how to optimize your work and life with your cycle

This episode is JUICY AF - YES, we are talking all about your period and no, this is not going to bore you or gross you out. Your period is an actual freaking MIRACLE and in this episode, I’m going to share with you how you can harness the magic and power of your menstrual cycle.

Learning how to track and get in flow with my cycle has been life-changing for me and I can’t wait for you to try this out for yourself and witness the powerful shifts in your life!

In this episode, you'll learn:

✧ What’s happening in your body and with your hormones in the 4 phases of your cycle: menstrual, follicular, ovulatory, luteal
✧ What activities to focus on during each cycle to maximize the energy you’re working with
✧ What types of exercise to do in each phase of your cycle to honor your body
✧ How to show up for yourself and give yourself grace when you’re in the moody, sad or anxious phases of your cycle
✧ How to capitalize on the good vibes and increased energy you feel during your follicular and ovulatory phases
✧ The period tracking app I use that makes it super easy to get in sync with your body
✧ If you don’t have a period, you can still get into a cyclical flow using the phases of the moon

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🔮 Mentioned in the episode:

Subtle Art of Food Freedom

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Full Episode Transcript:

Hello, and welcome back. Okay, I'm so excited I have like 6000 episodes like in my brain waiting to come out today. So I decided that I'm just gonna sit down and hit go and see what comes out of me and then just keep going until I feel like stopping so I don't know how many episodes I'm going to record today.

It could be several but I'm really really excited than I am in this like super like powerful energy and that's actually what I want to talk to you about today. And I'm feeling so good partly because I'm in my follicular phase and one day away from my ovulation phase of my cycle and this is really the phase where you your energy is like at its highest you start becoming your most like confident and energetic and focused and ready to like get shit done. So I'm like, I'm like, I'm ready to like get shit done, and like Yeah put some magic out into the world so I have some awesome episodes I'm sitting down to record right now it's a Friday here I don't know why I'm telling you that I just think it's also adds to the positive energy so I hope you're feeling that through your headphones or your speaker however you're listening and I'm also extra excited because my microphone is fixed and I could literally cry because I've been like waiting and waiting and waiting like putting off these episodes all week which is also why I'm like Okay, it's time to like get this information out of make sense. These ideas have been ready to come out into the world. But my my microphone was not working. It's creating this terrible terrible beeping noise if any of my past episodes of the beep. I'm really sorry. I don't think they do but I think it's this was like a recent problem.

So anyways, it was like creating this beeping and like I'm not going to make you guys listen to like a terrible video. noise so I wasn't recording I was like trying to figure out what the issue was. I been trying to fix it for like over a week and a half. Thank you. Mercury Retrograde. I think we're in a retrograde right now as I'm recording this and technology seems to go a little bit awry during retrogrades but it's cool. I'm accepting the lesson so anyways, I think I was meant to recorded today why ever however, like, the reason my podcasts or my microphone was broken, I'm sure happened for a reason and I meant to be here today and like how amazing that I'm in this like, such like positive good energy. Like I feel like so highly energized today. No, I did not drink any coffee. Okay, I'm like totally rambling. Anyways, long story short, I'm very excited. my microphone is fixed. I tried a different like cord today. And it's working. And so this is just divine timing. And this is exactly what I'm supposed to be recording these and yeah, okay. So let's go ahead and dive in before I keep on rambling about my jazzed up energy.

Okay, so the first item even to choose which episode I'm gonna record first, I'm just like, I'm just gonna hit record and like, see what happens. Okay, the one I feel called to do first is I want to talk about your menstrual cycle. Get excited if you're like, you like turning off the podcast now. That's cool. If you don't hear about this, I honestly didn't anticipate recording a podcast episode on a whole episode on periods. I if you would have asked me six months ago, if I would do that, I would probably say yes or no, I don't think so. However, learning more about my cycle and tracking it and really getting in tune with it and going with the flow of the energy, the ups and the downs and the flow of my hormones and the flow of this cycle, and Just like letting myself be like, gracefully moving through this cycle has been so, so powerful for me. So I want to explain what I've been doing and what I've learned so that this is something you can try out and see if it makes as big of an impact for you. So I don't know about you, but do you ever feel like unexplainably like a crazy person or unexplainably sad? Like you, you literally just feel like I tell him, I tell my little sister sometimes I'm like, I can't explain it to you. But there is a demon inside of me. That is in control, and I am no longer in control, which isn't true. I'm always in control, but that's how I feel. Sometimes. Sometimes it feels like there's like this demon inside of me that's controlling my every move. And then I'm like, What the heck is going on like, this unexplainable, like craziness or sudden it's like, there's no reason for it. I have no good reason to be sad or like feel so like a like irritable or crazy. And then a day or two later you start your period and you're like, Huh, Oh, okay. Makes sense now. So that's why learning more about your cycle and tracking your period can help give you more grace because when you feel those like crazy like rollercoaster feelings like you can remember like, Oh, I'm not actually crazy like this is my body These are my hormones is there's crazy biological shift going on in my body, like your body every single month. It's the most beautiful thing in the world. For women, we have this cycle because every month our body literally goes through this process to prepare us to produce an actual human. And then that's what your period is when the like I said, baby isn't created, the egg is fertilized then that's where you are Shed you shed the uterine uterine lining that's when you are bleeding your body's like oh not this month like we got to get rid of all of these like new cells recreated to like create a baby and then your body does it again every fucking month.

