104:: How to use your cycle to plan your entire bridal era! (the science-backed wedding hot tip no one is telling you!)

Speaker: 00:00:00

Welcome to Wellness Fixes the Pod, a

by Maven Media production, where we

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believe you deserve real education

from real experts, delivered

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in a way you can actually use.

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I'm Dr.

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Kelsey Vick, your board-certified

orthopedic doctor of physical therapy, and

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this podcast was built for the girl who

is done feeling overwhelmed and frustrated

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by conflicting health noise, and is ready

for something she can actually trust.

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Every week, we have honest, science-backed

conversations about your health,

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your hormones, your brain, your

body, and everything in between.

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No fluff, no fear-mongering,

just the truth.

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Because understanding your

body is the most powerful

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thing you can do for yourself.

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A table full of experts built for

the curious girl who wants the truth.

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So welcome.

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Your seat is waiting for you.

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What if I told you the single most

important thing you can do between

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now and your wedding day has nothing

to do with your workout routine, your

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skincare, or your fueling patterns,

and everything to do with learning

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to read the most sophisticated

health tracking system your body has?

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Because your body has been sending

you a monthly report card for

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pretty much your entire life.

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Most of us just never

learned how to read it.

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And hopefully allows you to view your

body as the superwoman that it is.

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You'll be able to see in real time your

relationship with your body transform

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from confusion to complete literacy,

and that's one of the most powerful

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things you can carry with you into

your wedding day, and every day after.

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It is the gift that keeps on giving,

the wedding gift that keeps on giving.

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What if I told you the single most

important thing you can do between

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now and your wedding day has nothing

to do with your workout routine, your

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skincare, or your fueling patterns.

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And everything to do with learning

to read the most sophisticated

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health tracking system your body has.

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Because your body has been sending

you a monthly report card for

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pretty much your entire life.

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Most of us just never

learned how to read it.

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Welcome back to Wellness Fixes the Pod.

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I'm your host, Dr.

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Kelsey Vick, a board-certified

orthopedic doctor of physical therapy

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and a pelvic floor physical therapist.

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And we've talked about the workouts,

we've talked about the body recomposition,

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but there is one wedding prep

tool that nobody, not your wedding

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coordinator, not your venue, not your

florist, probably not even your mom,

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your sister, or your best friends,

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is putting in your planning timeline.

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But it has been running your body

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every single month of your life.

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And that's your menstrual cycle.

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So let's talk about science-backed

wedding prep and one of the most important

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things you can do to go from a thousand

times yes to "I do" on your wedding day.

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My sister is getting married this month,

which really inspired this series talking

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about science-backed, research-backed

wedding prep that we all can incorporate,

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whether or not we are the bride, the

maid of honor, a bridesmaid, a wedding

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guest, or even if we just don't have

a wedding, we just want to hear how to

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feel the best and look the best in our

bodies for a certain event or activity or

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big milestone that we have

coming up, or even just for fun.

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And today we're gonna chat about the

menstrual cycle, which is something that

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so many girls can benefit from learning,

not only to help them feel their best

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on their wedding day and to use as a

tool throughout their wedding prep.

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But also when it comes to post-wedding,

if you are looking to start a family, it

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helps to learn it now so that when you are

looking into your fertility and what all

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goes into getting pregnant or not getting

pregnant, you have a better idea of how

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your body is working every single month.

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So knowing your cycle can help you

schedule really stressful events

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in your wedding planning era during

the times of your cycle where

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you can feel more motivated, more

beautiful, more like yourself.

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Something like your hair and makeup trial.

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If you're scheduling it possibly

in your luteal phase or that back

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half of your cycle, maybe your

mindset in approaching that trial is

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gonna be one of negativity already.

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where if you're scheduling it

during your follicular phase,

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you might already feel beautiful.

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So it can totally change the vibe

of how you experience certain

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things in this engagement era.

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it can also help you understand how your

body might feel on your wedding day, given

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the time of the month that you're in or

the phase of your cycle that you're in.

