Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hello, my loves,
welcome to this week's episode.
I hope you are all having abeautiful day, wherever you are
tuning in from.
Today I wanted to go into thenext portion of the cycle
syncing episode, which Ireleased the first one a few
(00:26):
weeks ago.
So if you haven't tuned intothat episode, I highly suggest
you do before you tune into thisone.
But this week I wanted to movemore into the different nuances
of cycle syncing and how we canactually put that into use in
(00:46):
our life in very practical ways.
So the first episode reallylaid a foundation for us to be
able to better understand what'sgoing on with our body more at
a physiological level and to seewhy these ebbs and flow that we
feel come about through ourhormones, all the key hormones
(01:09):
that play a role in that.
So I really do suggest youlisten to that one, but if not,
listen to it after this episodetoo.
But I do also want to startwith saying and I know I said it
in the last episode too is thatnot everything is meant for
everyone.
So I know that cycle syncinghas been one of the things that
(01:31):
more and more people in thewellness space have been talking
about.
It kind of sounds more like atrend and stuff like that.
You know, a lot of wellnesstrends sometimes can get a
little bit of a bad rap becauseit's like they gain traction for
some time and then they kind ofdie or they're proved wrong or
all of these other things.
(01:52):
And I'm sharing this because itreally has helped me and I
think that, whether you chooseto use this information to
actually try cycle syncing ornot, I think, knowing the
physiological aspect of it, youknow, and how our body does
(02:13):
change, is valuable informationfor any woman, regardless of
whether you choose to cycle syncor not.
And I say this a lot with a lotof things, because I really do
believe that we are all, like inthe more physical sense,
bio-individual, which means thatwhat's good for one person is
(02:36):
not necessarily good for another.
So and that applies withanything, because we are not all
the same Our genetic makeup,our bodies, you know, how we
came into this world, theenvironment that we grew up, but
just our souls, you know we arejust so, not all the same.
So this could be something thata lot of people are having
(02:57):
conversations about.
If this is something thatdoesn't vibe with you or you
feel like this is overwhelmingor it's not something that you
really want to apply into.
Is overwhelming or it's notsomething that you really want
to apply into your life, that'sokay.
You're going to know that Ifsomething in this episode piques
your interest, that's going tobe your sign that maybe this is
something that you shouldexplore more.
So, again, so much of what Italk about in these episodes are
(03:21):
stuff that I either do or havelearned about or different
things like that, and this issomething that I do do and I
have been practicing myself forprobably going on four years now
.
It started very lightly I kindof experimented with it a little
bit because it did seem veryoverwhelming to me at first to
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cycle sync, which is essentiallyto change the way that we eat,
move, connect and do work basedoff of our cycle and how the
hormones in each phase of ourcycle influence those things.
So, therefore, what we need ineach phase of our cycle, which
(04:07):
there's four phases in our cycleis going to change.
So we're going to touch on howwe can do that, if you want to
do that.
So how can we flow with eachphase?
And we're going to look at,like I mentioned, how we eat,
how we move, how we focus duringeach phase, mentally and
(04:30):
emotionally.
Again, this is based off of ourhormones, where we are at
during these key parts of ourcycle and our desire and our
need for connection.
So the first phase that we aregoing to explore is the
follicular phase, which is rightafter our menstrual cycle ends,
(04:53):
and our cycle can also be tiedand correlates greatly with the
seasons.
So spring, summer, fall, winter, and you can see these
correlations, very similarthemes, really the same themes
as the seasons happening withinus.
(05:16):
So, with the follicular phase,this is our inner spring, and
the food that we're going towant to focus on eating here, or
that we're probably justnaturally drawn to without
knowing, is going to be lighterfoods, vibrant, fresh, you know,
think, salads, lean proteins,veggies, beans, grains, and
(05:41):
these foods will make us feelmore energized Probiotic rich
foods, things like oats, yogurt,avocados, zucchini, eggs,
chicken.
