distinct parts. At first you might not feel very different - in the same way that right after ovulation you tend to feel still very up and energetic. You’ll be busy in your career, starting a family, burning the candle at both ends and letting your self care around diet slip.If you enter part 2, which is like the PMS half of your luteal phase, in a depleted state, you will be hit sideways with all the stereotypical symptoms. Your hormones are off and this impacts your mood, how you look, and your energy levels. I say that 5 days of your luteal phase is the equivalent to 5 years of perimenopause experience. Those symptoms you may have brushed aside during your 20s will be difficult to ignore after 35.Working with Your GYN It’s so important to establish a baseline hormone panel around the age of 30 to see what is normal for you so you have something to compare this to as your hormones begin to shift during this decade. Talk to your GYN ahead of time if you can. Let her know you want to go through this process naturally and unmedicated.If you’re already in the thick of it, then it’s important to get that full hormone panel done to see what’s potentially the biggest issue. It could be low estrogen, low progesterone, low cortisol, low testosterone, or low thyroid. The only hormone that will change but cause you no issue is FSH - that will rise dramatically throughout perimenopause - that’s the whole purpose of this transition - to get you to stop ovulating.Should You Take Hormones to Lessen Symptoms?In my opinion, no. Just like I don’t recommend you go on the pill to fix your period problems, I don’t recommend you medicating your perimenopause. Why? Two key reasons: one - this is a natural process your body is designed to do, there is nothing wrong, nothing to fix, you can go through this naturally and drug free, and two - synthetic hormones mask the symptoms that motivate you to make the changes you need to clear up symptoms - it gives you a false positive that everything is okay with your health. Perimenopause is an opportunity to make sure you are set for a healthy future.Nonetheless, be prepared to hear the standard suggestion from your GYN, which is to just continue on birth control pills until about 45 and then transition to hormone replacement therapy. All of this synthetic hormone replacement has risks and you don’t actually need it. It’s up to you to decide how you want to go through your life in your body - naturally or medicated.

Make More Youthful Levels of Hormones with Food

The Flo Living protocol is a pro-hormonal eating method that actually slows down this biological aging process. You can delay the onset of perimenopause, and in turn the onset of menopause, by taking charge of your diet today. Hormones are our fountain of youth and the higher concentrations (in balance) that we produce, the younger and more vibrant we will look and feel throughout our lives.This, I think, is especially important knowledge for women to have when so many of us come to our baby-making stage at a much “later” point in life. Slowing the perimenopause process will make it easier for you to conceive and help you avoid miscarriage.3 steps to slowing down perimenopauseI’m in my late 30s, too! We’re all in the same boat and I promise this works. It’s helped me, it’s helped so many other Flo ladies.1 - Eat according to your cycle. This is key so you balance out your estrogen and progesterone and eliminate any reason you might develop symptoms. To get started with this idea in a very simple, quick, and easy to understand way check out these two 4 week introductory protocols - how to cycle sync your greens and your grains.2 - Eat enough protein and fat - to make enough hormones. So critical to avoid yo-yo dieting if you want to actually slow the aging process. You need to eat to make the hormones that keep you young - learn more about my favorites proteins here and fats here.3 - Take D3 and Evening Primrose Oil to keep hormones balanced. Both are well researched to have positive hormone balancing effects during this perimenopausal transition. You don’t have to have hot flashes if you’re prepared!

Your Future Self Thanks You

I know that what I do now - choosing to eat and live pro-hormonally - is going to have an impact on my life 20 years from now. It will shape the woman I will be and the body I will have when I’m in retirement! Just as my choice to work with my hormones 20 years ago has got me where I am today - a healthy, happy mother with a successful career and fulfilling life - how I work with my hormones today will bear fruit another 20 years down the line. I invested in my health to live a full and happy life and you can too, with me.I want you to be sexy, strong, happy and healthy when you are 50+ years old. Perimenopause is an amazing opportunity to make sure you are all those things as you age.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,AlisaGood things come in threes:

I want to hear from you

First, do you feel like you might be approaching perimenopause? Second, will you try out my introductory 4 week protocols? Let me know how it goes!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!

I don’t blame you for feeling confused about supplements. With all the news headlines telling us we should be wary of big box brands, false claims, and lack of regulation in the supplement industry - it’s made a lot of people worry that buying supplements is, literally, like throwing money down the toilet. Even when I decided I wanted to get pregnant and started looking for a good prenatal multivitamin, it took me ages to find one that I knew would be both effective and safe. I looked at every single brand out there, before settling on the 3 - just 3 out of the hundreds of choices - that I liked and would happily take! I can appreciate how confusing and frustrating it is to figure this out.Those 3 prenatal supplement brands I like? Vitanica, New Chapter, and Innate. As well as avoiding fillers, these brands are low dose. Not many people realize that a too high intake of certain vitamins can actually be contraindicated for a developing baby.I read so many of your comments on the blog about this very subject - Which ones are good to take? How do I choose? How do I know if I need a multivitamin? So thanks to your questions, today I’ll be sharing the myths versus the facts. I’m going to break this down for you so that you don’t have to feel baffled by the shelves upon shelves of supplements in the health food store aisles or even better, so you feel like I’m right there with you in the store to shop!

Multivitamins - the myths versus the facts

Myth: A multivitamin can save you from an otherwise unhealthy diet.Fact: Supplements will not work right if you do not have a healthy internal ecosystem. Sadly, your body just won’t absorb the vitamins. First of all, the vitamins in multivitamins are less bioavailable than the nutrients we extract from food. So you’ll never absorb 100% of what’s in a supplement even if you’re perfectly healthy. But if your diet isn’t fostering a healthy gut environment, what you’ll absorb will be dramatically less. A great example of this can be seen in probiotics. Research shows that unless you eat a diet rich in prebiotics, then as soon as you stop taking your probiotic, those good bacteria will vacate an otherwise hostile area - your gut! If you feel like the supplements you’re trying aren’t helping you much, then you’re not imagining that to be the case. Your body can’t use them efficiently for the very support you want to incorporate them for.Myth: You can fix your symptoms by taking the right supplement.Fact: No one supplement will solve your PMS, PCOS, fibroids, infertility or acne. Just as the Pill doesn’t fix these issues, no other kind of pill will do it alone either. You CAN however use supplements to help address the underlying causes of these conditions. For example, if you have PCOS, or ovulation issues, you can use a cinnamon supplement along with dietary changes to improve your insulin response and that will help restore your ovulation. You see - you can’t take a pill to fix ovulation, but you can use a supplement with blood sugar balancing meals to help your body restore this process.Myth: All supplements are the same, so it’s fine if you go with the least expensive brand.Fact: Wrong - brands really matter. Recent studies exposed that big box store brands don’t contain what they claim and are packed full of fillers. Not only that - you also need to be vigilant about the ingredients in supplements from smaller, healthier-seeming brands too. Many of these are also packed with fillers including corn, gluten and dairy sources, stearates, GMOs and soy! Take a long look at the “other ingredients” on the label. You also should be aware of where the supplements are manufactured. Currently, there is no FDA regulation of supplements in the US and there is definitely also none anywhere else. You want to look for manufacturers that do their own testing and quality regulation. I have spent the past 15 years researching and trying different supplements. I am highly selective about which brands I use.Myth: The more ‘stuff’ in your multivitamin, the better.Fact: A basic multivitamin should have the RDA of all the vitamins and some minerals that you need. However, many brands also add other ingredients to make their multivitamin stand out, look healthier, or look like its worth more of your money - ingredients such as herbs, algae, grasses, powdered fruits and vegetables, and sprouted grains. In theory, this seem like a great mix of healthful elements, but in practice these additional ingredients can actually work against you. You may have sensitivity to some of these ingredients. In addition, not all ingredients interact well with each other or with other medications you might be taking. Herbs can be as powerful as pharmaceuticals and should only be used medicinally for a short period of time to treat a certain problem and not taken every day routinely. Phytoestrogenic ingredients like pomegranate seed extract can worsen a problem like endometriosis. Those with food sensitivities will find grains and grasses bring on symptoms. With many multivitamin brands you’re actually getting more than your needed RDA of some of the vitamins. That might not seem like an issue, but too much B12 can actually increase anxiety for example. Blood pressure can be raised by licorice extract. And, anyway, any surplus vitamins that your body cannot use will excreted through the urine regardless.

Should You Take Multivitamins Or Individual Supplements?

I think individual supplements when used for a specific reason to help boost low micronutrient levels and to help with a hormonal imbalance are essential. I hope I’ve made clear however, that you have to absolutely be using food to help get you all the way to your desired health goals. As far as the question about multivitamins goes, I never took one until I was pregnant personally. I instead prefer to use individual supplements to help with the function of my endocrine system. If you’d like to see what supplements I recommend for specific hormonal support - check out the supplement guide I created here!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,AlisaGood things come in threes:

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!

For many women wanting to get pregnant, IVF can seem like the fallback option if all else fails - an option that will bring that much wanted baby even when nothing else has worked. Perhaps this is because we hear of so many celebrities getting pregnant via IVF or read those attention-grabbing headlines about 60 year-olds with IVF triplets. It looks like IVF is a great plan B and bound to work. The reality, however, is very different.For the majority of women who chose IVF the per cycle success rate is 20-35%. Several rounds of IVF treatment is not only expensive, it also takes a toll on your health with Clomid working much like the Pill in reverse (forcing instead of suppressing ovulation) and bringing with it myriad harsh short term and long term side effects. Plus, the more IVF cycles you go through, the less likely you are to become pregnant as a result of the hormonal bashing your body is being subjected to.

The unspoken secret to IVF success

While your doctor may be honest with you about those disappointing average success rates, what you are not likely to hear is that there is a way to dramatically boost your chances of getting pregnant from IVF.Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health monitored the fat consumption of 147 women undergoing IVF treatment and discovered that those who ate the highest amounts of monounsaturated fat were 3.4 times more likely to have a child after IVF. They concluded that avocados contain the best kind of monounsaturated fat (and the least saturated fat, which was found to decrease the amount of “good eggs”).Another study, this time with 4,000 Danish women, found that women who drink five or more cups of coffee a day actually halve their chance of getting pregnant via IVF.What secret do these studies reveal? They show that what you consume has a direct impact on your fertility and your dietary choices affect your IVF outcomes. Knowledge is definitely power here!I believe you need to take a highly proactive approach with your own fertility and conception journey. It’s not about overriding your doctor’s advice, it’s about complementing their guidance with your own set of fertility-friendly choices you can make at home every day. You can work as a team with your medical practitioners to ensure your IVF cycle has the optimal opportunity to bring you a baby.So, I’m going to share with you my two-part strategy to increase your chance of getting pregnant with IVF. But, first, I want to share two stories with you about a woman who was told it was too late, but conceived naturally with FLO and the other about a woman who succeeded the first time in getting pregnant with IVF due to the FLO protocol. Once you hear their stories, I hope you’ll read on to learn my best strategies to increase your fertility.

Getting and Staying Pregnant with and without IVF

Although I have worked with women with the most discouraging fertility test results and helped them to reverse their prognosis, regain fertility, get pregnant and have a bouncing baby, all without IVF - just check out this Flo grad’s incredible story - I have also helped many women who have chosen IVF to be successful.Tricia shares her story with us:“A good friend gave me Alisa's book WomanCode when it first came out and, starting this January 2015, I decided to go all in with the Flo Living protocol. So I reached out for a FLO coach. My counselor has been incredible in answering all of my questions and really pinpointing the areas of the protocol that I should focus on. This past April, my husband and I did IVF for the first time and I'm now six weeks pregnant! We just heard the heartbeat, which was the most incredible experience. I know this was possible because of the FLO protocol and all of the changes I made in the three months from January through March. I know being on the protocol improved my egg quality. Now that I'm pregnant, I'm finding that all the nutritional advice I hear mirrors what I've learned through the protocol, so I feel great that it's already second nature to me.”

