Our Bodies are Made to Sync

Hey Just Tri Babes!

Let's face it, female reproductive biology and physiology has been grossly ignored by our society. Leaving women uninformed and out of touch with their cycles. Menstruation and the menstrual cycle are rarely talked about. The only real ways to explore the topics are to do your own research or seek out educational opportunities. Unfortunately, reproductive females (i.e. women who have regular periods) are understudied in research and sex education classes aren't widely offered in schools and if they are, the scope of the curriculum is often limited to topics about preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (i.e. how to use condoms).

Until recently, I even felt ignorant on the subject. And my post-graduate level education is in biology and exercise physiology. There wasn’t much emphasis beyond sex hormone function, cellular division (i.e. egg and sperm cells), and fertilization. The only discussions I ever had about menstruation and the menstrual cycle were with my (male) gynecologist and maybe my mom and sister. I don’t know about you but the conversations I usually had with my OBGYN during my annual appointments were awkward. I lacked basic knowledge of the menstrual cycle so I often felt uncomfortable and embarrassed during my visits. My understanding of the menstrual cycle was so minimal, I actually only associated my period with the entire cycle. Imagine my surprise when I found out that the period week was only a small fraction of it.

The More You Know

Reproductive women experience two (2) natural rhythms; a circadian rhythm and an infradian rhythm. The circadian rhythm aligns with a 24-hour cycle and is influenced by sunlight. The infradian rhythm is a 28-day cycle and is influenced by the rise and fall of our sex hormones. Have you ever felt that ebb and flow of energy and motivation across a month? What about food cravings? Irritability and changes in your emotions?

Fluctuating hormones across our menstrual cycle play a crucial role in our body’s responses.

Hormones can impact our emotional state, appetite, brain chemistry, and much more. But did you know that these affects are never random? And are most commonly impacted by your blood sugar balance, adrenal function, and micronutrient availability.

Once you understand your cycle’s hormonal shifts and how to properly support your hormones, you’ll begin to optimize your life and that hormonal power. This practice is called cycle syncing, and here’s how to start.

Cycle Syncing

Every woman will benefit from cycle syncing (and so will your partner!!). But these groups of women will benefit the most:

• Experiencing PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome)
• Are overweight
• Experiencing extreme fatigue
• Lost their libido
• Want to conceive

Why is this important? Cycle syncing will allow you to leverage the phases of your cycle to optimize strength and endurance gains and help you take control back over your life.

Once you match your behaviors and daily routines with your cycle’s needs, you’ll avoid burnout and be more intentional every single day.

The Framework

If you haven’t read my blog post, " How We Talk About Menstruation Matters", I recommend you read it because it breaks down the 4 phases of the cycle and targets the stigma around the period and cycle. In the meantime, here’s a brief overview of an average cycle:

• Menstrual Phase (1-7 Days) – Sex hormones (i.e. estrogen and progesterone) are low. The lining of the uterus (aka endometrium) is shedding causing you to bleed.
• Follicular Phase (7-14 Days) – Sex hormones begin to rise.
• Ovulation (15-17 Days) – Estrogen peaks. Progesterone continues to build.
• Luteal Phase (18-28 Days) – Both estrogen and progesterone levels are high. If the egg isn’t fertilized, hormones levels decrease and menstruation occurs again.

I would recommend starting to track your cycle with a calendar for at least three (3) months. Once you notice trends across each cycle, start narrowing your focus to each week. You can use a calendar to plan out your month.

Here’s what you’ll prioritize:

Menstrual Phase: feel out your body and do what feels best. You might want to take it slow during the first day or two and go for walks or take a flow yoga class.

Follicular Phase: start to ramp up the intensity. High intensity and strength workouts should be your main focus. It’s also a great time to plan new projects going into ovulation and the luteal phases.

Ovulation Phase: plan your social engagements and intimacy time with your partner (when your libido is highest). Your energy levels are still high so you can push the intensity during this phase too. This is when your least liking to burn out your social battery and get pregnant.

Luteal Phase: start to taper your workouts and focus on more endurance type training and lower intensities.

Listen to Your Body

All throughout growing up, I’ve been taught to expect period cramps, hormonal acne, and accept inconvenience and pain. But I never considered that these symptoms might be because my body was out of balance and I wasn’t properly supporting it. As your hormones fluctuate, so do your body’s needs, energy levels and mood. This is yet another reason to sync your workouts and daily activities around your menstrual cycle. 

Food if Fuel and Your Friend

Most hormonal imbalances are triggered by poor nutrition and deficiency. Remember, women often suffer from low energy availability so eating every 3 to 4 hours and around workouts will help you keep your body in an anabolic state (aka building) while managing your blood sugar and cortisol levels. Use these recommendations to help guide your food choices throughout your cycle:

• Menstrual Phase: drinking soothing tea (i.e. chamomile tea) to reduce cramps. Avoid fatty foods, alcohol, caffeine, and salty foods during this phase.
• Follicular Phase: eat foods that metabolize estrogen (i.e. rosemary, legumes, soy, flaxseed, kimchi, sauerkraut, broccoli and cauliflower)
• Ovulation Phase: eat foods that support your liver and have anti-inflammatory properties (i.e. whole fruits, vegetables, and almonds)
• Luteal Phase: eat foods that naturally produce serotonin (i.e. leafy greens, quinoa, and buckwheat) and magnesium-rich foods to help combat fatigue and low libido (i.e. dark chocolate, spinach, and pumpkins seeds). Focus on eating whole foods and healthier to reduce PMS symptoms. Avoid caffeine.

Want to Start??

Think of it as an opportunity to alter your lifestyle and establishing new habits. First, you need to begin to have open dialogues with your friends, family, and partner about your menstrual cycle. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s a part of who you are! And instead of letting it control you, you need to bring it to your attention and start controlling it.

Remember, you need to accept that your body is different than every other girl, woman, etc. in the world. So before your start bio-hacking and making all of these lifestyle changes, you need to track your cycle and learn your unique pattern.

Cycle syncing can eliminate those hormonal dips and peaks for good and for all. Take the power of your hormones back by paying attention to how your body responds and push the limits from there! You’ll be unstoppable!

Thank you for taking some time to read this week's blog :)

I hope you have a great week! Have fun and be safe! And as always, Just Tri!!

Yours in Sport,

Lindsay

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