ACE certified Personal Trainer & Fitness Nutrition Specialist, Certified Health Coach & Occupational Therapist Subscribe to Brittni's newsletter to discover up-to-date nutritional advice, fitness and wellness information and lifestyle tips.
How your cycle impacts how you feel and you exercise performance
For many clients, they get discouraged with a higher weight, cravings, changes in energy levels, and moods. It is good to understand our cycle and how it can be impacted by hormonal fluctuations. You can also support it with some simple changes in nutrition.
Read below my tips if you are a woman struggling with their cycle every month while trying to reach your fitness goals!
Phase 1: Menses (~Days 1-4+)
What the scale may reflect: A higher weight days 1-4.
How you may feel:
Depressed, anxious, fatigued, more cravings
Why?
Due to lower estrogen/decline in dopamine and serotonin
Nutrition tips:
If you are a client of mine, we can cycle higher on calories this week.
You may also want to increase iron consumption (meat, fish, and leafy greens)
Phase 2: Follicular Phase (~Days 5-14)
What the scale may reflect: A lower weight days 5-14.
How you may feel:
Better managed hunger. Improved mood and recovery. Increased energy.
Why?
Higher estrogen and progesterone.
Nutrition tips:
Support healthy estrogen detoxification with cruciferous veggies. Also consider flaxseeds and pumpkin seeds (Day 1 of cycle through 13).
Phase 3: Luteal phase (~Days 15-28)
What the scale may reflect: A higher weight days 14-20 then 26+.
How you may feel:
Increased hunger, change in mood and cravings at the end of this phase.
Why?
High progesterone can cause increased hunger then falling of estrogen can increase cravings at the end of this phase before menses.
Nutrition tips:
Consider more magnesium during this phase. Also primrose oil. Consider adding sesame seeds and/or sunflower seeds.
Workout tips:
Workouts can remain the same. For training volume: Continue to push until the week prior to your Menses Phase (Maybe days 21-27) OR for some it's actually harder during the Menses Phase - so pulling back a set off your workouts can be helpful with the fatigue. Walking and yoga do help with cramps and managing the aches and pains.
I hope this helps you understand your cycle more and how much it can impact your weight, mood and energy!
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Team BShaeFit
by Brittni Shae
ACE certified Personal Trainer & Fitness Nutrition Specialist, Certified Health Coach & Occupational Therapist Subscribe to Brittni's newsletter to discover up-to-date nutritional advice, fitness and wellness information and lifestyle tips.
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