Here are the best workouts for each phase of your menstrual cycle

Alright this post is for the ladies!

Men run on a 24 hour clock.

Women run on a monthly rhythm.. why?

Because of our menstrual cycle.

This is why workout routines, dietary choices, and general lifestyles must differ between men and women.

From a biological and evolutionary perspective - women are designed to reproduce.

While having babies is ultimately up to each woman to decide, that’s what our body’s purpose thinks it is, whether we like it or not! We are biologically programmed in this way. Each month we go through the same cycle of releasing an egg in hopes of getting pregnant. If it isn’t fertilized, we get a period. The cycle continues month after month.

Because of this we operate differently than men. Women’s hormones fluctuate throughout the month causing us to have dips in our energy, mood, etc. 

Too often I see my female clients feeling like something is wrong with them because they are extra tired around their period, can’t keep up with the demands of their job, or don’t feel like working out around “that time of the month.” That’s normal and natural! But because of societal influences and pressures, we revert into thinking something is wrong with us instead. There are times for action and there are times for rest. Especially when losing blood, our body is telling us to rest in order to rebuild what we have lost.

Take a look at your diet, your movement, your work load levels, your time for fun, and your time for rest. Our lifestyle must be tailored in order to accommodate our monthly body rhythms. If we do this, we will be able to take advantage of each phase and overall feel better physically and emotionally.

Here is a list below of what the best workouts are for each phase of your menstrual cycle: 

Follicular (after your period)

-Cardio

-Running

-Hiking

-Cycling

Ovulatory (mid-cycle)

-High Intensity Interval Training

-Weight lifting

-Resistance Training

-Cardio

Luteal (post ovulation)

-Pilates

-Yoga 

-Moderate Cardio

-Body weight exercises

Menstrual (bleeding days) 

-REST

-Walking

-Stretching

-Qi Gong

Hope this was helpful! As always, reach out with any questions or commentary. Happy to be a resource in any way that I can.

In gratitude,

Dr. Jessica Woronick