The truth behind training with your cycle

Welcome back to how to twenty-something, today’s episode was inspired by a conversation I had with one of my clients a little over a month ago, and it’s a message I see portrayed across social media all too often and that is training with your cycle

This is obviously in regards to females because we operate on a 25-35 day cycle whereas men operate on a 24 hour cycle

Meaning men wake up feeling about the same hormonally every single day of their lives post puberty that is and factors such as sleep, food, and stress will affect their performance in the gym

But the consistency they have in their hormone levels on a day by day aspect helps them be able to recover better and workout with similar intensities from one week to the next 

Females, on the other hand, wake up like a different person everyday, you never know what the day is going to hold because our hormones are constantly moving into different phases

This affects so so so many things in regards to our performance, mood, energy levels, cravings, food requirements, view of our body, mind gremlins, and so much more

Honestly, these drastic differences in what goes on internally is why I believe females should only work with female nutrition coaches

Men can work with whomever because they are much simpler creatures, but women cannot

A male nutrition coach can do all the research and reading and working with females as he wants, but he will never ever ever know what it feels like to be a female across the different phases of our cycle

And how our brain distorts all of our behaviors based on what’s changing hormonally and how we could look the exact same but see an entirely different person in the mirror depending on the day or week

One of my clients used to work with a male nutrition coach and quit him 6 weeks in because he didn’t understand the mind games that went on in her head because he is not a female

They just don’t get it

But back to the topic of this episode, I want to dive into the truth behind training with your cycle and what’s actually happening versus the crap social media is telling you

The conversation I was having with this client was brought up by her during one of our sessions and she was simply asking how she could alter her workouts to fit her cycle as a way to get the most out of her workouts

Back story is she went off birth control 10 months prior and we’ve been tracking her cycles, mood, bloating, sleep, everything to see if anything is out of whack and that way we can refer back to what happened say 3 months ago

Now that everything has been consistent for quite some time, she wanted to take her workouts up a notch and use them effectively based on what she saw on social media with being able to strength train according to the phase you are in throughout your cycle

And I told her my honest opinion and belief and related it back to the work we’ve already done together

We have worked to become a strategic intuitive eater, meaning when you first work with me, if you’re coming to me for health and nutrition, we build up your awareness around the food going into your body

How it makes you feel in terms of energy, bloat, wanting to take a nap, any cramping or gas

Basically getting yourself back into your body since we lose the sense as we grow up

If you’ve ever looked at a child’s plate and they pick at their food and stop eating when they are done eating instead of finishing everything in front of them, then you know you used to have that ability too

I was notorious for eating one bite of a cupcake and not wanting anymore or even more so leaving one bite of food left, simply because I didn’t want it anymore

My mom was so far removed from that intuitive sense that she thought it was ridiculous and would always say “how do you do that, you leave one bite, just finish it”

And I would reply with I was done

If you grew up in a clean plate club family or you couldn’t leave the dinner table until you finished your meal, then you were taught to ignore your own body’s signal and that wasting food is really bad

You were also taught to eat because it was a certain time and not because you were hungry for a meal

Most of us grew up this way so it’s something we have to unlearn and that starts with recognizing how the food you’re eating is making you feel and that pairs with listening to your body’s hunger cues

As in what is the first sign your body is telling you it’s almost time to eat and planning your next meal out accordingly

The strategic part is once that in-body experience is back, we can refine what it is you’re eating – protein, carbs, fiber, fat etc

Because now you know how to listen to your body and the way it’s communicating to you when we go to focus in on one of those other food categories 

It’s how we understand how to eat for your unique body and how to gradually increase some healthier choices and wanting to eat those choices because the sugar processed foods don’t make you feel so great after all

You’re probably thinking, Jess this episode is called training for your cycle and not eating for your body, and you’re right, but they go hand in hand

Because it’s easy to start this awareness factor with the foods you’re eating since you eat multiple times throughout the day

Whereas you workout maybe once a day

Once you know how to listen to your body’s needs, it becomes easier to listen to some other methods of communication

Like how your sleep requirements change, when the pimples might show up, when you need more carbs and food in general, and then in regards to training or exercising when to dial it back a little because your ability to recover is worse and you have less energy and more soreness, as well as when you can ramp things up

They all relate to one another and they all change based on where you’re at in your menstrual cycle

So when you know how to listen to your body you’re also able to cater your workouts to what you feel is happening