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So It can really help with scheduling

the grace that you give yourself on

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your wedding day, figuring out and

experimenting what can help your

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body feel the best on that big day.

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It means working with

your body, not against it.

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It makes making better fueling and

workout and rest and recovery decisions

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throughout your entire engagement

to where you're able to show up each

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and every day as the best version of

yourself, as well as showing up on your

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wedding day feeling the most confident

in your body and in who you are.

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Your menstrual cycle is not

an inconvenience, it's data.

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And data is the most powerful

wedding prep tool you've been given.

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Your menstrual cycle is so

much more than just a period

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tracker or an ovulation tracker.

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It can really help give insight into

how your body is doing physiologically,

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how you are doing mental health-wise,

how motivated you are, how tired and

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fatigued you are, how your body might

respond after a certain workout.

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It gives so much more insight

than the days of your period

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and your ovulation day.

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We just have to learn to become

more aware of what each of those

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signs and symptoms are telling us.

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Understanding your own menstrual cycle,

not just the days of your period or

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ovulation, but the entire twenty-eight-ish

day cycle, can help you understand why you

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might feel so motivated at one point in

your cycle and not as motivated the next.

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Why your workout feels absolutely

incredible in your body during one day,

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and then two weeks later, you do the same

workout and feel absolutely miserable.

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It gives you insight into why one

meal might make you feel so strong

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and so lean, and why that same meal

two weeks later might leave you

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feeling a little puffy and sluggish.

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It helps you understand why your digestion

and cravings might differ throughout

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the month, And it can also help you

understand why your sleep quality

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changes throughout your menstrual cycle.

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So I never want us to look at our

menstrual cycle as something that we have

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to work against or fight back against,

but something that we can work with

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to really feel the best in our bodies.

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And I feel like understanding your

menstrual cycle allows me at least, and

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hopefully allows you, to view your body

as the superwoman that it is, as the way

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that we can understand what's happening

within our bodies physiologically based

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on our symptoms, and be able to adjust

certain behaviors that we do to really

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help us feel the best, no matter the phase

of our menstrual cycle that we're in.

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So let's go phase by phase, talk

about what's happening within our

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bodies physiologically, what you

might feel, and how we can use those

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symptoms that time in your cycle in

the best way in your engagement era.

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Starting with phase one.

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Phase one is your period.

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It's that days one through five, It's

that menstrual phase and that early

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follicular phase, which the phases

are labeled based on what's happening

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in the ovaries or in your uterus.

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So there's different ways that

we can categorize different

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phases, so I'll try and give both.

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I typically like to talk about it as

follicular and luteal because it's easy

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for me to remember two categories compared

to, like, four, including ovulation.

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Ovulation is part of both, so

technically three compared to five.

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But I like thinking about it

as, like, early follicular, late

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follicular, ovulation, and then

early luteal and late luteal.

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So Phase one is typically that days

one through five when you're on

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your period, and It is the menstrual

phase and the early follicular phase.

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So what's actually

happening within our bodies?

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The sharp decline in progesterone At

the end of your previous cycle triggers

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a systemic inflammatory response.

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This is the biological driver

of most period symptoms

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and is documented across multiple research

studies, but it's also what allows your

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period to happen, so it's not a bad thing.

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Inflammation is necessary within

the body, and it's necessary

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within your menstrual cycle.

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White blood cell count or those

immune cell counts also decrease,

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which means your immune system

might be a little shaky, but it

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also allows our immune system not

to fight the process that naturally

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needs to happen within our bodies.

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Our ability to regulate blood sugar is

also slightly impaired in this phase.

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So your appetite might become less

predictable, and you might notice

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yourself having more cravings, which

if you're like me, yes, definitely.

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So how can we actually work with this

phase knowing all of these changes

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that are happening in days one

through five when we're on our period?

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when it comes to nutrition, expect

appetite changes and expect blood

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sugar regulation challenges.

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For me, I know hydration really helps

fight against this in addition to

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really focusing on getting enough

macronutrients and micronutrients

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from whole food sources in my diet.

