How to Plan Your Life Around Your Cycle

Organizing your life around your menstrual cycle can unlock a new level of productivity, energy management, and self-understanding. By aligning daily activities with the natural rhythms of your body, you can experience increased well-being and balance. Understanding these phases not only helps manage mood swings, breast tenderness, and abdominal pain but also optimizes exercise performance, work productivity, and even social engagements. Here, I’ll share how I learned to structure my life around the different phases of my menstrual cycle and how you can plan your life around your cycle too. 

This post was influenced by insights from the book Do Less by Kate Northrup. In this book, Northrup guides women on how to align their work and personal life with the natural rhythms of their menstrual cycle. She explains how it can boost productivity, creativity, and overall well-being. 

What is Cycle Syncing?

Cycle syncing is the practice of adjusting your lifestyle habits — such as exercise, nutrition, and work tasks — according to the phases of the menstrual cycle. Each phase brings about unique hormonal changes that affect your energy levels, mood, and mental health. Understanding how to sync your routine with these natural fluctuations can make a noticeable difference in your overall well-being.

What Exactly is a Cycle? 

During this time, different hormones change how you feel and what your body does. There are four main parts of the cycle: the menstrual phase, follicular phase, ovulation phase, and luteal phase.

The Four Parts of the Cycle:

1. Menstrual Phase (Days 1-5): This is when your period happens. The body gets rid of the lining of the uterus, which is why there is blood flow. Hormone levels like estrogen and progesterone are low, which can make you feel tired.
2. Follicular Phase (Days 6-14): The body starts making more estrogen, and an egg begins to grow in the ovaries. You might feel more energetic and in a better mood.
3. Ovulation Phase (Day 15 -19): This is when the egg is released from the ovary and travels through the fallopian tubes. Estrogen is at its highest, which gives you more energy and can make your sex drive stronger. This is the time when you can get pregnant.
4. Luteal Phase (Days 16-28): The beginning of this phase determines what day you actually ovulated or dropped the egg. The body makes more progesterone to get the uterus ready for a possible pregnancy. If the egg isn’t fertilized, progesterone drops, and your body starts getting ready for your next period.

How I Organize My life Around My Menstrual Cycle 

The Menstrual Phase: Stillness and Reflection

The menstrual phase marks the beginning of your cycle and lasts from day one to about day five. During this time, hormone levels are at their lowest point, and your body sheds the lining of your uterus.

Best Practices During the Menstrual Phase

• Rest and Recovery: This is a time for stillness and reflection. Use these days to relax, meditate, and recharge.
• Gentle Activities: Opt for light yoga or stretching to help manage menstrual cramps and promote relaxation.
• Nutrient-Rich Foods: Focus on iron-rich foods like red meat and green leafy vegetables to replenish the nutrients lost during menstrual flow.

The Follicular Phase: Action and Novelty

Following your period, the follicular phase begins, lasting until around day 14. During this time, follicle-stimulating hormone triggers the development of a mature egg, and estrogen levels gradually rise. This is when your energy levels are naturally higher, and you’re more open to new experiences.

Best Practices During the Follicular Phase

• Start New Projects: Use this high energy phase to begin new tasks, brainstorm ideas, and tackle your to-do list.
• Exercise Performance: This is a great time for strength training and high-intensity workouts due to optimal athletic performance.
• Eat for Energy: Include foods like citrus fruits, cruciferous vegetables, and healthy fats to support hormone production and boost energy.

The Ovulatory Phase: Sex and Socializing

The ovulatory phase is the optimal time for social activities and lasts about three to five days around the middle of your cycle. This phase occurs when your mature egg is released, and estrogen peaks, accompanied by a spike in testosterone levels.

Best Practices During the Ovulatory Phase

• Social and Professional Engagements: Schedule important meetings, events, or social gatherings. Your communication skills and confidence are at their peak.
• High-Intensity Workouts: This is a perfect time to push your physical limits with more intense exercise routines.
• Enhanced Diet: Support your body with lean proteins, vitamin C, and iron-rich foods to maintain energy.

The Luteal Phase: Concentration and Preparation

The luteal phase starts after ovulation and can last 10 to 14 days. Progesterone rises during this time, preparing your body for a possible pregnancy. If the fertilized egg doesn’t implant, progesterone levels fall, leading to the next menstrual phase.

