HAPPILY HORMONAL | hormone balance for moms, PMS, painful periods, natural birth control, low energy, pro-metabolic

E65: BONUS - How I Simplified Cycle Syncing for Period Week

• Leisha Drews, RN, FDN-P, holistic hormone coach, period expert

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Hey friends! Can you believe it's the 1 year anniversary of the Happily Hormonal Podcast?  THANK YOU for listening, sharing with your friends and for trusting me with all things hormonal over this last  year.

To celebrate, I am going to be releasing BONUS EPISODES this week! I am going to jump into a 4-part series over the next 4 days and chat about CYCLE SYNCING!  But this isn't your fancy, eat-all-the-perfect-foods cycle syncing, this is how I've simplified & made it work for me as a busy mama and I know you can relate.

This show I start the four-part series off by chatting about Phase 1 of your cycle which is your Period. I talk about what I try to prioritize during my Phase 1 and how to make it work FOR me, how to support yourself if you deal with period cramps, and how to nourish and stay active during this phase. Here we go!

In this episode:

  • [03:02] What is Phase 1 of your cycle?
  • [05:00] What I like to do during Phase 1 of my cycle
  • [06:58] What I like to prioritize in Phase 1 of my cycle
  • [09:38] Supporting your body if you have Period Cramps
  • [11:19] Supporting your body if you have other symptoms that might be caused by estrogen withdrawal
  • [13:01] Food and exercise during Phase 1 of your cycle


Resources
- Nourish Your Hormones Course: use the code HHPODCAST for $50 OFF Nourish Your Hormones!
- 3 secrets to balance your hormones workshop
- Free hormone balance guide

Connect with Leisha
Instagram: @leishadrews
Website: www.leishadrews.com
Apply to work 1:1 with Leisha HERE

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Disclaimer: Nothing in this podcast is to be taken as medical advice, please take informed accountability and speak to your provider before making changes to your health routine.

This podcast is for women and moms to learn how to balance hormones naturally in motherhood, to have pain-free periods, increased fertility, to decrease PMS mood swings, and to increase energy without restrictive diet plans. You'll learn how to balance blood sugar, increase progesterone naturally, understand the root cause of estrogen dominance, irregular periods, PCOS, insulin resistance, hormonal acne, post birth-control syndrome, and conceive naturally. We use a pro-metabolic, whole food, root cause approach to functional women's health and focus on truly holistic health and mind-body connection.

If you listen to any of the following shows, we're sure you'll like ours too!
Pursuit of Wellness with Mari Llewellyn, Culture Apothecary with Alex Clark, Found My Fitness with Rhonda Patrick, Just Ingredients Podcast, Wellness Mama, The Dr Josh Axe Show, Are You Menstrual Podcast, The Model Health Show, Grounded Wellness By Primally Pure, Be Well By Kelly Leveque, The Freely Rooted Podcast with Kori Meloy, Simple Farmhouse Life with Lisa Bass

Speaker 1:

Hey friends, I have some really fun bonus episodes for you because it is almost the one year anniversary of this podcast. August 19th is the one year anniversary, so for the next four days I have bonus episodes for you on how I actually cycle sync as a busy mama and don't get overwhelmed by the term cycle syncing, because I feel like it sounds really fancy, but truly it's really just me paying attention to my hormones and knowing where I am in my cycle which can be easy, I promise you and then supporting myself accordingly and honestly, it really gives me a template and a framework of what to pay attention to versus feeling like, oh shoot, what do I do? All cycle long, right? So I'm going to go into each of the four phases of the cycle in these next four episodes and talk about just a little bit about what's happening in each phase and how I support my hormones, what works best for me as a busy mama, and hopefully this will be helpful and inspiring to you as well and if you are in a place where you actually need the foundations for hormone support. These episodes are for fun, these are extra, these are not where you start, so I want you to definitely go back to some of my episodes toward the beginning that talk about the foundations for hormone support and join us in nourish your hormones, because that is going to be the step by step to support your energy, fix your periods and get rid of your PMS so that you can absolutely be seeing changes in your cycle, start feeling so much better, and then we can add these fun things on top. So let's dive in.

