Finding your cycle
Have you ever felt off- like something wasn’t quite right and no matter how hard you tried to eat healthy and stay active you just couldn’t seem to make any progress? I see this all the time, women struggling to keep going every day, pushing harder to do more and sleep less- ignoring the natural rhythms of ups & downs in life in order to keep up with the demands of modern living. We may have all kinds of technology now, but that doesn’t change our biology.
Women are cyclic beings. Everything from day to day, month to month, season to season, and throughout the lifecycle. Yet we attempt to live in a linear way because that’s how modern life dictates, we should adapt.
Constantly being “on” all day from waking until we attempt to sleep, working in-between taking care of families, pushing through vigorous workouts even when our bodies are fatigued, and eating foods dictated by meal plans and when we can shove food in around the daily duties.
It’s no wonder you’re tired. Or missed your last 3 periods. Or have brain fog.
Notice the patterns of your life
When was the last time you lingered in bed simply because you were tired? If you do sleep in it’s usually because you simply can’t do any more, you’ve reached your breaking point or you physically can’t.
Were there warning signs? Probably, but you didn’t notice because you were too busy doing the hundreds of things that you need to do- or worse you did notice, but didn’t feel like you deserved to take the break. We live in a world where admitting that you need a break feels like a sign of weakness.
Today I’m inviting you to look at your life a little closer. Notice the ebbs and flows of your day. When are you the most energized? When are you the most tired? Is there a time of day that you are so hungry you could eat literally anything?
All of those signs are telling you something- that you have cycles of ups and downs. When you work with those natural rhythms you will feel more aligned, more energy, and even less illness.
Cycles of Wellness
If you’re like most people the natural cycle of your day doesn’t have the opportunity to impact your meals because you have to eat when you get a break, dinner needs to be at a certain time to get the kids to bed, and you simply don’t have the energy to GAF or bother to take a closer look- but what if you knew when comfort food was actually comforting? What if you had some insight as to when you should focus on food as fuel, knew what to eat to boost your mood, and when the snacks are doing more harm than good.
The same can be said for fitness cycles. Did you know that there are certain times when you can push yourself and other times when it’s best to take a break? Studies in fascia show that hormones affect the thickness and pliability of fascia and we know that hormones are cyclic. This is important to know because there are dozens of ways that your fascia influences your movement, your balance, even your soreness after a workout. This knowledge can help you to plan your fitness endeavors so that you are focused on the right goals at the right time- in other words, know when to push yourself and when to back off.
You might be thinking: “but Tami, I don’t have a regular cycle, how am I supposed to get started?”
When you can’t seem to see the patterns clearly, it’s helpful to look at a benchmark- that’s why the moon is so valuable.
The Lunar cycle
The moon follows a predictable cycle- 29.5 days to circle the earth. We have a visual aid to know exactly when it’s in what phase, we can look up and see the moon moving from new to full and around again.
The link between the moon cycle and female hormone cycles has been studied for decades- and before the official studies began, we have anecdotal evidence of the link dating back thousands of years. Now depending on your age, health, medications, and environmental influences your menses may not align with the moon cycles, but we can use the lunar events as a benchmark to guide some key choices about food, fitness, and self-care. Here’s what we know…
The new moon energy is a time to slow down and be reflective. This is a great time to focus on restoring energy, taking a break, and even retreating from the world for a minute. You might even indulge in some comfort food.
Nature kicks up the energy during the full moon. If you work in a hospital or vet clinic you may already know this! Creativity also spikes during the full moon, so it’s time to kick up your workouts, eat foods that boost your brain-game, and maybe even start a new routine.
The other times of the lunar month may not be such strong influences, even though each has it’s own characteristics. You might focus on balance work in yoga class, increase your fiber foods to support digestion, or even prepare for the next phase of the cycle.
The important first step is to figure out what natural cycles you already experience. Take the next 2-3 months and keep a journal to see what kinds of patterns reveal themselves to you. Then you can begin to make shifts in your own routines to find balance and your authentic patterns.
Don’t forget to join the waitlist for my new lunar yoga program and take a deeper dive into finally finding balance.