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So rather than pulling for the salty snack

that I might want, I try and check in.

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Am I hydrated well enough?

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Do I actually just want water?

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Or is this craving of a salty food,

can that be satiated with something

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like sauerkraut or dill pickles or

vegetables and cottage cheese, something

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that might give me a little bit more

sustenance than that salty tortilla chip

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that I actually feel like I'm craving?

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The same thing can be

said for sweet cravings.

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Oftentimes I'm craving dark chocolate

or something sugary like ice cream,

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so If you have this awareness of,

okay, yes, my appetite is changing.

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My blood sugar is not as

regulated as it might be later

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on in this follicular phase.

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So how can I make sure to have the

fuel that I need, the macronutrients,

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the micronutrients, the vitamins, the

minerals that I need so that I can

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combat these cravings and this lack of

blood sugar regulation in the best way?

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Since this is also an inflammatory

phase, we can start to think about

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fueling with anti-inflammatory foods to

help with that general feeling of like

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puffiness and bloatedness that we might

get because of the systemic inflammation.

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so thinking omega-3s, colorful

fruits and veggies, things

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like fish, berries, peppers.

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And then seasonings and condiments

that might also have anti-inflammatory

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properties like turmeric, ginger,

and healthy fats like olive oils.

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we're also losing blood in this

phase, which I have to give a shout

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out to my sister because she is so

thoughtful when it comes to this.

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I will tell her I'm on my

period as all girls do.

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We just talk about it.

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And I went over to her house for

dinner one night and she had cooked

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steak because she knew that I was

in a phase of blood loss and that

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I needed iron in my diet to help.

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So focusing on iron and really

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blood building type of foods

can really help in this phase.

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Red meat, lentils, spinach, pumpkin seeds.

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In addition to adding foods high in

vitamin C, red bell peppers, peppers

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in general, citrus, strawberries,

vitamin C, All that help with our

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body's ability to absorb iron.

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Antioxidants are also huge.

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So dark chocolate.

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I'm a huge dark chocolate fan in general,

but Dark chocolate can really help with

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some of the symptoms in this phase.

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Berries, green tea, pomegranate.

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All support our body's increased

antioxidant demand during

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this inflammatory phase.

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Making sure to get enough vegetables

and leafy greens to allow for a good,

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well-rounded micronutrient protocol too.

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And as I said earlier,

hydration is super important.

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I oftentimes feel like when I have

cravings, if I just drink twelve ounces of

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water, sometimes that completely subsides,

which allows me the time to check in.

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Is it actually something that I want or is

my body just sending that signal when it

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really needs something else, like water?

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When it comes to movement in this first

phase, exercise is always going to be key.

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I should preface all of this by

saying this is not cycle syncing.

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This is understanding what's happening

within your body and being able to

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implement behaviors with fueling,

with movement, with sleep hygiene,

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with giving your body grace because

of what's happening within your brain.

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It's understanding the science and

the physiology behind your menstrual

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cycle and being able to support it

with different foods and movement

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and other strategies that might help.

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So it is definitely not cycle syncing.

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It's not one size fits all either,

which is why I think this is one of

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the most beneficial things you can do

in this season of engagement in your

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bridal era, because it allows time for

experimentation, for learning your body.

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What I'm sharing with you today is what's

happening physiologically in general,

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but I have met so many girls who tell me

different things that help their bodies

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in certain phases compared to my own body.

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So it's helpful to understand the science,

but it's also helpful to be able to map

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it to your own body and figure out what

your own body needs and what your own body

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might benefit from during a certain phase.

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So exercise during any phase

is not contraindicated.

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It is great for all

symptoms and all phases.

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Just because you're in an

inflammatory phase right now does

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not mean you need to be doing light

exercise or low intensity exercise.

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Some of the time, myself

included, the first day of my

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period, I'm feeling so strong.

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I'm feeling so powerful because

we're also in that follicular phase.

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Our bodies are prepping and priming

and getting all of the hormonal

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regulation and appetite regulation

and blood sugar regulation, and all

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of that is about to become the most

optimal out of all phases of our cycle.