My two-part strategy for maximizing your chance of getting pregnant with IVF

I want to help you appreciate the ability you have to enhance your own fertility and improve your chances of success with IVF. It sounds like a lot of responsibility, but it’s also incredibly empowering.NB: In previous posts I have already shared the best fertility-boosting foods for you to enjoy and my secret to getting pregnant that has nothing to do with your diet.1.) Get nutritionally primed to optimize conception successIt’s best to start priming yourself for pregnancy six months to a year before you start the IVF process - that might sound like a long time planning, but, believe me, the better your body is prepped, the more likely it is to work first time!By following the Flo Living protocol you will be optimizing your weekly hormonal ratios, but there are four additional ways you can hack your eating plan to maximize the potential for pregnancy.

• Reduce inflammation: Incorporate sprouted and fermented foods during your follicular phase to deliver as many bioavailable nutrients as possible to the ovary.
• Energize your eggs: Consume the majority of your fruits and vegetables raw during ovulation to up egg-boosting glutathione levels.
• Boost Progesterone: Eat liver-supporting sweet root vegetables, like sweet potatoes, and leafy greens from the brassica family, like kale, during the luteal phase to make sure you are eliminating estrogen efficiently and keeping an optimal ratio of estrogen and progesterone for pregnancy maintenance and to reduce the likelihood of miscarriage.
• Boost your mineral stores: Replenish your minerals during the menstrual phase by consuming sea vegetables, avocados, and/or some free-range animal protein to deeply nourish your endocrine system for the next cycle.

2) Use Your Whole Body Fertility BarometerYour body has a myriad of ways it’s communicating with you about how fertile you are or how compromised your fertility might be. There are 3 systems that will tell you so much if you know what to look for. Those 3 systems are your cycle, your skin and bowels, and your vaginal microbiome. Check into each one to see what else you might need to do to boost your fertility.

• Observe your FLO: Observing the menstrual phase of your cycle is key to understanding how prepared your progesterone levels are to sustain a pregnancy through the critical first weeks. Look at the color, texture and number of days of your period. This is a fantastic way for you to assess each month how optimal your estrogen and progesterone levels are for conceiving and maintaining a pregnancy successfully. You can let your doctor know this information and they will support you in avoiding miscarriage. Click here to learn exactly how to interpret your period.

• Skin and Poop Check: Examine yourself for potential fertility obstacles beyond your cycle. I’m talking about healing your bowel movement health, which will improve your ability to absorb key nutrients like vitamin D3 and omega-3 fatty acids, which are both vital in stabilizing hormones.. Your skin health will show you how well your liver is doing and liver congestion will throw off the ideal hormone balance needed for baby-making. Inflammation is well-established as an obstacle to successful conception. If you have any symptoms of inflammation - from skin conditions, to IBS, to chronic illness and sleeplessness, you need to improve your internal ecosystem overall so that your ovaries get the green light for pregnancy. Read more about your gut microbiome here and of course make sure you are following the Flo Living protocol.

• TLC for your Vag: Chronic bacterial overgrowth and STDs are linked to decreased fertility rates. Address chronic BV (bacterial vaginosis), UTIs, and yeast infections by following my handy guide to natural remedies. Then get checked for common STDs like HPV and chlamydia that can create a less than optimal environment for an embryo. Both are highly treatable, so don’t fret if you find something.

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,AlisaGood things come in threes:

I want to hear from you!

First, are you going through IVF treatments? Second, which part of the fertility boosting plan do you feel you need to add to your conception journey? Third, so many women struggle silently with IVF – spread a little good ovary karma and share this article on social by clicking the buttons below :)

Are You Trying to Conceive?

If you want to do everything in your power to improve your chances of becoming a mom—then we want to help you optimize your fertility.Whether you are just starting to think about having a baby, or have already tried naturally or have been trying with IVF, our Fertile FLO Program will help improve your chances of conception.Click here to download my FREE guide, The 5 Health Foods to Avoid to Get and Stay Pregnant.

Should you go gluten free if you struggle with symptoms like acne, bloating, weight gain, mood swings, fatigue, terrible PMS, infertility, and other period problems?

The answer is: Yes.

A wealth of research suggests that giving up gluten may help with a variety of symptoms, whether you have celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, or no identifiable symptoms at all. Going gluten free won’t heal your hormones all on its own, of course, but if you give up gluten at the same time as you engage in phase-based self care, you’re setting yourself up for hormonal success.

I’ve seen so many of the woman I work with benefit by giving up gluten. In particular, I’ve noticed that women who struggle with diarrhea, constipation, bloating, mood swings, irritability, and skin issues (like psoriasis and eczema), get better quickly by giving up gluten. But don’t just take it from me. Take it from the research.

What Research Says About Gluten & Acne, Bloating, Digestive Problems, and Other Symptoms

In a 2014 survey, over half of people who ditched bread and other gluten-containing foods (like pasta) reported improvements in their physical and mental health. And research suggests that even people who don’t have obvious symptoms after they eat gluten may benefit from giving up gluten.Groundbreaking research done by the Italian researcher Alessio Fasano found that gluten triggers the body to release a protein called zonulin. Zonulin has a negative effect in the body: it loosens the tight junctions in the lining of the intestinal tract. When the lining of the intestinal tract is “tight and right,” only the nutrients our bodies need to survive are allowed through the intestinal walls. When these tight junctions are weakened, other substances (like larger food particles and dangerous pathogens) are allowed to sneak through the intestinal walls. This “leaky gut” then triggers a host of other problems, like acne and other skin issues, bloating and digestive distress, mood swings, and always feeling tired.

How Gluten Affects Reproductive Hormones

Gluten fuels inflammation. Inflammation makes hormone imbalance worse. Specifically, gluten inflames and damages the villi (small, finger-like projections) on the small intestine. When the villi are damaged, the body has a harder time absorbing nutrients and food moves more slowly through the intestines. This slower transit time means excess estrogen stays in the body longer, contributing to estrogen dominance. Estrogen dominance is one of the most common hormone imbalances in the women I work with and it is responsible for so many of their period problems.Studies show that women with celiac disease, which is a severe immune-system reaction to gluten, have a greater risk of impaired fertility and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Research also links non-celiac gluten sensitivity with adverse pregnancy outcomes.Women with endometriosis who go gluten free report reductions in pain after six to 12 months of the diet, according to two separate studies. Eating gluten has also been shown to increase incidents of bloating and fatigue. And there is some evidence linking celiac disease and polycystic ovarian syndrome.

One More Reason Gluten Is Bad For Health

The health problems associated with gluten may be related to more than just the gluten itself. Studies suggest that some of the symptoms people experience after eating wheat—like diarrhea, skin rashes, and mood problems—might be caused by the herbicide glyphosate. Glyphosate is a main ingredient in Roundup and is often sprayed on wheat crops. Researchers suspect that glyphosate in the body makes it more difficult to absorb key micronutrients and that its presence may explain some of the reproductive and fertility issues associated with gluten.

The 4 Week FLO Living Gluten-Free Challenge—Do THIS First

I recommend any women who is experiencing period problems or digestive distress (or both) to try my cycle-based gluten-elimination plan. As the name of the challenge implies, the 4 Week Gluten-Free Challenge means you’ll be eating gluten free for four straight weeks. But I ask you to take the process one step further by eating specific non-gluten-containing grains during specific times in your 28-day hormone cycle. So the first thing you need to do is know where you are in your cycle.The easiest way to do this is with the MyFlo Period Tracking app. If you’re already tracking your period, great. If not, download the app and get started learning where you are each week of the month. The app will also teach you the best ways to eat, exercise, and practice self-care during during each phase of your cycle.Once you know what phase of your cycle you’re in, you can start the 4 Week Gluten-Free Challenge.

Your 4 Week FLO Living Gluten-Free Challenge

During each phase of your cycle, I want you to incorporate a different non-gluten-containing whole grain in your eating plan. Here’s what to eat and when:Follicular phase (before you ovulate, after your period)Oats (inherently gluten-free, although processing can sometimes include wheat, so those who are super-sensitive should choose oats that say “gluten-free” on the label)Ovulatory phase (when you’re ovulating)Amaranth, corn, quinoaLuteal phase (before you have your period)Brown rice, milletMenstrual phase (your period)Buckwheat (kasha), wild riceYou can do my 4 Week Gluten-Free Challenge for four weeks, but you might get even more benefit if you stick with it for eight or 12 weeks. Many women experience such impressive symptom relief by going gluten free that they decide to stay off this problematic protein indefinitely. If you reintroduce gluten after four, eight, or 12 weeks and feel okay, you may opt to have gluten occasionally going forward. But no matter what, it is best not to make gluten a staple food in your phase-based approach to eating.

One Final Note: Whole Grains vs. Pre-Packaged Gluten-Free Foods

When I first gave up gluten, there weren’t a lot of gluten-free products on grocery store shelves. Now there are many. It’s fine to try these out when you’re first transitioning to a gluten-free lifestyle, but be sure to read labels carefully. Pre-packaged foods usually contain a lot of additional unhealthy ingredients. You don’t want to give up gluten only to replace it with a raft of preservatives, sugars and sugar substitutes, and other gnarly ingredients. In general, I think it is healthiest to stick to whole, gluten-free grains like buckwheat and quinoa. I like to soak them in water with a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar overnight before cooking. This way, you eliminate the phytic acid that can be harsh on the gut and improve your blood sugar stability.And if you find yourself feeling deprived in the initial phase of the FLO Living Gluten-Free Challenge (or anytime after going gluten free), don’t despair. I’ve got some great dessert and baked good recipes that will make you forget that anything is missing!Most importantly, get creative and have fun! Nearly all of the gluten-free grains included in the challenge make great additions to breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

One of the pillars of the Flo Living lifestyle is eliminating dairy. The truth is that dairy is bad for our hormones - it is a root cause of PMS, PCOS, acne, endometriosis, and infertility issues. We don’t need it and we can get all of the nutrients - including calcium - perfectly well from other foods. Getting rid of dairy will only have a positive impact on your overall health. Trust me!

My dairy-free journey‍

I have been dairy free for 17 years and being strict about this was absolutely essential for me to reverse my PCOS symptoms, clear my skin, and get pregnant with my daughter. I’ve never missed or craved dairy ever, but interestingly enough when I was pregnant, my body told me that I needed to introduce some dairy back into my diet. I always listen to my body, and so I very carefully experimented with adding in some dairy.

I have to be honest, I was pretty scared to try adding this back in given how severe my reaction used to be to dairy - my skin would break out in hives and my stomach would be miserable for days. I knew that the only healthy way I could do this, however, was to choose plain goat milk-based yogurt. So, three times a week I would eat a little bit of that goat yogurt and my body thanked me for it - not one negative symptom.

Now however, as I continue with this protocol while I am breast-feeding, I’m finding that I’m starting to show clear signs of my body’s sensitivity to dairy once again - the congestion, the running nose, the sneezing. This has showed me that although I am able to use dairy medicinally short-term, soon it will be time for me to stop and go dairy-free again. And I won’t be giving cow dairy to my daughter - why set her up for hormonal chaos if I don’t have to?  She’ll get goat-milk kefir which also packs a probiotic punch when the time comes.

‍

The dangers of dairy

The moral of my story is: if you feel the need to have dairy - always go with goat! The majority of dairy cows in the US are injected with a genetically modified growth hormone that causes them to produce more milk than they would naturally. So when you eat or drink this milk, you too are consuming the artificial hormones. The majority of cows are also treated with antibiotics, which your body will then absorb. Plus, they’re fed GMO corn or soy. All three parts of this process combine in your body to wreck your hormonal ecosystem.

