Do You Know How Your Cycle Impacts You?
Your monthly cycle impacts the way you need to feed, move, and rest your body.
The first day you bleed is considered cycle day One. And around day 2, you will notice less hunger and cravings, less fatigue, less water retention and more consistent body weight. You will feel more baller at work, more patience and stronger in the gym…
Because cravings and hunger are low, I like to eat very simple, lean meats and low-starch veggies during this phase. I notice I can easily skip a meal or forget to eat. I also try to kill it in the gym and get shit done in my business.
Around day 12-14 is ovulation. You may notice way more interest in your partner. Hello! Take advantage of this because the hormones created by connection and orgasm will help you through the next two weeks. You may notice an increase in appetite around this time as your body works on making progesterone. I like to eat more meat and add in a little of the starchy veggies like carrots, beet, squash and maybe some fruit.
If you do not get pregnant, estrogen declines, and by the end of week 3 you may notice a drop in mood and energy. For me, this happens right at day 20/21. With progesterone at its highest after ovulation, you may be warmer and sleepier. REST.
I like to take it easier in the gym, walk more often and eat more protein and salt during this week. I often want more fat as well. Chocolate avocado mousse anyone?
In week 4 you may notice more cravings, an increase in body weight/water retention and you may sleep worse as progesterone declines. I often wake up at 5 am right before the end of my cycle. I love the alone time! If you notice cravings, eat MORE nutrient dense foods like meat, eggs, salmon, avocados, beets, berries. Also, increase your electrolytes. Salt can curb cravings and magnesium will help you relax.
The good news is your metabolism is burning about 10% more calories here so you you can eat more than usual without gaining weight IF you consume Whole Foods as mentioned above.
I save higher carb foods like root veggies, fruit or chocolate for my evening meal so insulin stays low and I am in fat burning mode all day.
I still exercise every day leading up to bleed week but I take the weight down in the gym and my walks get more gentle and easy. I don’t schedule big events or work projects this week and lay low until about Day 2 of my cycle. A great time to get a massage, read a book and take baths. Yoga is also great this week!
If you aren’t tracking your cycle, I highly recommend it. I like to use the Flo app or Clue app.
Awareness will help you support yourself week to week and stop you from freaking out if your pants suddenly are tight, the scale jumps up by five in a day, you feel starving after a meal or are sucking wind in the gym.
Learning how to support yourself through your cycle is also practice for menopause. Your hormones may fluctuate for up to 10 years before you actually lose your cycle in full menopause and the better you treat your body, the better the experience will be.
Start now!
I am in the late stage peri-menopause and am so thankful I built a strong foundation with food, exercise, sleep and stress management. I’m 51 and started noticing symptoms around age 42, but mitigated them with nutrition and lifestyle changes.
I recently started taking bio-identical hormones to support my energy, moods and sleep during the transition. There is a lot of research showing women who get hormone support around age 45-55 have less disease, weight gain, depression and anxiety (common in and leading up to menopause).
If you !
Xo. S