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So it's okay if that also hits a

little early during your period.

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It doesn't mean you have to adjust your

workout routine based on what you think

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you should be doing, when in reality,

what your body wants and needs and

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desires at that time is lifting the

heavy weights or running the harder

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distances or increasing intensity

with your sprint interval training

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or high intensity interval training.

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It is so individualized, and

even within the individual,

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it can vary cycle to cycle.

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So

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the research supports exercise in all

phases of your menstrual cycle and not

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one form of exercise over the other,

which is why I wanna make sure people

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understand this is not cycle syncing.

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It's just understanding what's happening

within your body and being able to

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have the knowledge to understand why

your body's responding to something

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differently, possibly during

different phases of your cycle.

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So exercise during the menstrual

phase is hugely beneficial.

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Yes, it causes momentary inflammation.

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That inflammation is needed to allow for

all of the benefits of exercise to occur.

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But it also has anti-inflammatory

properties and really good

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antioxidant properties.

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So both super beneficial for

us in this menstrual phase.

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The endorphins that are released during

exercise are also hugely beneficial.

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Something to note, you might

recognize that muscle activation and

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recovery takes a little bit longer

during this phase, and that's okay.

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If you start to realize, like, "Hey, I

can't jump into my workout as quickly as

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I can, you know, six days from now," maybe

spend a little longer in your warmup.

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Maybe allow yourself a little longer

recovery in between your working sets.

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It's those sorts of adjustments that

can be made once you have the knowledge

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of what's happening within your body.

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During your menstrual phase, when

you're on your period, there's certain

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cognitive benefits that you might

actually be able to take advantage of.

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research suggests we have improved

cognitive abilities when it comes to

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more advanced brain tasks that we

have to do, like Deep thinking,

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planning, and creative problem-solving.

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So this might be your best phase

for vendor research, reviewing

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wedding contracts, wedding budget

analysis, or writing your vows.

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It might not be the best phase

for that hair and makeup trial,

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dress fittings, high-stakes vendor

meetings, or engagement photos.

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But due to the cognitive benefits,

it is one of the best phases for all

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of the deep thinking, administrative,

and planning tasks that require

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focus and strategic thinking.

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So if you happen to have any of those

things scheduled during this phase, just

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make sure to understand what's happening

in your body and give yourself a little

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bit of grace, especially if your hair and

makeup trial does fall during your period.

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Understand that, okay, if you feel

this way during your hair and makeup

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trial right now, just know maybe six

days from now, you might feel like the

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most confident version of yourself.

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So give yourself a little grace.

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Don't read into it too much, Knowing

what's happening within your mind

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and body during phase one or this

menstrual phase and early follicular

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phase of your menstrual cycle.

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Phase two, or those days six through

thirteen, is sort of your glowing era.

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This is where most girls feel

their absolute best, and I'll

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say this is when I feel my best.

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This is when my exercise is amazing.

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I feel so good.

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I feel so strong.

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I recover so well.

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It's when I feel the most lean.

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It's when I'm mo-most

motivated and creative.

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I love this phase, and I

think most girls will agree.

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I will say as a caveat, there have

been some months where I have a real

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mental health challenge in this phase,

and it really throws me for a loop

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because I know that typically my mental

health is like top notch in this phase.

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So there are some months and some

days when these patterns might not

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apply to your life and that's okay.

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It doesn't mean something's broken, but

something to just be aware of and be

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like, "Oh, I'm in my follicular phase,

but I'm really struggling with making

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this decision or feeling a little bit

down about this aspect of my wedding."

299

: 00:17:53

Just taking mental note of that And

realizing typically your mental health

300

: 00:17:57

might be the most optimal in this

state, and if it's still affecting

301

: 00:18:01

you, it must need to be resolved.

302

: 00:18:03

It must be something that you need

to make a decision on or talk to

303

: 00:18:07

somebody about because it, it is

affecting you during one of the best

304

: 00:18:11

phases for most girls' mental health.