‍4 ways dairy is hurting your hormones:

1. Dairy creates inflammation in the intestinal tract which can hinder your fertility.
2. Dairy can throw off your body’s own estrogen production by introducing artificial growth hormones.
3. Dairy containing antibiotics will negatively impact your microbiome, thereby preventing estrogen metabolism.
4. Dairy depletes your magnesium stores, which throws off your pituitary gland and the rest of the adrenal glands.

‍

The calcium paradox  

‍I suggest you pick up a copy of Annemarie Colbin’s, Food and our Bones: The Natural Way To Prevent Osteoporosis - her work completely undermines the mythology around dairy which we’ve all grown up with. Rather than helping us to form strong bones, dairy actually leaches calcium out of our bones, making us more susceptible to osteoporosis. Cobin does not recommend calcium supplements or pills, but instead a diet rich in vegetables, fruits and greens. Cobin discovered it was those women living in dairy-dominant cultures such as the US and northern Europe that actually had the highest incidences of osteoporosis, as well as heart disease and breast cancer.

We’ve long been told milk is keeping us healthy and strong, when it’s actually doing the opposite. Studies also show that taking calcium supplements will not save us from bone fractures in our old age. In fact, too much calcium supplementation in pill form can lead to kidney stones and, potentially, a higher risk of heart disease.‍

‍The 10 best (and surprising!) sources of calcium

If you’ve been relying on dairy, then you’ve not been getting enough calcium. Here are foods to fill your plate with that are packed with calcium and other beneficial nutrient combinations.

1. Sardines (with the bones) - Click here for my personal recipe!
2. Dried figs
3. Bok choy
4. Kale
5. Almonds
6. Oranges
7. Sesame seeds
8. Oatmeal
9. Seaweed
10. Collard greens

‍

Tips to help eliminate dairy‍

Hopefully all of this information has helped you decide to go dairy-free! If you’ve been eating a dairy rich diet for some time, there are 3 steps you can take to speed up the elimination process and get your hormones back on track.

Step 1 - Do my 4-Day Hormone Detox - it’s free!

Step 2 -  Add 2 tsp of organic flax meal daily - to scrape out (gently) all that casein that has been accumulating in your intestinal tract and causing inflammation.

Step 3 -  Use warming spices like cinnamon, turmeric and cayenne pepper daily - to dry out the mucus that dairy produces in the body.

Flo Living grad Diane shares her remarkable journey with Alisa.

At 41 years-old Diane decided she wanted to have a baby. Despite her pretty healthy lifestyle and good genes, her tests showed a natural conception would be near impossible.Feeling discouraged, Diane came across WomanCode accidentally at her local bookstore. She soon signed up for the Flo Living protocol. Within 90 days she had changed the course of her life.Diane managed to get pregnant naturally and quickly, to the shock and surprise of her medical practitioners. Not only that but she sidestepped all concerns about the usual risks of pregnancy over the age of 35.She now has a 3 month old, a new lease on life and an exciting budding career!

Click hereto watch Diane's video interview or keeping reading for the full story.Alisa: I’m joined today by Diane from California. Tell us about your remarkable journey.Diane: I was 41 years old when my husband and I started talking about having kids. He suggested I go get tests done at the gynecologist to see if everything was okay. I didn’t believe I needed to get anything tested because my grandmother had my uncle when she was 46 and I figured my eggs were fine, I’d always been totally normal my whole life, with my cycle and everything.But I go to the gynecologist and she tells me that from my age and the statistics she knows already what my hormone levels are going to be. I couldn’t believe she would know that, as I knew I was eating really well and assumed I would have perfect levels. We got the test results back and I had a FSH level of 15, which is not horrible, but it means your ovaries are barely producing good eggs and you have a 5-8% chance of conceiving naturally.This came out of nowhere for me, I didn’t even know what an FSH level was. It was all very curt and very scientific and heavy. She gave me the name and number of the local IVF guy. I couldn’t even get a word in. I was so bombarded with this news. I already felt like she didn’t know what she was talking about. I had overcome things before, I had horrible acne in my 30s and I figured that out on my own.I did some research and called her back. I asked her if I might be able to change the levels. She said that it could not be changed. I half believed it. Here’s this trained doctor telling me I’m done, I waited too long. I’m 41 and it’s over. All I had at that time was my pop culture knowledge, all these celebrities who had had children at my age or older than me. She tells me they’re all having twins and there’s a reason for that, they’re having IVF.I didn’t know anything about my cycle. I knew there was the menstrual phase and that I ovulated, that was it. I did some simple research online and found this woman who has a fertility cookbook. It tells you all of the things you can’t do, tells you to eat really plain foods, eat lots of avocados. It wasn’t very scientific. I’m an insane Virgo and I need to know why everything is happening and I need to know the facts.For a year though, I’m just going about my business. I live in an area of Southern California with great craft beers so every weekend was full of beer for me. I was eating a lot of meat and a lot of cheese. This was on the backburner. I wasn’t taking control over my diet in a real way.Around the end of August in 2013 I was at the local bookstore and I see the purple cover of WomanCode. For whatever reason, because I was supposed to buy it, I grabbed it, and I started reading the fertility section. I just decided I had to buy it right then. I burned through it.Okay, I see what I have to do. I decided to try this. I loved the testimonials inside. I knew it had to be true. It was such a friendly approach that I didn’t believe it could be real. I got rid of the sugar, the cheese, the gluten. Now I’m making amaranth pasta with no cheese. I got rid of all the wine and all the beer. By the time my birthday came around and I turned 42, I decided to do it exactly as written for 90 days.I went back to the same gynecologist after those 90 days. I decided to ask to see a midwife. I asked to get my levels checked again. She didn’t want me to get my hopes up because it was a year later then. I got that. They have people who are hopeful, but they don’t know what to do or change. I told her I was doing this diet specifically for my cycle. I told her I was eating with my cycle, I’d gotten rid of all the inflammatory foods, and I had been eating fertility boosting foods. She didn’t understand what I was talking about.She takes my blood, she calls me two days later. She says, “You need to hear this. It looks like I’m looking at the results of a completely different person. Well, your FSH is 7.5. That’s the normal level of a healthy 33 year old. You’re 42. This shouldn’t have happened. What did you do exactly? And what’s the name of the book?”Alisa: I have to ask for those of us entrenched in this story now - can you stand up and show us the results of that 7.5 FSH level….one hot, hot, hot pregnant mama. It happened! The good old fashioned way at home with your husband, right?Diane: This is what happens!It happened naturally.It wasn’t completely easy sailing, though. So now I’m arrogant, I’m calling all my friends and telling them my results. I told everyone with fertility issues to do this diet and that it works. You know it’s working. Four days into the initial cleanse, I felt significantly lighter, it was like after I had done a juice cleanse. I knew I was doing something right. It was clear that I was ovulating. I knew it was happening.Alisa: Yes, and we teach you how to track when you’re ovulating. I think it’s so valuable to know exactly what is going on with your body, how to work with it, how to use food to make it do what you want. What’s so exciting about your story is we have this belief that after a certain age women cannot conceive naturally. That’s becoming an epidemic because women are eating and living in a way that’s causing them to age prematurely. You had the ovaries of someone older than your biological age. You were able to decrease your biological age by a decade. That’s the exciting news. We’re going about thinking about fertility all wrong. We need to be thinking about how can I promote hormonal youth in my body?You played that game to success, you’re fit to burst any day now. Having recently transitioned into motherhood, I’m so excited for you to transition imminently.How does your partner feel about you living in your Flo?Diane: My husband has told his whole family. They’re from Rome, Italy. I’m sure his parents thought it was pretty hokey. He knows I’m determined though. The second I came back with my results they were floored. Four months after that I’m pregnant.But I wanted to add - back then, so I’m at 7.5 and I’m thinking I’ve got it in the bag. I wasn’t thinking that seriously about having children until I was told it would be very difficult and that I’d have to have IVF and end up with triplets. I started crying. It was real and going to happen.To show you how sensitive our bodies are, I started having some bread and one beer a week. In January, I’m not pregnant. I decided to get myself tested again. I was still eating in the phases and eating buckwheat, avocados, brazil nuts, putting cinnamon on everything and making brown rice and turmeric and loading it with vegetables and everything, but that one beer a week…well, my FSH went up to 9.8.Alisa: Women are hormonally sensitive, much more so these days. We’re in this perfect storm now and there’s been no precedent for it - we have pesticides in our food supply, we live a lifestyle that’s taxing on our endocrine system, and we’re delaying motherhood. This trifecta makes for frustrations with our fertility, sex drive, energy. You also just don’t feel good when your hormones are off. I’m sure you felt better when you were following the protocol. So I bet you were right back on track once you realized.Diane: I was right back in gear and two months later I was pregnant.But also - within 3 months I realized I had depression or rage before my period. If you cut me off I would verbally assault you at that time. Prior to this I would get so depressed I would get into a dark, dark place. I was in denial that this was PMS. I knew I needed help. The second I got on the cleanse my PMS disappeared. No more cramping. I didn’t have any bloating anymore. It was like I was 16 again. I just had my period and it was done. It was no problem. I felt so good.Alisa: That’s so important for you to share. You and I are technically in perimenopause. It technically begins at 35. You were able to improve your perimenopausal experience. We’re talking about reversing this rapid hormonal aging process that everyone’s going through. It’s not just women in their 30s and 40s, it’s also women in their 20s. It can happen to anyone at anytime and you can reverse that process in 90 days with the Flo protocol at any stage.You have this. No one can take this away from you. You know how to feel good. You can program your body for optimal health.Diane: People were asking me what I was doing. They thought I had gone vegan. Everyone was wondering why I looked so good. I was telling everyone. I’m living proof. You have to get this book! Who doesn’t want to feel their best all of the time?Alisa: In the protocol we talk about embracing your potential. You shared with me that you were keeping yourself back in terms of your career. You’re about to transition into motherhood and with your career. You are taking on your true soul’s calling and stepping into the spotlight as an Opera singer! You become such a clear channel for your own soul’s voice. The effort becomes effortless. Taking action becomes pleasurable.Diane: There’s no blockage. It’s to do with getting rid of all the inflammatory food. I’m not gluten sensitive to my knowledge. But when I was on the protocol my singing was crystal clear. My tone was clean. Because my body was clean.I got rid of all the cleaners I had. My beer wasn’t the last thing to go. I got this cream, a moisturizer, from this place in New York. I didn’t want to throw it away. It was full of sulphates. I spent $50 on this big tub. I wanted to give it away. But I knew it was an endocrine disruptor and I couldn’t give it to someone knowing what it could do.Alisa: That’s not a good regift! Luckily these days there are great natural options. You do have to start shopping in different places and making different choices, slowly, step by step. It’s not all at once.What would you say to someone who is listening to this and is thinking about doing the protocol and is maybe feeling overwhelmed like it might be too much or too difficult for them?Diane: We can do anything. We can do anything as women. If you look at the whole protocol you might panic. Get rid of the inflammatories one by one. Cut them out one by one. With cheese you’ll see what happens to your skin immediately. We’re all vain. Get rid of the cheese. See what happens to your skin. What did Valentino say... women want to be beautiful! Once you start with the cleanse, you’ll know immediately that you are on the right path. You see the results right away so you want to keep doing it.Alisa: I love that Valentino is now on our site, he does make fabulous dresses!Diane: So, they make you do all this genetic screening when you’re 42 (or from 35 up) and hear what chances you have of having a Downs Syndrome child and so on.Alisa: There’s a lot of negative and fear-based things. It’s true because we’re not taking care of our diet and the youthfulness of our eggs, those statistics do reflect women’s health. It’s scary, but good for you to see that once you took charge of your diet and lifestyle those things are no longer a concern.Diane: They’re no longer a concern at all. When we got the results back they were expecting horrible results. When we crunched the numbers this one woman who was really negative, she couldn’t believe what she saw. She said, you don’t even need an amnio with these results.Alisa: That’s great! I’m so glad.Diane: She said, a healthy 16 year old would have the same results as you! The genetic testing doesn’t factor in once you’ve done the protocol. And I’m hearing angels singing hallelujah! Now I’m this crazed woman telling everyone about it!Alisa: Me too! It’s just great, take one step at a time, I love that advice. It’s never a bad time to get started for your ovaries, your sex drive, your fertility, your moods, your soul’s passion, whatever you’re thinking about changing. It’s worth the experiment to see what it might do for you.Thank you for sharing your beautiful story! We want baby pictures! Wishing you good vibes for the birth and let’s stay connected.Good things come in threes:

I want to hear from you!

