Cycle syncing is a lifestyle where you change your habits, like eating and exercising, so that it better suits the phases of your menstrual cycle.

As a woman, I find it sad how much I don’t know about my menstrual cycle. But don’t beat yourself up if this is you too. 

All I really know is that every four weeks I get my period and the week before I want to cry for 5 hours a day for no real reason (or punch someone in the face). 

Before we can learn if cycle syncing our workouts is the way to go, we need to learn about our menstruation cycle. 

Menstruation Cycle

As most of us probably already know, the menstruation cycle is the shedding of the lining of the uterus. It is our body’s way of preparing itself for the possibility of getting pregnant. Our cycles are usually 28 days; however, they can range from 21-35 days as well. 

What it comes down to is hormones. Those damn hormones that can make us go a little psycho for a week or two. 

If we are always exercising at a high intensity, it can disrupt our hormones and actually prevent us from losing weight. & if that is our goal, that’s not what we want to do.

Menstruation is driven by hormones. & when it comes to working out, getting those hormones into alignment is extremely important. 

Stay tuned to learn how.

Menstrual Phase 

This is our favorite time of the month (not) where our uterus lining decides to shed from our vaginas, also known as our period. 

The menstrual phase typically lasts from day one to day five in our cycle. Most people bleed for about three to five days (so much fun!).

You will know you are in your menstrual phase when you are bleeding, have period symptoms (cramping, bloating, back pain, etc.), and you have low energy. 

It’s not bad to exercise during our periods. It can actually make our PMS symptoms better. However, our estrogen and progesterone hormones are at their lowest and can leave us feeling sluggish and unmotivated. 

This works out because we actually don’t want to push it too far with the exercises. High intensity exercise can actually lead to more fat storage during these days. 

Focus on less intense exercise like walking, yoga, floor Pilates, and basic stretching. 

During this phase you can focus on eating warm soups, tea, protein, and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussel sprouts, etc.). 

Hydration is key to decreasing period symptoms. Be sure to avoid processed food, sugar, and alcohol, as they can make the symptoms worse. 

Follicular Phase

The follicular phase starts on day one as well but then continues to day fourteen. This is when the estrogen hormone begins to rise, thickening and growing the lining of your uterus. The follicle-stimulating hormone stimulates the growth of follicles in your ovaries. Between days ten and fourteen, one of the growing follicles will turn into a mature egg. 

You will know you are in the follicular phase when you experience rising energy levels, your skin is glowing (YES!), and you have a higher sex drive. 

Since estrogen levels start to increase, so does our energy (yay!). With this, we can amp up the workouts with strength training, high intensity interval training, jogging, and speed walking (calling all moms for this one!).

Since your metabolism slows down during this phase, you experience cravings less. Focus on eating probiotics like citrus fruit, sprouted foods (beans, oats, cashews, etc.), and fermented foods (sauerkraut, yogurt, tofu, etc.) 

Ovulation Phase

The ovulation phase occurs around day 14 and only lasts three to five days within your cycle. This is when the luteinizing-hormone tells the ovary to release its egg. The egg then travels to the fallopian tubes to get to the uterus. Your egg will chill there until it is fertilized by sperm (only if you are ready for a baby!). If you decide that the time isn’t right for you to have a baby and you don’t fertilize it, the egg disintegrates. 

You will know you are in the ovulation phase when you are feeling extra confident, your sex drive is at its highest, and you have a lot of energy. 

Since there are still high levels of estrogen (the highest in your cycle actually), you can more easily burn fat and build muscle by doing workouts like cardio circuit training, high intensity interval training, heavy strength training, boxing, and reformer pilates. 

You only have a few days for these exercises so get moving!

Because the level of estrogen is so high during this phase, you want to focus on eating anti-inflammatory foods so that you support your liver, as extra estrogen can strain the liver. 

Anti-inflammatory foods consist of cruciferous vegetables, fruit, nuts (almonds, pistachios, etc.), and fatty fish (salmon, tuna, sardines, etc.). 

Luteal Phase

The luteal phase is the longest and usually goes from day 15 to day 28. The follicle that released the egg turns into a corpus luteum, a structure that releases progesterone and some estrogen (a small amount!).

You will know when you are in your luteal phase when your skin starts to get oily, your energy decreases and you have those dreaded PMS symptoms. 

During the first half of the luteal phase we still have some energy from the estrogen and can do some scaled back weight lifting and cardio.

However, during the second half of the luteal phase we start to feel the progesterone hormone, which can start to make us feel sluggish. 

& THEN (because it just keeps getting more fun!), as our hormones start to lower to get ready for our next period, we can start experiencing those joyful PMS symptoms that we know and love, 

It is recommended that when we are close to our period, we should start doing workouts that involve walking, floor Pilates, and yoga to keep our cortisol and inflammation low. 

Since our PMS and mood swings are coming into action, we need to focus on eating foods that produce serotonin. That can include quinoa and leafy greens. You can also focus on foods that are rich in magnesium. They can include whole grain, legumes, pumpkin seeds, and nuts. You can also be eating dark chocolate! 

Try to avoid alcohol, red meat, caffeine, and dairy, as they can make you feel bloated and just uncomfortable. 

Ways to Track Our Cycle

Apps or your phone calendar (or a paper calendar!) are great ways to track your cycle. 

→ Phone Calendar

If you are not a fan of apps, you can use your calendar on your phone to count the days of your cycle. 

→ iPhone health app

If you have an iPhone, this app is most likely already downloaded. You are able to input when you get your period, the symptoms you are experiencing, any spotting you get, your basal body temperature, and more. 

→ Flo

The Flo app allows you to track your cycle and ovulation. It lets you know when you are more likely to get pregnant. Depending on the type of subscription, it can cost as little as $1.99 a week. 

→ Clue

The clue app allows you to track your periods, ovulation, and PMS symptoms. The more you track, the better the predictions become. 

→ My Moontime

My Moontime is a holistic app to track your period. The cool part is that as it tracks the four phases of the menstrual cycle, it also maps out the movement of the moon. It also gives you physical and emotional forecasts for the day, daily affirmations, and a space to journal and track your moods. 

Is cycle syncing backed by science?

Cycle syncing is a relatively new concept and research has not YET backed it up. However, since it is a lifestyle change and it’s not a medication of some sort, it doesn’t hurt to try it. It makes sense to listen to our bodies and give it what it needs. 

Does cycle syncing workouts work on birth control?

Unfortunately, cycle syncing workouts won’t work as well if you are on hormonal birth control. This is because hormonal birth control basically “shuts off” your cycle. 

You can still try cycle syncing your workouts and see if it makes you feel better physically and emotionally.

Does cycle syncing balance hormones?

Cycle syncing may help balance hormones, but it is not a guarantee. If it will make your periods easier and decrease your PMS symptoms, it is worth a try. 

Conclusion

As you can now see, there are a ton of hormones that we have to experience monthly. Constantly doing extreme strength training sessions and extreme cardio is not good for us. Remember, we as women have to balance out our hormones in order to reach our fitness goals. & that starts with listening to our bodies and giving ourselves rest when we need to. 

It makes sense to workout based on your natural cycle. Let’s work with our bodies, not against them.

Email [email protected] and let us know how this has helped your fitness goals.