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Happily Hormonal Podcast. Now, if you're a little iffy on whether or not the word hormonal is a good one, you're in the right place. My name is Leisha Drews, registered nurse and functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner, turned holistic hormone coach, and, after going through my own hormone journey and having my three babies, I actually believe that our hormones are one of the greatest gifts that we've been given as women and that, no matter what you've been told, it's possible for you to have thriving energy, good periods and a stable mood all month long. And I am here to show you the way. I think it's time to change the narrative around words like hormones and hormonal and start to reclaim the power that we truly have as women, which is a power to change not only our own health but the health of all of our family for generations to come. Hormonal balance doesn't have to feel hard. It can actually feel simple and fun when we do it in a way that aligns with how our bodies were made. If you're ready to start trusting your body again and feeling really good in that beautiful body that you've been given, then grab yourself a yummy drink and maybe a snack, and let's do this.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so I'm going to start this series off with talking about phase one of your cycle, which is your period and period. Day one is the day that this phase starts of your cycle, and it lasts the whole time you're bleeding, however long that is, whether that's three days, whether that's five days. This first several days of your cycle is when your hormones are at their lowest point, so both estrogen and progesterone are at their lowest point, and that makes your body feel a certain way, because when your hormones change, your body feels different as a woman, and so when estrogen and progesterone are low, your energy and your social energy are generally lower, and so I notice for myself that this is often maybe a day or two before my period starts, and then maybe the first couple of days that my period starts. It's not for me that I'm going to feel totally off or that I have big mood changes. But if you were to ask me what I want to do versus what I have on the schedule or maybe like need to do, it's going to be more like I'd like to stay home. I'd like to just spend time outside with my family, maybe I want to hang out with just like a friend, but this isn't the time to necessarily be planning really big things like planning a birthday party or planning like big social engagement, if you can help it. And so for me, I do try to pay a little bit of attention to that. When it comes to, you know, vacations or different things like that, if I can plan it, where I'm going to have a little bit more rest around my period, I'm going to. And so a couple of things that I just want to kind of like say in general about the period phase, and then I will dive into what I actually like to do.

Speaker 1:

But the period phase, with that lower estrogen and progesterone, there is actually more connection between the right and left side of your brain, and so this is a really great time for both planning and analyzing in your cycle. So on cycles that I'm on it. I'll be honest, this is not every single month. I'm just going to be really real with you. I really love to have this be the time where I do more of my planning for my month, and so either that looks like planning meals or planning our monthly schedule, maybe it's homeschool planning, if I'm really particularly paying attention that month and know that this is a good time for me to do that.

Speaker 1:

And then also in my business, I really like to be able to sit down and analyze and it. You know, in business typically it's going to be like a. You know, august 1st would be when you plan for August or things like that. The beauty of running a business as a woman is that I can do this a little bit differently and I don't have to go by the calendar schedule necessarily. And so if I'm looking at podcast episodes that I'm going to record or goals or, you know, analyzing whatever in my business, even going over client results and things like that, like things that I can plan and analyze in my business or in my life, this is a really great phase of the cycle to do that and I think that it's really beautiful that it lines up so well with.