First, have you been struggling with fertility issues? What have you tried?Second, have you followed the Flo Living protocol and regained your fertility? Let us know!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

Are You Trying to Conceive?

If you want to do everything in your power to improve your chances of becoming a mom—then we want to help you optimize your fertility.Whether you are just starting to think about having a baby, or have already tried naturally or have been trying with IVF, our Fertile FLO Program will help improve your chances of conception.Click here to download my FREE guide, The 5 Health Foods to Avoid to Get and Stay Pregnant.

Having libido issues is common. Low sex drive can come with anxiety and a feeling that you are missing out on an important part of life. Are you in the mood to get in the mood? 

Read on to learn about our approach - with healthy & sustainable ways to improve your sex drive.

Find out the scientific reason for low libido and your personal Flo-Fix

At Flo Living, we believe that food is the best medicine, but we also know that vitamins & supplements, when taken in addition to hormone-friendly meals, can have superpowers, like the ability to boost your sex drive and increase libido.

Often when we start to look outside of mainstream medicine for alternative protocols to heal our health issues, we replace one pill-taking protocol with another. The prescription drugs are replaced with a long list of supplements. Supplements alone, without any other lifestyle changes, will have some impact, but it will be nowhere near what they can achieve when working in a body supported with a healthy way of life.

‍

Here are a few reasons your sex drive might be stalled:

• You’re beyond stressed. Don’t discount the profound physical effects psychological factors can have, especially on your libido. Everything from stress, anxiety, and depression to poor body image, low self-esteem, and history of abuse can significantly impact your sex drive.
• You’ve been on birth control for any length of time. A study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine revealed that women who have taken the birth control pill may find that, as well as having had low sex drive when on the pill, that this side effect persists even when they stop taking it. The researchers discovered that the impact the birth control pill has on women’s testosterone levels can cause them to have a permanently suppressed sex drive when compared to women who have never used the birth control pill.
• You’re over 35. Perimenopause has a profound effect on your entire endocrine system, and can spin your sex drive out of whack. Before 35, your desire is driven primarily by the biological impetus to reproduce and your libido peaks around ovulation each month. After 35, as your hormone levels start to shift, your body just isn’t not as strongly driven by that natural instinct and it will require external direction in the form of nutritional and physical cues.
• You have an endocrine issue like PCOS. Women with PCOS typically either experience low libido as a result of low testosterone levels and high sex hormone binding globulin levels (SHBG) or a high libido (along with acne and hair loss/unwanted hair growth). Either imbalance of masculine and femininity can create a disconnect between your emotions and your libido, making sex a struggle, even if the desire is there.

‍

A pill for every ill

Science is always on the search for the magic bullet for our sexual health problems - that female Viagra. Most women, however, experience poor sexual desire alongside other issues like PMS and fatigue. The solution requires a holistic approach.

We want women to start by feeling good every day, in everything they do, as it’s then that you will find you have the ability to feel great about sex.

Below are some of the reasons why you might have low libido, and the best supplement for each particular problem. There is a pill here for every ill, but remember, to truly activate the benefits you need to put living in your Flo first, and get your hormonal ecosystem straightened out with food.

‍

The 5 best supplements to boost your sexual health

There is not just one singular reason for having a low sex drive. In addition to what you eat and anything else going on with your health, you might be able to find nutritional supplements that can help tip the scales in your favor in regard to waking up your libido. For each of the natural remedies below, you can guage how you are feeling compared with what they can help with and decide if it is a supplement that you want to experiment with adding into your regimen.

‍

1. Rev your Energy Fast with Rhodiola

Take Rhodiola if you: have symptoms of adrenal fatigue with moodiness, PMS and low-level depression.

‍How it works: Rhodiola works to support our adrenal glands by preventing the breakdown of too much dopamine and serotonin during stressful times, leaving enough for us to remain buoyant and energized. What’s extra fun about Rhodiola is that it works fast - in 30 minutes - to change your energy levels and focus - so pop one before you think you want to get frisky.

‍

2. Look and Feel your Sexiest Self with Zinc

Take Zinc if you: are estrogen dominant with low testosterone, which will show itself in period problems and weight gain.

‍How it works: Zinc helps to boost your testosterone production and prevents testosterone being turned into estrogen by blocking the enzyme responsible.

‍

3. Have Bigger Orgasms with Evening Primrose Oil

Take Primrose Oil if you: sometimes feel sexual desire, but the sex itself doesn’t feel as good as it used to and you’re not getting those really big Os like before.

‍How it works: Evening primrose oil will balance out your progesterone and estrogen levels, which in turn will increase dopamine, which will in turn help you produce more nitric oxide. This is absolutely essential for the dilation of blood vessels and tumescence that leads to bigger and better orgasms.

‍

4. Get Back in the Mood with Magnesium

Take Magnesium if you feel: symptoms such as muscle cramping, facial ticks, migraines, poor sleep, fatigue and PMS. You can ask your doctor for a test for your magnesium levels.

‍How it works: Magnesium makes it harder for your testosterone to bind onto proteins and allows for more of it to remain “free” in your bloodstream - which is exactly how you want it to be for a higher sex drive. Higher levels of free testosterone make for more desire. Magnesium also combats anxiety and prevents depressive feelings, helping you enjoy yourself more. If your magnesium levels show to be very low, take 360g a day in the form of a supplement, but if your levels are average, keep them up with a daily serving of dark chocolate and greens.

‍

5. Dial Up the Dopamine with Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Take Omega-3's if you feel: like you aren't getting that same pleasure and satisfaction, and you aren't having those big o's like you used to.

How is works: Omega-3's help balance out your progesterone and estrogen levels, which in turn will increase dopamine, which will, in turn, help you produce more nitric oxide. Omega-3's are absolutely essential for the dilation of blood vessels and tumescence that leads to bigger and better orgasms.

‍

Can these supplements help with men's libido? 

Share the love! What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Literally! Men benefit just as much from all of these supplements as women do, especially magnesium and evening primrose oil. In fact, they can also help with male-centric issues like premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction.

As our founder Alisa Vitti shares, "When I first started dating my husband he had a very different diet than mine. Over time he adopted my way of eating and he too has seen and felt the benefits in his digestion, mood, and energy. We both have endocrine systems that need similar kinds of support, even if the end goal of my protocol is all about restoring your feminine hormonal FLO.  He now knows how to support his own optimized sex drive.  Start feeding your self and your man this sex supportive diet now and thank me later ;)I recommend that if you want to have a great sex life with your partner you eat the same nutritious meals and make food part of your extended foreplay. There’s nothing sexier than truly caring for the one you love every day."

‍

What to remove to help your sex drive

• For Women: Canola Oil! Because it’s in everything, it raises your levels of Omega 6 fatty acids, which then dysregulates your uptake of Omega 3 fatty acids. Studies have shown that boosting Omega 3s increases sexual desire and response in women in as little at 6 weeks.  So, stick to clean fats:  quality olive oil, avocado oil and coconut oil and you’ll feel sexier pronto!
• For Men: Soy is terrible for the male sex drive as the phytoestrogens build up to unnatural levels much too quickly. Processed soy, which is often found in a lot of vegan or plant based products can be even worse. It's important to keep an eye out for where soy is hiding.

‍

How to Have Better Orgasms to Improve Your Health and Balance Your Hormones

‍

Watch as Alisa shares how to bio-hack your orgasms for better health!

‍

‍

‍

Ashley is 31 years-old and living in Austin, Texas. She runs a gluten-free baking company, Bona Dea, with a team of women, providing baking mixes to restaurants and hotels and sold in grocery stores and online. They will soon launch a range of ready-to-eat buns, hoagies and sandwich loaves. (Make sure to check out Ashley &Bona Dea's special cycle-synced recipes below - YUM!)After coming off the NuvaRing, Ashley hadn’t had a period in three whole years. Her face was breaking out for the first time. Plus she was finding it very hard to relax and take time to herself in her busy schedule.Within six months of following the Flo Living protocol and with the support of our counselors, Ashley saw her period return, got her clear skin back, and dramatically lowered her stress levels.

How was your health when you discovered Flo Living?

When I first discovered Flo Living I was living in Asia and in a really, really busy work situation. I had a lot of stress and I wasn’t sleeping a lot, as I didn’t have a lot of hours available to sleep. I was on this tired and wired cycle. I have a lot of energy, that’s just the kind of person I am, and sometimes I don’t know what propels me, but my adrenals were in overdrive. My health in mainstream medical terms was good – I had low blood pressure, I worked out, I ate healthily – but I had not had a period in three years since coming off the NuvaRing. I also had recently had an abnormal pap smear. I always had clear skin and about midday through that three year period my face started breaking out in the areas that indicate hormonal health.

How did you come across Flo Living?

At some point I was surfing the net looking for answers when I came across Alisa and I listened to every single one of her talks that I could find on You Tube. That made me book a consultation.

How did your health improve and your lifestyle change as a result of the protocol?

It took six months from the time I started the Flo Living program to when I had my first period. A lot of how the program helped me during that time was about reducing my stress level and yin balancing. It was a big challenge as all through the program my schedule was only giving me five hours to sleep at night. I was teaching English, but as I started that my business took off and I ended up working double time. It became about how I approached things, about having a lot more capacity and space. Instead of being contractive about everything, I needed to be expansive. I learned deep breathing exercises. I made a rule about not eating my meals while at the computer. I loved the hot water pack on my adrenals. I enjoyed taking half an hour a day to just do nothing or do whatever I wanted.I worked with the counselors on the online forum and because I didn’t have a period it was hard to follow the cycle as such, so what they suggested was that I follow the moon phases with my eating plan. I did that and my period came back on the new moon, which was awesome! I was like, this works! I’ve had two periods now and I’m supposed to have my next on the next new moon. My acne cleared up during that time too.Even though I was working so much, and it seemed like it would be impossible to clear up my adrenal issues at that time, even then, with the tactics I was given I felt I was in a really good place. I got back to a place of body balance.

How do you feel now in each phase of your cycle?

Before the Flo protocol I never paid attention to my body. I bought tampons, and that was the extent of it. I never had very extreme periods before so I didn’t think about it. I had a very much mind-over-matter, almost athletic mentality to my health and work life, which led to a few burnouts. Now I am really paying a lot more attention. I’m in the luteal phase right now and I feel a little less sociable. I know I can take a few minutes of silence for myself. I am careful not to eat sugar. In my follicular and ovulatory phases I am really energetic and it’s awesome to know why. It’s really cool to recognize what’s going on inside.

Before you decided to try the Flo protocol what were your expectations?

Before doing Flo I had tried homeopathy, vitamin therapy, I already ate really healthy. I looked at this as another possible solution or remedy. What got me though was the mind-body connection and how much beyond the food and supplements that it went.

What did you find difficult at first? How did you overcome this obstacle with the help of your counselor?

