This week, we caught up with Susie Rogers – Co Author of Your Hormone Doctor and founder of BeautyWorksWest, to find out how we can ensure our hormones are healthy and happy in our 20s, 30s and beyond.

Tell us a bit about yourself! What sparked your interest in the area of hormones?

I am a native New Yorker who founded and taught in one of the first Pilates Studios in the UK. Having entered the world of exercise and after studying nutrition, along with my abiding passion for beauty and wellness, with the encouragement of my clients I opened one of the first medi-spas in the UK in Notting Hill Gate. In 2005 Dr. Daniel Sister a well-known French Doctor who was a marvel with Hormones and the latest ground breaking Aesthetic Treatments joined the team and we soon built up a loyal client following.

As our Hormones influence everything from our mood to our concentration, to how well you sleep, the size of our waistline and even how young you look and feel; through Dr. Sister and the needs of our clients, I learned a lot about the importance of “Hormonal Health”. I realised through my knowledge of exercise and nutrition, how important they both are to maintaining a Healthy approach to Balancing your Hormones as well as the importance of “Happy Hormones”.

How are hormones in our twenties and thirties different from later years?

In our 20’s and 30’s our Hormone levels are usually at their peak. Most woman get regular periods, are fertile and skin elasticity remains constant. If we eat properly, control our stress levels and get a good amount of exercise, and have a positive attitude we should have no serious Hormonal effects. Some woman develop skin breakouts around the time of their periods, but this can be controlled with diet, exercise and a good skin care routine.

How do out of whack hormones affect how we age?

As Hormones affect everything in our bodies and mind, when they are out of whack they can seriously affect our ageing process. They affect your energy and stress levels, which cause depression, high blood pressure, cravings for bad food and thus having a detrimental effect on your skin and libido, so you look older than your years. You skin loses its elasticity and your tendency to put on weight quickly will occur and your hair can start thinning. Your confidence levels start getting worse and your posture and attitude can start to change as well.   So the key is to take control and make sure they don’t get out of whack in the first place.

How important is exercise to regulating hormones and what exercises do you recommend for ideal hormone function?

As we age exercise in non-negotiable. That means, to age well with energy and feeling healthy, you just have to do it. No excuses, ever! Exercise can add an average of seven years to your life expectancy, improves your health, your hormonal profile, reduces stress and even makes you younger right down to your cellular level. It makes you look and feel sexier and it can give thicker, brighter skin and stronger bones. It can even make you smarter. Study after study show that exercising is the most important way to keep your brain sharp and young and your memory working better as you get older. Are you convinced yet?

How does sleep affect our hormones?

As we age we produce less of the vital sleep hormone and antioxidant melatonin, which is secreted by the pineal gland in your brain. Lack of sleep puts us at risk of heart disease and diabetes and stress related illnesses. We all know good sleep makes us feel great and look better. It’s not just called beauty sleep for nothing. Sleep is the magic button that switches off the stress hormone cortisol, turns down the heat on your hunger hormones, boosts your metabolism, fires up your brain and reverses ageing. In short, if you don’t sleep well, you screw up your hormones and get fat, old tired and stupid.

Are certain foods best for regulating our hormones? What sorts of foods are best?

Regulating your Hormones and food is a big topic. We have covered this thoroughly in our book “Your Hormone Doctor”. Essentially a diet rich in vitamins, amino acids and antioxidants is absolutely key to slowing and reversing ageing, and thus regulating your Hormones. Research shows that just eating three portions of fruit and vegetables a day not only makes you look prettier, but helps to keep your Hormones more balanced.

Plant based foods such as fruit and vegetables are full of nutrients that aren’t just minerals and vitamins. They include things that give them their colour and taste.

They are powerful antioxidants, which protect our DNA, turn off inflammation and keep our immune systems firing as though you were years younger. Some scientist believe that if you cut out three servings of refined carbs and replace them with fruit vegetables, nuts and beans, you could cut diet related diseases by half. So add these superfoods to your shopping list.

1. Spinach and Kale
2. Red and Yellow Peppers
3. Olives and Olive Oil
4. Raspberries, blueberries, pomegranate
5. Bananas
6. Brazil nuts, almonds
7. Watermelon
8. Green Tea
9. Oily cold- water fish, such as salmon sardines and mackerel

So of course avoid:-

1. Sugar
2. Salt
3. Refined Carbohydrates
4. Processed foods, meats and ready meals

What are some measures we can take in our 20s and 30s to ensure our hormones are balanced in later life?

Firstly you need to arm yourselves with the facts about your Hormones and their relation to a healthy lifestyle. It is important to start early getting into good habits of exercise, eating healthy foods and adopting a positive attitude and controlling your stress levels. It is the same at any age really, good healthy habits equal Happy Hormones!

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