Speaker 1:

Maybe you have like a little bit lower social energy at that phase of your cycle and so you can introvert a little bit and use that time still very productively and in a way that actually aligns with how your brain is working best in that phase. And so that is something that I really like to do at whatever level I can that month. And, like I said, sometimes it's just incredible and I plan all the things and sometimes I'd plan nothing. So it is something that I just try to pay attention to and I think about and, depending on the stage of my life and how how busy of a season or month it is, it's something that I prioritize as much as I can essentially. And so when we're talking about that like lower social energy or kind of like just maybe lower physical energy to some of the things that I like to prioritize for myself when I know that my period is coming and when I'm about, when I've started my period is just trying to plan a little bit less for those days. And so you know if if there was going to be a day where I'm off and I'm with the kids and I could run a million errands and like meet a friend and be gone all day, but I realized like that's the day I'm starting my period, I don't have period cramps, I don't feel bad with my period and I know that sometimes I'm going to be like way more exhausted if I run myself around all day, and so just kind of taking that into consideration is essentially what I do and just understand like, how am I feeling this cycle? Do I feel like I have the capacity for that or not? And if not, then maybe just shifting it a couple days, maybe doing it a little bit later that week or something, and prioritizing a little bit more rest.

Speaker 1:

One of the things that is really simple that I try to do one of the first couple days of my period is just like take a nap when my toddler naps and that feels so nourishing and so so good to just give myself that permission every once in a while. Like you know what, today's an app day and it's fine that it's a Wednesday and it's fine that there's things to do, but I'm going to take a nap. Or in the last couple of days during my period, phase one of the days I wanted to take a nap, but I also just really was craving sunshine, and so I just went and laid outside and I set my alarm for 30 minutes and just took a nap in the sun, and it felt so good to be able to just give myself that time for nourishment, even though there were obviously still a million things to do. And so I think it is really just asking yourself what you need and then making that space for it, even if it's 30 minutes, even if it's 10 minutes, but really being able to fill your cup in this phase of your cycle is so supportive, and it's something that I really find really makes a difference in just my capacity when I'm in a, you know, a part of my cycle that might be lower capacity. And so sunshine, extra rest, breath, I do really pay attention to, especially when I know that I'm coming up on my period for a few days before that, I just try to make sure that I'm really getting enough sleep, and that's something that I do in my life in general. But, as you know, there's always things going on, and so I will try to be extra cautious that I'm not staying up late multiple nights in a row around my period, because that is when symptoms will pop up for me or just when, like, I'm just gonna feel more tired from it and I can't necessarily like get away with it as well as I might be able to in other phases of my cycle. So it's just really to me a reminder to be caring for myself in the way that I know is going to support me anyway and it's just, you know, a little extra reset time of the month for me around my period. So I wanted to talk about a lot of times women will have symptoms in this phase and obviously cramping is a huge one. That is not something that I specifically deal with, but I will speak to that a little bit.

Speaker 1:

If you're wanting to cycle, sink and support your body for cramps, epsom salt baths are really great for that. I'm talking like several days before your period as well as during your period. Cramp bark isn't I want to say it's an herb. If it's not an herb, I'm sorry, but it's a tincture that you can take and there's a cramp or there's a tincture from earthly to. It's called ease the ache. Those can be helpful.

Speaker 1:

They're probably more for like mild to moderate cramps versus severe cramps, and I always want to remind you you know, if you're having severe cramps. That is a hormone issue and it probably is going to need some support. And that's something that I help my clients with all the time is severe period cramps, and I promise you we see big changes within a couple of months. People who have been laying on the couch for days you know, two or three days with their severe period cramps come back to me a few months later and I mean we're not, it's not like I haven't talked to them. I work with my clients all the time but they come back a couple months later and they're like I just had my period and I didn't lay on the couch, like maybe I had cramps for a couple hours or maybe I didn't have cramps at all. And we see that they just improve over time, which is so encouraging. And so if you're struggling with really severe cramps, I would just encourage you to reach out and get support, because you don't have to keep doing that month after month. And so, again, you know, supporting your body in the basic ways first is going to be so important, and then paying attention to where you are on your cycle and supporting your body during your cycle is kind of the next step.