Eating within the first 90 minutes of the day was really hard. In the past I would work out first thing in the morning on no food, then I would have fruit, then I would have coffee, then I would have food probably five or six hours after waking up. It was a total mind shift for me. Now it makes sense and I stuck with it, it makes a huge difference. The counselors were very patient with my resistance and had great ideas. They suggested I have a snack before my morning run and finish my breakfast when I came back.Not drinking coffee was also an issue as I love my coffee. I’m from the Pacific Northwest, I think coffee is delicious. Not just for the caffeine, more the taste and there is no real substitute. I’ve had to let go of that. When my body is in balance it can handle it, so that was another mental shift. I drink chai tea and a lot of herbal teas.

What would you say to a friend who read about Flo and felt it might be too much for them to handle, but could really benefit from the protocol?

Being forgiving with yourself is a really good thing. Getting started hardcore on a program, some people set the bar too high and then give up. Having accountability and support and being open about it is so important. You can talk to a trusted friend. The more you are open, the more people keep you accountable and then you want to stay on track. Also you need to set reasonable goals for yourself, which depends on whether you are already a healthy eater or not. You need to figure out your baseline and then make choices that make sense for you.

How have you personalized the protocol?

The workouts by cycle phase have been a big shift for me. Prior to the program I was obsessive about working out, like two to three hours a day. The program has helped me recognize to treat my body with love and tone down the workouts in my menstruation phase. It helps me notice if I am actually tired today and should do some yoga instead of going running. Even switching up the kinds of yoga I do in each phase has made a big difference.I used to also overload my schedule, so it’s really helpful for me to put the phases onto my calendar. I check these when I’m making meetings for work or social engagements with friends. I plan certain things for certain phases. I keep the second half of my cycle more clear and add more to the first half. I take on more socially in the first half and work it through my system.

How have you made shopping and cooking simple and easy? Do you have any tips you might share with others?

I wrote down on a piece of paper the different phases and then I divided it up into food, cooking style, exercise, social and then hormones. So I have my notes for each of those categories so I can glance at that paper and see what I need to eat that week. It helps me shopping and cooking. It helps me figure out whether I should roast, sauté or have a raw salad too. I love to go to the farmer’s market so it’s fun to know what to look out for and maybe try something new on the list. I tend to do weekend prep when I chop up fresh vegetables with my husband. I collect my favorite recipes that work well for each phase. I make big batches and put that in the freezer – curries, chili, etc I also use that for lunches-to-go.

What are some of your favorite ready-to-eat items that you grab on the go? What do you do for snacks?

I cook my own snacks and quick lunches mostly, but I do get Kind bars and I stick nuts in my bag. Lately I have been into making chia pudding with chia seeds and almond milk or coconut milk with berries on top. I also eat hummus and carrots a lot. As a treat I might have blue corn chips, the Food for Life brand.

What did you eat yesterday for breakfast/lunch/dinner?

I’m in my luteal phase right now and it’s cold outside, so I am focusing on warming foods and the phase foods together. I had egg with mushroom and kale on teff bread (my company’s creation made of brown rice and millet) for breakfast. Then for lunch I had some baked squash from the night before with beet greens and hummus. I’m looking to eat more red meat right now, and my husband’s family hunts, so we had venison from them in the evening. I had a big roasted vegetable stew on the side too with broccoli, zucchini, onions, beans, and tomatoes. A big bowl of that.

What's your favorite restaurant and what do you order?

I love Indian curries. I love the korma with cashews and coconuts, which I think is really good during the ovulatory phase. I have saag, which is a spinach based curry that you can get without the cream and add chicken or lamb, depending on which phase you are in. I love Thai stirfrys, which are good for the follicular phase. During the menstrual phase I love Pho, the Vietnamese soup, with a really good bone broth base and mushrooms and seaweed.In terms of national chains I really like Chipotle. They use meat that is hormone-free, from nicely raised animals. You can get good taco bowls and you get to choose your meat and veggies according to the time of month you are in.

Have you recommend Flo Living to a friend or family member?

I’ve told every female I know (if there’s not a TMI issue)! Everyone I work with at my company is reading the book, we’re all girls together. We are going to actually get together once a month to discuss WomanCode and share our ideas. My business partner and I are even doing meal sharing following the protocol. I’ve been shouting it from the rooftops! Support from friends is a huge thing for me. When you go through the cleanse phase, it’s so much easier when you have friends doing that with you. You can more easily get through it, share recipes, and talk about it.

What does your husband think about Flo?

He is excited my hormones are back to functioning order. He’s super supportive. And with the whole moon thing, he’s like, there’s definitely something to it! Plus he loves all the meals we’re creating for each phase.

BONUS: Ashley’s FLO friendly Recipes

Follicular

Zesty Zucchini BreadAvocado Ginger MuffinsAlmond Butter Oat CookiesCrispy Chicken Tenders

Ovulatory

Shrimp Gumbo with Skillet CornbreadAmazing Fried Veggies Raspberry Pecan SconesStrawberry Pistachio Muffins

Luteal

Apple & Raisin Nut MuffinsSweet Potato Pancakes with Apple Molasses SauceCinnamon Date Muffins

Menstrual Phase

Crispy Beet ChipsBlueberry Lemon Muffins

Now, we want to hear from you!

First: Have you experienced long stretches of time where your period disappears? What happened?Second: Have you gotten back in your FLO? We'd love to hear you story and feature you!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!

PLUS Alisa shares her favorite beauty product picks!

Balanced hormones are the ultimate beauty secret.For years I suffered with painful cystic acne and eczema and I came to learn that no amount of wonder potions and lotions would help. My problem wasn’t only skin-deep, I had to get down to the root cause and heal myself from the inside out.The state of your hormonal health is intricately linked to how you look. When you’re at optimum health, and so optimum fertility, your beauty gets a big boost.Let me share some fun, and surprising, facts with you:1) Women who are at their fertile peak are seen as having more attractive facial features. A woman’s face is in fact more symmetrical when she is ovulating.2) During peak fertility a woman’s lips and cheeks become naturally colored with blusher-like pink as blood flow ups under the skin.3) Due on subtle changes to a woman’s scent and voice, men are more attracted to women with fertile cycles.Fascinating, right? Seems like there’s lots of us who’ve been looking for beautification in all the wrong places.Tweetable: Beautiful Skin comes from Balanced Hormones #FlobeautySo, how to get these natural benefits of balanced hormonal health that your body so wants to give? How can you become this sexy cycler with super-hot window of major attractiveness every month?

With Flo Living’s 5 Step Countdown to Boosting Your Beauty in just 5 Days!

Follow these steps to get glowing skin, glossy hair and revved-up hormones.Your skin is your largest elimination organ. When your liver isn’t breaking down the toxins as it should, this is where they show up as acne, eczema, rosacea and too oily or too dry skin. Not to mention dull, lifeless or greasy hair.The key to beautiful skin and hair doesn’t come in a bottle. It is, on a fundamental level, improved liver detoxification.Here’s how to make this happen.Think about all those lotions and potions and how long they take to (not) work, according to the ads. This 5 Step Countdown is going to give you real and fast results in less than a week.Step One: Wake up and drink one liter of filtered water and add in an Emergen-C Electro Mix, or, if you prefer, the equivalent in coconut water.Step Two: Make yourself my Skin Detox Juice: 2 T cilantro, 1 green apple, 4 stalks celery, 2 strawberries and a little squeeze of lemon juice.Step Three: Buy yourself a nice, organic salt scrub or make your own with kosher salt, olive or coconut oil, and your favorite essential oils. You’re looking to both exfoliate and moisturize to help your skin balance itself out and decongest.Step Four: Start taking a good Calcium D-Glucarate supplement daily. This is the strongest support for liver detoxification that works especially well for those with estrogen dominance (a common cause of the most common hormonal acne – found on the chin and jawline).Step Five: Cleanse your beauty cabinet and cosmetics bag. Throw out anything containing endocrine-disrupting phthalates (look for the acronyms DBP, DEHP); sodium lauryl sulfates and ether sulfates (SLS and SLES); parabens (including methyl, propyl, butyl, and ethyl); anolamines (DEA, TEA, MEA), and petrolatum or petroleum jelly.Was that your whole beauty stash gone? Eek! Not to worry. I want to share with you my personal favorite beauty product picks.

Alisa’s Beauty Picks

FaceDaily: I only use aloe vera gel on my face to moisturize, in the morning. It’s a natural exfoliator, an anti-inflammatory, and it keeps moisture sealed into your skin. I have sensitive skin so this works for me, but if you have dryness issues try the Raw Coconut Cream from RMS Beauty.Alba Botanica has a wonderful daily detox foam cleanser in its Good & Clean line.Weekly: Naturopathica has two face masks that I love - the Pumpkin Purifying Enzyme Peel and the Sweet Cherry Brightening Enzyme Peel. They are so clean and fresh you could literally eat them!Cosmetics: I recommend Jane Iredale if you’re prone to oily skin as it’s mineral based or RMS Beauty’s range if you have normal or dry skin as it’s all coconut oil based and so moisturizing you won’t even need to add in another product to your beauty regime.HairI use an aloe-based hair shampoo like Shikai Everyday Shampoo twice a week. I have very curly hair so less washing is right for my hair type. However, if you have straight hair you might need to wash more frequently.If you have oily scalp, don’t reach for those harsh drying shampoos! Instead, take some Arm & Hammer baking soda and rub it into your wet hair on your scalp before shampooing in the shower. You will have the squeakiest clean scalp ever!Dandruff is just another sign that your liver is failing to process toxins, so don’t be tempted to use a harsh chemical shampoo to resolve this as it will only give your liver more toxins to deal with. Try an apple cider vinegar rinse before you shampoo instead (before you shampoo, so you don’t smell like a salad later!).Good things come in threes:

I want to hear from you!

First: Have you struggled with acne? Did our 5 Day Countdown help?Second: Share your #Flobeauty experience - follow the steps and let us know how you feel.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!

Are you in a Kale and Broccoli rut? Do you keep meaning to try new greens but you don’t know where to start? Do you struggle with the symptoms of excess estrogen: acne, bloating, irritability, fatigue, insomnia, low libido, infertility, and period problems?

‍

If your answer is yes, it’s time to take the 4 week FLO Food challenge!

‍One of the great things about the WomanCode diet is that it truly simplifies your food shopping experience. By cutting down on waste and streamlining your weekly meal plan, eating in your Flo will also shrink your spending dramatically.

Most people expect any major lifestyle change to be both costly and time-consuming. Flo Living is the opposite, especially when it comes to my diet protocol. I created this for women just like me who are busy building businesses, families, and having fun.  

Give yourself time to get used to this new way of thinking, eating, and shopping. It won’t be second nature right away, but it won’t take long.

‍Click here to check out how other successful women organize their pantries and shopping lists.

‍

Here’s how it works:

Each phase of your hormone cycle (a phase is usually one week in length give or take, so it's perfect for scheduling your regular weekly grocery run) correlates to a new set of meats, grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, and seafood for your menu. I want you to start with just ONE change. And I want this one change to make a BIG difference in your health!  

So, the 4 week FLO Food challenge was born! It’s totally easy - pick a few veggies from the lists below based on where you are in your cycle and eat them that week. Change the veggies for each of the 4 weeks. That’s it!I created a handy reference for you to shop the produce aisle or farmer’s market so you get more GREENS in during the right times of your cycle! Most symptoms that occur from hormonal imbalance issues are the result of excess estrogen. These foods here support the metabolization of estrogen through your elimination organs and the removal of that unwanted excess from your body.  By incorporating these greens at these specific times, you enhance your body’s ability to metabolize estrogen and your symptoms will disappear.

‍The big question: Do I always have to eat with my cycle? Actually, no.(I bet you weren’t expecting that answer!)I just want to get you started eating in your FLO or Cycle-Syncing as I call it. I know how powerful it is, and even trying just the veggie piece of this will change your health for the better! So, take this guide with you to the supermarket or farmer’s market and as long as you make sure the majority of what you buy is in alignment with your cycle phase you’ll be feeling great in no time! You can add in foods from the other phases depending on what you want and what’s in season. All of these foods are healthy and hormonally supportive.

