What if we let our periods control our lives? My Journey With Cycle-Syncing.
Many of us dread our periods. Hoping that fatigue, cramps, irritability, and cravings will stay gone as long as possible. With cycle synching, you don’t have to hate your cycle; you can use it to support your body, get more in tune with its needs, and spark creativity.
In a nutshell, cycle synching is adjusting your diet and activities to your menstrual cycle phase.
To help, think of each phase of your cycle like this:
Follicular - Inner Spring
Ovulation - Inner Summer
Luteal - Inner Autumn
Menstrual - Inner Winter
I’ve been cycle-synching for the past 4 months, let’s discuss some of my biggest takeaways.
Stop Hiding From Red Meat
When your body enters its menstrual phase, it needs more iron. You know what's packed full of iron? Grass-fed beef. I’ve experimented with reintroducing steak into my diet. Adding it to my Cava bowls and Sweetgreen salads. I’ve found that my body has no physical reaction and experiences more energy throughout my period.
Health gurus and doctors tell us that red meat is the enemy. For African-Americans, the consumption of red meat feeds into many health issues that we’re already predisposed to. All my life, I’ve heard aunties and uncles claiming they're no longer eating red meat to improve their health.
I don’t disagree. Just like… I don’t disagree that a glass of wine every night is an issue. What I’ve come to learn is that with your diet, moderation is key.
Do I eat red meat all month long? No. But do I work it in when it best benefits me? Yes!
You don’t need to work out every day
When you’re lying in bed, eyes struggling to stay open, on your 3rd tampon of the day, irritable, and hungry, the last thing on your mind is making it through a workout.
Consider putting the weights and high-intensity workouts down. During your luteal and menstrual phases, your body is probably begging for rest. It’s telling you that it needs to slow down before it creates the energy that we associate with our follicular and ovulation phases.
I’m not telling you to become a rock for the next 2 weeks. Instead of heavy lifting, HIIT workouts, or even long runs, pick up low-impact movements. Think pilates, yoga, or even a long, low-incline walk.
Movement is necessary, stress is not!
Bigger Meals – Bigger Satisfaction
This journey of regulating my cycle and hormones taught me that my body craves filling and satisfying meals, especially during my luteal phase.
There have been months where I fed into the cravings and filled my plate up. Indulging in the demon of carbs and eating dark chocolate on the daily.
In those instances, my period was lighter and less painful. Who would’ve thought the key to ease was my period cravings?
It can be difficult! Women are socialized to eat less to maintain our figures. I’m working on dropping those ideas and picking up the ones that support my body’s health and happiness.
My next step is finding ways to fulfill the cravings I experience during my luteal phase with whole foods. Yes to the dark chocolate! No to the pack that’s flooded with added sugars. Yes to the pasta, but let’s make it at home instead.
Your Creativity is dependent on your Cycle
While your body moves through follicular and ovulation, you may recognize that new ideas and a craving for production enter the room. That’s because these phases are when our energy levels and estrogen increase, ultimately leading to more creativity.
Learning how my creativity syncs with my cycle allows me to harness this energy and prolong it through my entire cycle. As I brainstorm, take note of, and produce all the new ideas during follicular and ovulation, I have content and material to work on for the entire month.
For example, I drafted the ideas for this blog post during ovulation, and I’m writing it during luteal.
You’re not antisocial, your hormones are just shifting
Stop planning social soirees during the later days of your cycle. You’re setting yourself up to regret going out. During our luteal and menstrual phases, we kind of turn into hermit crabs. We crave more alone time and introspection. Those emotions you’re fighting are your sign to sit with yourself and understand them, not push them away. Use this time to focus on the relationships that pour into you.
Steps to integrate Cycle-Syncing into your life.
Research and list foods you can bring into your diet that support each cycle phase.
Make a weekly meal plan for each phase — ask ChatGPT for help.
Work on your schedule to correlate activities with the stage of your cycle that will support it.
Journal throughout your cycle to better understand how your body behaves and reacts to changes.
Now it’s time to start your own journey with cycle-syncing!
With Love,
Allie
