Fitness through your cycle

Did you know that women who are cycling should be changing up their workouts throughout the month?

Women who are currently having a menstrual cycle run through their hormones over (roughly) 28 days. Whereas, men cycle through their hormones in 24 hours. We all know that men and women differ but understanding where you are specifically in your cycle can help you get leverage through your fitness journey. Instead of getting down on yourself for having to push through a HIIT workout or just wanting to go for a walk to move your body.

Elite athletes are already doing this, the US Women’s Soccer team tracks their periods to help them optimize their fitness routine! Most women are unaware of cycle syncing your hormones with your fitness routine so here is the quick explanation!

Honestly, it’s actually pretty easy! The week leading up to your menstrual phase (aka your Luteal Phase) you should start slowing down on the workouts. Meaning you should use lighter weights and lighter workouts. Through the menstrual phase light yoga, walks, vibe plates, and stretching are great. Once you are out of the menstrual phase then you can start to slowly amp back up with more weights. The ovulatory phase (days 14-21) is the best time of the month to get into a HIIT workout and start incorporating heavier weights.

Using a free or paid app can really help you track your cycle. This is also helpful so that you can link up moods or behaviors through your cycle. Often times once women start paying attention to where they fall within their cycle, they can figure out different feelings that are correlated with changes in hormones.

If you have more questions about how to sync up your cycle, please don’t hesitate to reach out!