How to Start Cycle Syncing Your Lifestyle

For so long, I thought that I had the best intentions and just zero follow-through…

Like promising myself I’d stick to the gym every day for a month, or locking down big networking event commitments only to not be able to muster any energy to go… sound familiar?

You are so not alone, my moon-cycling, female fertility-curious friend.

I used to be SO hard on myself when I had seemingly “no follow-through” on my commitments. After years of struggling with disordered eating, bad body image, and my relationship with food, I finally adopted cycle syncing into my daily and monthly lifestyle, and it changed everything.

The practice of cycle syncing is perfect for women who want to optimize their well-being by aligning their lifestyle with the hormonal fluctuations of their monthly menstrual cycle. This post is going to give you the information you need to introduce cycle syncing into your own lifestyle and hopefully lead you to take better care of your hormonal health and strengthen your relationship with your body.

What Exactly is Cycle Syncing?

Essentially, cycle syncing is the practice of tailoring things like your diet, exercise routine, social activities, and self-care practices to align with the different phases of your menstrual cycle.

By doing so, you can optimize your hormonal health and enhance your overall well-being.

The practice of cycle syncing is perfect for women who want to optimize their well-being by aligning their lifestyle with the hormonal fluctuations of their monthly menstrual cycle. This post is going to give you the information you need to introduce cycle syncing into your own lifestyle and hopefully lead you to take better care of your hormonal health and strengthen your relationship with your body.

Let’s dive into the key aspects of this practice below.

Cycle Syncing Food & Nutrition:

You’ll notice here I didn’t say “diet.” We’re looking beyond restrictive and dogmatic rules around what and how much when it comes to food — especially those based on trying to contort the size and shape of the body.

Instead, we’re focused on food as fuel and nutrition. During each phase of your cycle, your body has unique nutritional needs. By understanding these needs, you can provide your body with the right nutrients to support hormonal balance

The simplest way to think of cycle-syncing your food is to match your food choices based on what would be in season during the corresponding Earth’s season. Foods that thrive during springtime are great for your Inner Spring (follicular), foods that are most often found during the fall are great for your Inner Autumn (luteal phase), and so on…

Here are some specific nutrition suggestions for each phase:

• Follicular Phase (your Inner Spring): Include leafy greens and fermented veggies during this phase to provide a nutrient-dense source of iron, fiber, vitamins, and minerals to support energy levels. Opt for foods that feel lighter and are more easily digestible as your inner fire begins to warm as hormone levels increase.
  • Herbs to consider: Nettle, Red Clover and Shatavari

• Ovulatory Phase (your Inner Summer): Emphasize foods high in antioxidants, such as berries and dark chocolate. This is when your inner fire really starts to blaze, and your digestive system is most likely to be able to process raw foods (which is also where you’ll get more of those lovely antioxidants!). Lean protein will help to maintain energy levels and stabilize blood sugar.
  • Herbs to consider: Cacao, Turmeric, Rosehips

• Luteal Phase (your Inner Autumn): Did you know your metabolism increases in the second half of your cycle after ovulation? Those PMS food cravings might be your body trying to cue you up to accommodate this uptick! Increase your intake of foods high in fiber and complex carbohydrates to support digestion and stabilize blood sugar — like sweet potatoes and whole grains. At this point in the cycle, gently cooked veggies will be easier on the digestive system as your inner fire starts to wind down.
  • Herbs to consider: Raspberry leaf, Cinnamon, Vitex

• Menstrual Phase (your Inner Winter): Focus on iron-rich foods — my vote is for animal proteins, but I know this is a hot topic for many… So do what feels right and nourishing for you. This phase is where your inner fire is at its coldest, so soups and stews with well-cooked ingredients are gentlest on the digestive systems. (These are also great to make ahead of time so you don’t have to cook during your period!)
  • Herbs to consider: Rose petals, Clove, Crampbark (yes, there is an actual plant to support menstrual cramps! 😍)

Want to harness the power of cycle syncing with specially crafted herbal tea blends for each of your four phases?

👇 Check out the Inner Seasons Tea Set for your new favorite cycle-synced tea blends 👇

Cycle Syncing Movement:

I invite you to try shifting the way you look at “exercise” when you begin your cycle syncing practice. Shifting your idea of “exercise” to “movement” can completely change the way you think about it — hopefully allowing you to look forward to it instead of as something you HAVE to do.

My hope is that cycle syncing your movement can help support you in creating an enjoyable body-moving experience that enriches your body, mind, and spirit.