I'm going to link in the shownotes a chart that can show you
(06:01):
a list of foods that arebeneficial for you to eat during
each phase, if you want to trysyncing your food, if that's
kind of the area that you wantto explore or if you're just
interested in looking.
So I am going to link thatbelow.
But the purpose of the food,along with keeping our energy
(06:23):
stable, which I'll touch on moreas we continue with this
episode is that, if it's doneintentionally, it can actually
help us detox certain hormonesmore efficiently, which, during
certain aspects of our cycle,are actually very necessary,
because, if not very necessary,because if not, we can have an
(06:49):
excess of estrogen orprogesterone that can sometimes
create acne or different sideeffects, you know, bloating or
lack of sleep.
So it's all tied.
When we have too much of ahormone, that's not necessarily
the best for our body either.
So certain foods can help usdetox those hormones.
The other thing, of course,with having just a healthy,
(07:14):
wholesome diet anyways, is thefact that they provide key
vitamins and minerals that arenecessary for each phase,
because what's going on at acellular level, if you look, is
so intricate and what your bodyneeds in order to continue
moving through these phases isso intricate.
(07:35):
So it's really cool if we thinkabout it.
So the kind of movement I don'treally like saying exercise, I
like saying movement, but if youwant to say exercise, that
would be really good for us hereis to do something that is a
little different than what wenormally would.
So if you normally lift weightsor, you know, do certain
(07:58):
workout classes, maybe tryingsomething new, our energy levels
are rising here.
They're still pretty low, butthey slowly start to rise, so it
can be hit dancing, hiking,running, some kind of cardio.
But we want to make sure thatwe're using up some of this
(08:19):
energy that we have and ourfocus when it comes to our mind,
and we're setting all of theselittle seeds, because they're
all going to tie into each otheras we continue on.
But we have, of course, ourinner season, which we talked
about is our inner spring, andour focus for our mind during
this period of time, duringthese days of our cycle, is to
(08:43):
prepare.
So this is a time for newbeginnings and fresh starts.
It's going to be a wonderfultime for you to start a new
creative project if maybe youweren't energized during another
part of your cycle or to setintentions for what you want to
accomplish for the week, for thecoming, you know, month, or
(09:06):
just do anything that allows youto really make use of your
creativity, which is higherright now.
And when it comes to connection, it's a great time for you to
say yes to new experiences.
So, whether that's with otherpeople, but really evaluating
what feels good and pleasurable,what do you want to do more of,
(09:30):
and allowing yourself to dothat during this time?
And after a few days of ourfollicular phase, we move on to
our ovulation phase and this isour.
So the foods that we're going tobe more drawn to eating here
are going to be lighter grains,a lot of fruit and vegetables
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for our body to be able tometabolize the higher levels of
estrogen during this time.
Fiber-rich foods.
Your body doesn't naturallyneed as many calories during the
first half of this phase.
Need as many calories duringthe first half of this phase, so
some foods can be corn, quinoa,strawberries, pumpkin seeds,
(10:23):
salmon, things like that.
And your movement is going tohelp you really burn off your
energy at this time, becauseyour energy is at its highest
right now.
So things that feel good to youfor you to be able to do that
effectively.
But some examples are poweryoga classes, boot camp classes
if that's your fancy.
Strength training is also stillreally good or, again, hiit
(10:46):
classes, just whatever feelsgood.
But during these days, which theovulation phase is one of the
shortest phase of your cycle,along with your menstrual phase.
You're going to feel that addedenergy, that added sense of
vitality.
So really tuning into what'llfeel good for you and your focus
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, your mental focus, during thistime is going to be to open up.
So you're going to feel verysocial and communicative.
So putting yourself out thereis going to be the best thing.
This is your most social phase,so this is a great time for you
to schedule meetings, presentideas, to speak, socialize, to
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collaborate with other people,to do all the things that maybe
you need to do that require yourmost extroverted self, your
most shiny, you know, magneticself.
This is where we're going tofeel that energy more.
