Despite all the wellness we have access to, women are more sick, more stressed and more overwhelmed than ever.
In fact, according to studies done by Pew Research, Forbes, and Healthy Women, did you know
• Over 47% of women struggle with hormones?
• 60% of women are sexually unsatisfied?
• 53.7% of us are unhappy at work?
• Over 90% of mothers say they feel “guilty” because they’re exhausted all the time?
• 40% of women feel rushed in their day to day life?
This is all because all the diet and fitness trends are based on research that is done on men.
We all have a circadian rhythm that regulates our daily bodily processes, including digestion, body temperature, metabolism, sleep, elimination, and the production of certain hormones. This hormonal clock is also known as circadian rhythm – 24 hour clock. However, women are unaware about their body’s second biological clock – the infradian rhythm – 28 days. This second clock starts at puberty and continues until you reach menopause at about age fifty. This rhythm is tied to your monthly menstrual cycle, which includes four distinct phases –
| Follicular Phase | 7-10 Days |
| Ovulation Phase | 3-4 Days |
| Luteal Phase | 10-14 Days |
| Menstrual Phase | 3-7 Days |
Each phase requires different nutrition, exercise routine, work and emotional wellbeing. Hormones influence your brain chemistry and physiology, providing you with unique gifts and strengths at different times of the month.
When you consciously make an effort to shift out of the 24-hour male hormonal lifestyle into a 28-day female hormonal lifestyle it will be unlocking your true potential. This is quite a thing to do, because you’ve been conditioned your whole life to try to squeeze all of your needs into one day and operate as a man.
Neglecting circadian and infradian clocks can make you pay a heavy price for your hormonal, physical, and mental well – being. Also when you try to fit into a 24 hour pattern by ignoring your own hormonal needs you develop severe conditions like:
- Five million women suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- 10% of women experience period pain so intense they can’t perform everyday routines.
- 12% of women of reproductive age have difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term.
- Nine to fourteen out of hundred women have heavy periods.
- Women are five to eight times more likely to have thyroid problems.
I want to help you take those first steps to reorient yourself around your actual biology. You will put an end to dieting. Get more fit and work out less, make motherhood more sustainable, do more with less stress at work, and get more of your needs met in your relationships. This all looks like a perfect picture which is unattainable however, it is achievable.
It’s time to acknowledge, treat,train, and fuel women
As the different physiological beings we are.
Stacy T Sims, PHD
It might look like a lot of work at once but we have to start with very simple and basic healthy habits. For example – We have been told that we should workout everyday just like men. If you’re like most of the women I meet, you try to exercise regularly, and you have been trying several trendy, intense exercise classes that are available now and still don’t get the results you’re hoping for. Let me tell you that you don’t have to workout everyday with the same intensity. Every phase of your cycle deserves a different workout routine.
Let me share a sample chart that offers suggestions for weekly workouts, but it can be tailored to your individual fitness level, fitness goals, phase timing and hormonal reality. And remember, the phases flow gradually from one to the next, so there may be some overlap. Each phase is not exactly one week long, but this can help you navigate your energy and move through your cycle smoothly. The best advice is to listen to your body and go with what makes you feel good.
| Follicular | Ovulatory | Luteal | Menstrual | |
| Monday | Cardio dance | Strength and Conditioning | HIIT | Rest |
| Wednesday | Hiking | HIIT | Pilates | Rest |
| Thursday | Dance Class | Indoor cycling | Weight lifting | Yin Yoga |
| Friday | Indoor cycling | Kickboxing | Barre Class | Walking |
| Saturday | Hiking | Power Yoga | Yoga | Mat Pilates |
| Sunday | Rest | Rest | Rest | Rest |