Go With Your Flow

Adjust your habits around the phases of your menstrual cycle to mellow hormonal waves and discover hidden energy sources.

- Kristin Canning

Until recently, I'd been on some form of birth control since I was 13 (I'm 32 now). Now that I've stopped popping a little pill every day, I'm learning that while I may have skipped some of the not-so-fun aspects of a regular cycle (cramps and bloating, anyone?), I also didn't get to experience the powerful parts, like bursts of energy and strength.

I also never learned how to support my body through its various shifts. With periods making a consistent appearance again, I want to do all I can to have as pleasant an experience as possible. Enter: cycle syncing, a buzzy concept that has nothing to do with getting your period at the same time as a friend.

Cycle syncing is the idea of matching how you eat, work, exercise, and recover to the stages of your menstrual cycle. You may have heard about tailoring your fitness routine to each phase this is the same idea, but expanded into other facets of life.

This general practice has been around for a while, but the term itself is newer. Female athletes, coaches, and researchers have realized that athletic performance changes with hormonal shifts throughout the month, and training can be tweaked accordingly. So, the weeks when a woman has higher stamina may include harder workouts, and times marked by less energy are more recovery-focused. Optimizing your routine outside the gym achieves a similar goal, and it can ease discomfort leading up to and during menstruation, like low mood, cramps, diarrhea, bloating, and acne. The result? A happier, more stable you.

Anyone who has a cycle can benefit, but it's especially useful for those with bad symptoms or who have fibroids, endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, or pelvic pain, says Jessica Ritch, MD, a minimally invasive gynecologist and medical advisor for Elix herbal supplements.