And as a result you will naturally adapt your workouts to your cycle, as well as when other parts of your life go awry

Because your workouts are a form of self care

For example, the week leading up to my bleed week I am a lot more hungry, I experience a lot more soreness and inflammation, have less of a grip on my emotions, and also need way more sleep and naps than usual

Not to mention I usually experience the worst bloating and body dysmorphia during this week as well

How this translates to the way I show up for myself during this week is I will allow myself to eat more carbs and give in to more cravings, I still prioritize protein and hit my protein goals of 1g per 1lb of my body weight

But I also know my cravings are telling me I need some more nutrients and energy because of the process that is about to take place

I also have the capabilities to block my calendar off so I can take some afternoon naps or not attend a networking event knowing I need a lot more rest

For my workouts, I will not push the extra weight and I’ll also take a lot more active recovery days so I’ll probably strength train twice that week with 3 days of rest in between where I will walk or do yoga or mobility

I’ll also not be hard on myself if I don’t love the way I look that week because my mind gremlins ramp up and I’m also retaining a lot more water than usual so this is when you’ll see me in baggier shirts instead of crop tops and sports bras and know that this is just what this week brings for me

But as long as I continue to show up for myself in the ways my body needs, then I know I am doing what I can given the time of the month that I am in

Then after day 1 or 2 of my period I feel good as new, I feel fit, energized, strong, and not very hungry

By week 2 I can push the intensity a bit more and get away with extra exercise knowing I have a better ability to recover from my workouts

The different phases of my cycles aren’t an exact 7 days but because I know my body and what it’s communicating I can literally feel my rise in estrogen levels and will take advantage of this surge in energy

I also can get away with less sleep, although it isn’t ideal but instead of requiring a full 8 hours, I can survive without a nap on 6 to 7

Now, everyone is different, everyone’s period is different, if you’re on birth control that’s also going to be different, I gave you my example with when I feel my worst and best and that probably isn’t going to be the same for you

Which is why it’s important to develop a healthy, nurturing relationship to your body and to the food you eat so you can best curate your workouts and the intensity and frequency in your workouts FOR YOU

I have clients who experience lower energy and soreness during their bleed week and I have clients who feel completely unaffected by their cycle

So it really depends on what your hormones are doing and how you respond in accordance to these changes across the given month

Remember there is an individual variance in everything – so don’t base your actions off of the social media influencer you follow who is preaching that you should train in this specific way for a specific week in your cycle

Just because it works for that one person does not mean it’s going to work for you as well

While we’re on this topic of training for your cycle, I want to bring up how the workouts you’re doing is impacting your hormones 

Because the style of exercise, the intensity of it, the time of day you’re doing it, and how often you’re doing it will also impact your hormones – honestly for the worse as I’ll explain

First off, no one should be doing hiit or cardio all 7 days a week – you are an adrenaline junky and chasing the cortisol high if this is you, but you’re also going to burn yourself out

In February, I flew up to Boston to go wedding dress shopping with my sister and she took Friday off of work and we didn’t need to be ready until 10:30 am

She said she was waking up for a 5:30 boxing class and said I could go with her, my response was no thanks I prefer not to spike my cortisol levels that early in the morning 

Because I know if I did an intense fitness class under fluorescent lights, that I would feel like a pile of garbage by 2pm

Gym lighting in general is so bad for you, but we can’t change that as you need to be able to see and those bright lights do a great job at that

But we can move into what you can change which is the workouts you’re doing and the timing of them and understanding how they are affecting you internally

I’ve already made an episode on choosing what exercise type is going to be the best for you in regards to your goals, but what I didn’t touch on is how the type of exercise you’re choosing will affect your hormones

Your hormones are going to be negatively affected with intense and excessive exercise in general as I mentioned in the episode on 7 signs you’re overtraining

So regardless of what I’m about to share, having a nice balance of everything with a prioritization in independent strength training is always going to be your best bet and healthiest road

At the end of the day, doing too much cardio in your fitness regimen is going to have negative repercussions to your hormones

You’re going to increase your cortisol levels, like my sister does with her 5:30 am boxing class 

Cortisol is good to have spike in the morning as that’s your energy source, but extremely spiking it because of an intense fitness class will lead to an increase in stress and anxiety, disturbed sleep, and irregular menstrual cycles and the drop off dead feeling by mid afternoon

