Curious About Cycle Syncing? Here’s What You Need to Know

Have you ever wondered why your typical workout routine seems exponentially harder than usual at certain times of the month? Or why you just want to stay home and cuddle your pet before you get your period? The more we learn about female physiology, the more we realize that EVERYTHING revolves around our menstrual cycles. Our moods, energy levels, nutritional needs, cravings, sleep, libido, skin, social habits… you name it. They’re all affected by fluctuations in our hormone levels. 

Once armed with a little information about these shifts, you can align your lifestyle to the phases of your menstrual cycle and work with your body instead of against it!

Understanding Your Cycle

Your monthly cycle consists of 4 distinct phases – menstruation, the follicular phase, ovulation, and the luteal phase – each of which is characterized by unique hormonal changes. You’ll often see this framework pared down to just the follicular and luteal phases since ovulation and menstruation technically fall under these. But for today, we will mention them all!

Menstruation (Days 1-5 ish) 

Your menstrual cycle officially starts the first day you begin your period. The entire purpose of this phase is to shed your uterine lining (aka endometrium) in order to prepare your uterus for a new reproductive cycle with a healthy, new endometrium that could support a pregnancy. Menstruation typically lasts around 5 days, but can range from 3 to 7 days. 

How you might feel:

• Low energy
• Crampy 
• Irritable
• Reserved
• Bloated 
• Moody

Lifestyle tips for this phase: 

• Take things SUPER easy
• Sleep as much as you can
• Eat iron rich foods such as: meat, seafood, organ meats, spinach, beans, lentils, tofu, and pumpkin seeds
• Sip on warming herbal teas to soothe any discomfort
• Keep your daily movement relaxed, opting for walks, yoga flows and easy aerobic activities (like cycling) 

The Follicular Phase (Days 1-13)

Beginning on the first day of your menstrual cycle and ending with ovulation, your follicular phase is characterized by the development of ovarian follicles – fluid filled sacs that hold immature eggs. During this phase, your estrogen levels (primarily in the form of estradiol) rise to prepare your body for a potential pregnancy. Estrogen stimulates the growth of your uterine lining, triggers the release of luteinizing hormone (LH) at the end of this phase, and helps regulate the production of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). Here’s how that works with regard to your ovarian follicles: FSH gets released and 5-20 ovarian follicles start growing. Then estrogen starts to rise, FSH levels decrease, and some of the smaller follicles die off in order to favor one dominant follicle which continues to produce estrogen.

How you might feel:

• Motivated
• Creative
• Social
• Focused
• Stronger
• Optimistic

Lifestyle tips for this phase: 

• Book group workout classes 
• Train harder and lift heavier weights
• Try new things and start new (perhaps challenging) projects 
• Brainstorm with others at work and network
• Go out with friends and attend events 
• Eat plenty of carbs (fruit, whole grains), cruciferous vegetables, avocados, and lean proteins
• Be creative!

Ovulation (Day 14): 

We’ve come to the crux of your cycle where a mature egg gets released from one of your ovaries. As you can imagine, there’s a massive surge of hormones, particularly LH, that occurs 24-36 hours before you ovulate which causes the release of an egg. In this phase, estrogen levels peak right before the LH surge and progesterone levels begin to rise following ovulation. Ultimately, if the released egg does not get fertilized, the egg disintegrates and hormone levels drop. During ovulation you might notice: increased cervical mucus with a white, stringy consistency, light spotting, mild cramping and a little breast tenderness. 

How you might feel:

• Sexy (libido is at its highest!)
• Confident 
• Energetic 
• In tune with your senses (taste and smell especially)
• Happy

Lifestyle tips for this phase: 

• Load up on fiber, antioxidants (berries, citrus, colorful foods) and complex carbs 
• Take advantage of peak energy levels with more intense workouts like HIIT or running
• Plan social activities (concerts, comedy shows, etc)
• Wear things that make you feel your best
• Go on first dates
• Give work presentations 
• Generally just put yourself out there!

The Luteal Phase (Days 15-28)

Progesterone is the predominant hormone in this phase, which gets produced by the corpus luteum. It’s responsible for thickening your endometrium to support potential embryo implantation, raising your basal body temperature, and thickening your cervical mucus to prevent sperm and bacteria from entering your uterus. This is the phase where FSH and LH decrease, while estrogen levels rise slightly but to a lesser extent than progesterone. 

If pregnancy doesn’t occur, your corpus luteum literally degenerates, causing a marked drop in progesterone and estrogen levels which tells your body to shed your uterine lining. This marks the beginning of your period, and the beginning of a whole new cycle.

How you might feel:

• Emotionally sensitive 
• Anxious 
• Depressed 
• Tired
• Swollen
• Hungry
• Sleepier

Lifestyle tips for this phase: 

• Eat omega 3 fatty acids (nuts, seeds, fatty fish), dark chocolate and potassium rich foods (potatoes, bananas)
• Opt for more low intensity exercise like pilates, body weight circuits and all forms of yoga
• Read and take baths
• Spend time alone or 1:1 with friends and family 
• Choose low key activities 
• Set boundaries with those around you 
• Work in short bursts 

The benefits of cycle syncing:

• Reduced PMS symptoms (and sometimes PMDD)
• More regular periods 
• Improved energy levels 
• Enhanced concentration 
• A deeper connection with your body

How to cycle sync:

1. Track your cycle. Apps like Natural Cycles, Clue, Flo, etc can help you understand what phase you’re currently in, how long each phase is for you, and what you can expect throughout each. While we can absolutely estimate these things, every body is uniquely different and no two cycles are the same. You may learn that your luteal phase is wildly longer or shorter than your follicular phase, in which case you can start to work on balancing them out a bit more. 
2. Tweak your diet to support the phase that you’re in. For instance, focus on getting plenty of iron rich foods during your period or loading up on cruciferous veggies during the estrogen dominant follicular phase. 
3. Modify your workouts based on your energy level during each phase. You’ll want to schedule any high intensity classes or demanding endurance training in your follicular phase, especially during ovulation. Start to slow it down in your luteal phase 
4. Adapt your social calendar to your expected mood. Move any social events that require you to be particularly extroverted to your follicular phase and plan more mellow hangs during your introverted luteal phase. You can apply this to your work, too, by trying to pencil in meetings during high mood and energy phases and focusing on introspective tasks throughout the lower mood and energy phases. You’ll be amazed at how much more effortless things feel when your life is synced up to your cycle!

A note for anyone with irregular cycles

Although it’s still possible, cycle syncing can be a little trickier if you’re not on a mostly predictable schedule. If that’s the case, incorporating herbal allies like vitex, cramp bark and raspberry leaf can support your reproductive wellness at a foundational level. Find all of these hormone balancing superstars in Flow Balance.