305

: 00:18:13

And this is just a blank slate

statement that might not apply to you.

306

: 00:18:17

So that's why it's important to

understand your own cycle, and

307

: 00:18:20

maybe you do notice that typically

you feel down during this phase.

308

: 00:18:23

That's okay.

309

: 00:18:24

But understanding that's where

your body is compared to what

310

: 00:18:27

might be the population average.

311

: 00:18:29

So this is the late follicular and

the proliferative phase, and in

312

: 00:18:33

this phase, estrogen is rising.

313

: 00:18:36

And it's doing remarkable

things across our entire system.

314

: 00:18:39

Your skin, your energy, your mood,

your ability to recover, your ability

315

: 00:18:43

to exercise, your motivation, all

of those things are benefiting

316

: 00:18:48

simultaneously from this rise in estrogen.

317

: 00:18:51

Blood pressure is also at its lowest

point throughout the entire cycle.

318

: 00:18:54

So cardiovascular exercise

might physiologically feel a

319

: 00:18:57

little bit easier in this phase.

320

: 00:18:59

A twenty twenty-five systematic

review actually showed that the

321

: 00:19:02

follicular phase is associated

with improved aerobic performance

322

: 00:19:06

and more favorable recovery

compared to other phases.

323

: 00:19:09

Another systematic review confirmed That

strength and power parameters also showed

324

: 00:19:14

favorable trends in this follicular phase.

325

: 00:19:18

So diving into how your fueling and

nutrition might feel in this phase.

326

: 00:19:23

Your blood sugar is most stable here,

so you might notice the least amount

327

: 00:19:26

of cravings over your entire cycle.

328

: 00:19:28

Protein remains a non-negotiable,

especially if you're pushing

329

: 00:19:31

yourself in your exercise routine

because it's just feeling good.

330

: 00:19:35

Protein remains super important.

331

: 00:19:37

Complex carbohydrates are really,

really good for you in all phases,

332

: 00:19:41

but especially in this phase.

333

: 00:19:42

Since our body is able to use fuel a

little more efficiently in this phase,

334

: 00:19:46

we wanna be able to support that.

335

: 00:19:47

So things like oats, sweet potatoes,

quinoa, brown rice, all great in all

336

: 00:19:52

phases again, but you might want to

incorporate them a little bit more in

337

: 00:19:56

this phase, knowing that your body is

just using that fuel super efficiently.

338

: 00:20:01

The really important thing here

is you do not want to undereat.

339

: 00:20:04

In order to maintain all of these

really positive variables that happen

340

: 00:20:07

in this sort of glowing phase of your

menstrual cycle, we wanna make sure

341

: 00:20:11

that our body has enough resources to

utilize to fuel all the processes that

342

: 00:20:15

need to happen for us to feel that way.

343

: 00:20:18

When it comes to movement,

physiologically, this is

344

: 00:20:20

our peak performance time.

345

: 00:20:22

You might notice increased flexibility,

increased aerobic capacity, and

346

: 00:20:26

better recovery during this muscle

tissue repair and adaptation are

347

: 00:20:30

also optimized in this phase.

348

: 00:20:32

And all of these really positive variables

means that it's really easy to overtrain

349

: 00:20:35

in this phase, and since your blood sugar

is pretty regulated, you're feeling pretty

350

: 00:20:39

good, your body's using fuel efficiently,

you might also be tempted to under fuel.

351

: 00:20:43

So we need to continue to fuel

appropriately and not under eat, and also

352

: 00:20:47

make sure to incorporate those recovery

days, even though our bodies might feel

353

: 00:20:52

like we wanna just exercise and exercise

and exercise be-because we feel so good.

354

: 00:20:55

This is generally the phase that

you can push new personal bests.

355

: 00:21:00

You can increase weight

in your strength training.

356

: 00:21:03

Increase repetitions, improve

volume and intensity in some way.

357

: 00:21:07

This is not saying you have to or you

shouldn't, it's just saying you might

358

: 00:21:12

feel like doing that, and That's just

saying your body might be craving

359

: 00:21:16

something like that, and that's okay

given this sort of optimized feeling

360

: 00:21:20

that we have in our bodies when

it comes to fueling and movement.