So just engage with the peoplethat you want to be with, be
magnetic, go out with friendsmore.
(11:51):
If that feels good to you, youknow, schedule a date night with
your partner or something likethat.
The next phase that we'relooking at is your luteal phase
and it's your inner fall andyour body naturally needs more
food during this time.
So if you notice yourself beinghungrier than you were a week
(12:14):
ago, that's normal.
You should honor that and it'stelling you for a reason it's
getting ready to go into themenstrual phase.
So in order for it to do that,it needs to feel safe.
So if you do feel more hungry,that's okay.
And during this phase as well,it's super important that we
(12:36):
look as much as possible atbalancing meals.
So every meal that we shouldhave should have some kind of
protein, fat, fiber and carbs.
But it's for us to be able tostabilize our blood sugar as
much as possible, because duringthis phase, this is a time
(12:56):
where our blood sugar can alsobe more sensitive and it can
also just help us managecravings more, which is usually
when we have the cravings duringour cycle.
It's the days leading up to ourperiod, right, or during our
period.
So things like slow-burningcarbs and high-fiber foods are
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going to help us feel nourished,full and satisfied.
So things like brown rice,sweet potato, cauliflower,
chickpeas, brown rice, sweetpotato, cauliflower, chickpeas,
beef, turkey all of that goodstuff is going to be really
nourishing right now, and ourmovement here is going to change
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a little bit.
So during the first half of ourcycle we're going to still feel
a little bit more energized,and then that will slowly start
to go down.
Our energy will start to godown, and that's okay.
So just honor that you canstart the first few days with
strength training, more intenseyoga, power Pilates, and then
(14:01):
move to lighter movements ifthat feels good to you, such, as
you know, walking, more matstyle Pilates or yin yoga.
So you're going to notice thatshift and just allow your body
to really see what it wants todo.
You know, you could just simplyask your body the question of
what really feels good for me todo in this moment and if you
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tune in and you notice whereyour energy is, you'll notice
where you want to go, and ourmental focus during this time is
devotion.
So these are the days leading upto our menstrual cycle.
So this is a great time for usto complete things, to nurture
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things that need to get done, totend to little things that we
need to do.
It's all about finishingprojects and tying up any loose
ends.
So just going through yourto-do lists and checking off
things that you might want toget done before you know that
you're going to be more lowenergy when your menstrual cycle
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comes.
So just carve out time to getthe projects that you want to do
done.
It's a little more of a doingphase and with connection, you
might feel more social duringthe first half of this phase
because you still have moreenergy and again, as your
hormones dip slowly, during thesecond half of your phase you
(15:31):
might not feel as energized.
So honor yourself and yourneeds.
You know, if you don't feellike doing as much socializing
or staying at home more, that'stotally okay.
You should definitely set someboundaries where you need them.
And our final phase is ourmenstrual phase.
It's our inner winter and thefoods that we want to focus on
(15:56):
here are high protein and highfat and it's to keep our energy
and mood stable.
And we really want to also tryto do as much warm food as
possible, foods to help nourishthe blood and keep the blood
sugar stable, since during thisparticular phase our blood sugar
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is going to be more sensitive.
So warm foods are going toreally nourish the body.
Things that we could look ateating are going to be wild rice
, kale, beets, blueberry, kidneybeans, low sugar kind of fruits
and things like that low sugarkind of fruits and things like
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that and your movement will bevery much tailored to how your
energy feels, which right nowyou're going to feel at your
lowest during the first coupleof days of your cycle and you
don't need to do anything if youreally don't feel like doing
anything.
I think a lot of women pushthemselves more when it comes to
this cycle and our luteal phase.
(17:07):
I think it's natural because wefeel like we constantly need to
do things the way that we'vealways done things, or we have
certain expectations ofourselves, of you know, I'm
gonna move my body five times aweek and it's going to look like
this and all of these things.
But if you really don't feellike doing it and it doesn't
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feel nourishing to you, if youfeel like you're going to do a
workout and it's going to makeyou more tired, you shouldn't be
doing the workout.
