Let’s discuss how to support yourself during both Follicular and Luteal phase
The benefits of supporting yourself in each phase:
- Take advantage of each phase
- Better understanding of yourself
- Customize your lifestyle during each phase
Your Follicular Phase: is the first day of menstruation and ends when an egg is released to signal ovulation. These are days 1 (first day of menstruation) through day 14. Think of yourself as having a fully charged battery.
You may experience:
- More energy
- Better athletic performance
- Lower appetite
- Generally, more extroverted, and ready to tackle challenging projects (especially as you approach ovulation)
Support your increase in estrogen by:
- Adding more cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, cauliflower)
- High-quality proteins
- If your hormones are balanced and you are not in a stressful season, time to load up on those HIIT classes or endurance training sessions
- Add in 1 tbsp. of flax and pumpkin seeds daily (we love seed cycling!)
Your Luteal Phase: is day 14-28 (28 days is an average length). This begins after ovulation. Think of the luteal phase as a time to recharge your batteries.
You may experience:
- Lower energy
- Les犀利士s confident
- Increased sensitivity and lower mood
- Slower gut movement (more constipation and bloating). We especially like to track this with our 犀利士
1:1 clients. - Less extroverted
- Increased appetite
- More cravings (yes that chocolate craving is real, girl)
- Damning your foll犀利士icular self for packing your calendar
Support your estrogen metabolism and rise in progesterone by:
- Adding more cruciferous vegetables (it’s a theme)
- Balancing your blood sugars with fibrous carbs, healthy fats, and high-quality proteins
- Increased gentle/restorative exercise (less HIIT)
- Add in tbsp. of sunflower and sesame seeds daily
- Make sure you are having regular poops to secrete excess estrogen (more on this later)
Want to enhance your experience?
- Start tracking your cycle
- Start taking your basal body temperature
- Find your Goldilocks amount of exercise. Too little or too much can exacerbate hormonal symptoms
- High quality sleep is underrated
- Stock up on greens and fiber. Pooping helps remove excess estrogen (it’s one of the ways we detox estrogen)
- Stress management – we can’t stress this enough. There are many options find what works for YOU
Things to consider:
- A normal cycle is roughly 28 days but some can be longer or shorter
- Painful PMS and/or heavy cycles are not normal – At PPW are very vocal about this
- Try reducing (or eliminatin犀利士g) alcohol and caffeine 1 week prior to your period
- You can have a period without ovulation
- Your gut health and hormone health go hand in hand
- Tracking your basal body temperature is another way to monitor your phases
- Your menstrual cycle is a vital sign
We know many of you struggle with conditions such as PCOS, irregular periods, or endometriosis. These recommendations can still help and give your body a gentle nudge in the right direction.
Wishing you Health + Happy Hormones
Noticed something is off? Reach out to us at: info@perfectlyportionedwellness.com