It's literally crazy I can't even believe it and learning all about all this stuff is actually made me like really excited and grateful for my period because I used to not have I didn't have one for a while when I was really struggling with my relationship to food which is also another episode I'm going to be recording after this so that'll stay tuned for that. But when I was really struggling with my relationship with food, I was really undernourished. I was very very, very restrictive. I didn't eat enough righty I didn't eat enough in general, and therefore I had no period and as I healed my relationship with food, um, I'm really just like balanced my energy balance. My anxiety improved my relationship with food with myself with like, everything in my life, my period came back and I actually now like, it makes me like so excited. Like it's it's a weird thing I don't know if you can relate to this, but I'm like so excited and grateful for like how magical that our bodies go through this process every month like we are literally magical human beings. Okay, so anyways, let's, let's get into it.

Okay, so there's four phases of your cycle, and I'm going to go through each of them. And the purpose of these, like learning about these phases is to really understand, like what's going on in your body, how your energy might be feeling and what what kinds of things it's, what kinds of activities are best in that time. What kind of exercise is best during that time. time Okay, so the first phase is about day one starts when you start your period This is your menstrual phase. So this is like days one through five and everyone's different. So, give give these like windows, I'm giving you a little bit of wiggle room take them with a grain of salt. Okay, so day one through five is your menstrual cycle, that's when you're bleeding. This is when in your body your estrogen is low, leading to lower energy your progesterone. progesterone is also low, which causes your uterine lining to shed aka your period. And the energy of this time as it can be tired, you can feel more inward, you can feel slower. You will likely be more sensitive to pain at this time and it's really a good time for rest, reflection. Releasing Your intuition. And so some of the things that are really good to do when you're on your period is rest a lot, have some alone time, take baths, really nurture yourself. Journal set intentions, make some big decisions, maybe don't take the big actions on them. But you're more intuitive and creative at this time. So any big decisions that you've been needing to make you can really tap into your intuition at this time and it's a great time to let go of what's no longer serving you and I feel like releasing blood from your body is like actually very symbolic of this releasing like there's stagnant energy in your body. There's negative energy in your body, like whatever it is your bodies hold on to. You get to release it during this time. So just like Let it go, let it let it come up and let it come out. This is a great time for vision boarding, self reflecting and At this time, like I was saying, You're a lot more intuitive and creative, so you so pay attention to the intuitive nudges that you're getting. This is also a really good time to focus on getting grounded. So maybe go outside with bare feet and put your feet on the earth and just like feel yourself like connected to the earth and like, grounded down I feel like I can be like a very like flighty, restless person. So this is really powerful for me to like, bring myself back down to earth, ground myself and like chill out. And so the types of movement that are usually helpful for your body at this time is more gentle movements like yoga, walking, maybe like the elliptical just like things that are a little bit more gentle. And for some, it just listened to your body. For some people during their periods, they might need to just lay in bed all day. That's completely fine. for other people. They want to get moving, they want to move their body a little bit and so things are a little bit more gentle like yoga and walking are fantastic. And so, I'm also going to relate these each to a season because I think it's really helpful to remember kind of like the energy of the face based on the seasons. And a lot of this I learned from Kate Northrup, she wrote a book called to last which I actually haven't read but I saw her speak at a live event and talk all about these phases. So a lot of what I'm sharing with you here was from her speech and then just through my own extensive research on the internet and through Natalia Benson has shared a little bit about this with me and some of her courses so I just want to give them some love and gratitude for sharing this amazing wisdom. But anyways, okay, this season. We're still on phase one this season for that coincides with your menstrual cycle is winter. Okay, so what you can think of winter energy winter energy is rest alone time Take hot baths like chill, reflect, release go more inward Okay?

