The reason why most common fitness and nutrition advice doesn’t work for most women is because the research is predominantly done on male bodies.
That was the beginning to the tik tok that introduced me to the world of cycle syncing at the end of last month. The girl who made the video went on to explain the concept of cycle syncing and recommended a book: In the Flo by Alisa Vitti which I immediately read.
And so I entered the world of cycle syncing and this post is to share with all of you what I’ve learned thus far.
A few notes before I begin:
-I will be summarizing my main takeaways from the book and other research I’ve done. I highly recommend you read In the Flo and others like it yourself to get a more comprehensive understanding.
-Not all women menstruate and not all people who menstruate are women. For the sake of biology I’ll be using the word ‘women’ but please know that this is meant to be inclusive and welcoming to all people.
-If you are trans or don’t bleed due to medical complications, you can still follow cycle syncing to be more in touch with your ‘feminine energy’ as Vitti describes in her book. Syncing to the phases of the moon in particular can really help tune that. (I suggest reading that part of the book for more information)
Basically, women, at a certain age, develop our infradian rhythm which is the 28-day cycle our bodies follow. It’s our second ‘clock’ so to speak along with our 24-hour circadian rhythm.
The 28-day cycle is broken up into four phases: Follicular, Ovulatory, Luteal and Menstrual.
Cycle syncing is the practice of living in tune with those phases rather than fighting against them. Each phase means a different hormonal makeup for your body, so eating certain types of food, doing specific types of workouts and trying to play to your strengths during each phase will allow you to be more in tune with your body and feel better for it.
Vitti describes how she was able to put her hormonal issues, PCOS and cystic acne, into remission by doing this. I won’t be speaking too much on that and I recommend reading her section on hormonal issues if you want to know more.
Some of the surprising things I did learn though, are:
-You shouldn’t be experiencing PMS, bad cramps, etc. These are not things we just have to live with and if you are experiencing these symptoms it means that there is too much of one hormone causing things to go off balance.
-Birth control doesn’t regulate your period. It just suppresses your hormones and the period you get while on birth control is a placebo.
-Very very few studies have been done on female bodies, so much so that almost everything commonly known about nutrition and fitness is just based off male bodies.
As I mentioned before, your cycle is typically 28 days long and has four different phases. I’ll go through each one and my main takeaways.
The follicular phase happens right after you finish your period, lasting around 7-10 days.
Think of this like spring. You’ll be slowly gaining your energy back after winter and want to eat light, cooling foods.
General: Your hormones that were very low during the menstrual phase are now starting to increase in concentration, specifically Estrogen.
Nutrition: Since Estrogen hasn’t peaked yet, you’ll want to consume plant-based compounds that mimic estrogen to balance things out. Consuming pro-biotic rich food at this time is also beneficial.
Ex: kimchi, sauerkraut, string beans, zucchini, carrot, oat, lettuce, broccoli, avocado, orange, plum, black-eyed pea, lima bean, cashew, olives
Wellness: As your energy levels rise, this is the best time to do cardio which will help boost your metabolism, help you shed weight and build lean muscle
Ex: HIIT, biking, jumping rope, dance
Creativity: This is your planning phase. Explore, research, prepare, plan and set intentions during this phase.
Next is the ovulatory phase lasting about 3-4 days.
Think of this like summer. Your body is “hot” and eating raw and cooling foods will help as your energy rises.
General: Dramatic rise in Estrogen, Testosterone and the LH hormone, this will be the highest level of hormones. High energy levels and low metabolism.
Nutrition: Too much Estrogen is also not good and can cause things like acne during this time. To counterbalance, eat the most raw foods during this time (think salads and smoothies) to provide higher levels of glutathione to help you liver metabolize the excess Estrogen.
Ex: red bell pepper, spinach, tomato, leafy greens, raspberries, strawberries, corn, quina, eggplant, apricot, fig, guava, almonds, pecan.
Wellness: High Testosterone and Estrogen mean you can go all out with cardio and strength.
Ex: HIIT, kickboxing, interval sprints, indoor cycling
Creativity: Best time to communicate and socialize, pitch your ideas.
Next is the luteal phase lasting around 10-14 days.
This is like fall, your body is starting to cool down and you’ll need more warming foods as your energy starts to slow down.
General: Rise in progesterone, hormones will reach their peak then begin to fall in the second half of this phase before your period begins.
Nutrition: Metabolism starts to speed up during this phase and your body needs more calories. To curb sugar cravings during this time eating slow-burning carbs with shift your diet to nutrient rich foods. High-fiber foods will help flush out extra estrogen in the first half. In the second half when estrogen is low you want natural sugars and complex carbs.
Ex: brown rice, cooked veggies: cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, ginger, onion, sweet potato, squash, apple, peach, pear, raisin, chickpea, walnuts
Wellness: During the first five days of luteal phase you’ll still have high hormone levels and energy. Maximize lean muscle building with strength training. Second half, shift to muscle build mode:
1st half: strength training, weight lifting
Creativity: This is the best time to put your head down and complete all your tasks. It’s a completion period where you can get organized and accomplish the projects you planned in your follicular phase
The last phase of the cycle is the menstrual phase typically lasting 3-7 days.
Think of this like winter, your body needs warming foods and rest.
General: Your hormones are at their lowest, metabolism high and energy low.
Nutrition: you can counterbalance the lack of hormones with protein and healthy fats and nutrient dense foods. This will also help set you up for a better ovulatory phase the next cycle.
Ex: kidney beans, buckwheat, beets, kale, mushrooms, water chestnut, kombu, blackberry, blueberry, watermelon
Wellness: Your hormones and energy are at your lowest so doing anything high-intensity will backfire by turning on fat storage and putting stress on your cardiovascular system. Do restorative exercises and getting deep restful sleep will help with weight loss.
Ex: Walking, gentle yoga, breath work, stretching
Creativity: This is your time to rest and reflect. Your intuition is important to listen to during this time as you note any areas that need improvement.
Quick note about how to seed cycle along with your infradian rhythm.
Follicular and Ovulatory: 1 tablespoon of flaxseeds and pumpkin seeds
Luteal and Menstrual: 1 tablespoon of sesame and sunflower seeds
A very important note: Remember that these are simply phases of a cycle which means they will naturally blend from one to another and overlap. Don’t view this as a hard and fast rule. It’s totally okay to eat things meant for one phase in another, no need to stress about following this exactly.
This is simply a guideline to follow to the best of your ability. Vitti recommends adding something every week one by one rather than starting with everything all at once. For example, Week 1: try following the nutrition, Week 2: try following wellness and so on.
Ultimately, this is about listening to your body and doing what feels right for you. The best way to know about it is by tracking your cycle. Whether you use an app, or a journal, track things like how you feel in each phase, your energy levels, your hunger, sex drive, heaviness of your flow if you’re bleeding, etc. Tracking will allow you to see what your body is doing.
The notes above are not all encompassing, these are just the aspects that I will be focusing on as I start my cycle syncing journey. I wanted to make this blog post not only as a quick reference guide for myself but to share with any of you who might want to come along on the journey.
I plan on doing an update blog after a few months have passed to talk about how this has affected me and my results.
I am very excited to start cycle syncing and have already started incorporating some foods. (Especially seed cycling, which is the easiest to start with).
It was very refreshing to read a book that focuses on women’s bodies and allowed me to finally learn more in depth about my body in way I’d never seen before. Women are critically underrepresented in every aspect, including education about ourselves. I recommend you read this book and others like it simply to learn more about your own biology.
And with that, I’ll leave this post here. Please comment if you’ve heard of cycle syncing, follow it, or if you want to start. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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