Cycle Syncing 101
How to Cycle Sync
Have you ever noticed that you feel one way for part of the month, and then completely different for another?
Some days you feel like you’re crushing it at work, and you have enough energy to get your laundry, grocery shopping, a workout, and a date night in one week with something left to spare. Other days, all you want to do is curl up in bed with the latest Netflix original with a cup of cocoa.
We Are Cyclical Beings
WHAT IF I TOLD YOU THIS WAS NORMAL. THIS FLUX OF YOUR ENERGY, VIBRANCE, AND EVEN YOUR PRODUCTIVITY HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH BEING CYCLICAL.
About 2.5 years ago, I tapped into this awareness surrounding this flux. And really, it’s a significant flux in your hormones, including estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol and so many more.
After reading WomanCode by Alisa Vitti, listening to tons of podcasts on hormonal health, reading current literature on female hormones and injury prevention, I decided I was going to get off birth control (BC) and see what my body had to say. Looking back over the years of being on different kinds of contraception (oral pill, Nuvaring, and the patch), I realized they all contributed to my weight gain through college, mood swings and outrageous crying fits and depression right around my period, and even lumpier breast tissue that I religiously checked because cancer runs in my family. Truthfully, I’d been on and off BC for the last 10 years, and I really didn’t even know what my real personality was like.
To me, if I was so diligent and careful about what I fed my body, it didn’t make sense to be feeding myself synthetic hormones. It was important to me to learn how my body operates on its own when supplied purely with nutritious food, a well-rounded exercise regimen, self-love, and positive talk.
Benefits of Syncing Your Lifestyle with Your Cycle
WHAT I DIDN’T EXPECT WAS THAT WHEN I PAID ATTENTION TO WHERE I WAS AT HORMONALLY, NOT ONLY DID MY BODY BENEFIT, MY MIND AND SOUL DID TOO.
To keep a long story short, I didn’t go off birth control cold turkey, which I had read could cause even more hormonal issues. I followed Alisa Vitti’s FloLiving Birth Control Rehab special report and started with four different vitamins that I picked up from Sprouts: Vitamin B complex and probiotics for my liver and hormonal elimination, L-glutamine and NAC (n-acetyl-l-glucosamine) for immune strengthening and anti-inflammatory effects. I was taking these for one full month every day before getting off birth control.
THEN I BEGAN CYCLE SYNCING.
What Is Cycle Syncing?
Cycle syncing is when you adapt your nutrition, exercise routine, social/work/school calendar, and mental focus/focus according to where you are hormonally in your menstrual cycle. Your hormones can affect your mood, energy, pain tolerance, and even food cravings. Syncing to these shifts, which are happening in the background anyways, can make you feel like your life is streamlined without all the fuss.
Of course, we live in a very masculine and linear world where things are always supposed to increase, grow, and go. Thanks, but no thanks, patriarchy. If we as hormonal, menstruating people (womxn + non-binary folx) can shift this perspective, support our biological blueprint, and actually harness the feminine energy that we carry, we will find so much more success and ease in our lives.
What Are the Benefits of Cycle Syncing?
There are three primary goals for cycle syncing according to Alisa Vitti’s book and protocol:
Regular periods and cycle
Improved fertility
Regular libido/sex drive (more on this theory of libido to come)
Becoming your best self (really though)
Not listed are all the symptoms that cycle syncing can help with that are directly related to your hormones. Like I shared before, I dealt with weight gain that I was not comfortable with, mood swings, depression, anxiety, and PMS. What this book taught me was that while these symptoms are common and almost expected and accepted as being part of a woman or someone who menstruates, none of these things are normal.
LET ME REPEAT: THESE SYMPTOMS ARE NOT NORMAL.
We could go off on a huge tangent here with how this relates to feminism, body image issues, period shaming, self-esteem and confidence in our youth today, but I’d rather share with you the interesting information about your cycle, so that you can check in and see if you notice the changes in your body, mood, energy, and overall livelihood. So, let’s start from the beginning and go over the four phases: menstrual, follicular, ovulatory, and luteal.
Side note: I’m not a nutritionist or medical doctor, but I am able to speak about these things through my research and personal experience, because I am an expert of my own body. I trust that you will read this through your own lens, take what resonates, leave what doesn’t, and begin to get curious about how you cycle through these phases.
The Four Phases of Your Cycle: Menstrual, Follicular, Ovulatory, and Luteal
First Cycle: Menstrual // Day 1-7
Hormonally what’s happening: Progesterone and estrogen begin to drop off, causing the uterine lining to shed, which creates the blood that you get if you’re not pregnant.
What to eat: Stick to warm and grounding foods like soup or stews. To replenish your body with iron and vitamin B for improved energy, think leafy greens or even seaweed. I love getting sushi during this time!
How to move: Do you even feel like moving?! Depending on your energy levels, think about taking a nap, a walk, or restorative yoga class. You can always ramp up your activity when your days get lighter and your energy increases.
Where to focus: This is a perfect time to take time for yourself, and do whatever you deem as self-care. I love to read, get massages, do my nails, and focus on letting go (physically and emotionally) of anything that’s not doing me any good. I also take into account what was working/wasn’t working over the past month for me in my life goals and begin evaluating.
Second Cycle: Follicular // Day 8-13
Hormonally what’s going on: Estrogen and progesterone begin to rise again. One follicle that carries an egg in your ovary will begin to grow, and your uterine lining will begin to thicken.
