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Cycle Syncing: How It Can Enhance Your Health

Introduction:

If you're anything like me, for the longest time, my period was just this monthly event that would sneak up on me. I used to see it as a major inconvenience, or just a signal of whether I was expecting or not.  Tracking my period wasn't even on my radar, and I'd only connect the dots of my symptoms after it hit me – tell me I’m not the only one ladies! 


Then, I started hearing about the menstrual cycle being a vital sign and how cycle syncing promised to elevate overall health and well-being. Intrigued, I made the choice to dive deep into the topic and figure out more. Here's what I found…


The Menstrual Cycle as a Vital Sign and Cyle Synching:

Much like heart rate or blood pressure, your menstrual cycle serves as a vital sign, offering insights into your body's health.  Your menstrual cycle has four distinct phases: menstrual, follicular, ovulatory, and luteal. Hormones shift dramatically during each phase. Based on these hormonal fluctuations certain foods, exercises and activities are better suited at different times in your cycle.  For instance, during the luteal phase hormones drop and your body demands more rest and recovery, a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout might not be the optimal choice.  Knowing the phases of your cycle and how to sync activities with those shifts can boost your physical, emotional, and mental well-being, not to forget enhance the function of your pelvic floor.  


(We won’t dive much into nutrition here as I am NOT an expert on that but it's definitely a rabbit hole worth going down if you have time.  Check out this article for more on nutrition, fasting, and cycle synching)  


Menstruation (last 3-7 days): 


  • Prioritize rest and relaxation to support recovery - This phase calls for gentle self-care and relaxation, allowing your body and the pelvic floor to recover. 

  • Opt for low-impact exercises like yoga or walking to support recovery.

  •  Focus on overall well-being with activities that nurture your body.

Follicular Phase (last 7-10 days): 

  • Estrogen Rises!!! Seize the increased energy of rising hormones to engage in moderate intensity activities that promote improved circulation and endurance.

  • Cardio and HIIT

  • Incorporate pelvic floor strengthening exercises 

Ovulation (3-5 days): 

  • Estrogen peaks!!!  Embrace the peak and use that increased energy potential to the fullest! 

  • Explore moderate to high intensity exercises that enhance overall and pelvic floor strength and endurance.

  • Include a variety of cardio, HITT, weightlifting, circuit training and bootcamp exercises.  

  • Don’t be afraid to load that pelvic floor! 

Luteal Phase (10-14 days): 

  • Estrogen starts to drop and Progesterone rises - hormonal fluctuations during the second part of luteal phase may cause irritability, negative mood and low energy

  • Embrace a nurturing approach during this phase, 

  • Engage in calming exercises and relaxation activities, such as stretching, restorative yoga,  pelvic floor lengthening exercises, pilates, light resistance training, mindfulness practices, or swimming and walking.

The Low Down:

Understanding your menstrual cycle and the potential benefits of cycle syncing is a journey toward well-being.  If you’ve never tracked your cycle, cycle syncing can seem overwhelming. Luckily for people like us, there are a lot of tools on the market to help!!  Personally, I use an Oura ring and the Natural Cycles app which do all the tracking for me.  After tracking a few cycles I was able to learn my patterns (23-25 day cycles: menstrual phase 7-8 days, follicular phase: 6-10 days, ovulatory phase: 4 days, luteal phase: 7-9 days) and come up with a personalized workout calendar.   Now, all I have to do is pick an appropriate workout from my calendar based on where I am on my cycle. 

To give you a better idea of what I’m talking about, here is a what my calendar looks like: 


I try to integrate a variety of exercises including cardiovascular workouts, strength training, flexibility exercises, and activities that bring me joy, during each phase.   I don’t stick to this plan 100% of the time either. If there’s a workout that I really want to try that is off cycle or I’m feeling particularly strong or fatigued on a given day I listen to my body and adapt my exercise routine accordingly.  

What I love about cycle syncing is that it takes the guesswork out of my workouts, keeps me consistent and incorporates rest days and restorative workouts (which I would otherwise not do) into my plan.  

My Recommendation

It takes some effort to learn your cycle and identify what exercise or activity is best suited for you at what time, but after doing this for a few months I can say it's worth the initial effort.  Do your own research and find resources that work best for you!  The ultimate goal is to foster a deeper connection with your body and potentially enhance your overall well-being.

If you’re interested in learning more about cycle syncing or developing a personalized cycle syncing workout calendar email us at hello@freyawellnessco.com  we’d be happy to help you on this journey!  At Freya Wellness Co, we offer information, insights and training to empower you in learning about and making decisions about your health.

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