Exercising and working with your cycle
April 25, 2022 at 10:22 am,
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Today I wanted to talk about exercising and working with your cycle. These are things that we all struggle with and accept. It can be hard to accept that when you have your bleed that we actually need to slow down. Also in terms of working out, it can be counter-productive to lift weights and actually impact your PMS.
Menstrual Phase - Inner Winter
- Bleed is day 1 of your cycle. All hormones are at the lowest. It is the most obvious phase.
- Low energy and low hormones.
- Time to slow down, replenish with minerals and seek warmth/heat. Relax, rest and reflect. SLOW DOWN!
- Movement: Restorative exercise; walking, hiking, yoga, stretching.
- Work: take time off if you can, reflect, do less on the 'to-do' list, low energy tasks, work on goals, refine ideas.
- Prioritise rest over productivity
Follicular Phase - Inner Spring
- Non-bleeding phase before ovulation.
- Hormones are rising, increased energy, mood and libido.
- Renewal, creativity and new beginnings.
- Movement: energy for harder workouts, challenge yourself and be active, cardio based workouts and good time to build muscles.
- Work: More social tasks, new habits and activities, more energy for more challenging tasks and create action.
Ovulation Phase - Inner Summer
- About mid-cycle, rise in hormones to peak levels, most important phase as without it you can't have a real period.
- Movement: Peak energy, endurance-based exercises, high impact workouts, push yourself!
- Work: more social and charismatic, conduct interviews, meetings, launch new offers, connect with co-workers.
Luteal Phase - Inner Fall/Autumn
- After ovulation, second half of our cycle. This is when you'll experience PMS.
- First week similar to ovulatory phase; second week time to listen to the body.
- Movement: 1st week - keep up with strenuous exercise for 3-5 days; 2nd week listen to the body and slow down, moderate exercise. Think healthier exercise instead of harder.
- Work: task-oriented, get things down, clean up, organise, reflect, update.
Did you find this helpful? Which phase are you in at the moment and can you relate? Let me know your thoughts!
Love and Light,
Odette
PS. I will be opening up 3 spots to work 1:1 with me soon. Start to think about whether you want to fully commit and trust the Fertility Awareness Method. You can look at more details about the program on my website.