361

: 00:21:22

And lastly, it's also a very

optimal time for our brain health.

362

: 00:21:27

Motivation and energy are elevated.

363

: 00:21:29

This is like my natural and probably

your natural like, "Let's go out

364

: 00:21:32

there, let's do it," sorta phase.

365

: 00:21:34

Your confidence might be higher.

366

: 00:21:36

Communication feels easier.

367

: 00:21:38

Social energy is at its peak.

368

: 00:21:40

This is not a coincidence or

mood, it is hormonally influenced.

369

: 00:21:45

So when it comes to preparing

for your wedding, this is the

370

: 00:21:47

phase for everything high stakes.

371

: 00:21:50

Your hair and makeup trial, engagement

photo sessions, final dress fitting,

372

: 00:21:55

difficult family conversations.

373

: 00:21:57

First meeting with new vendors or anything

that makes you a little more nervous,

374

: 00:22:01

you can schedule it in this phase.

375

: 00:22:02

You might be able to schedule it in this

phase and utilize the confidence and

376

: 00:22:07

the easier communication that you have

in this phase to help in those meetings

377

: 00:22:11

I often plan my most intense workouts,

the workouts where I'm pushing my

378

: 00:22:14

weight here because I know that my

body will enjoy it and will love it.

379

: 00:22:18

And that's not saying that I also

won't put them somewhere else if my

380

: 00:22:20

body likes it, but I know that my

body is prepped and primed for muscle

381

: 00:22:24

building recovery in this phase.

382

: 00:22:25

So I usually try and

push it in my workouts.

383

: 00:22:27

But as always, notice how your body feels.

384

: 00:22:30

This is why it's so, so important in this

engagement season to really understand

385

: 00:22:36

what's happening in your body and listen

to it because what I'm telling you here

386

: 00:22:39

might not be the same for your body.

387

: 00:22:41

It is the general population

experience, I guess, but you might

388

: 00:22:45

have a drastically different experience

based on your cycle and your hormones.

389

: 00:22:48

And it's important to be

able to understand, read,

390

: 00:22:52

and listen to your body for

391

: 00:22:54

both your fitness, your health,

your mental health, your physical

392

: 00:22:58

health, your social life, your

393

: 00:23:02

brain health, but also to understand

your fertility for later on where if you

394

: 00:23:07

are trying to get pregnant or not trying

to get pregnant, some of these symptoms

395

: 00:23:11

and understanding how your body responds

in different phases of your menstrual

396

: 00:23:14

cycle is really going to give you that

extra insight for either getting pregnant

397

: 00:23:19

or not getting pregnant, depending on

what your goals are after the wedding.

398

: 00:23:23

so the next phase is days fourteen

through twenty-one, and this

399

: 00:23:25

includes your ovulation and then

also your early luteal phase.

400

: 00:23:30

So in this phase, your resting

heart rate and your exercise

401

: 00:23:33

heart rate both increase.

402

: 00:23:35

Meaning the same workout at the

same intensity done in this phase

403

: 00:23:38

compared to the follicular phase

404

: 00:23:42

might require more cardiovascular demands

and will feel physiologically harder.

405

: 00:23:47

Your immunity gets a

little bit of a boost.

406

: 00:23:49

And when we covered the menstrual cycle,

we've covered it so many times, so many

407

: 00:23:52

episodes, and the research just keeps

evolving, so I'm sure we'll revisit it

408

: 00:23:56

again in sort of a phase by phase way.

409

: 00:23:59

But I remember reading back in

the fall some of the research and

410

: 00:24:02

some of the hypotheses why our

immunity improves during this phase.

411

: 00:24:07

And it is hypothesized that should

we become pregnant and should egg

412

: 00:24:12

get fertilized We want to have a

body and environment that is able

413

: 00:24:17

to protect that growing baby.

