Balancing your hormones in midlife: a no-bullshit guide

“Balancing your hormones” has absolutely become one of those wellness bollox buzzwords (buzzphrases?) that’s often used to sell you supplements and detoxes, AKA false hope. But in midlife, your hormones are shifting. And no, you can’t stop 'em. What you can do is support your body in a way that helps regulate those inevitable changes, so you feel more energised, stronger and, basically, more like your younger self again.

So here's the FitBtch guide to midlife hormones – we're stripping out the BS and coming in hot with real, no-nonsense basics.

Two slagbags who know, trust us (no really, do).

⸻

1. Eat enough (not too much or too little)

But how much is that, babes? Too little is easy: if you’re constantly undereating, skipping meals, or living off your kids' discarded scraps during the week then binging at the weekend, don't do that, yeah? You’re creating more stress for your body.

If you're eating enough to fuel your activity and life, but not so much that you’re storing excess energy and gaining fat, this is what we’d call eating at maintenance: enough to maintain muscle, energy and mood, without making your clothes any tighter (or looser for that matter).

If fat loss is your goal, as it is for so many of our FitBtches, just know that the key is to create a small, sustainable calorie deficit. The foundation has to be consistent nourishment of your body with delicious food. Not denial and undereating. Not only is it shit and miserable, it won’t even work.

⸻

2. Choose nutrient-dense, whole foods most of the time

You're not a saint – who bloody is? But scarfing down loads of ultra-processed foods and high-sugar snacks unsurprisingly enough won’t support your hormones or boost your energy long term. What your tired, midlife body craves is real food.

• Protein. Yes with every meal. Yes we will always be banging on about this.

• Plenty of fibre (veg, legumes, fruit, whole grains)

• Healthy fats (like oily fish, nuts, seeds, avos, olive oil)

• Complex carbs – ones that don’t spike your blood sugar

• A colourful plate, which shouts loudly that it's hitting a wide range of nutrients

The simple fact is that the more variety and colour you get in your diet, the better your body can function, hormonally and beyond. Check out our Nutrition Hub for more tips (it's included in membership).

⸻

3. Keep your body composition in check

Most of us midlife slags are way beyond chasing a thigh gap (or never had one in the first place) but for some, trying to be the same size you were at 25 (when WFH didn't exist and you were out dancing all night) would be pretty difficult. What we should strive for instead is having enough muscle (massively important for hormone health) and not carrying too much visceral fat (the internal kind that wraps around your organs – it spikes inflammation and insulin resistance, which means you can't process sugar as well).

A good rule of thumb for midlife women is to stay below 30% body fat, though it must be said: it’s more important to feel strong, capable and full of energy than to obsess over a number.

⸻

4. Move daily (but no need to smash yourself into the ground)

Just moving your arse every day is one of the most underrated tools for midlife hormone health. Not just because it helps with burning calories, movement helps regulate insulin, lowers cortisol, supports joint health and improves your mood. We're NOT saying it's a cure for mental health issues, but it bloody helps.

• 10ker? I hardly know'er! Aim for 7–8,000+ steps per day, and you're all g.

• Try to get those steps in outdoors for added mental health benefits and light exposure. You could do our FREE 28 Day Walking Challenge!

• Lift weights 1–3 times per week to support muscle, bone health and metabolism. Ahem.

• Do yoga, mobility or just some damn good stretching on rest days. Yes we have those in the membership too.

Simple goals, easily achieved: be consistently active, not constantly knackered and couch-potatoing.

⸻

5. Eat enough protein (more than you think)

YES, we are absolute protein wankers! Protein isn’t just for bodybuilders, it’s a non-negotiable nutritional MUST for women in midlife. Protein helps with satiety (ie feeling full), supports muscle mass, stabilises blood sugar and can help with low mood.

The UK's Dept of health recommends women should eat 45g of protein a day. For active midlife slags it should be more – 1.2–2g per kg of weight. So say if you're 10 stone or 63.5kg, that's 76–127g protein. How tf do I get that much in, you cry? Include a quality protein source in every single meal and snack. Yes, even breakfast. Recipes are again in our Nutrition Hub.

If you’re struggling with energy, hunger, or wanting to change your body composition, look at your protein intake first, before any other diet or exercise changes.

⸻

6. Prioritise rest, recovery, and sleep

Rest is where the good shit happens. Without proper recovery, your body can’t repair, regulate hormones, or manage stress effectively.

• Aim for 7–9 hours of sleep each night (chance would be a fine thing... stop doomscrolling and go to fucking bed!)

• Take real rest days (we're sure you don't need telling twice but especially if you're a mum, it's bloody hard).

• Build in micro-breaks throughout the day, especially if you’re the type of slag who's always “on” – shout out!

Crap sleep and chronic stress will throw your hormone stability down the shitter faster than any missed workout, sugary snack or carb/crap-filled comfort meal.

⸻

7. Manage stress (by heeding our words above)

You don’t have to try and alleviate stress by meditating in a dark room (but screaming F*CKING C*NTS!!! into a pillow sometimes helps). In reality, if you’re nailing the basics of eating well, moving daily, building muscle and prioritising sleep, you’re probably already managing stress a lot better.

And without sounding too wanky, don’t forget to nourish your soul as well:

• Nurture your relationships

• Laugh more – it's not doomscrolling if it's watching comedy fart prank videos

• Say no (or "absolutely f*ck off immediately") when you mean it

The mythical “hormone balance” women chase often comes not from doing more, but from doing the right things consistently and cutting out the rest of the crap.

⸻

Final word: there’s no magic bullet

In so far as it's actually possible to balance your hormones when our bodies are like a dodgy rollercoaster in a 90s fairground, keeping things steady in midlife isn’t about a supplement pedalled by a 20-something influencer, a detox routine or, sadly, a quick fix. It’s about tuning in to what your body actually craves and giving it more of that.

It’s definitely not very sexy. But together, we can make it more fun. And it works.