Speaker 1:

So, when you see symptoms outside of cramps in this phase of your cycle, maybe like headaches especially. That oftentimes is an estrogen withdrawal symptom which can be a sign of high estrogen in other parts of your cycle, which is usually a an estrogen detox issue. And so something that you can do to kind of smooth out these big estrogen drops when you get your period and just after ovulation is you can actually do some phytoestrogens like flax seeds or even organic fermented miso paste and have that in a soup. And so the times that your cycle, I would encourage you just pull up a like Google estrogen progesterone chart during a menstrual cycle or something and you can see on that chart the spikes and drops in estrogen and progesterone. But typically at the day or two before your period starts, your estrogen is going to be totally dropping off, as well as your progesterone, and then just and then it starts to rise, you know, as your period is ending, and then your estrogen will also drop just after ovulation and that's usually a pretty big drop because estrogen is really high right before ovulation. And so if you're noticing headaches, especially in that part of your cycle, it is. There is going to be more to it, but doing a little bit of phytoestrogen support a few days before each of those things period and ovulation and then a few days after as well can really help smooth that out. And that is something that I do at times because I have been prone to hormonal headaches in the past and for the most part I'm so thankful they are gone now. But if I have very stressful season or I'm really not getting my sleep or things like that, that's still a symptom that will pop up for me and thankfully I know what to do about it now.

Speaker 1:

And then let's talk about food really quick too Food and exercise for this phase of your cycle. So I am not a cycle sinker where I'm gonna like eat the exact specific foods for each phase of my cycle and only those foods. I have a general idea of foods that are going to serve my body best in those phases, and so in the period phase, foods that are easy to digest especially the first day or two, and especially if you're having digestive issues, foods that are easy to digest are gonna be really great. Warm, nourishing foods are gonna be really great. Sometimes eating just warm foods and nothing cold will help with cramps during the beginning of your period, and then I always really like to focus on anti-inflammatory foods, so things like ginger and turmeric I say this all the time. There's a recipe that I really like called golden milk, and a lot of times I'll have that the first couple days of my period, just kind of as a treat, honestly, because I like it, but it also is anti-inflammatory and just can be kind of soothing in this part of your cycle where inflammation is often higher. So those are the things I focus on with food and I also, when I'm thinking about exercise, I always just listen to my body with this, but a lot of times exercise is going to be a little bit just gentler and calmer during this phase of your cycle.

Speaker 1:

I typically like to do workouts that maybe aren't going to be as focused on lifting and also not on cardio, so they're just gonna be a little bit more gentle workouts. But I don't stop moving my body. Sometimes I just want to take a walk and I just take a walk with no guilt that I'm missing a workout, and sometimes I will do a workout, but I typically do workouts that are cycle syncing based and the app that I use is called the Keeping Balance Method app. I really love that. I had Courtney on the podcast I think it was maybe episode like 29 or 30, and she talks about her method with cycle syncing and exercise and in this season for me it truly is just so easy to open that app and click on the part of my cycle I'm in and then choose a workout, and so I really love that and that is how I exercise with my cycle right now, because it doesn't take any brain work. For me it just is easy and the exercise or the workouts always feel good because they are based on where my body is and my hormones are and I've been able to see really great results with that.

Speaker 1:

So that is not me telling you exactly how to exercise for your cycle, because to be honest I do.

Speaker 1:

I do know you know a lot about that essentially. But also sometimes it's just really great to outsource that brain work and not be thinking, okay, this is where I am in my cycle and how do I program this for myself, but just to open an app and do workout. And I would say, especially during your period phase, sometimes just outsourcing that brain work is going to be so ideal and I would just encourage you to you know, let it go sometimes and just give yourself a break. Because, again, like, no matter where you are in your cycle, the more you're overthinking, the more that you're stressing, the more that's going to affect your hormones, and so, if there are things that you can press the easy button and just make them easy, not try to do it perfect, I would highly recommend that within reason, essentially so. That is how I cycle, sync with my period and some extra insight as well. That is hopefully helpful for you and I will see you back tomorrow with an episode on the follicular phase.