Best Practices During the Luteal Phase

• Focus on Detailed Work: This phase is best for tasks requiring concentration and preparation, like finalizing projects or organizing.
• Self-Care and Relaxation: As energy levels begin to dip, shift to less intense activities and prioritize mental health and relaxation.
• Comfort Foods: Manage food cravings by choosing snacks rich in healthy fats and dark chocolate for added comfort and hormonal balance.

Who Can Track Their Cycle

Cycle syncing isn’t just for those with perfectly regular cycles. Whether you have an average length of a menstrual cycle or experience irregular periods, tracking your cycle can be beneficial. If you have a polycystic ovarian syndrome or any condition affecting your cycle, working with a healthcare provider or a functional nutritionist can help tailor the approach to your needs.

Kate Northup suggest you to use the moon cycle if you don’t have a cycle or have irregular cycles. Read more about it here. 

How to Track Your Cycle

The first step to organizing your life around your menstrual cycle is learning how to track it. Here’s how to start:

1. Use a Period Tracking App: Apps like Clue, Flo, and others can help you record the first day of your period, mood swings, and energy levels. These tools make it easier to recognize patterns over time.
2. Basal Body Temperature (BBT): Recording your basal body temperature daily can signal the ovulation phase, as your temperature slightly rises during this period.
3. Journaling: Keep a journal of mood changes, food cravings, and any premenstrual symptoms like breast tenderness and abdominal pain.

What is Normal?

• Cycle Length: A normal cycle is anywhere from 21 to 35 days. The important thing is that your cycle is usually the same number of days each time.
• Period Length: Bleeding for 2 to 7 days is normal. Your flow can be light or heavy, but it shouldn’t make it hard for you to go about your day.
• Symptoms: It’s normal to have some cramps, breast tenderness, or feel tired or moody as your hormones change.

What is Not Normal?

If you notice:

• Irregular Periods: If your cycle changes a lot (like 40 days one month, 20 the next), it could be a sign of something like hormonal imbalances or polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
• Very Heavy or Painful Periods: If your periods come with a lot of pain, heavy bleeding, or large clots, it could mean there’s a problem like endometriosis or fibroids.
• Missed Periods: If you don’t have a period for three months in a row and you’re not pregnant, there might be other health issues like thyroid problems or too much stress.
• Severe PMS Symptoms: If you have bad mood swings, are very tired, or feel very down before your period, it might be more serious, like PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder).

How to Track Your cycle using the Moon cycle

If you don’t have a menstrual cycle due to breastfeeding or irregular periods, you can still align your life with natural rhythms by using the moon cycle, as suggested in Do Less by Kate Northrup. Northrup explains that the moon’s phases closely mimic the four phases of the menstrual cycle, offering a guide to help structure your energy and activities.

By syncing with the moon, women without a regular cycle can harness these natural patterns to find balance and maintain productivity.

What Are the Benefits of Cycle Syncing?

The potential benefits of cycle syncing include:

• Enhanced energy management: Optimize high energy tasks during the follicular phase and save more reflective activities for the menstrual phase.
• Improved mental health: Addressing the natural mood changes that come with hormone fluctuations.
• Better exercise outcomes: Tailor your exercise routines to match your hormonal changes, which can boost athletic performance and reduce risk of injury.

How Long Does It Take to Feel the Effects of Cycle Syncing?

While results may vary, many women start to feel the benefits of cycle syncing after one to three cycles. Consistent practice is key, as understanding the different phases of your cycle takes time.

The Takeaway 

Learning how to plan your life around your cycle can be a game-changer for energy management, productivity, and overall well-being. By paying attention to the signals your body sends and aligning your lifestyle habits with your cycle, you can achieve a more balanced and productive life.

Summary of Tips: 

• Plan Work and Social Engagements:
  • Schedule big meetings or presentations during the ovulatory phase when you’re at your peak energy and confidence.
• Adjust Exercise Routines:
  • Plan strength training during the follicular phase and lighter workouts like yoga during the luteal phase.
• Monitor Mood Changes:
  • Keep track of mood swings and adjust your daily activities accordingly. This is especially important if you experience premenstrual symptoms.
• Nutritional Support:
  • Support your body with iron-rich foods and healthy fats during low-energy phases and cruciferous vegetables during phases where hormonal balance is key.
• Work Schedule:
  • Use the follicular phase and ovulatory phase for more demanding tasks, while the luteal phase can be used for less intense projects.