‍What if my Cycle is Off? The majority of women have a cycle that is too long or too short.  All the more reason to start cycle-syncing your diet to get back into proper FLO time!However, if you don’t know where to start because you are not sure where you are in your cycle right now for whatever reason, you have 2 options:Beginner - just start this week as your follicular week and continue on from there.Advanced - google the moon phases for this month and follow accordingly (the full moon indicates the ovulatory phase, new moon is menstrual, waning moon is luteal, waxing moon is follicular).

Your 4 Week FLO Food Challenge Shopping Guide

Follicular phase (before you ovulate, after your period) Artichoke, broccoli, carrot, parsley, green peas, string beans and zucchini

‍Ovulatory phase (when you’re ovulating) Asparagus, brussels sprouts, chard, escarole, scallion, spinach

‍Luteal phase (before you have your period) Cauliflower, collard greens, daikon, onion, parsnip, radish, squash, sweet potato

‍Menstrual phase (your period) Beet, kale, kelp, mushrooms

So, you’ve decided to stop taking the Pill? You’ve just made a huge step towards getting in your Flo and embracing all the benefits of hormonal health!

I’ve supported thousands of women in coming off the Pill successfully and I’m going to share with you the steps they take to make this a smooth transition.

‍

Coming off cold-turkey, as it were, can be tough. Your body suddenly has to manage and balance it’s own hormones plus any symptoms of hormonal imbalance the Pill was suppressing can, and usually will, come flooding back.

However, I’ve developed a tried-and-tested strategy.

‍Jen is one of those women I’ve helped. Here’s her story:“

After coming off the Pill, I was not getting my period and experiencing cystic acne.  I was put on the Pill by my gynecologist years before, when I was told I had PCOS and was not ovulating.  I knew that prescription didn't feel right, but I was young and had no other options at the time.It was within the first 2 months of following the Flo Living protocol that I actually got a period.  So, that certainly was a positive change! Other smaller changes started happening sooner.  It was great having the support while coming off. I had tried other times to do so before this experience and when it got difficult, I resorted back to the Pill. So, having that support and encouragement to continue was helpful immediately.Learning things like the benefits of honoring my body through it's changes were important keys to my personal balance.  I am coming up on my 3rd anniversary next month and I’m happy to report that I am getting my period regularly!”Why is the Pill harmful to your health? Let me give you a rundown here.

The best way to tackle this transition

First thing of course, is talk to your doctor!  Let him or her know that you want to come off the pill.  Then before you actually stop taking the pill, start following the Flo Living protocol. Cycle-synching your diet and exercise while you’re actually still taking the Pill can make this transition so much gentler on your endocrine system and save you a lot of the post-Pill side effects women report like acne, insomnia, mood swings and irregular cycles.

Your body can begin the process of detoxification and recalibration, readying for a Pill-free lifestyle. The Pill depletes your body of vital vitamins and minerals, eating in a hormonally-supportive way will help correct this.

While on the Pill, you don’t have a follicular phase and you don’t ovulate. Get in your Flo anyway by assuming your “period” (or withdrawal bleed when on those sugar pills) is your menstrual phase, the next week is your follicular, then ovulatory, then luteal and so on.

I hope you’ll see how much better you feel and be excited rather than nervous to take the next step when you will reap the opportunities your natural hormones can give!Once you’ve been in your Flo for a few months it’s time to trash those Pill packets:

Step one: Track your periodIf your periods return quickly and they become regular, great! If not, then it’s likely that there is an underlying health problem that I recommend you address naturally with food changes. Many women do find it takes months for their period to show up and then it is sporadic. Getting in your Flo before you stop the Pill and using my eating plan during the transition will help you avoid this.

Step two: Re-establish gut flora!The Pill has ravaged your internal microbial eco-system. The longer you’ve been taking it the worse the impact on your body. When you’re on the Pill eating good, clean, healthy foods is the best way to start the healing process. Continue nourishing your body in this way as you come off and you’ll heal quickly. Supplements alone won’t help enough as they’re not as easy to absorb when you’re suffering with the intestinal inflammation the Pill creates.  But there are two that really can help improve gut flora and reduce inflammation.The first is a good probiotic - I like Jarrow.The second is a combo of NAC and L-Glutamine. This will help to heal your intestines and so improve absorption of all the great nutrients you’ll be getting from eating in your Flo.

Step three: Make more of your own hormones!

1. Start taking a really good B vitamin complex right now. It’s the one vitamin that will make a difference in a large dose even when you’re still on the Pill. When you come off it will smooth out the inevitable mood changes that follow. You can also mix a lot more buckwheat, quinoa and oats into your daily meals.

2. Eat lots of good quality fats and amino acids - this is what hormones are made from and what your body needs to start making more of its own and fast. If you can and do eat animal protein have fish and organic poultry as well as pasture-fed eggs (including their yolks). Olive oil and avocados too!  You must eat fats in order to stabilize hormones.

Here’s a tip: there are more amino acids in bee pollen than steak!

3. A lot of women deal with estrogen dominance after the Pill. Leafy greens are the absolute best way to combat this problem. Tuck into kale, chard, spinach, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and more (and at every meal if you can!).

Don’t forget! Unless you’re trying to get pregnant, for contraception you’ll need to combine an intimate knowledge of your cycle with using one or two barrier methods (and maybe add in a natural spermicide) every time you have sex. I love L-condoms!!

Many women come to me believing that eating right and eating well is too expensive for their budget and way too time-consuming. We have been seduced into thinking stocking up on pre-packaged foods and frozen dinners or eating fast food actually saves us money as well as time.But here at FLO Living we cook once on Sunday and maybe once if needed on Thursday.And what we cook can cut your grocery bill in half.How does that work?I KEEP IT SIMPLE.I would LOVE to get all cheffy in the kitchen more often - I’m a great cook, BUT, I’ve got a 3 month old, a business to run, and a body to care for - so for me, I don’t go nuts with recipes.I just boil, bake, or saute and that’s that! I find that taking the pressure of perfection off makes it much more enjoyable for me to cook and ensures that I do in fact get the cooking handled for the week.Here’s what fed me and my family this week (well, the baby got breastmilk, and that’s free!):Quinoa - I cooked enough (2 cups dry) at the weekend to last through the week.Tuscan kale, swiss chard, cilantro saute - two heads of the kale and chard and one of cilanto lasted us the whole week.

Chicken soup - I took one organic whole chicken and cooked it up with carrots, celery and onions at the start of the week and we had it every day.Salmon fillets with sweet potatoes - I roasted these together and made several meals at once.I always keep a dozen eggs in the fridge for making scramble for breakfast.I also always have oatmeal on hand, which I mix with cinnamon, sunflower seeds and apple sauce.Plus avocados and Garden of Life Black Rice Bread for my favorite Avo Toast snack.And OF COURSE, dark chocolate - my favorite (and though it’s probably not true, it feels like I’ve sampled ALL the chocolate brands out there) is Endangered Species 72% dark chocolate.

Invest in you

The dollars invested in my weekly diet are a deductible against my long term health costs.Think back to last year and how many days you had to take off for doctor’s visits and cramps due on your hormone imbalances. Not to mention the decreased immunity that comes with adrenal fatigue creating regular sick days.Having spent a long time suffering with poor health myself, I know this all too well.You might now be seeing your mother struggling with health issues, medical bills piling up - health issues that are rooted in a lifetime of unhealthy eating and unresolved hormone imbalances.Thanks to the findings of the BioCycle Study from the NIH, we know that unresolved PMS and other period issues in your 20s and 30s, increase your risk for serious illnesses like heart disease and cancer post-menopausally.

If we’re not spending money on what we’re eating, we’re definitely spending the money with the doctor and specialists, on drugs and surgeries.Or we’re spending money on products that promise to cure or hide our acne and expensive monthly facials.We’re hoarding products we hope will make our hair thicker and glossier or shelling out on waxing treatments to get rid of the excess hair we don’t want.We’re shelling out thousands of dollars to make our cramps go away, get our sex drive back, lose weight, or get pregnant.And then chronic colds and flu are keeping us out of work and making us fall behind with our career plan.I know all this because I’ve been there, done that.If I’d continued another decade that way, there is no way I could have hoped to give birth at 38 without the help of IVF, which is extremely expensive and entirely unhealthy.

How do I do it?

I’m not only a functional nutritionist, I’m also a coach and I can tell you that the secret to staying in the FLO comes from a key mindset shift.In fact, this shift has been researched by major universities and they have found that this is the one key to having your life turn out optimally.

Here’s the secret shift:

If you can overcome your tendency to focus on present, immediate pleasures (like having those cupcakes) and instead delay your gratification and in fact find pleasure in new healthy behaviors (like eating dark chocolate squares instead), you will be setting yourself up, ironically enough, for more short term AND long term good health!Once you make this change and concentrate on overall quality of life, your whole future will be better for it, as will your family’s.It will save you money, save you time AND save your present and future health and that of everyone that you care for - budgeting for hormonal health never looked so good!And, good things come in threes, so:

I want to hear from you!

First: Tell me what you’re going to try from my prescription above and why.Second: Join us online to share how you #flothrifty with your recipes and ideas for keeping cooking simple and inexpensive. The best meals and tips will be featured there.Third: You know every one you know is hormonal – spread a little good ovary karma and click our social button below to share this article!

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!

I talk a lot about cycle syncing your eating habits here at the Flo blog, but what about that other essential part of healthy living - exercise?I have been an avid exerciser for the past 18 years - in fact the longest I’ve gone without daily exercise was during my third trimester when I developed pretty intense sciatica from my pregnancy - had to walk with a cane and everything ;) Other than that long break, I have been walking, running, hiking, biking, dancing, taking group fitness, yoga and pilates for years. Of course, I don’t do the same workout day in and day out. In fact it’s one of my secrets to having lost 60 lbs. so effortlessly - was that not only did I sync up my eating to my hormones, but I also synced up my workouts to my cycle! It works like nothing else you’ve tried because it’s working with the flow of your hormones, not against them which is so often why weight becomes “stubborn".Tweet: “It’s not the fat, it’s the way you’re working out against your hormonal patterns!” @flolivingTo really get the most out of optimizing your hormones and health, you should change up your workout routine to fit your cycle phase in much the same way as you do your diet. Your body is primed for different kinds of activity across your cycle, just as its looking for different kinds of nutrition through the four phases. You’ll lose more weight and feel fitter if you tune to what feels most natural.

Here’s a quick rundown of what’s best for your body in each phase:

Follicular phase: This is a great time to start a new class. You’ll have the energy and the motivation to take on a different style of workout and give it your all.Ovulatory phase: Your body can take on strenuous exercise now like running and weight lifting. You’ll also be yearning to socialize and meet new people, which means group classes for spinning or dancing will be fun and enjoyable.Luteal phase: When you’re heading towards your menstrual phase you might feel like scaling back on intense exercise. Pick up on some walking, vinyasa yoga and pilates to go easier on your body.Menstrual phase: A time for rest and recovery with no guilt! Stretch a little, walk, do some light yoga to keep moving, but let your body take a few days to repair and reset. You’ll have more to give mentally and physically in your next cycle if you allow for this short break.Fitness and yoga instructor and FLO Living fan, Emily Sonnenberg, created some special cycle synched routines just for FLO Living, which we are sharing with you all today.Her four workouts make it easy for you to keep moving and stay in your FLO from the comfort of your own living room. She also is sharing her story of how she got off the pill, found her soul mate, lost 25 lbs, cleared up her cystic acne by changing her diet and workouts according to the FLO protocol .