So your body is going to tellyou if you want to just rest
during this entire time, that'sokay.
Take a nap.
Literally, you can do somelight movement if you feel
(17:49):
energized to do that Things likewalking, yin yoga or Pilates
but you don't have to push itand it's actually more
detrimental to your hormones ifyou do push it, because during
this phase your body is lesstolerant to stress.
So things like a super hardworkout could add stress to your
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body and elevate your cortisol,which we don't want.
So and it's the same during theluteal phase, but it gets more
emphasized during this phase.
And it's the same during theluteal phase, but it gets more
emphasized during this phase,which is why we naturally again,
if we want to work with ourcycle, we slowly start taking a
step back from the intensity ofour workout in the luteal phase
and then in the menstrual phase.
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It's really low impact thingsthat we want to work on, because
even though we're working out,depending on how we're working
out and where our body is, thatcan actually do more harm than
good to our body.
It's not that you can't doanything.
That's so not what I'm saying.
It's saying that we want to tryto focus on doing the right
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things, the right things thatare not going to add more stress
to our body, and our mentalfocus during this time is going
to be just that.
It's going to be to rest.
It's going to be a perfect timefor you to reflect on the last
month, on what you want to dogoing forward.
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It's a good time to go inward,to do research on anything that
maybe you've been wanting to doresearch on.
Again, that's not somethingthat is too mentally demanding,
so it's a great time to justkind of lay on the couch with
your laptop and do that, or siton your desk and do that and
just let your intuition guideyou.
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Again, for some women thatperhaps struggle with rest, this
could be a time to just letyourself rest and not have super
high expectations of yourself.
If you need to do certainthings, maybe just setting one
thing on your to-do list andletting it be light, you know.
But if you feel tired and youfeel like you can rest, to allow
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yourself to rest, and if you'venever cycle synced before, I
really suggest that you startwith something small because,
like I mentioned, this can besuper overwhelming at first.
It's like, okay, there's thefood, there's the movement,
there's, you know, theconnection.
There's all of these differentways that we can apply it, but I
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highly suggest that you justchoose one thing that you really
feel called to experiment with,if that is your food, or if
that's your movements, or howyou plan out your month
according to each phase of yourcycle, see what feels good to
you and I know I mentioned thisin the first episode as well,
but one of the keys to beingable to do this is being able to
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track your cycle, so makingsure that you have something
that helps you see where you arein your cycle if you're using
an app or using a calendar orsomething like that and just
experiment, see what feels goodto you.
This is not about perfection.
This is us just having moreinformation to honor who we are
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as women, and I don't want thisto be just another thing that
you have to do.
Again, I feel like with a lotof the wellness-y things, it
feels like just that.
It's like, oh, I have toremember to this and to this and
to do the sauna and to move mybody and to eat healthy and to
tongue scrape.
It's like we have a laundrylist of things that we need to
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do and just experiment with it,and it feels like something that
you want to do.
Allow yourself to do it.
But for me, the biggest thingis that I think it allows us, as
women, to be more empowered inour bodies.
We are cyclical beings and it'slearning for us to honor and
(21:55):
work with each of these phasesthat we're in, working with the
energy versus against it,because that enhances our
overall well-being, ourhappiness, our joy, our sense of
peace.
It really ties into everyaspect of our life, if you want
to dive into this more.
If you heard this episode andyou're like okay, I really want
(22:17):
to know how to do all the thingsand to understand this at a
deeper level, I would highlysuggest Elisa Vitti's book In
the Flow.
I'm going to link it down belowas well.
If you've never heard of it ornever read it, she's a gem.
She's actually the person thatcreated this method, and her
(22:38):
book, of course, goes a lot morein depth to this and there's a
lot of great things that you canreference to in that.
But our body is always speakingto us.
This is just a way to deepenour relationship with ourselves
and to soften into our flow.
I hope this episode invited youto do that.
I look forward to talking toyou all next time.