The Return Of Running: Running With A Hormonal Imbalance

Last year, September 20th to be precise, I shared with everyone the decision to put my running journey on pause (just before my half marathon goal), after battling with obvious symptoms of a hormonal imbalance. And while I’m still on a journey to help rebalance them, I’ve finally been given the thumbs up to get my running shoes back on and take things slow ? 

I’ve been no stranger in sharing my struggles with my hormonal imbalance and unfortunately, running was a huge trigger for me, my hormones, my cortisol levels, and my immune system at the time.

Admittedly, I had been guilty of pushing my body too far over the past 4+ years, and sadly, somewhere along the line, my hormones become unhappy and unbalanced.

And as someone who is incredibly passionate about women’s health & exercise, I feel this is something that still needs to be spoken about more.

Excessive training (which is so unique to the individual) has been well-known to have an impact on cortisol levels, hormonal imbalances, fatigue, delayed/skipped periods & poor energy balance. And while cardiovascular exercise is healthy, when the body is already under a lot of stress (especially if a woman chooses to come off the contraceptive pill during the time), adding more stress with increased cardio/high intensity can worsen symptoms and even create new ones.

When the body is under ‘stress’, levels of cortisol rise and when this is chronic, it prevents the pituitary gland from working effectively, leading to hormonal disturbances that can have some real negative consequences.

There’s got to come a time in life when you stand back from your everyday routine and truly question if what you’re doing to your body is really healthy. Are you well rested? Are you eating enough to support the energy you’re burning? Do you have a good relationship with fitness? Can you take a week off without feeling guilty? Are you prioritising fitness over sleep? Are you struggling to sleep?

… And that’s exactly what I did September 2020.

The return of running

This is something I’ve debated sharing all weekend because if I’m honest, I’m a little scared about starting from scratch all over again. I’m also worried about how my body will respond, but all I know is that some level of cardio is beneficial for hormone health and I guess it’s up to me to find the balance and work with my body in a way I’ve never worked before.

Of course, my goals will be a little different this time round (health-focused rather than fitness-focused), but it’ll be interesting to see how my journey this time round will differ from my journey last year.

Here’s how I plan to re-introduce running back into my life while still taking care of my body and my hormones…

• Start with 1 run a week – interval style (hello Couch to 5K app again).
• Continue to chart my cycle so I can identify any unusual stresses (key for hormonal imbalances)
• Make it a priority to FUEL before and after each run.
• Get enough sleep the night before. If I don’t, then I won’t run. Simple.
• Sync my new routine with my cycle. I.e, no running during my period or a week before.

… And most importantly, learn to listen to my body more. I’m a very competitive person and once I get involved in something that challenges my body, it’s very hard for me not to push it further. But this time around I have to STOP, remember where I am in my journey, and try my very hardest not to compare myself to others.

So here’s to a new chapter! ?‍♀️ #thereturnofrunning

PS, please follow along with my journey on Instagram and come and say hi!