Living in alignment with your menstrual cycle to be more efficient with your time + energy
Today’s guest post comes from Iona, The Sass Coach, who I asked to share with us about menstrual cycle awareness. She’ll be busting five myths around our cycles and sharing her top tips for living in alignment with your cycle to be more efficient with your time and energy:
Your menstrual cycle
When you hear "menstrual cycle" or "period", what comes up for you? A lot of women only get to know their cycle if they try to conceive. Your menstrual cycle is essential for a lot more than baby making.
#1 Myth to bust
Having a regular and healthy cycle is a sign of vitality and should be seen as a vital sign. Not just as a monthly nuisance (yes, I agree it can be at times).
Top tip - Tracking your cycle can give you more personal power back and make you more efficient at using your time and energy well. Download my free ‘Love Your Cycle’ document here.
# 2 Myth to bust
You are "on" or "off" your cycle.
Yes you can be on your BLEED or not but the CYCLE never ends. It starts when we are born, it ends when we die (sorry ladies, I know sometimes this can feel overwhelming). You will have a 24-30 (ish) day cycle. And all of the sex hormones cycle up and down throughout this time.
Top tip - get to know YOUR peaks and troughs - you can use tools like the below to help with this. Once you find the patterns of when you have higher or lower energy you can schedule tasks to fit this. e.g. when you have higher energy schedule a heavier week/peak week in your weight training.
Alongside your journal, here are some apps I would recommend trying for tracking your cycle: Clue, Flow, Natural cycles.
#3 Myth to bust
Only women have a cycle and testosterone in a male only hormone.
This is not true. Men have a cycle, theirs is a daily cycle and ours is monthly but we are all going through one. Testosterone is also found in females. We have a spike in testosterone just before menstruation so you may feel a spike in energy or even stronger emotion around this time.
Top tip - Use your bleed time wisely - some people find they have loads of energy during their bleed, others don't. If you find you need to chill on your bleed then use this time to really lean into more "feminine" activities, reading, editing, meditation, journaling, analysing, goal setting - it can be a time that we are much more critical thinkers - so use this to your advantage.
#4 Myth to bust
Menstrual blood is not dirty. It is one of the healthiest things we have. It is not spoken about enough that our bleed is one of the many ways that our body detoxifies itself. If you have been ill, taken medication or had a lot of stress in your life, your body will use this time to expel what it doesn't need so you may find you have a heavier bleed - this is a good and healthy thing.
Top tip - Allow your body the time and energy to process this if you do then you will come back stronger and healthier after your bleed.
#5 Myth to bust
You don't have to "put up with pain". Extreme period pain is not normal.
We have been conditioned to believe we have to just deal with it. Building self-awareness around what is "normal" in YOUR body is the first step. Anything outside this, seek support from your GP.
If you want to learn more about your cycle and build a happier, less painful relationship with your womb, join my course ‘Love your Cycle’.
—————————————————————————————————————-
Hey, I am Iona. I am a personal trainer, yoga teacher and coach; your one stop shop for confidence. I use nutrition, weight training, yoga and mindset coaching to help you improve your physique, accept the skin you are in and find the true inner confidence you were born with. We also track energy, mood, sleep, stress, menstrual cycle & hormones, enjoyment of exercise & food as well as how you feel about yourself & so much more.
Most of my updates/freebies and content are on Instagram @thesasscoach and you can buy a copy of my brand new book ‘Unleash your Sass’ here.
