Training to support your cycle
Training to support your cycle
“We are cyclical beings, born to experience, understand and honour the undulations of our bleed”
-Nicole Alicastro-
I love getting my period. I remember being jealous of my two older sisters for having it, even though one sister was on the floor in tears because the shedding of her lining was too painful to bear and the other engulfed under her doona by undulating emotion. Even still I was beyond ready to step into my bleed, and sure enough when I had my first bleed, I was curious as ever.
In this blog I will endeavour to explore if training around your cycle is something your body is ready for, what it is to train around your cycle if your body is ready, who it is and isn’t relevant for, and why its important for women to get to know their cycle intimately and then explore honour their cycle.
Is your body ready to train around your cycle?
With many women experiencing irregular periods and reproductive conditions training around your cycle can be tricky but not impossible. The biggest point to note here is that the body is telling us it is stressed and out of sync so the added stress of training hard will only burden the body further.
The best kinds of training to do during this time, while your going on the journey to healing your cycle though lifestyle changes and working closely with your choice of practitioner is regular low inflammation training and restorative interventions …
-Low intensity strength training 2-3 times a week tops
-Walking
-Learning a skill: body weight moves like handstands. 2-3 times a week tops
-Dancing
-Yoga, not the hard kind.
RESORATIVE INTERVECTION
-Yin yoga
-Relaxation Massage anything to get blood flow happening.
-Acupuncture
-Floats
-Energy healing modalities such as reiki and shiatsu.
Example week
mon
Tues
wed
Thurs
fri
sat
sun
Low intensity Strength training
Walk near home
30mins
Dance
Or skills
Low intensity Strength training
Walk
Walk in nature. Either a 30 min walk or a leisurely hike.
Yin yoga
And
Massage
What it is to train around your cycle if your body is ready?
Firstly ‘ready’ means that the woman’s cycle is regular and that they have satisfactory lifestyle habits around eating regularly and enough and recovering well.
There are four phases in a woman cycle,
Day 1-5: Bleed Phase
Day 5-14: Follicular Phase
Day 15-18 Ovulation Phase
Day 19-28 Luteal Phase
Each phase is characterised by a hormonal blueprint that informs us how our physical and emotional bodies feel, how we interact socially and what foods and training will support that particular phase. When we start to connect to our cycle like this we can flow with the undulations of these hormones instead of pushing against them. What we resist persists.
I write two programs one for the Outward phase (Follicular and Ovulation phase) then one for there inward phase (Luteal and Bleed Phase)
Here I will detail what I recommend in these two phases to support and nourish your cycle:
Outward phase (Follicular and Ovulation phase)
The physical body…. This phase is characterised by a high physical energy as Estrogen increases. We have finished bleeding and are looking outwards, wanting to create, connect and express.
Training….
If you are an experienced trainee, then this is a great time to test your 1 rep maxes and performing challenging strength training and conditioning routines.
If you are not that experienced it’s a great time to try out a new class or push a little harder in the classes, you do attend.
Inward phase (Luteal and Bleed Phase)
The physical body…. This phase is characterised by a slow decrease in energy as progesterone is rising and an inward type feeling emerges, these two weeks are a great time to reflect, go inwards and restore.
Training….
Its all about blood flow. If you are an experienced trainee, then this is a great time to do lower intensity full body circuits and 10-20 mins of steady state cardio and/or a sauna at the end of each of your workouts.
If you are not that experienced in the gym, then taking it easy in the regular classes you do do or going going to any of the following activities can support your inward energy…
Gentle yoga class
Long walks
Dance classes
Primal burn at 5th element Wellness
Low to med intensity body weight circuits
For both experienced an unexperienced gym goer’s restorative interventions are great to support this phase: yin yoga, relaxation massages, saunas and mediation can be ramped up in this phase.
How do you train around your cycle if you’re on the pill?
If you choose to take a contraceptive, then your day one will be the first day of your sugar pill. Here is a blog to give you more information on the pill so you are informed of the hormonal repercussion. (https://www.5ew.com.au/contraception-or-deception/)
Who it is and isn’t relevant for?
Training around your cycle is relevant for any woman who wishes to get back in sync with her cycle or has a cycle she wishes to get more connected with.
Training around your cycle isn’t relevant for…
Women who choose to do performance/competitive sport such as powerlifting or bodybuilding, as losing your period is a natural adaption to very hard dieting and training.
Women who are pregnant.
Women who are on the journey to getting their period backs.
Women who are going through or gone through peri-menopause or menopause
Women who are going through any physical treatment or protocol supported by a health professional.
Why its important for women to get to know their cycle intimately?
The undulations of our cycle are sacred. When we start to follow the ebbs and flows of it then we aren’t pushing against it which can cause more stress to our systems. Once we are aware of our cycles patterns then we can learn best how to support it.
For example, your three days out from your bleed, your feeling restless and in need of rest, but you have teed up a hard training session with a friend and said you would help out another friend on the weekend. You don’t feel like doing any of these activities and the beauty of following your bleed is that it gives you permission to honour that. So you call your friend and ask if she would like to go to get a massage instead and call your other friend to reschedule for later next week when you have more energy to give.
I hope this has given you some actions to implement and some thoughts to ponder. Stay curious about your bleed.