Mom Phases...Duh, I'm Talking About Cycle Synching!
As much as I have tried going down the rabbit hole of figuring out why my equilibrium is off since I've had kids, I can't stop returning to learning more about the female cycle. Somehow, every book I read, every Podcast I listen to, and every article or study I find, all point back to hormones, and the fluctuations of those hormones. I mean, seriously! I was hoping to discover some crazy tripped nerve (although, plenty of those have been fried since having 3 kids) that causes me to feel all my previous meals from the last few days rise up my esophagus when I'm just casually riding down a winding road! (Even though I used to be the queen of high intensity rollercoasters back in the day!) Nope, just my hormones getting screwed up...again! Which, of course, has lead me down a path of more "self experimentation".
First, you should know, I never offer advice, or suggestions, to anyone unless I have personally tried it first. I guess one could say, I like to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. SO, I started to research cycle synching. It is becoming one of the hottest topics in women's health in the past year or so. (And now since you are reading this blog, you will probably be targeted with all kinds of ads and "coaching" for cycle synching.)
One of the biggest reasons it is getting so much attention is that...well, there is basically little to no research in the realm of women's health! So THANK GOD we got something going for us! The fact that all the research going into women's cycles is becoming public now, and more discussed among women, is fantastic!
Understand why this is a big deal: Medical practices and institutions were all founded by men. That's not to say the lack of research on women was intentional. It was just that there was very little knowledge of the vast differences in biology between women and men until (what we would consider) very recently. But then, a little further down the timeline, you had text books and studies only conducted on mostly men, after the studies on women kind of bailed out because (again, until recently discovered) women have WAY more hormone fluctuations than men. Therefore, the results were never conclusive. SO, women were rarely selected for studies. Thanks to brave the researches, and independent health practitioners of today, we finally have some incredible research for the public (women) to learn from. And this is where my "self experimentation" begins...
My First Encounter With "Cycle Synching"
Visiting my first Naturopathic doctor was quite the experience. I never had a doctor sit with me for an hour talking about my lifestyle choices before. Questions like: "what do you eat on atypical day?" or "do you have a work out routine you stick to regularly?" And even "what level of stress do you carry every day?" (which at the time with 3 toddlers...A LOT!) At first visit, I thought the questions were odd, and somehow "invasive". Like, what the heck does she need to know my bed time for? How is that going to help me feel more energized, or less depressed. But, on my second visit, it started to make sense.
My lab results were a bit chaotic: Hypothyroid, all sorts of gut issues going on, and hormones? Well, they looked like some went on vacation, while some were throwing a house party! She explained how my nutrition was severely lacking micronutrients (yes, at the time I was surviving on the S.A.D. nutrition plan). My exercise routine looked like I was always training for a marathon, and my stress management was non existent. Pretty much, I was a river of magma waiting to explode!
Pretty sure she saw my face go into panic mode. And that's when her gentle voice calmed me down, and assured me that she could help me...without a prescription. We would start slowly with Seed Cycling. Yup...seeds! Turns out, the nutrients in seeds assist women's hormones function optimally throughout their cycles...that is, if we understand the phases of our cycle. (But, seed cycling is for a whole other blog.) You can't "pretend" to know where you are in your cycle. And if your on the Pill, you are not having a "real cycle" (it's actually an artificial cycle). If you have no idea what your cycle is; what day you start; or even just the approximate length of your cycle...then that's where you need to start.
How To Know YOUR Cycle
All women have their own unique cycle. No 2 are the same. We all have different lengths, different symptoms, and different hormonal fluctuations. And you know the picture above with all the moon phases? That's where those come in to play. It's not that we all start on the same day-like the full moon. But, for our own cycle, we will start Day 1 of our cycle on the same moon phase each month. It's almost as if the moon phases give us a heads up on what cycle phase we are about to enter into. (Pay attention next time around-note the moon phases when Day 1 of your cycle starts for 3 months, (which is the day after your period ends) it may trip you out.)
Now, there are plenty of tools we can use to start tracking our cycles. YES! This is very important...DO NOT disregard this part. Understanding your cycle is extremely important for your overall health! One could go as simple as a good old fashioned notebook. Just write the date followed by: Day 1 and what moon phase it is (again this is the day after your period ends. If you were like me until I started to research this, you probably thought your cycle started the day your period started...I'm willing to admit that's what I thought!) And continue to do this every day through the end of your period, until you get to Day 1 again; then start all over. Some can track for 3 months and see a pattern, but for others of us, it may take 6 months to a year. Especially if you have irregular periods, or have been on the Pill for a while. Another great tool (that I discovered a few months ago) was an app that I use to track on my phone every day. It did all the work for me. It made life easy, plus it guided me with the right food choices for different phases, and gave me exercise ideas for the different phases. (I use lively on Apple-but there are a lot to choose from) Okay, I know you're probably thinking...
What Do Food Choices & Specific Exercise Routines Have To Do With My Cycle?
This is where it gets interesting...and pretty cool. Think of your body like a car, and your hormones are all of the individual pieces of mechanics that keep it running properly. Every now and then your "car" runs out of gas, so you need to fuel up. The brake pads start to burn out, and need to be replaced...you get the picture. If you don't give the "car" maintenance and TLC, that sucker is gonna be getting towed to the shop for some serious repairs...although in the human body, we call it highly expensive prescriptions, or surgery. The gas and brakes, and all the other mechanics that need attention, are your nutrition, exercise, and stress management.
If you are experiencing a "healthy" cycle, congrats! You are one of the smaller percent! What that means is that you experience approximately the same length of cycle every month, with minimal symptoms, and have balanced energy! Sounds amazing, right?! Well, it's not impossible to achieve if you know how to get control of those hormones.
Here's a quick how to:
- Understand your cycle: track it and find the patterns.
- Eat the proper nutrition that aligns with the phase of your cycle.
- Exercise with the appropriate routines at specific phases of your cycle.
- Find your zen: Find your chill out mode and learn to relax when your body needs to rest.
These 4 points will start you well on to a path that will assist you in understanding your body as a whole. Believe me, I thought this was craziness when I first started down this rabbit whole. Now, I think it's craziness that I didn't start this earlier...like when I was first introduced to my cycle.
Check Out These Resources:
Eat Like A Girl Dr. Mindy Pelz
Teaches all about your cycle phases, what to eat in those cycle phases, and how to make it easy to manage.
Period Repair Manual Lara Briden, ND
Dives deep into understanding what a femal cycle is. Is extremely informative, and not too "sciency".
Lively App Phone Tracker - Makes your life easy when tracking your cycle.
