Without any restriction or dieting! Because 2025 will be all about learning how to nourish our bodies and feminine cycles
The small habits make the biggest difference for our overall health goals, and often, we're not doing these things because it just sounds too simple to work! Additionally, for women, because our hormones operate in phases and cycles, this is a key component for our healing and overall health, and as a women's hormone nutritionist, this is my area of expertise!
Clients often come to me saying they've tried almost everything to support weight loss or address health concerns, but usually they have never worked with a holistic practitioner who specializes in getting to the root of where your symptoms or weight gain is coming from(like me!), AND even more often, they haven't tried some of the most simple things to build a foundation of health - I guess it can sound like it's just too simple to be true!
1. START YOUR DAY WITH MORNING DAYLIGHT
This is something I've been doing for years and it's the best way to kick start our circadian rhythm(ie. better energy during the day, better sleeps at night!). What I do is walk over to the windows as soon as I wake up, and pull open the blinds. No flicking on the lights or scrolling on my cell phone. Just morning daylight for the first few minutes. I often then [bundle up] and go out for a quick 20 minute walk before breakfast too. The morning movement is also great for regulating energy levels.
2. WOMEN NEED TO HAVE A GROUNDING MORNING RITUAL
Our feminine energy needs a [slow] morning, where we get to feel grounded in our own energy first, before getting into the day. I like to start boiling some water for my lemon water and coffee later, and then do a quick prayer and meditation session back in bed, or if I had some interesting dreams, I might do a journal entry so I can process it all. I promise you, if you're not already doing something quiet and grounding like this, it will be a game changer for feelings of anxiety or overwhelm that might creep up throughout the day!
3. HAVE A LARGE GLASS OF WARM WATER, FRESH LEMON JUICE & SEA SALT BEFORE BREAKFAST
This is a great start to digestion for men and women, so pass this along to your boyfriends or husbands too. Warm water(boiled and cooled down) with fresh lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt is a great way to naturally activate stomach acid before breakfast, which is what we want to avoid bloating and reflux(which are signs your body needs some support with digestion). Not to mention, lemon water tends to create a natural domino effect in the body for your first bowel movement of the day(which is something we should all be doing 1-2x a day for detoxing!).
4. IF YOU'RE A COFFEE DRINKER...
I'm a coffee lover, so don't worry! I'm not going to tell you to quit! But I am going to remind you to stop having your coffees on an empty stomach! For women especially this can mess with our hormones and cortisol levels, making it harder to lose weight and have stable energy levels throughout the day. What works for me is having my coffee, followed by my breakfast a few minutes later.
5. DON'T SKIP BREAKFAST(ESPECIALLY FOR WOMEN)
I know that intermittent fasting is so trendy right now, but same as the coffee advice, fasting every single day for women tends to mess with our hormones in the long run, again, making it more difficult to lose weight or have proper hormonal balance. Even if you're not usually hungry in the mornings, try this(read number 6)...
6. 20-30g OF PROTEIN FOR BREAKFAST
Most of us aren't eating enough protein, and this is the main nutrient deficiency that causes intense cravings for sweets, low energy levels, chronic fatigue, difficulty sleeping, belly fat/weight gain, and so much more. And 20-30g of protein is only a piece of chicken the size of the palm of your hand, just to give you an idea that we're not talking about a massive amount. Try incorporating 2 eggs, Greek yogurt bowls or smoothies with protein powder(1 scoop is usually 20g) to ease into this style of breakfast.
7. WOMEN: TRACK YOUR CYCLE AND ALIGN YOUR MEALS WITH THE PHASE YOU'RE IN
Our hormones as women follow a 28 day schedule(for men it's a 24h cycle), and because of this, our bodies actually need a different proportion of nutrition(proteins, fats and carbohydrates) in EACH phase. Meaning, if you're not getting the right amount of protein in one of the phases, it could be throwing your hormones out of balance, which once again makes weight loss more difficult for women. *SIDE NOTE: make sure you're following me on instagram @healthybymarjan and look out for openings for 1:1 sessions in my Feeding your Feminine mentorship to learn how your cycle works and what you should be eating for hormonal balance for women!
8. 20-30g OF PROTEIN 3X A DAY
This is a tough one for women, I get it, because we really do forget to eat sometimes throughout the day when our brains are juggling 17 different things! But one of the reasons why we have a harder time losing weight sometimes is because we're not eating ENOUGH. And I know, everyone always talks about dieting and fasting, but the reality is, it can "stress out" our bodies when we're not giving it enough fuel. And this internal "stress", or spike in cortisol levels too often can make weight loss impossible because the body is just trying to focus on managing the stress. If you're not used to having regular meals throughout the day with 20-30g of protein, start small. A salad with avocado chunks and seasoned chicken can be the perfect lunch you could try for work or home.
9. HYDRATE WITH [FILTERED] WATER >>>> COFFEE
Coffee lovers(like me!), don't forget that coffee is dehydrating! And our hormones have a better chance of becoming balanced with more hydration! Make sure you're drinking water between coffees or caffeinated drinks, and bonus tip: if you don't already have one, invest in a [good quality] water filter(unfortunately Brita doesn't count!) that actually takes out 99% of toxins that are added to water. Follow me on instagram @healthybymarjan and check my highlights on this!
10. ADD [REAL] SALT TO YOUR MEALS THROUGHOUT THE DAY
Many of my clients who are struggling with high cortisol levels(stress hormone) and frequent migraines, often aren't consuming enough salt throughout the day! And I know, salt has a bad reputation, but that kind of salt is "table salt" or salt that's used in processed foods, whereas I'm referring to [real] salt like sea salt or mountain salt. These salts have so many minerals/electrolytes, which help support hormonal balance.
11. MOVE + SWEAT DAILY(IN LINE WITH YOUR 28-DAY CYCLE)
Women, I can't emphasize this enough: get to know your cycle! You want to move your body in some way every day, but depending on which phase of your cycle you're in, a high intensity workout might actually do more harm than good for hormonal balance. *Ask me about my Feeding your Feminine mentorship if this is an area you need help with!
12. NO CELLPHONE OR SCREEN TIME 1 HOUR BEFORE BED
And try sleeping in a room that's as dark as possible. This is necessary for natural melatonin production. And I've actually been taking the "no cell phones" before bed thing a little too seriously, and I've been putting my phone on airplane mode(so I don't receive notifications while I sleep) AND plugging my phone in in another room completely! This way I'm not tempted to reach for it first thing in the morning either, and I can start with that natural daylight we talked about above.
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