Emily’s Story

When did you begin living in your FLO?I signed up for the Flo Living program for 2 months from August to October 2014 and registered for the forum portion of the program. I had already come a long way at that point from reading Woman Code and from reading the Flo Living blog. I wanted to take my progress to the next level and I wanted to have access to the forums to see what was working for the other women in the program.What health issues brought you to FLO Living?I had come off of the birth control pill in November 2011, then I broke up with my boyfriend of four years that I lived with (funnily enough I also couldn’t stand the way he smelled or anything about him after coming off of the Pill, just like studies suggest!). Between November and early March 2012 I moved in with a new roommate, started taking on way more at work and started dating a new guy (who is unbelievable and we’re getting married in June!). I was feeling so high on life that I kicked up my workouts and wasn’t eating nearly enough.By early February I had gained 10 lbs (which would later increase to 25lbs) I was swollen (none of my clothes fit) and my previously flawless skin broke out with painful cystic acne. My cycle had also become irregular most of the time, lasting for 45 daysNothing had changed by August and I was depressed, exhausted, and felt horrible and hopeless.I had come across Woman Code and Alisa Vitti online. I bought her book and in September I did the FLO Living 4 Day Detox. I lost 10 lbs and 12 inches off of my body in 4 days!! That month my cycle went back to 29 days. Over the next year my weight stayed down and my skin slowly cleared up. But then I felt like I hit my plateau.I still would get annoying pimples on my cheek and sometimes my cycle would jump back to being 45 days long.So I emailed FLO Living asking a question regarding that and it was recommended that I sign up for the FLO Living MonthlyFLO Program.How did MonthlyFLO & the FLO protocol help you?MonthlyFLO helped me TREMENDOUSLY! Having the support and hearing from all of these different women and what they were going through made me feel like I was no longer alone in my hormonal suffering.I asked about how to shorten my follicular phase - (it would go on forever and I would have false peaks) and it was recommended to me that I change my foods for the phase that I’m supposed to be in. What do you know? It worked again. That month my cycle was a perfectly painless 29 days long.How did you make it work for your lifestyle?My method was juicing. I would buy the vegetables that I was instructed to eat for that phase and juice primarily those to have along with my breakfast in the morning and switch to the next list of vegetables to juice on the first day that my cycle was supposed to shift to the next phase. I became more selective and disciplined with what foods I put in my body and when.Along with changing my diet I scaled back at work, my living situation changed to a less stressful one, I spent more time outside, turned my phone off a lot more and went to bed earlier in a blacked out room. As a result my body quickly slipped back into its pre-hormonal meltdown state.How did you incorporate cycle syncing with your workout regime?I’m a fitness and yoga teacher. I teach about 20 classes a week. So I was always really into fitness. My problem was probably too much so to the point where I would over do it. I would push through period pains and times when I was tired and avoided listening to my stressed out body out of fear that cutting back I would not be able to maintain my current lifestyle.So I was forced to make some changes in the Spring/Summer of 2014.I had learned from Flo Living that if I wanted to keep my cycle regular I would need to honor my body, and workout in a way that would support my cycle, not work against it.It started out by me taking the first day of my menstrual phase off from teaching classes. This day I would do gentle stretching and very restorative poses. Then I started to pay more attention to how I felt while I was moving during my classes and my own workouts. I noticed that my body craved different movement styles, speeds and intensities based on where I was in my cycle.It was a combination of my intuitive wisdom regarding my own body and the amount of trainings I’ve done in a variety of different fields of fitness that I was able to pull together different movements or exercises that would leave me feeling awesome after.I found that when I worked out for my strengths based on my cycle, I became stronger, more body aware, had greater range of motion and felt energized instead of totally deflated after exercising.I’ve come to a place where I feel balanced and like I’ve stepped right into the FLO (great sleep, great skin, strong and toned body, shiny hair, energetic, positive outlook on life). I don’t weigh myself ever because I can feel when I’m out of alignment with my FLO - things just don’t fit right, my skin isn’t as luminous and I feel a bit testier.Movement is medicine. For me it was more about scaling back on my workouts, but I feel that very similar problems can show up for women that are not moving enough. It’s about finding a balance between effort and ease, strength and flexibility, movement and stillness.Follicular Phase WorkoutOvulatory Phase WorkoutLuteal Phase WorkoutMenstrual Phase Workout

Inspired by Emily's Story?

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 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 take the 4 Day Detox for FREE!

Ready to Dive In Deeper and Take Back Your Health?

Monthly FLO is the most widely used digital hormone recovery program worldwide, helping women take back their health and resolve their toughest hormone symptoms stemming from conditions like PCOS, Endometriosis, Fibroids, Infertility and PMS/Period Issues. Learn more about MonthlyFLO here.

So, you’ve been feeling less than great lately – maybe the first sign was irregular or heavy and painful periods, or maybe it was some weight gain and acne – either way, you know something is wrong and you want to feel better.

You’re thinking it might be hormone-related. What now?

Many women take a trip to their OBGYN and ask for a hormone test. This is a great first step towards treating your health issues. But the results can be confusing and concerning without a little background information and preparation. Knowledge is power! There’s no need to be mystified.

Remember: no result received is static, the diagnosis you get can and will change with the right kind of treatment.

‍

Here are our tips on how to get what you want and need out of hormone testing.

‍

Your visit to the OBGYN:

• Get the test taken during the first few days of your cycle (when you have your period), if possible.
• Ask your OBGYN for a hormone panel test that includes estrogen, progesterone, FSH and LH (follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone).
• Ask additionally for a thyroid test, blood sugar test (using a glucose meter at home preferably) and Vitamin D3 test. These are also important indicators for hormonal health.
• Ask that they also run a general blood test (the kind you’d get at an annual exam) – you want to be checked for iron saturation, anemia, and C-reactive proteins particularly.
• Ask for a print out of your results to take home if they are not made available online for you to access.

‍

Assessing the results:

• Your hormone levels will fall within a range, indicated on your bloodwork panel.
• If the results come back within the “normal” range, you will want to compare your numbers within the ranges. A number on the higher or lower end of the normal range will be cast as “normal” by your OBGYN, but that number is still the reason you’re experiencing health issues. It means it is not out of range enough to alarm the OBGYN and trigger a medication prescription, but you will be symptomatic regardless. The good news is that you can do something now, before you cross that threshold into “abnormal,” to avoid worsened symptoms and to avoid having to use drugs or devices with side effects.
• Most hormone-related issues women deal with are the result of too low progesterone, too high estrogen levels and excess androgens. This is what is happening when you have PCOS, endometriosis, PMS, and problematic periods, more generally.

‍

Three questions to ask your doctor in the most common scenarios:

1. Everything here seems to be normal, but I am experiencing significant symptoms. Where within the range am I falling that might indicate I am moving towards having a hormonal imbalance?
2. It looks like my calcium, Vitamin D3 (also other vitamins and minerals) are at a low level. What can I change about my diet to help them improve?
3. I see you have recommended I use birth control pills/a Mirena IUD/implant to control my symptoms. I would really like to try giving myself 3-6 months to improve the situation first. What kind of changes in my blood work would you like to see so that I wouldn’t have to use these options?

‍

What next?

• You can follow up on your blood test by using a home saliva testing kit from DiagnosTechs or Phamasan. Testing your hormone levels over a 30-day period via saliva provides far more accurate results than a blood test taken on a single day, and it can help better pinpoint the exact problem. A naturopath or acupuncturist can provide you with a test kit and facilitate you receiving the results. Or you can ask to receive the kit directly from the company and return it yourself for the lab testing and results.
• You can start taking your BBT (basal body temperature) at home to understand if and when you are ovulating. You can learn more about this from Toni Weschler’s, Taking Charge of Your Fertility.  An example for charting your temperature is here. A fertility awareness instructor can help you interpret your chart for a diagnosis of your hormonal health issues.

‍

And then:

Once you finally have your results, it can be so motivating. By following the FLO protocol, many women have addressed their hormonal health issues and returned to their OBGYN to receive vastly improved results, without the use of drugs or devices. Click here to watch their stories!

‍Food should be your first form of self-medication. Once you know where you stand, give yourself 3-6 months to heal your body at home through dietary and lifestyle changes.

Do you ever struggle with your emotions? I spent many years holding my emotions in -- to the point where I was no longer able to even identify how I was feeling.If you had asked me from the age of 14 to 24 how I was feeling, the only answer I could give was “I’m fine”. I had no modeling to show me how to safely express my emotions. Because I was so afraid of my emotions, I didn’t trust myself or my feelings, and though I didn’t realize what I was doing, I started to rely on my masculine energy. I checked out of my body and lived in the realm of my mind, excelling in academics and problem-solving as much as I could.Meanwhile, my physical body was suffering. I was overweight, covered in acne, and got my period once a year. I was exhausted, anxious, and stressed.While food played a huge part in my healing journey, it was also the relationship between my feminine and masculine energy that had major implications. You see, the fact that I was divorced from my feminine nature was creating all kinds of stress internally. The activation of my masculine energy had my adrenal glands going into high stress mode, plus it had my reproductive organs turned off - hence, no regular period.This is why, in my hormonal health training programs, I not only cover a breadth of information on food and lifestyle shifts, but there is also quite a bit of work we do on your feminine energy.Today, I want get you focused in that direction so that you can start to release stress from deep places and allow your body to do the magic it’s meant to.From a feminine standpoint, reducing stress is NOT about fighting it or cutting it out of your life completely. That, in fact, is a very masculine way of approaching it.Instead, it’s about leaning into the neurochemistry of your cycle and shifting your priorities and the way you engage with the world.As women, our bodies are constantly shifting throughout the month based on our hormonal patterns. So, too, are our emotional needs and ability to handle stress.The next time you’re getting frustrated at yourself for missing an appointment or not accomplishing everything on your to-do list, take a moment to check in with your body.Ask yourself: Where am I in my cycle?Especially if you’re in your luteal (pre-menstrual) or menstrual phases, see if you can cut yourself some slack. Those are the times in your cycle to be gentler with yourself and take things off of your to-do list.I’m curious about your response to stress ...Please share your questions and insights in the comments below, which will help me and my team better know how to help you manage your stress.I know you might feel alone in these struggles, but I can assure you, you’re not!With love to your lady parts - inside and out,Alisap.s. I delving into all this and more when it comes to stress and your female body in my popular webinar, Address Your Stress The WomanCode Way. Click here for more details if you’re digging this conversation!

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!

Many women dismiss their periods as annoying and disruptive. They just want them to go away, no matter their age. But your period is an important indicator of your overall health. The menstrual cycle is considered a vital sign, just like your blood pressure and your pulse, and to ignore it or wish it gone is to do your whole body a disservice.

Whether you’re in your 20s, 30s, 40s, or 50s, the real issue isn’t having a period. The issue is having period problems and, despite what you’ve been told, period problems aren’t normal. When your hormones are balanced, your periods will be symptom-free. When you’re living in sync with your cycle, you won’t dread your period every month because you won’t experience acne, bloating, fatigue, irritability, PMS, heavy or irregular periods, or severe cramps.

Instead, you will feel great AND you will be able to tap into the unique strengths of each phase of your 28-day cycle. A healthy hormone cycle means that some weeks you’re predisposed to being creative and generative, some weeks you’re set up to be focused and productive, some weeks you’re primed to be a tip-top communicator. When you tap into this rhythm, not only will you not want your period to disappear… you will welcome it as a superpower.

But how to keep your hormones healthy changes as you move through different phases of your life. What worked for you at age 23 may not work as well at age 33 or 43.

Today, I’m going to explain how to optimize your hormonal health during each decade of your menstrual years so you can feel, look, and perform your best at every age.

The 7 Different Life Phases of Female Reproductive Hormones

Here are the seven different hormone phases women move through during adulthood. You will know where you are by your age or your life experiences (or both), but I also recommend taking my Period Type quiz to assess your hormone health and cycle status. I recommend re-taking the quiz time every time you enter a new phase. This will help you get in touch with what your cycle is telling and how to best take care of yourself during each new phase of your life.