What to eat: Sticking to lean meats and proteins, as well as a wide array of veggies and fruits, can help your liver eliminate any excess estrogen/progesterone. Estrogen dominance throughout your cycle can look/feel like weight gain around the hips, thighs, butt, arms, and face, as well as heavy periods, mood swings, and PMS. I love to eat fresh salads with added chicken, stir fries with tons of veggies, and citrus fruit for my sweet tooth.
How to move: You will feel that surge of energy right after your period is done in this phase, so think about this being a fresh start for a new workout class! Try something you haven’t done before, or switch up your routine and work different muscle groups with new exercises.
Where to focus: Think about all the new and creative things bubbling up in your head… now jot them down! You’ll find fresh ideas flowing during this time so take advantage of your creativity and begin a new project. This is when I take a look at my planner and game plan the month for all aspects of my life, including meetings for potential collaborations, problem solving, and getting social.
Third Cycle: Ovulatory // Day 14-18
Hormonally what’s going on: Estrogen and testosterone spike! Here is when that mature egg is released from the ovary and enters through the fallopian tube towards your uterus, where it waits to be met with sperm for fertilization. You may notice changes in your vaginal discharge, as it usually turns into a milky texture, similar to egg white.
What to eat: Foods full of vitamin B, glutatione, and magnesium to keep the hormone balances of estrogen and progesterone in check. An easy go to for me during this phase is a homemade red sauce with gluten-free pasta (quinoa based is my fave) with shrimp and a spinach or brussel sprout side. You may experience a craving for sweets like me. I like to grab a dark chocolate bar during this time (because it’s so rich in magnesium!).
How to move: This is when I have the most energy for group workouts and HIIT (high intensity interval training). You can catch me in a boot camp or buti yoga at least twice this week of my cycle. Try that group fitness class, or even amp up your cardio, add plyometrics, and go for that long run! You have the energy and the neuromuscular control during this time to avoid injury.
Where to focus: This phase is all about socializing. Energetically and biologically, this is when you were meant to become impregnated, so your mood, attractiveness and attention is heightened. Your communication abilities are also amazing right now, so this could be the time to have a serious conversation that you’ve been avoiding, or even ask for something that you’ve been needing at work or in your relationships. Schedule a first date, set up that speaking engagement, or go out with friends during this magical time.
Fourth Cycle: Luteal // Day 18-28
Hormonally: Estrogen and testosterone begin to fall, and progesterone levels peak, so that the uterine lining can thicken enough to prepare for an eggs implantation. If the egg doesn’t get fertilized, these hormones drop from their peak and cues your uterine lining to shed.
What to eat: When I think luteal, I think roots, like sweet potatoes, carrots, squashes, and cruciferous foods to keep the liver and digestive system flushing out progesterone and estrogen as these levels continue to drop. Think about minimizing any alcoholic beverages to help keep your liver and digestive system on point and working smoothly, while making healthy food choices.
How to move: You may notice a decent amount of energy left during the first half of this phase, so you can keep doing what you were doing during your follicular and ovulatory phases if you like. But start to check in half way through and you may notice a need to slow down. I like to take slower yoga classes, with slow and intentional weight lifting to work on control, not speed. This time isn’t great for cardio, as it puts too much strain on your cardiovascular system. And during the second half of this phase, any cardio can actually go against muscle building that you’ve been working on and can lead to injury when doing high impact or plyometrics.
Where to focus: Just as in your exercise regimen, you’ll notice that you can keep up socially for a bit into this phase, but slowly your energy will start to turn inward. This is a perfect time to get your affairs in order, reorganize anything that isn’t working, do a whole deep clean of your home, finishing up all those cool projects you started earlier this month. This way, when you start to bleed again, you’ll have a tidy mental and physical space to relax and enjoy.
What if You Don’t Have a Menstrual Cycle?
If you’re on birth control, pregnant, peri-menopausal or in menopause, there are alternative ways to cycle through your nutrition, exercise and focus.
One way is to use the lunar cycle, which is also a monthly cycle.
New Moon = menstrual
1st quarter moon = follicular
Full Moon = ovulatory
3rd quarter moon = luteal
Cycle syncing this way can still give you balance to your efforts and energies that can feel more natural to you as you ebb and flow throughout the month rather than constantly following that linear path of growth without stopping.
Photo by Celso Oliveira on Unsplash
Why Choose Cycle Syncing
I am a woman, and I am different every day, so why wouldn’t I adjust my life to that? It just seems to make perfect sense to live life in a way that plays to our strengths rather than against them. When we don’t live according to our design, we can feel so much burn out, fatigue, and completely lackluster. I know because it happened to me!
So, if you’re thinking about giving this all a go, do your reading. Click here to pick up your copy of WomanCode. If you decide to go for it, be easy on yourself when trying new things!
Of course, the yogi in me wants to remind you that no cycle is perfect. I still deal with the occasional breakout when I get overly stressed out and haven’t dealt with it. But this is a practice. Make one change at a time. Start tracking your cycle (I use the MyFlo app by Alisa Vitti). Be open and curious, listen to YOUR body. It has so much wisdom and intelligence inside of it, which can sometimes get bogged down by the outside world and our mind’s thoughts.
If you truly took the time to listen and pay attention, you might find you already do a lot of these things.
So go slow, be patient, and watch the magic that you already have inside flourish, so that you can become a more thriving version of yourself.
Do you want to learn more about cycle syncing? Check out our cycle guides online today!