Rigorous regimens without rest and recovery will also disrupt your cycle, so if you’re listening and all you do is group training classes and go all out 5-7 days a week you are not helping yourself progress at all

Your intense and frequent workouts also lead to adrenal fatigue as you’re putting an excessive strain on your adrenal glands

If you love your cardio class, consider moving it to a weekend day later in the morning because first thing in the morning during your work week is too much of a spike in cortisol which will lead to an energy crash by the afternoon and doing it after work will disrupt your sleep because of that cortisol spike too late in the day will prevent you from being able to fall asleep or if you can fall asleep then it’s decreasing your quality of sleep

If you are someone who has been consistently taking a group fitness class in the morning, please reconsider doing this for the sake of your longevity and sustainability

It’s only going to invite the fat on your body to stay there and add more because of how stressed your body is with the workouts you’re doing

If you’re thinking of someone who has a great body and only does early morning cardio classes then please also know that genetics, diet, stress levels, and overall lifestyle will play a significant role in how exercise affects hormonal imbalances

Not to mention, that you don’t know what they’re doing outside of the gym or what’s happening to them internally – this is also what I mentioned in 7 signs you’re overtraining

Regardless of who you are and why you’re working out, listening to your body is going to present you with the best results from your workouts in the long term

Because you’re going to naturally adapt your workouts to your changing hormonal needs

So if you are doing the same thing at the same intensity all month long you are at risk for the negative repercussions exercise has on your hormones

Not to mention that everyone’s cycle is different and your performance is also based on so many other factors as I mentioned at the beginning of the episode 

Meaning, if you go into the gym saying oh it’s week 2 so I can push myself harder this week and only hold it to that standard and ignore the crap sleep you got the night before or the fight you had with your partner or a work deadline stressing you out, then you are not actually helping your body by following this thought process

Again relating it back to listening to your body and understanding the impact your external life has on your gym life

But if you’re listening and are thinking, but what would a generic perfect training cycle look like, I’m going to give you that information so you don’t go down a social media rabbit hole and get misconstrued information

I just wanted to make it very clear first that the truth behind training with your cycle actually has little to do with your actual cycle and more to do with intuitively training for your body’s needs based on your what your body is telling you

So whether you’re going to stick with one regimen or vary it across different exercise types this is how your workouts will be impacted providing all other factors are controlled and consistent.. Which they aren’t and they never will be 

But regardless, in your menstrual phase.. When you begin bleeding you might feel more fatigue, cramping, and lower energy levels so lower intensity is going to suit you best

This is lighter cardio, slower runs, maybe swimming, yoga, lifting lighter weights but decreasing the intensity in everything

In your follicular phase your estrogen levels are going to begin to rise meaning you’ll probably experience an increase in energy and can push your body a bit more in terms of intensity so faster cardio or heavier weights

When you’re ovulating you’re reaching your peak estrogen levels and then it starts to decline.. Prior to that decline you are going to be at your best performance.. Again providing all else things in your life are stable

This is probably when you’ll hit a pr at the gym or on a run

And then in the luteal phase your estrogen drops and progesterone begins to rise bringing back fatigue, mood swings, bad body image, cravings, increased water retention and your workouts are going to be at more of a moderate intensity so think the average between your bleed week and your ovulation week

And then the premenstrual phase is going to be everything dropping.. All your energy will feel gone, you’ll feel a lot more sore, a lot more irritable and you’re just going to want to take care of yourself during this time

This should be more walks, less intensity, and lower your stress as much as you can

But again, if you develop a healthy relationship with your body you’ll be able to easily identify where you’re at in your cycle, what you can expect from your workouts and recovery, and also give yourself a bit more grace when you are at the weaker parts

And not base it only off of 7 day intervals since a lot of females cycles don’t actually abide by that

I’m not saying women have not experienced great success with this cycle syncing mentality, I’m just saying there’s not much scientific evidence to support it but also you’ll naturally perform in this way when you train intuitively

I hope that all makes sense and you jump on the bandwagon to taking care of yourself based on what your body is telling you, but that’s what I have in regards to my thoughts on how to train with your cycle

If you have any questions, hit me up, my email is in the show notes

But otherwise, this concludes another episode of how to twenty-something, if you liked what you heard if you agree or even disagree with what I said, if a friend has asked you about this topic, then send it along, share it on social media and tag me at coach.jessdiamond when you do

And I will be in your headphones again next week with another brand new episode