‍1. Puberty (9-21 years old)

‍This is a time where you might notice irregularity with the menstrual cycle. It takes time for the body to build up enough of a hormonal concentration for you to ovulate and menstruate regularly. This is worth reiterating: some irregularities with your menstrual cycle during this time are normal. As a culture, however, we’re quick to assume that these normal fluctuations need to be regulated with medication, i.e. the birth control pill. This means that so many young women are—needlessly and often harmfully—put on the hormonal birth control.

The better route to managing the normal ups and downs of this hormonal phase is to support adolescent girls and young women with food and lifestyle choices. You can work with your daughter or niece (or your own body) during this phase by limiting exposure to endocrine disruptors (everything from chemical-based shampoo to pesticides in her food) and making sure food is working in her (or your) favor.

The birth control pill only masks reproductive health issues and delays proper treatment and care. A great book to help start a teen on this journey is Cycle Savvy by Toni Weschler (who wrote the comprehensive cycle knowledge bible Taking Charge of Your Fertility).

‍2. Adult Menstrual Years (21 – 35 years old)

‍This phase of life brings with a lot of stressors—some of the bad, but many of them good, don’t get me wrong! There’s moving to a new place, going to graduate school and/or finding your first job, having caffeine and alcohol for the first time, and more. Whether the life change you’re experiencing during this phase is exciting or just straight-up stressful, it will affect your hormones. This is when you are likely to notice new period problems or a continuation of the symptoms you experienced in puberty.

Addressing hormonal imbalances in this phase requires the same attention to diet and toxin exposure as the puberty phase. But you will likely need even more focused support during this phase, when regular caffeine consumption may be depleting key micronutrients and a sedentary lifestyle (thanks to the demands of internships or entry-level jobs) may be making hormone problems worse.

During this phase, you will want to pay attention to replenishing key micronutrients and syncing your exercise with your cycle.

‍3. Pregnancy (age varies)

‍The degree to which you're hormonally sensitive in this phase indicates the degree to which you did or didn’t address your hormonal symptoms in the adult menstrual phase. You should and can feel great during pregnancy, but it usually needs some preparation. I suggest women prep their bodies with diet and lifestyle changes at least 3 months prior to trying to conceive, but preferably a year prior. If you’re a hormonally-sensitive person like me, then it’s even more important to prep for pregnancy as the surge of pregnancy hormones is more likely to lead to health issues.

‍4. Post-Partum  (age varies)

‍What you’ve been eating for the decade leading up to having your baby will leave you vulnerable to developing postpartum issues. This is something you want to prevent, but if it’s happening there’s still a lot you can do by engaging in phase-based self care. I’ve shared my postpartum food choices after giving birth to my baby girl—a daily diet that helped me to breastfeed for the next two years, lose the extra baby weight quickly, avoid the mood swings that can arise from my hormone sensitivity, and get my period back at the right time.

‍5. Perimenopause Phase One (35-45 years old)

‍This hormonal shift starts at 35 no matter what! You shouldn’t have to feel symptoms during this phase if you’re healthy. You should be ovulating and menstruating regularly and have good muscle tone, skin quality, energy, and sex drive, i.e. still making enough hormones to feel vital and youthful.

It’s key to really pay attention to what your body is telling you in this phase so you can adjust your diet and lifestyle accordingly. It’s very likely that because your hormones are changing, your body will be giving you insight into the underlying problems that need addressing. If you’re not healthy, your body will let you know. Difficulty with fertility, vaginal dryness, wrinkles in skin, and drying of hair are not to be solved at a spa or a salon. These are messages that your hormones need attention—especially before you get into the next phase of perimenopause. You can avoid the effects of premature hormonal aging with the right foods and supplements.

‍6. Perimenopause Phase Two (45- 55 years old)

‍This should be a relatively smooth process where FSH levels rise to the point where you no longer ovulate. But for women who have hormone imbalances in phase one of perimenopause, stage two can be unnecessarily rocky—with symptoms and problems starting as early as one’s early 30s!

When hormones are in balance during this stage, the body will manufacture slightly less, though still a balanced amount, of estrogen and progesterone and testosterone. If you’re having hot flashes, night sweats, no libido, etc., you can adjust your diet and lifestyle to ease symptoms and feel better.

Perimenopause is an amazing opportunity to check in with your body, make sure you are doing everything you can to keep your hormones happy and healthy, and to set yourself up for healthy aging.

‍7. Post-menopause (55 +)

‍In this phase, FSH levels are now at their new, permanent elevated levels (between 20 and 30) and your estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone should be at stable concentrations, which will be lower than they were in your menstruating years, but still in balanced ratios. If you’ve been eating and taking care of yourself during the previous hormone phases, you should have enough micronutrient building blocks to make this phase symptom-free. Continuing to focus on diet and lifestyle in this phase is key. It’s also a good time to support your digestion and ability to absorb nutrients, which can be compromised with age.

When you care for your hormones with diet, lifestyle, and micronutrient support at every stage of life, you will feel better now—and all down the road.

If you’ve been diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) or know someone who has, you might question why you don’t fit into every single one of the symptoms listed on Google.This is because PCOS is a condition that isn’t black or white, but rather it contains a spectrum of symptoms that you might experience at various levels of intensity. Which also indicates that conquering PCOS does not always occur with a one size fits all approach.In general there are 2 extreme types:

1. The classic kind shows up as obesity, hirsutism, amenorrhea, acne, and of course multiple tiny cysts on the ovaries from the lack of ovulation.
2. The thin kind shows up with no extreme weight issues or skin issues, but still amenorrhea and cysts on the ovaries.

Within those 2 extremes are various combinations and levels of severity with each symptom, as every woman��s body and hormones are unique.

What’s the real difference here?

The thin type of PCOS has better efficiency of insulin and glucose in the cells, which is why there are no extreme weight issues that show up, but there is still a miscommunication happening between the pituitary and the ovaries that blocks or delays ovulation. The classic type usually has little or no ability to get glucose into cells and can become insulin resistant. Since the act of ovulation is very sensitive to insulin levels and glucose levels, this can pose a problem for menstruation and fertility.

So does the same treatment work for both kinds?

In terms of classic medical treatment, the answer is no. We’ll talk more about the birth control pill and metformin in next week’s article.In terms of the natural nutritional and lifestyle protocol we use here at FLO, the answer is yes, but with some modifications for each type.What’s true across the board is that extreme diets like paleo or raw do not have a great effect on conquering PCOS, either kind. While women report some results, they don’t get the full remission that is possible with the right kind of diet.What is the right kind of diet? A hormonal and cyclical one! In both cases, you need to eat to support endocrine function - like blood sugar stability, adrenal performance, estrogen metabolism - all the things we take you through in the FLO protocol while simultaneously improving your exposure to the right micronutrients that create hormones, stabilize them, and keep them moving in the blood stream.To help you understand what does work for each extreme type, we’re going to illustrate with two examples: our very own Alisa and our FLO counselor Jessica.

Classic example: Alisa

As we mentioned earlier, Alisa experienced much of the classic symptoms of PCOS: extreme weight gain, acne all over, hirsutism, and very infrequent periods.Her body was having a difficult time managing insulin and glucose levels. Think of it like someone who keeps walking into a glass door but keeps hitting her head. This is what’s happening to glucose when it’s trying to get into the cell. The body releases more insulin to try and help, and those high levels of insulin prevent ovulation.Women with classic PCOS are often put on metformin for this reason, which can sometimes be a bridge until her diet and lifestyle are under control.If you’re on this extreme, here are 2 things you can start doing today:1. Eat cinnamon for blood sugar stability. Sprinkle it everywhere or take a supplement! Cinnamon has been proven to improve insulin and glucose management.2. Try walking for 5 minutes after every meal. Gentle movement after eating helps to mobilize the glucose you’ve just consumed and get it into your cells more efficiently. These short bouts of movement peppered throughout your day and after eating and be even more effective than only doing one chunk of exercise once per day!

Thin example: Jessica

When Jessica first came to FLO Living over 7 years ago, she had been on the birth control since age 18 and never got a natural period. During her teenage years she was a ballerina and was highly active as well as underweight at times, and definitely not eating a diet that was hormonally supportive. This lifestyle combined with genetic factors, caused ovulation to stop and a “string of pearls” of cysts to develop on her ovaries. Her doctor told her she would have to come back for IVF when she wanted to get pregnant since there was a big chance that she would be infertile.Before Jessica knew there was another option, she took the birth control pill to induce a period each month. Meanwhile she was feeling depressed, creatively blocked, and in the dark about her body. She had blood sugar issues, but not to the extreme of insulin resistance.What’s happening with this kind of PCOS is that the pituitary gland and the ovaries are not communicating well due to micronutrient deficiencies that support hormone creation and transport. Think of it like a phone call: The pituitary gland in the brain is trying to call the ovaries (via hormones in the bloodstream) but all the ovaries hear are static on the line because they are not getting the right signals.Women with this kind of PCOS are often put on the pill to induce a period each month, but really it’s just a band-aid solution to a much deeper problem that needs to be addressed.If you’re on this extreme, here are 2 things you can start doing today:1. Lay off extreme exercise. Excessive cardio is only going to zap your adrenal glands and put your whole system in stress mode which is counterintuitive for ovulation and restoring your pituitary gland’s proper function. Explore gentle forms of movement like yoga that can help balance your hormones and stress levels.2. Follow the moon. That might sound strange, but if you start observing the moon and it’s changing patterns throughout the month it can help your body relearn how to get into that cyclical mode. Sleep in complete dark all month long, except for the 3 days before, during, and after the full moon - the light you let in will simulate the moonlight. If you’re already following our protocol, you can also map out the cyclical eating plan to match the moon phases if you’re not menstruating regularly. (New Moon is equivalent to menstruation, Full Moon is equivalent to ovulation.)

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!

Over the years, I’ve witnessed many women in a state of hormonal breakdown - when they are so incredibly frustrated with the symptoms that keep popping up and feel totally out of control of their physical selves.If you’re also in the midst of frustrating hormonal problems - PMS, PCOS, weight gain, acne, mood-swings, related to your cycle - then you might feel similar. You might be fed up. You might be telling yourself, “If only I could get control of my cycle and my body!”Here’s the thing - I have a problem with this word “control.”When it’s used in this context, very often what’s indicated is the absence of problems. Meaning, “If only I could make all these symptoms go away forever, I’d finally be in control of my body and not have to deal with it!”Can you relate?If you’re thinking that way, I feel your frustration, but I also want to open to your eyes to the fact that this definition of control is completely dysfunctional. It positions you as separate from your body, as if it were something that you could live without. True control of your body is not the absence of symptoms or not dealing with them - It’s actually the opposite.

If you want control of your cycle, you have to participate.My definition of control goes like this:Control = Understanding & PartnershipGetting control of your cycle and your body means taking the right steps to nourish your hormones so that they can do their job. First and foremost, you must understand how your body and hormones function, and then you can create a healthy partnership to keep them working properly.If this definition of control resonates with you and if you’re ready to create true understanding and partnership with your hormones, I invite you to check out my webinar, Secrets of Cycle Syncing: The 4 Part Blueprint.In this class, I teach you how to gain true “control” of your symptoms, improve your productivity, and have the relationships you dream of by accessing the success blueprint encoded in your monthly hormonal patterns.I will help you unlock “the power in your panties” by outlining the 4-part blueprint embedded in your monthly cycle and show you:

• the neuro-hormonal patterns of each phase and their effects on your mood, physical energy, and cravings
• how to strategically plan your work and social scheduling to best optimize your productivity during these phases
• how you can use all of this to get more done at work, lose weight, feel better and have rockin’ relationships

Can't wait to get started!Your partner in the process,Alisa

P.s. 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!

132