Here are some cycle syncing movement suggestions for each phase:

• Follicular Phase (your Inner Spring): A great time to try any new-to-you movement practices you’ve been curious about. Try to keep your movement playful and fast-paced in this phase. The more you laugh and look forward to it during this phase, the better.
  • Movement ideas: dancing, hiking, jump-rope

• Ovulatory Phase (your Inner Summer): cue super hero themed music With energizing hormones at their peak, this is a great time to go all-out. It’s a time to be focused on building strength (lean muscle being a key component to a healthy hormone balance). If you’re someone inclined towards self-competition and setting PR’s, this is the perfect time to hit new heights. Since this is a time you’re probably feeling more social, group classes can be ideal during the Inner Summer phase.
  • Movement ideas: HIIT, kickboxing, buti yoga

• Luteal Phase (your Inner Autumn): The Inner Autumn phase can be divided up even further into two phases. The first half of the luteal phase still maintains decently elevated hormone levels, but progesterone starts to make its entrance. So while you’ll likely still have decent energy reserves, it’s time to ease off the high-impact. The second half of the phase you will likely notice a palpable downshift in energy, so shifting to slower movement with a focus on flexibility will be most supportive.
  • Movement ideas: first half: strength training, power yoga \\ second half: pilates, gentle yoga, long walks

• Menstrual Phase (your Inner Winter): Here’s where I think we get tripped up the most with our movement practices… the Inner Winter phase of the cycle is where your energy, and hormones, are at their lowest. And yet with a productivity-obsessed culture, the expectation is to continue performing the same. This can backfire big time — with high intensity training turning on fat storage as the body registers a threat. Gifting yourself with rest during this phase can be incredibly transformative to your relationship with your body, as well as your fitness goals.
  • Movement ideas: slow meandering walks, yin yoga

Cycle Syncing Social Calendars

Cycle syncing your food and movement is a very personal experience — meaning, what you decide to do is slightly less influenced by outside sources. When it comes to socializing though, there’s other people to consider. I mention this because cycle syncing your social calendar can feel like a bigger hurdle, and I think it’s important to again emphasize how this isn’t about being dogmatic and restrictive with yourself.

If you have to do a presentation during your luteal phase, you are NOT a cycle syncing failure. This is about implementing practices to help our mental, physical and emotional health. NOT hinder it with narratives of how you “should have” done xyz.

Here are some cycle syncing social suggestions for each phase:

• Follicular Phase (your Inner Spring): Coming out of your Inner Winter, the Inner Spring phase is a playful time. If you’ve been eyeing a new class or curious about participating in a new Meet-Up group, this is a great phase for bold, inspired action.

• Ovulatory Phase (your Inner Summer): Inner Summer, with its vivacious energy, is a key socializing time. This is also the time when both sides of your brain are experiencing enhanced connectivity, making communication flow with more ease. If you have a presentation or need to have a difficult conversation, this can be a great phase to plan for it, as your energy can buoy you up and support your resiliency, along with that heightened ability to communicate.

• Luteal Phase (your Inner Autumn): The Inner Autumn phase often gets a bad rap as this is where “PMS” arises, and your inner sass might step to the forefront. But here’s a hot take for ya… I think this phase is actually where one of our biggest superpowers lives. This is a phase of heightened discernment — so if you find yourself continually irked by that one friend, or something your partner says, or the way your mom pushes that one button… it’s likely that you get most activated in this phase. The patterns we see in this phase are the signposts calling us into deeper alignment. So, in addition to setting your social schedule to more solo time or quieter activities, this is also a time to be a keen observer of what continually gets under your skin. It’s trying to get your attention for your best & highest good!

• Menstrual Phase (your Inner Winter): Three words: Netflix and chill. But, like… the actual Netflix and chill, not the Tinder version. This is a phase calling for deep rest, and your nervous system will thank you for any solo time you can gift yourself. That might mean settling in with cozy clothes and a cuppa Inner Winter tea to watch some Netflix or maybe read a great fiction book. One of my favorite solo-Inner Winter activities is drawing oracle cards for the month ahead — might I recommend the Sacred Cycles Oracle Deck? 😉

For further cycle syncing mastery…

If you’re a book nerd like me and want to dive deeper into the wonderful well of cycle syncing wisdom, I highly recommend checking out Alisa Vitt’s book “In the Flo.” Brimming with guidance and plenty of scientific studies to back what our bodies already know — working with our Inner Seasons instead of against them is not only a relief, it can actually be fun.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Garden of the Moon’s “Inner Seasons tea set” when talking about cycle syncing. Just like we choose foods that are best aligned with our hormonal needs, certain herbs can be most supportive for us throughout the monthly cycle. The Inner Seasons tea set is designed to do exactly that!

A few last notes about implementing cycle syncing

I want to really emphasize this last point and hope that you remember every woman’s experience is unique. It’s so important to listen to your body and make adjustments that work best for you. And lastly, please do not let cycle syncing be one more thing you beat yourself up about for “not getting it right.” The whole point behind cycle syncing is to find more ease in our lives as we live more in tune with our fluctuating inner experiences. Whatever you implement that helps you do that is much more important than strong-arming yourself into overhauling your life and resenting it.

Cycle syncing is a powerful tool that allows you to harness the natural ebb and flow of your hormones to optimize your well-being. By aligning your lifestyle with your menstrual cycle, you can nourish your body with the right foods, tailor your exercise routine, and practice self-care in a way that resonates with your body’s needs.

Happy cycle syncing, babes.

Big Love,

SHOP THE INNER SEASONS TEA SET

CYCLE-SYNCED HERBAL TEAS TO NOURISH THE FEMALE FERTILITY CYCLE

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