Training & Your Period

I am no expert in this. But I am a woman and I do have a period so it’s something I have been really interested in over the last few years. I’ve researched studies, listened to numerous podcasts and paid attention to my own and my clients cycle.

One thing I know for sure, is that it can be different for every woman so just because there is a study on it doesn’t mean it will be the same for you. You have to listen to your own body.

Here’s what I found:

There is 2 main phases in the menstrual cycle.

1) The Follicular phase. This is day 1 of your menstrual cycle (first day of bleeding) to about day 14. After the first few days of bleeding you should start to feel more energized. This is what I like the call the Superwoman phase!
You’ll experience less bloating, feel leaner, feel in a better mood, be able to hit PRs (personal records) more easily in your training sessions, feel stronger and feel like you can take on the world!
This may also be a good time for you to diet because you will have less cravings. But remember, when I say ‘diet’ I don’t mean starve yourself or decrease your calories down to 1,200. I mean decrease your current calorie intake by 200-300 cals progressively max.

2) The Luteal Phase. This is around day 14-28. This is when your body is starting to get ready for your period again. Already? I know! Ladies, this phase is not our friend. This is when we start to feel a bit more tired, our body temperature rises so we may be sweaty in bed a night, our sleep can be fucked up, our balance can be off, we may not perform as well in our lifting sessions. We can feel more bloated and cloudy. We may be retaining more fluids. Things are just a little more difficult!

This may be a good time to take extra rest days, take a de-load week, or if you go running, change it to walking. Maybe you decrease the load (weight) you are lifting and increase the volume (more reps) during your lifting sessions. Exercise is good for helping ease period symptoms so still keep training.

You may feel more hungry during this time, so in order to prevent binges or cravings you can increase your daily calorie intake by 200-300 calories. An example of this amount of calories could be: 2 eggs and a slice of toast, greek yogurt and a banana, oatmeal and some fruit, a chicken burger patty wrapped in lettuce.

Listen, during this time you need to be extra kind to yourself. It’s okay to take extra rest, it’s okay to have an emotional melt down. But keep on going. Don’t give up, the luteal phase is just around the corner. Superwoman is coming!

Another thing is, when you are tracking your fitness progress. Don’t go comparing your week 1 of luteal phase to week 1 of follicular phase. This is simple not accurate or fair. Especially on the scales! Like I said earlier, you can be retraining water during this time and weigh more on the scales. When we feel low energy we will look at ourselves different in the mirror so give yourself a fair chance. Only compare week 1 of Superwoman Phase to Week 1 of Superwoman phase (the following month), or week 2 to week 2. These are important things to keep in mind so you are not getting yourself down.

I hope this was helpful for you, remember, you are a superwoman and be kind to yourself!

Sarah