In season 1 of the podcast, we are kicking off with a series about simple swaps for your regular routine that makes a big impact on your health.!
I could not leave out movement because OUR BODY IS LITERALLY MADE TO MOVE!
Movement is super foundational for health and overall well-being but I know it’s a hot topic to decide what exercise is the best.
I want you to think of movement in a very realistic and doable way that’s going to help support our health long term. Because a lot of times exercise is seen as just something we do for a workout program for a certain amount of weeks or months. I really want to think about how we can make working out work for us as they can sometimes work against us.
Exercise affects our body via circulation support, it supports our detoxification system, can release good endorphins, and builds muscle.
Although it has a lot of benefits, exercise is a STRESS on the body. It’s good stress most of the time, but it is stress. A lot of us are under a lot of stress already like mental or emotional stress. Maybe we’re not eating enough, which is a physical stress too. We could also have underlying infections going on, which would be another stressor. And then we go exercise on top of that- it’s just a lot.
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Our body can go with the flow for weeks, months, and sometimes even years, depending on the resilience. Our body is very resilient, however over time, you will start to see certain things creep up. I often see clients, especially women who I primarily work with. It’s the hormones, it’s the libido, it’s the hair falling out, gaining weight instead of losing weight- these things begin to creep in over time.
We can have a good rhythm of getting that strength training in and maybe doing a little bit more cardio, but I’m going to encourage you to do it really smartly around your cycle and minimize the stress that it causes on your body. You can minimize PMS (Premenstrual syndrome) type symptoms by understanding your cycle better and how you can really work with it.
Exercising smartly around your cycle is one of the best changes you can make in supporting your health.
During the menstrual phase, it’s best to keep moving very gently. Stretching, low-impact movements, and walking are all great choices! The Follicular phase (between menstruation and ovulation) is a good time to add in some heavier weights. It’s also a good time to include some cardio. Around ovulation, you can add in more high-intensity circuits, if stress isn’t high. In the Luteal phase ( between ovulation and menstruation) lower impact strength training is best. You don’t want to do anything too intense. The body is more prone to stress and storing fat hormones is higher.
I recently experienced this firsthand. I was following this 12-week exercise program and didn’t change things up around my cycle and could really tell the day or two before my menstrual phase. I didn’t realize it until it was a little too late. I took that into account the next time my cycle rolled around and took a week off when my body told me it needed the extra rest. The difference when I listened to my body versus when I didn’t was very evident!
I just want to encourage you in the fact that it does help so much to exercise smartly around your cycle. You aren’t lazy or a quitter if you take a day or two ( or even a week) off! You’re just going to pick right back up where you left off. You’re not off track or a quitter!
I do think we should be moving our bodies daily. However, I think we need rest days and I think we need to work around our cycle to maximize the benefits that exercise can give us!