The "Healthy" Habits Making Your Hormones, Acne, and Anxiety Worse (And What Actually Works)
For the busy, modern, ambitious woman going after her life, living at 150mph, trying to do it all (and control it all), PCOS, hormonal acne, irregular periods, anxiety, or gut issues seem to be 'part and parcel' of the hot girl life.
But as someone who was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder at the age of 18, with doctors telling me it was unhealable ('and just to take SSRIs'), I have been on the most amazing journey of wellness, therapy, and somatic healing over the last 20 years. I've healed nearly every condition and symptom, and now I've qualified as an IHP to help other busy women. But something I see a lot is the people who are trying their hardest, following all the "wellness girlies," listening to all the podcasts, buying the supplements, but still... nothing.
The Hidden Truth About Hormonal Imbalances
The truth? A lot of high-achieving women are unintentionally running themselves into the ground in the name of health. Being busy, booked, and brilliant already means you are working harder and faster than the average woman, and this constant state of busyness and chronic stress has repercussions for your nervous system, hormones, gut health, and more.
From a functional medicine perspective, the body's HPA axis (your hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system) was designed to help you escape from short-term danger (literally: run away from a tiger), but when the body doesn't come down and calm down:
Cortisol and adrenaline stay elevated when they should be tapering downwards
Blood sugar and inflammation creep up due to the cortisol and adrenaline
Hormones start shifting - consistently high cortisol interferes with our progesterone, estrogen and more (hello PMS changes, irregular cycles, low libido, PCOS symptoms, hormonal acne, unwanted facial hair)
Energy, mood, and motivation drop, too
Gut health deteriorates as chronic stress disrupts your microbiome and increases intestinal permeability
Detoxification system overloads and liver backs up
And all of a sudden, your periods are whack, cellulite is showing up, you're feeling anxious, your skin isn't glowing, you're bloated after eating (or constipated) and waking up in the morning is HARD.
Here Are the Fake Health Hacks That Are Quietly Making Your Hormonal Imbalance Worse
1. Intermittent Fasting (when hormones are imbalanced)
Yes, fasting can be a powerful tool for metabolic health, but it's a stressor for the body. If your cortisol is already high, your blood sugar unstable, or your cycle irregular, skipping food in the morning can push your body deeper into survival mode. This means more cortisol, less progesterone, and potentially worse PMS, anxiety, fatigue, or PCOS symptoms.
2. Cold Plunging (when adrenals are shot)
Yes, cold therapy can boost mood and resilience through an epic norepinephrine, dopamine, and adrenaline surge... but only if your stress bucket isn't already overflowing. If you're waking with low morning energy, relying on caffeine to function, or crashing mid-afternoon, that "hormetic stress" from a cold plunge can be one stressor too many. Most women should also avoid cold plunging at certain points of their cycle, particularly in the late luteal phase and during menstruation, when the body needs warmth and recovery to support progesterone stability and hormone balance.
3. HIIT Workouts (when cortisol is high)
High-intensity training can be amazing for boosting cardiovascular health, VO2 max, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which the body needs to lay down new pathways. But HIIT is stressful on the body and spikes adrenaline and cortisol. This is great if you're regulated and recovering well, but a disaster if you're already in chronic stress and dealing with hormonal issues. In functional medicine, we often swap HIIT for walking (my Morning Rally Walks work best here), Pilates, or strength training until your nervous system can tolerate the intensity again.
4. Skipping Breakfast (while already anxious)
If you wake up anxious or without an appetite, your cortisol is already elevated, which throws off your leptin signaling (telling your body you're hungry and it's time to eat). Skipping breakfast in this state might feel helpful ("giving your body a break during the fast") but it can tank your blood sugar, drive up adrenaline, and leave you feeling shaky, irritable, and more anxious. A protein-rich breakfast within 60-90 minutes of waking helps stabilize your HPA axis and calm the stress response.
5. Green Juices as Meals
Juices can be a nice addition to your diet, but as a meal they're basically sugar water with a sprinkle of vitamins. Without protein and healthy fats, you're setting yourself up for blood sugar spikes and crashes, both of which strain your adrenals and nervous system over time. And high-quality carbohydrates are critical (I REPEAT CRITICAL) to female health and hormone health.
6. Electrolytes Full of Colors, Flavorings, and Sweeteners
Electrolytes are POPPING OFF at the moment (and rightly so, they are the sparks to our cells yet high cortisol, busy ambitious women burn through these minerals FAST by just existing). The problem? Many mainstream electrolyte drinks are packed with artificial colors, synthetic flavorings, and non-nutritive sweeteners that disrupt the gut microbiome. Research shows these additives can alter microbial diversity, increase intestinal permeability, and promote inflammation, all of which impair digestion, hormone metabolism, and nervous system regulation. Choose clean, mineral-rich electrolytes without additives to truly support hydration and cellular energy... no matter how good that purple lychee electrolyte might taste.
7. Ashwagandha (when thyroid is low)
TikTok will tell you it's a miracle supplement for anxiety, but for stressed-out, always-on women, chronic stress often suppresses thyroid function, leading to early hypothyroidism and thyroid issues. Symptoms can include fatigue, weight gain, hair thinning, cold intolerance, and brain fog. In this state, ashwagandha can actually worsen thyroid dysfunction. Instead of reaching for ashwaganda, focus on the foundations: light exposure, blood sugar regulation, hydration, clean electrolytes, daily movement, and whole foods and asking yourself what you are suppressing, rather than suppressing.
What Actually Works: The Foundation for Hormone Balance
So, for many of us, even the "healthy" habits that wellness influencers tell us to follow can be a stressor in disguise.
Your Morning Matters More Than You Think
Your foundations have to lie in:
A fixed sleep and wake time
Sleeping in darkness
Morning light within 30 minutes of waking
Deep breaths and sighing exhales
Hydration (with clean electrolytes)
Protein, fat, fiber breakfast within 60 minutes of waking up
Moving throughout the day (hitting 10,000 steps)
Want to supercharge and super stack these?
The Morning Rally™ Walk is your solution.
A 23-minute supercharged walking ritual that becomes your daily on switch. No meditation. No sitting still. Just 23 minutes of movement that delivers real energy (not borrowed caffeine energy) before your first call of the day.
In less than 25 minutes, you'll:
✔️ Move stress OUT of your body (reducing downstream hormonal issues like acne, irregular cycles, and anxiety)
✔️ Energize your nervous system for lasting energy
✔️ Pump your lymphatic system (help with detoxing)
✔️ Create real energy from the inside using piezoelectricity from movement
✔️ Prime yourself for a great day, every day
The more I walk, the healthier I feel.
Because your body isn't just along for the ride. It's the foundation of everything you're building.
