How can this powerful technique help you optimise your menstrual cycle to empower your life?
Fun fact: Did you know that the hormone cycle for those assigned female at birth is 28-35 days, depending on your cycle, yet the hormone cycle for those assigned male at birth is 24 hours?
Granted, this might seem a little obvious. We know that those who menstruate can generally expect their period every month. Yet, a lot of the time, when we talk about the menstrual cycle, we tend to focus directly on the menstrual phase, aka, the period. When doing so, it’s easy to forget the other 21-26 days (give or take) and how our hormones change throughout this time.
In a 24-hour hormone cycle, you pretty much know what to expect. The rising/falling levels of hormones will be stable and regular throughout the day, with little variation.
Contrastingly, it should come as no surprise that the steadily changing hormone levels of the menstrual cycle over 28-35 days mean we are highly likely to feel different day by day. Some days, you might feel super energised, and then, just after halfway through your cycle, the thought of moving off the couch sounds horrific.
Sound familiar? Thought so.
Thankfully, although we may be expected to regulate daily, as with the 24-hour cycle, cycle syncing is a technique used to optimise our lives by incorporating nutrition and lifestyle tactics to align with our monthly hormonal changes. Studies suggest that this approach may help us to feel more energised, have more stable moods, improve our workout efficiency, and more. Of course, each person will experience their cycle differently, and if you are unable to commit to syncing, that is entirely okay. Moving and eating according to how we feel is perfectly okay, and listening to your needs can be just as powerful.
If this sounds like something you’re keen to try, here’s a brief overview of how to get the most out of your cycle.
Phase One: menstruation (days 1-6/7)
Hormone levels: Oestrogen = low, Progesterone = low, FSH = low, LH = low
Energy, mood, and digestion: Low, low, poor
Nutrition recs: iron, vitamin K, omega-3
Movement recs: stretching, short walks if feeling ok
Phase Two: proliferative/follicular (days 7/8-14)
Hormone levels: Oestrogen = rising, Progesterone = rising, FSH = rising, LH = rising
Energy, mood, and digestion: High, high, regular
Nutrition recs: dark-green leafy veg, fibre, omega-3, complex carbs
Movement recs: cardio-based movements
Phase Three: ovulatory (days 15-17)
Hormone levels: Oestrogen = peak, Progesterone = rising, FSH = peak, LH = peak
Energy, mood, and digestion: High, high, regular
Nutrition recs: fibre, pro and prebiotics, antioxidants, dark-green leafy veg
Movement recs: higher intensity movements
Phase Four: luteal (days 18-28)
Hormone levels: Oestrogen = lowering, Progesterone = peak, FSH = low, LH = low
Energy, mood, and digestion: Lowering, irregular, poor
Nutrition recs: omega-3, magnesium, fibre, pro and prebiotics, antioxidants
Movement recs: gentler movements