I'VE TRIED CYCLE SYNCING MY WORKOUTS, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED

FIRST off: Men have hormone cycles too.?In contrast to the female cycle which lasts between 25-28 days, the predominant cycle for men is a 24hrs one. Testosterone peaks in the morning and if you want to balance your workouts it is suggested you do the heavy lifting and HIT training then and something more restorative (i.e yoga, stretches..) in the afternoon.?

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Here is why I've started to consider working out according to my hormonal cycle: A while ago I jumped out of bed after sleeping less than what I would normally consider a satisfying amount of time and still felt energized. I felt like lifting weights.?

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Curious about my craving I determined the phase of my cycle I was in, and it all made sense.

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I decided to workout according to my cycle for a month, to balance hormones and optimize training:?Cycle Syncing.?Alisa Vitti?is a great source of information on this and luckily for us ladies popularized the topic. Our, sometimes annoying, hormonal cycles are the reason why we have the potential to carry a child and I like the idea of optimizing them to our benefit ??

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I went to the gym in my FOLLICULAR phase did cardio and tried out a HIT class I haven't done in forever. In this phase, right after your period estrogen builds and your energies are high. It's the perfect time to try a new workout (if you are shy about starting a class you've never done before, like I am:)), and anything with higher intensity.

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My motivation and activity stayed through my OVULATION PHASE and then things got a little tricky. It's recommended you maintain medium intensity workouts during the LUTEAL phase (light cardio, power yoga, pilates.. ) and then slow down and rest, stretch and do more restorative yoga in your MENSTRUAL phase.

Well in my luteal phase (progesterone builds in your body), aka the time before your period I had zero desire to work out. I felt my body temperature rising as it does and my energy and mood drop. I pushed myself and did yoga at home as well as longer walks and it did make me feel better. Overall I honored my body though and was less active and earlier in bed.?

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The biggest surprise to me came during my menstrual phase. I did a group pilates class with my sister and my mood just?lifted.?Yoga and Pilates were the perfect workouts for me at that time. I personally didn't feel like resting, more like low impact movement.?

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All in all I think that?cycle syncing?was very beneficial and I will continue to experiment and adjust my workouts to build muscle and stretch efficiently. I also believe in bio individuality. If you feel like moving, move. It always brightens my day. If you feel you need rest, honor your body.

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Now if we could only come up with a way to sync hair wash days according to workouts as well ??

Love,

Kathrin

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