Society may have conditioned us to believe that in order to feel our best, we must do the same exact self-care rituals day in and day out, yet for women who menstruate, the opposite may be true. Here’s what to know about the growing understanding around cyclical living.
For those of us who go through a menstrual cycle every month, our needs change from day to day — hence why some days your body may crave rest and other days you’re full of energy. So trying to commit to doing the same daily self-care rituals, exercise in particular, doesn’t actually set you up for success. Instead, having some flexibility and a better understanding of how your cycle fluctuates throughout the month will help you give your body what it needs, when it needs it.
What Is Cyclical Living?
Adjusting your workouts to the phase of your menstrual cycle is part of a bigger concept referred to as cyclical living. Anna Cabeca, DO, OB-GYN and author of The Hormone Fix, Keto-Green 16, and MenuPause, explains to DailyOM that cyclical living means you understand that your body doesn’t function the same way on every day of your cycle. So how you feel on the first day of your cycle will differ from how you feel on day 14 or day 28. When embracing cyclical living, Dr. Cabeca says you adjust your lifestyle habits, such as exercise, sleep, food, and sex life, to your menstrual cycle to help create harmony with your natural rhythm.
Here’s why cyclical living helps create harmony: Doing the same daily rituals caters to the male hormonal biological rhythm that coincides with the 24-hour circadian clock, explains Alisa Vitti, founder of FLO Living, functional nutritionist, women’s hormone expert, and creator of the Cycle Syncing Method®. Women, on the other hand, follow a 28-day infradian clock, says Vitti. As we move through the four phases of our menstrual cycle, our bodies and brains change, and therefore our needs — including the types of exercise we do — should also be different during each phase, Vitti adds.
Beyond the menstrual cycle, Cabeca says, cyclical living is also about adjusting your lifestyle to whatever season of life you’re in, figuratively and literally. “You will not make the same decisions in the winter that you would in the summer; you will not make the same choices when you’re a teenager as when you’re an adult,” she explains. “[Cyclical living] is accepting of where you are at that moment, embracing the here and now, and trusting that it’s a cycle.”
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The Menstrual Cycle and Exercise Performance
So how does the menstrual cycle affect exercise performance specifically? For starters, it impacts our proclivity and aptitude to different exercise styles. “Your body is basically going through a hormonal fluctuation on a monthly basis,” Cabeca says. “Based on the hormone levels in your body, you have more or less aptitude toward a certain type of workout at different times of the month.”
Furthermore, Vitti points out that most exercise plans don’t work for women because the research behind the strategies is often conducted on men, and women’s bodies work differently and have unique biochemical needs. “That leaves women to try different exercise plans, be disappointed, and then try some more,” she says. This cycle, the expert explains, causes women “untold stress and heartache” and can negatively impact our energy levels. Thus, working out according to your menstrual cycle, she adds, helps address those unique needs and, in turn, helps maximize your efforts and optimize your results.
As we move through the four phases of our menstrual cycle, our bodies and brains change, and therefore our needs, including the types of exercise we do, should also be different during each phase.
If you deal with PMS, Vitti says working out according to your cycle can also be beneficial. For one, it keeps cortisol levels and blood sugar stable, which helps protect your cycle hormones, specifically progesterone production, the “production of which is easily dysregulated” by, among other things, trying to do the same diet and workout every day and ignoring your cycle phase changes.
How to Work Out Based on Your Cycle
Below, Cabeca and Vitti dive into the changes your body experiences during each menstrual cycle phase, the effects of the menstrual cycle on exercise performance, and the best workouts to do. As a rule of thumb, they recommend doing higher-intensity workouts during the follicular and ovulation phases, which is when you’ll have the most energy, and saving gentler movements like yoga for the luteal and menstruation phases.
Note: Days are approximate, as they vary from person to person depending on the length of their cycle as well as other factors.
Menstruation (Days 1–7)
The menstruation phase, which begins the menstrual cycle, encompasses the three to seven days of your period. During this time, Vitti explains, your hormone levels are at their lowest, so your energy is lower — which is why she advises focusing on restorative workouts.
“Keep your workouts relaxed, even if you’re not feeling discomfort,” she says. “It’s a time to take things slowly and prioritize rest. Walking or yoga is perfect during this phase.” Gentle movement is particularly helpful for those who experience menstrual cramps. Vitti explains that walking increases beta endorphins, which is the body’s natural pain reliever. Hip-opening yoga poses like Cat-Cow can also help manage pain as they stretch the fascia that holds the contracting uterus in place, offering relief.
Follicular Phase (Days 8–14)
Next comes the follicular phase, which, Vitti describes, is when the uterus begins to thicken and the ovaries prepare to release an egg during ovulation. This phase spans 7 to 10 days after the end of your period. During the follicular phase, Vitti notes, your metabolism is slower and your resting cortisol levels are lower, so she recommends high-intensity workouts such as running or other cardio exercises to help counterbalance the slower metabolism.
Cabeca seconds this advice: “Because of the increase of estrogen level, you feel more energetic; therefore the follicular phase may be ideal to tackle high-intensity training, use heavier weight, and engage in intense cardio exercise like running, dancing, or boxing.”
Ovulation Phase (Around Day 14)
After the follicular phase comes ovulation, the shortest menstrual-cycle phase, spanning three to four days in the middle of your cycle, Vitti says. The specific days will vary from person to person, which is why tracking your cycle can be helpful. Vitti explains this is when the egg is released and testosterone levels go up, resulting in higher energy levels. Her advice? “Go all-out with your workouts. This is a great time for high-intensity interval training and bodyweight circuits.”
Cabeca adds that strength-training workouts such as yoga and Pilates are also excellent choices during this phase because they stimulate endurance and muscle building.
Luteal Phase (Days 14–28)
Last comes the luteal phase, which lasts 10 to 14 days after ovulation before your next period. During this phase of your cycle, hormone levels are lower as your body prepares for menstruation again, Cabeca says. Vitti adds that during the luteal phase, women may fatigue faster and need more time to recover. For these reasons, Vitti recommends focusing on strength training such as heavy weight training or Pilates on a reformer or with ankle weights.
Remember, Every Cycle Is Unique
All that said, Cabeca reminds us that everyone’s natural rhythms and abilities are different, and listening to your body is vital. So if your body needs to rest, please do so.
Use these workout recommendations as a guide, not hard and fast rules. “It is important to know how you respond to the hormonal fluctuations in your body on a monthly basis,” Cabeca says.
To do so, Vitti says tracking your cycle (either via an app or with good old pen and paper) and evaluating your cycle symptoms is essential. You can adjust your exercise routine from there to best suit your needs.