So that's phase one. Just really do things that feed your goddess feminine energy and be gentle with yourself like ask yourself, what is my mind, body and soul need today? How can I nourish my mind, body and soul? How can I give to myself? How can I show up for myself, okay. The second phase is the follicular phase. This is like days six through 16 ish. And this is when your body is preparing for an egg to be released. An estrogen and testosterone rise which increase your energy and it can improve your brain function and your mood. And I totally feel this. It's like, as soon as my period ends, I feel like I am like, heading towards like the top of the mountain I'm about to be on like top of the world. It's like, such a great feeling and that's kind of how I'm feeling right? Now it's because I'm in the tail end of my follicular phase going into auditory and I'm just feeling like on frickin fire my brain feels very clear. I feel very clear. I feel focused. I feel energized I feel like ready to like fucking get shit done. Okay, so anyways, the energy of this like I was saying is it's very energized, assertive lots of brainpower. This is a great time to do your planning, really initiate actions. It's a very creative time great for brainstorming strategy. Getting Started starting new projects, taking action to get things going to get the ball rolling, problem solving, trying new things, try new workout, travel to a new place. clean your house, go balls to the walls with your work like go a little more full force with your work. And I'm actually not a huge fan of going like super gone whole full force with work all the time anyways, because for me, it just doesn't feel good to overwork myself. So be careful of overdoing it because you might have so much energy that you want to just like work. And then you like realize you're like oh shit I've like burned myself out. This is also a great time to do this stuff that you've been putting off and as far as movement goes, this is your body's gonna have a lot more energy so it's a great time for cardio running heavier weights trying new workouts, power yoga, things that are a little more intense and then the season that coincides with this phase is like spring so you can think of it's like, you're like coming back to life, things are blooming things are starting like it's this energy of like, hope and excitement and, and change and newness. Okay. So that's your follicular phase and then your ovulatory phase is phase like 17 through 22. And so this is when an egg gets released from its follicle and your ovary and estrogen to testosterone rise to their peak levels giving you this like very like flirty social butterfly outgoing vibes. And this is when you are most confident you're most magnetic your sex drive is at its highest. You want to connect with people you want to communicate with people you want to be like, Hello here I am like I am a queen like literally. It's that's the energy. So this is a great time for content creation. Hence why I'm recording this podcast now because I'm got heading into this space in the next like, day or two. It's great for focused work, having sex interviews, podcasting, presentations, being social collaborations, events, date night. Things that really get your creative fun, juices flowing on. Happy Hour. closing deals like important work, okay. Communicating putting yourself out there launching going on your Instagram stories, creating videos, whatever it is that you want to bring your confident, magnetic energy to. That's what to work on at this time. And as far as movement goes, this is the best time for high impact like HIIT spin orange theory, like the more intense things and group classes because it's a great time to connect and socialize and you're going to just feel like a little beautiful social butterfly. And this is associated with the energy of summertime, which you probably can already see that connection.

And also to with all these things that I'm saying, This doesn't mean that you're going to, you're perfectly going to feel all these exact things that these exact times and that you can do constant creation when you're in your period or things like that. These are just some guidelines to help you maximize the energy you're working with okay. And everyone's different so listen to your body trust your body go always go with what feels good. Now as your number one go with what feels good for you. Okay, so the last phase is the luteal phase This is states 23 to 29. And this is when estrogen and testosterone are declining. And as estrogen starts declining sodas serotonin which is basically the happy I don't even remember I learned this in school if it's a neuro chemical or, or what is the word? I don't know. Just go with it. It's like the happy chemical basically. So that starts dropping which brings down your mood and you have higher progesterone at this time, which can lead you to feel hungrier and give you this like sense of like winding down and the second half of this phase is when You can, is typically when you may experience PMS, so like the moodiness, the anxiety, the cramping, bloating, whatever it is for you. So this is a great time for focused completion. So completing things, bringing things to close on decluttering things, tying up loose ends, detailed odds and ends, you know, closing up those admin tests that you've been putting off bringing things to completion. And especially in the later half of this phase, it's a really, really good time for self care and honoring yourself, like show up for what you need, not why you think you should. And as far as movement goes, this is a good time for things like pilates, lighter strength training, moderate cardio, and as your period gets closer, you want to start getting a little bit more gentle and again, like this is just a framework. These are just tools that can help you if following this doesn't feel good then don't do it I don't follow this perfectly I go with what feels good. However as I've started tracking this I noticed that the more I am in these energies and do these things that are best for those energies, the more in sync and flow I feel because when you're going against the energy you're in it just feels like resistance and like you're pushing a giant rock up a hill, which does not sound fun. So the season of the luteal phase is fall so fitting right this things are things are coming to a close things are like, I don't know, like I thought darkening that sounds like that sounds like sad, but just like, I don't know this energy of like coming down like you're coming down from summer. It's like the come down. Um, and so this is a really good time to ask yourself, like, how can I give to myself? What am I really wanting right now and show up for yourself.

