How Nutrition, Fitness & Gut Health Transform Hormonal Balance

Are Your Hormones Out of Balance? Here’s How to Take Control with Simple, Everyday Changes

If you’ve ever found yourself struggling with mood swings, unexplained fatigue, or painful periods, you might have wondered: “What’s really going on inside my body?” The answer often lies in your hormones — tiny messengers that have the power to affect everything from your energy levels to your mental well-being.

But what if you didn’t have to wait for a diagnosis or resort to drastic measures to feel better? What if you could find harmony and take charge of your hormonal health through simple lifestyle changes that nourish your body every day?

In a recent HealCycle webinar on Women's Day 2025, Malvika Fulwani, a leading Clinical Dietitian, nutritionist and wellness expert, opened our eyes to how easily we can balance our hormones without the need for drastic diets or extreme exercise regimens. Here’s everything she shared, from eating for hormone balance to practicing self-love with movement, and why it's all about nurturing your body rather than forcing it into a mold.

You Don’t Need to Be Perfect to Start Healing

Malvika begins with a beautiful reminder: healing is non-linear. You don’t have to be “super clean” with your food or “perfect” with your routines to see change. In fact, trying to be perfect might backfire. Her advice is to just start. Make small, manageable adjustments that honor your body’s cues.

It’s about building a lifestyle that’s sustainable — one where you can be consistent 70–80% of the time, while still enjoying your favorite treats or rest days without guilt. This is a powerful reframe. Healing is not about rigid rules but about rhythm and compassion.

Eat for Blood Sugar Balance, Not Just for the ‘Right’ Calories

So many of us have grown up thinking that calorie counting is the key to wellness. Malvika challenges this. Her focus? Blood sugar balance, which is the cornerstone of hormonal health.

Balancing blood sugar means making sure every meal contains a mix of carbs, protein, and healthy fats. Why? Because unbalanced meals can spike your blood sugar, which triggers a cascade of issues like mood swings, PMS, fatigue, cravings, and even gut problems. If you’re eating a fruit, pair it with nuts. If you’re having roti, make sure there’s dal and sabzi too.

Even small changes like having some nuts before your morning fruit can make a difference. It’s these little tweaks, done consistently, that help stabilize your hormones over time.

Movement is Not Punishment. It’s Love.

Malvika’s approach to movement is deeply intuitive. Forget the punishing HIIT sessions if your body’s not feeling it. She encourages movement as a form of self-care, not as a means to burn calories or lose weight. A gentle walk. A dance session. Some stretching. These count, especially when your hormones are fluctuating.

She shared that during certain phases of your menstrual cycle, you might crave stillness more than sweat. That’s normal. Listening to your body, rather than pushing through, is itself a form of healing.

Supplements Aren’t a Shortcut — Lifestyle is the Foundation

It’s tempting to look for magic pills when things feel off. But Malvika reminds us that supplements work best when the foundation — your food, your sleep, your stress — is already solid.

Yes, supplements like magnesium, zinc, or B-complex can help, especially for PMS or hormonal acne. But they’re not a replacement for deep nourishment. “There’s only so much a supplement can do,” she says. The real transformation comes from lifestyle changes, and those take time.

Stress is Sneaky

One of the most underrated disruptors of hormone health? Stress. Even when we think we’re coping, our bodies might be in a constant state of alert. This chronic stress can throw off your cortisol, which then messes with insulin, estrogen, progesterone — everything.

So what can help? Slowing down. Deep breathing. Taking breaks. Creating boundaries. Malvika doesn’t just talk about stress in the abstract but her focus is reminding us that healing requires tending to the nervous system just as much as the gut or ovaries.

It’s Not About a Diagnosis. It’s About How You Feel!

Malvika shared a powerful story of a client who wasn’t diagnosed with PCOS but still struggled with hormonal symptoms. You don’t need a medical label to start taking care of yourself. If your body is whispering (or screaming) that something’s off, you need to listen.

Too many of us wait for a diagnosis before taking action. But if you’re dealing with fatigue, painful periods, hair fall, bloating, anxiety — that’s reason enough to explore healing. You deserve care even if your labs are “normal.”

Healing Happens in Layers

Perhaps the most profound takeaway from Malvika was this: healing is layered. You might start with food, then realize you need to move differently. Or maybe stress is the real culprit, not your diet. There’s no one-size-fits-all path.

What matters is that you begin, with curiosity, kindness, and consistency.

Malvika Fulwani’s session was a lesson in hormone health and a reminder to tune in, slow down, and return to the basics. It reminded us that our bodies are not broken. They’re communicating with us through every craving, every ache, and every mood swing.

If you’re on a wellness journey, know this: you don’t need to overhaul your life overnight. Start small. Eat your meals with balance. Move with joy. Rest when needed. And trust that your body wants to heal – you just need to give it the space and support to do so.

Watch the entire webinar at the link below:

https://youtu.be/Y1cHxVwwUwE?feature=shared