The wisdom of your cycle
Many women live to fear their ‘time of the month’, suffering through symptoms in silence. But what if our unique monthly cycles could become one of your greatest strengths?
Your period can be a source of insight rather than something to endure. It becomes far easier to navigate when you start tuning into your cycle’s natural ebb and flow. When we track our cycle, we can start to optimise for its different phases, which we can think of as seasons.
Because our menstrual cycle isn’t just about our period and ovulation. Each month we go through four seasons, in which our sex hormones are in a beautiful dance with each other, rising and falling at different times. Our sex hormones don’t just affect our reproductive system, but have a huge effect on us physically, mentally and emotionally. When we embrace the unique strengths of each season, we can take advantage of our peaks in creativity, social ability and intuition. Recognising these innate cycles within ourselves allows us to optimise and better enrich our lives. When we can work WITH our bodies instead of against them, it’s a win-win in every scenario.
To take advantage of these monthly superpowers of yours, there are two steps you need to take. Step 1 is to track your cycle, if you don’t already, and tune into any signs that might signify your different cycle phases, as these will vary slightly for each of us. Step 2 is the magical part; use the data from your cycle tracking to tune in to your bodies unique fluctuations and adapt your activities to take advantage of your optimal states in each phase.
Step 1
Cycle Tracking
The easiest way to track your cycle is to use an app, there are lots of free and paid ones out there that allow you to track symptoms throughout the month with just a couple of taps on your phone screen. Of course you can also track your cycle with a good ol’ fashioned pen and paper, or a printable tracker.
If you have regular cycles, you will start by tracking the first day of your bleed as day 1, the start of your Winter season (menstrual phase). The day after your last day of bleeding will be the start of your Spring season (follicular phase), after 6-7 days you will enter your Summer (ovulatory phase), followed by 11-12 days in your Autumn season (luteal phase).
If you're in perimenopause, your cycle tracking might look different. You may notice:
- Cycles that vary in length from month to month
- Heavier or lighter bleeding than usual
- Skipped periods or irregular ovulation
- Longer or shorter phases
- More pronounced symptoms in certain phases
The key is to track what your body is doing, not what a “typical” cycle looks like. Over time, you’ll spot patterns that help you anticipate your body’s needs, even if the timing shifts.
However, it’s worth noting that if you use a form of hormonal contraception such as the pill, these fluctuations will be greatly blunted, if they are there at all. This is because the synthetic hormones are used to make sure that you don’t ovulate (when your body releases an egg ready to be fertilised), meaning that your oestrogen won’t rise as you go into Summer and your progesterone won’t rise as you transition from Summer to Autumn. Cycle tracking can still be helpful while using hormonal contraception, although you may need to observe your body more closely to understand your own rhythm.
Step 2
Cycle Syncing
This is where the true power of your unique feminine rhythms that allow us to have mental clarity, access to our intuition, heightened energy, connection to ourselves, others and our purpose. Pair the information about the strengths of each season with the data from your cycle tracking, and start optimising your exercise, self-care and other activities accordingly then watch yourself flourish!
Winter (days 1-5 – menstrual phase)
All of your hormones will naturally drop during this phase, making it a natural time for rest and reflection ready for new beginnings in spring. Restorative self-care activities and gentle exercise such as yoga will help you to make the most of your winter season. Your natural intuition is strong during winter so this is a great time to trust your inner wisdom and make future plans. This is partly because there is heightened connection between the two sides of your brain during this phase of your cycle- a pretty cool superpower if you ask me!
Spring (days 6-12 – follicular phase)
After our period, your oestrogen and testosterone levels steadily increase. This leads to heightened energy, feeling more sociable and an increased ability to gain muscle. This phase is great for gentle cardio and strength training. It’s also a great time to use your heightened energy to try something new- why not try a new class or cook a new recipe?
Summer (days 13-16 - ovulatory phase)
Summer is when your oestrogen peaks, and an egg is released which is known as ovulation. The egg being released leads to an increase in progesterone, helping us to feel super social and often flirty and feminine. Studies have shown that we often have better body image around ovulation and so you’re likely to feel at your most confident. This is a great time for you to plan in social events, and do more high-intensity exercises like HIIT.
Autumn (days 17- 28 – luteal phase)
After ovulation, progesterone levels continue to increase, helping you to feel a sense of calm and even leading to improved sleep and ability to focus. However, this phase is also where cycle issues can crop up, especially if you didn’t ovulate or have oestrogen dominance, in which case you may notice mood swings and PMS symptoms.
Light to moderate exercise like swimming and pilates are great during this phase. Focus on nourishing self-care activities like journaling and spending time in nature to stay in balance during your autumn season.
There you have it, a guide to unleashing your monthly superpowers! Too many women are living with untapped potential simply because they have not been shown how powerful their natural rhythms can be.
Knowledge is power, and when we tune into our unique body, brain and being we can give ourselves the freedom to thrive.