So some apps that you can use to help you with this is the one is called Flo. That's the one I have. And you can track your, your mood, your cycle, all things like that. And it'll tell you like, oh, you're gonna be ovulating in two days, or you're gonna start your period in three days, or whatever it is. So it's really, really helpful. So you don't have to do all the math yourself. Because Wouldn't it be nice if it just like perfectly coincided with like, the month that'd be much easier, but obviously, it doesn't. So the app really helps. And then there's an app called iLuna, where you can actually track the moon phases. So if you don't have a period, it's I should have said this at the beginning, but it's fine. I'm sure I was meant to say it. Now. If you don't have a period, it's okay. Like definitely speak to your doctor about that like what's going on if it's if you are struggling with your relationship with food.

Definitely that's something to look at. And I have an entire programming course on that called the subtle art of food freedom if that's something you're interested in, you can message me on Instagram for more information about that, but, um, definitely talk to your doctor about it or maybe you're on a birth control or you have an ID or whatever it is that causes you to not have a period but whatever the reason, you can still like participate in this.

This like cyclical energy. So I'm sorry, I had to write something down that I wanted to say because I don't want to forget. Okay, so you can still participate in this like, I don't know, like tracking of your energy and how you'll do that is to instead of tracking it with your period, you'll track it with the moon, so the menstrual cycle coincides with the new moon. Your follicular phase coincides with waxing quarter The ovulatory phase coincides with the full moon and the luteal phase coincides with the waning quarter. So you can look at the iLuna app and see what phase the moon is in and then you can use that as your guide so if it was a full moon then you would be kind of in that ovulatory phase energy that summer that that summer energy and this doesn't mean that like you're perfectly gonna feel like in the same energy of like, the moon, you know, like it's not it's not all perfect. So again, just like take it all with a grain of salt go so it feels good for you. I'm just sharing this because it's been like so so powerful for me to feel like I can like really understand myself better and have so much more grace for myself. Like, when I'm on my period, I feel like I also I used to try to like I like I'm like I don't like being like sad and tired like fuck this like I'm gonna drink coffee and like go work out and like oh like grind and hustle and like Although that did not feel good, it was like pushing against what my body was needing my body was literally trying to like scream at me and be like, chill the F out. So it's really really helpful to give yourself grace because now when I'm on my period, I'm I get excited of like, wow, this is the time for me and to chill and to take baths and to read and to just like, be with myself and honor myself.

So give yourself more grace. And also to if you think about it, well, yeah, if. So, men's hormonal cycles are on a 24 hour cycle. So they go through their cycle of hormone changes every single 24 hours, the same cycle women go through it every like 28/29 days. That's why we see more moody more up and down. Men see more women And again, like, this is not every, every single person, like we're all different, we all have masculine and feminine energy. with us. However, this is just speaking in terms of our hormones. And so for women, we live in this world that's designed for a 24 hour hormonal cycle. If you think about it, like the nine to five job world, the every single day you do the exact same hours. And you know, we really just live in this world that's designed for a 24 hour hormonal cycle, and we have a monthly cycle. And so I think it's just something really powerful to be aware of and see how you can design your life, around your cycles and your energy and what feels good for you rather than what you're supposed to do rather what than what everyone else in the world is doing.

So I think that's all I wanted to share about this.

I hope you like it. I think this I used to think it was like, like, icky and like like made me uncomfortable to talk about this stuff but actually it gets me really excited now and I'm assuming if you're still listening to this maybe it gets you a little excited too But yeah, I would love to hear like what you think of this episode? If you try this and yeah, just see see how it...

See how it goes for you let me know message me on Instagram at magnetically you I'd love to hear from you and hear how this episode helped you. And of course it would mean the world to me if you enjoyed this episode. If you enjoyed this podcast, if you enjoy any of my episodes, it would mean the world to me if you would go and leave me a five star review.

It will take you like two or three minutes, I promise and it really really really helps me reach more women who I can help. So if you would do that, I would so appreciate you and I just so appreciate you. And I'm so grateful for you showing up and listening and I will see you in the next episode.