# Summary:
In Episode #219 Ari and Nick share an interview with Sara Gottfried, author of The Hormone Cure.
Listen in to hear about how hormone levels affect your mood, health, and energy – and how you can leverage your hormones to improve your life.
Time-stamped Show Notes
– 03:30 – Nick’s latest project has involved using the development platform of [Zapier](https://zapier.com/)
– 05:40 – The Less Doing bootcamp has some exciting changes coming up – sign up to the Less Doing newsletter to find out more
– 06:45 – The flat rate for VA services is now $129 each month, including 5 free hours
– 07:40 – When you sign up for VA services, you’ll gain unlimited free calls to our Less Doing service
– 09:15 – Interview with [Sara Gottfried](http://www.saragottfriedmd.com/)
– 09:50 – Hormones are extremely significant in our lives
– 10:20 – “Stress is the small hinge that swings big doors”
– 10:57 – If you’re stressed all the time, your stress hormones will be in overproduction
– 12:05 – “Testosterone is important. It’s not just linked to sex drive, it’s linked to all kinds of energy.”
– 13:45 – Many hormones act as neurotransmitters as well as carrying messages to different parts of your body
– 15:10 – “The body does best when it’s nudged, not shoved”
– 16:10 – The steps (in order of severity) to improving hormone balance: – Changing how you eat, move, think and supplement – Take proven botanical therapies in the short term – Bio-identical hormones, in small doses and in the short term
– 18:03 – Addressing root causes is essential to developing robust health
– 19:40 – There are plenty of ways to get your hormones in balance without using bio-identical hormones
– 21:00 – When’s the best time to do a base case for hormone levels?
– 24:00 – How about ageing? What are ideal hormone levels as you get older?
– 25:30 – Everyone’s bodies are adjusted to different levels
– 26:50 – How does sex affect hormone levels?
– 27:50 – Orgasm raises testosterone and reduces cortisol in both men and women
– 29:55 – It also helps to balance the thyroid
– 31:00 – In Daoist philosophy, there is a focus on sexual plateaus rather than sudden climaxes
– 34:00 – Women are used to squeezing a lot of benefit from a small amount of oxytocin
– 34:50 – What foods are good for helping to balance hormones?
– 35:30 – Napa cabbage and crustaceans are great for balancing zinc and copper
– 36:00 – Cutting sugar is one of the best steps you can take to balancing your hormones
– 38:00 – Find more information at [The Hormone Cure](http://www.amazon.com/Hormone-Cure-Vitality-Naturally-Gottfried/dp/1451666942)
Resources Mentioned:
– [CodeGophers](https://codegophers.com/)
– Programming tasks completed in 48 hours
– [The Hormone Cure](http://www.amazon.com/Hormone-Cure-Vitality-Naturally-Gottfried/dp/1451666942)
– Sara’s Book Sponsored By: [FreshBooks](https://www.freshbooks.com/)
– FreshBooks helps you simplify your accounting. Generate invoices automatically, follow up clients, and cut your accounting time to just a few minutes. Get a 30 day free trial by using the code LESSDOING at [www.freshbooks.com/lessdoing](https://www.freshbooks.com/lessdoing) Text DOLESS to 33733 to sign up for the Less Doing Newsletter Credits
– Original Music provided by [Felix Bird](http://2014.felixbird.com/)
– Audio Production by [Chris Mottram](https://www.linkedin.com/pub/christopher-mottram/96/b12/708)
– Show Notes provided by [Mallard Creatives](http://www.mallardcreatives.com/Testimonials) ——- [Get the FREE Optimize, Automate, Outsource Blueprint here.](https://go.lessdoing.com/blueprint?utm_campaign=blueprint-ari&utm_medium=link&utm_source=podcast) — Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lessdoing/message
