author: Leading Her Way
october 17, 2024
While many of us women are aware of the changes in our bodies in the infamous PMS week, only few of us learnt to pay attention to the rest of our cycle and how it actually affects us throughout the entire month. Or have you learnt which hormones are rising and falling for a woman every month? Or why on some days we feel like hugging trees while on others we want nothing more than staying in bed all day?
For many of us this knowledge came rather later to us in life. Mostly not because we simply looked at possibilities to optimize our health and wellbeing but because we got unwell, had to deal with hormonal imbalances, mental challenges and so on.
Well, since we studied about cycle living (others refer to it as cycle syncing but for us it represents a total lifestyle), we are obsessed with it and excited to share everything we know.
Cycle living really is about the practice of organizing your life and activities around the natural rhythms of your menstrual cycle. It is an extension of cycle tracking, where we take the 4 hormonal phases of your female cycle as a blueprint on how to best eat, exercise and even work to experience better periods, fertility and energy.
Men are mainly driven by the circadian rhythm (our sleep-wake cycle which roughly repeats every 24 hours) where the hormone testosterone peaks in the morning and drops in the evening BUT us women are also connected to the infradian rhythm. Infra what? In a nutshell, “infra” means beyond, so infradian translates to “beyond a day.” Essentially, an infradian rhythm is a bodily cycle that exceeds the circadian rhythm, or daily cycle.
The menstrual cycle is our special infradian rhythm and has four main phases (LHW likes to refer to them as seasons) which are mainly driven by not only one hormone, not only two hormones but three different hormones: estrogen, progesterone and testosterone.
A ‘normal’ female cycle lasts 28 up to 35 days (disclaimer: We disfavor referring to ‘normal’ but here it serves to describe the menstrual cycle as per the books, it doesn’t mean that anything beyond that might not be normal for YOU). Our hormones fluctuate over the span of 4 weeks and we can identify 4 different phases, which compare to seasons:
1. Menstrual phase “Inner Winter” (day 1 to 3-7)
2. Follicular phase “Inner Spring” (day 3-7 to 12)
3. Ovulatory phase “Inner Summer” (day 12 to 16)
4. Luteal phase “Inner Fall” (day 16 to 28)
Of course, these phases can vary in length from person to person. By tuning into your unique infradian rhythm, you can begin to understand how you change both physically and mentally during each of these four stages. But later more of that.
LHW’s key principle of cycle living and how to get started:
1. Awareness:
Understanding the different phases of the menstrual cycle (menstrual phase, follicular phase, ovulatory phase, luteal phase) and how hormone levels fluctuate during each phase.
2. Aligning Activities:
Adjusting activities, tasks, and commitments based on energy levels and mood during different menstrual phases. For example, scheduling intense workouts or important meetings during the follicular phase when energy levels are typically higher.
3. Nutrition:
Practicing self-care tailored to each phase of the cycle. This could include adjusting exercise routines, nutrition, and sleep patterns to support hormonal changes and overall wellbeing.
4. Self-Care Practices / Emotional and Mental Health:
Recognizing and honouring emotional and mental changes that may occur throughout the cycle. This may involve mindfulness practices, journaling, or seeking support during challenging phases aka PMS.
5. Bonus: Cycle leadership:
Emphasizing on a feminine embodied leadership style that aligns with our natural rhythm such as workload management, scheduling meetings, events or networking opportunities.
Cycle living will empower you to optimize your productivity, creativity, and overall wellbeing by honouring your natural rhythm and working with your body rather than against it. It's about embracing the menstrual cycle as a natural part of life and using this awareness to live more harmoniously with yourself.
To support your journey, we have created LHW’s Cycle Wonders Workbook to help you gain bodily awareness and tab into the power of a deeper connection to your body and feminine wisdom.
You will better understand fluctuations of your mood changes, energy levels and appetite. It will also help you anticipating PMS and menstrual symptoms and help you to manage them more effectively. Your body’s pattern is unique and sacred, we honour that. Enjoy this journey and feel free to share it with your friends!
With love, LHW
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Disclaimer: The information provided on this website is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read online.
