Taking supplements is necessary for overall health

Less is more when it comes to supplements. I see too many women taking a ridiculous amount of supplements while on mediocre diets. Targeted supplementation is great and should be done for small periods for specific goals or deficiencies, but a lot of people look to supplementation first before they look at anything else related to their lifestyle. My approach is always food first. If you have nutritional deficiencies, you need to get to the root cause of why.

Don’t eat carbs if you want to lose weight

Carbs are our body’s primary source of fuel, so we put our body under stress if we cut them out completely. Low-carb diets affect thyroid function, increase stress hormones, affect your gut health and even the menstrual cycle. Opt for complex, fibre-rich, whole food sources such as fruit and vegetables, whole grains and legumes, and ditch the processed simple carbs.

Eating fat leads to weight gain and diseases

Eating low fat is probably one of the worst things you can do for your hormones. Women especially need healthy amounts of fat in their diet because cholesterol is the precursor of all hormones - meaning low fat could lead to low hormone production. The trend for low-fat diets emerged in the 1960s and 1970s and, in my mind, was probably one of the biggest scams in the health and nutrition world, and a big reason why many women have issues with their hormones. We have fed into a belief that ‘fat makes you fat’. Women who have been eating very low-fat diets tend to be low in estrogen and progesterone which are essential to our cycles and fertility.

Protein only builds muscle

This is one of the things I talk about the most to my clients. Protein is the building block of everything in our bodies – skin, hair, nails, hormones, etc. Lots of people associate it with bulking at the gym but it has so many uses beyond that. It supports hormone health and blood sugar balance and it helps support muscle mass which is the organ of longevity. I usually recommend 30-40g of protein per meal three to four times a day as a general guide, especially for women.

HIIT workouts are the best exercise for losing weight

What helps you lose weight is calorie deficit and higher energy expenditure. There is a big misconception that high-intensity interval training is the key to weight loss, but the truth is, it is strength training that makes the difference because the more muscle you build, the more fat it burns. A lot of women are overtraining and stressing their bodies out which can cause irregular cycles. My advice is that, while HIIT workouts have their time and place, they’re not something to be doing consistently.

Work with Sandra:

Sandra’s 10-week signature programme The Rebalance Method is a holistic approach to fertility helping women restore hormonal balance, regulate cycles and prepare their bodies for pregnancy. For more information follow @sandrasharpewellness