Cycle Syncing 101: Workout Smarter, Not Harder

I posted about cycle syncing on IG the other day after I saw the new Nike Women Campaign. I could not contain my excitement when I saw that they are partnering with Dr. Stacy Sims to feature a cycle syncing aspect of their Nike Training Club app. I am a long time fan of Nike, their brand, and the Nike Training Club App. I was a Nike Training Club ambassador in college and helped bring people together to workout all over the city of Chicago. It was a wonderful experience working with an incredible group of women and amazing, inclusive brand. I am so excited to see that they are expanding to provide more awareness about reproductive health, and how we can harness the power of our menstrual cycle to maximize our physical training.

Cycle syncing is well-known among women’s health gurus. I first learned about it when I read Woman Code by Alisa Vitti. Cycle syncing is all about harnessing the innate power of your menstrual cycles and your fluctuating hormone levels. Women have 5 significant fertility hormones: estrogen, progesterone, FSH, LH and testosterone. The levels of each of these hormones change DAILY throughout a monthly 28-35 day cycle. We are not the same person every single day when we wake up. Men pretty much are because they only have one major hormone, testosterone, that stimulates their daily function and testosterone follows a 24-hour cycle. Testosterone peaks in the morning and declines throughout the day, so they wake up with the most energy they’ll have throughout the entire day. This is why it seems like they can wake up earlier, drink caffeine and crush a morning workout and maybe 10 other things all before 8am - they’re thriving off of all the energy! Women - well we’re just not designed the same way. Our body isn’t meant to do the same workout or eat the same foods every day. We were made to thrive on variety.

So - cycle syncing. Why should you care? Well, isn’t it the worst feeling going into your workout already dreading it because you know that something just feels “off.” Maybe you don’t have the energy or motivation, maybe you don’t feel well and you do it anyways, or maybe you’re just not excited about going to your favorite yoga class because you really want to go for a run. Doing a really intense workout during the time of the month when your body is naturally producing more cortisol can actually backfire and make you feel worse, more tired, more groggy, and more stressed. Workouts are supposed to make you feel good and make your body feel light and energized, not bogged down. What if you could be excited for every workout? What if you could leave each class or training session feeling like you absolutely crushed it instead of feeling tired and exhausted? Well - it’s possible.

Here’s how you can start cycle syncing. To do this, you’ll need to know which phase of your cycle that you’re in by tracking your cycle.

Follicular Phase - This is the beginning of the cycle that starts when you finish menstruating. You’ll be feeling great during this time. Your energy levels are higher and your hormone levels are relatively low in the beginning of this phase. Your body will be craving more aerobic exercise and movement like running and cycling as it amps up for the power days of ovulation.

Ovulatory Phase - This is the middle of your cycle and the time when estrogen peaks. You’re feeling and looking your best, full of energy and ready to take charge of the day. You have all the energy to burn with intense cardio, aerobic training, or a HIIT workout.

Luteal Phase - This is the time when progesterone starts to rise. This is the best phase for an intense strength training workout where you can definitely push your body and feel great afterwards. Technically, strength training is appropriate during any phase, but you might find that it feels especially good during your luteal phase. If you experience hormonal imbalance and PMS, then this phase is probably not your best friend (even though it COULD be - PMS is not required but that’s a post for another day). Progesterone is the “chill hormone,” but if your estrogen and progesterone aren’t balanced you’ll be feeling anything but chill. Lean into that - and if it feels like your body needs rest or something lighter, then follow that vibe.

Menstrual Phase - This is the time when your uterus is shedding its lining and your period is flowin’. If your body is craving rest, then rest. This is the time to relish in all the hard work you did for the past couple of weeks. Use this time to focus on deep stretching and lighter exercise like Yin yoga, Pilates, walking, or napping!

**If you are pregnant or postpartum, you do not want to cycle sync because the needs of your body are different. Think of pregnancy as somewhat luteal phase and the first three months postpartum as an extended menstrual phase. You want your workouts to match those phases.

You can apply cycle syncing to your workouts, diet, relationships and even work. Here we just focused on how to apply it to your workouts, but it is amazing to see what happens when you start applying it to other areas of your life and see your nutrition, relationships and productivity at work thrive!

Let me end by saying that the menstrual cycle is a very fine dance between many hormones - hormones that play a role in every single one of your body functions. There is a lot more to know about the menstrual cycle and what I say here is just scratching the surface and providing general information about how you can apply it to your workouts. If you really want to take a deep dive into your hormonal cycle and understand it better then buckle up and keep tuning in here because I will be going even more in depth on cycle syncing, hormones and pelvic floor health.

- Mar