414

: 00:24:19

So that's why your immune system might

ramp up at this phase in order to protect

415

: 00:24:24

a potentially growing baby inside of you.

416

: 00:24:27

This is the phase where your

body temperature also raises.

417

: 00:24:30

That affects both exercise

quality and sleep, unfortunately.

418

: 00:24:35

So nutrition in this phase, hydration

becomes an even bigger priority.

419

: 00:24:39

I mentioned hydration.

420

: 00:24:40

Hydration is always important, but

in that early follicular phase, that

421

: 00:24:45

period phase, sometimes I utilize

hydration as a tool to help with

422

: 00:24:48

cravings and blood sugar regulation.

423

: 00:24:50

In this phase, hydration's super important

because of that elevated body temperature.

424

: 00:24:55

Our ability to thermoregulate is a

little bit limited in this phase.

425

: 00:25:00

Protein both before and after exercise

is super critical so that our body senses

426

: 00:25:05

safety, that we have enough fuel for the

exercise that we're about to partake in.

427

: 00:25:10

That's the benefit of early protein

and carbohydrates before the workout.

428

: 00:25:14

In addition to after the workout

so that we can appropriately

429

: 00:25:17

rebuild after exercise.

430

: 00:25:19

Our body has a harder time recovering

in this phase and really rebuilding

431

: 00:25:24

in this phase, so we wanna make

sure that those building blocks for

432

: 00:25:27

that recovery are readily available.

433

: 00:25:29

Our blood sugar becomes a little

less stable around ovulation, so

434

: 00:25:32

making sure to hit all of those

435

: 00:25:34

macronutrient and micronutrient components

and making sure to get protein and

436

: 00:25:38

complex carbohydrates in combination.

437

: 00:25:40

Focusing on anti-inflammatory foods to

prepare for the end of that luteal phase

438

: 00:25:46

when inflammation starts to cue that...

439

: 00:25:51

shedding of the lining that happens

during our There are also foods that

440

: 00:25:55

can support progesterone production.

441

: 00:25:57

Zinc-rich foods like pumpkin seeds,

chickpeas, and beef help us support our

442

: 00:26:02

hormonal transition into that luteal phase

443

: 00:26:04

When it comes to movement, your

heart rate will run measurably higher

444

: 00:26:08

during the same workout, and

the research confirms this is

445

: 00:26:10

physiological, not a fitness

regression, so don't worry about it.

446

: 00:26:14

It just helps to understand that

a workout might feel a little more

447

: 00:26:17

intense in this phase compared to the

same workout in the follicular phase.

448

: 00:26:21

and recovery might feel a

little bit slower in this phase.

449

: 00:26:24

So just being aware that your body might

not feel as great after a certain workout

450

: 00:26:29

compared to in the follicular phase.

451

: 00:26:31

So what's happening mentally?

452

: 00:26:33

Rising then falling progesterone

453

: 00:26:35

brings emotional sensitivity,

which I definitely resonate with,

454

: 00:26:39

and slight lethargy as this phase

progresses, which I also resonate with.

455

: 00:26:43

Completely hormonal,

not a personality shift.

456

: 00:26:46

I've talked about this a lot.

457

: 00:26:47

I feel like the unlock for me when

it came to learning my own menstrual

458

: 00:26:51

cycle was being able to give myself

grace when it came to my mental health.

459

: 00:26:55

I would feel so negative in this phase,

so just down on myself, so emotional.

460

: 00:27:00

And then once I learned that was actually

related to my hormones and not who I am,

461

: 00:27:05

I started to make light of the situation

and understand that give myself a few

462

: 00:27:09

days and I'll feel so much better.

463

: 00:27:11

When I had Dr.

464

: 00:27:12

Sam Moore on back in January where we

talked female physiology, performance,

465

: 00:27:17

training, all the things, we joked that

I always say, that's not real Kelsey.

466

: 00:27:22

That's fake Kelsey in the luteal phase.

467

: 00:27:24

It's not real Kelsey.

468

: 00:27:25

The real me is in the follicular phase."

469

: 00:27:27

So it's a fun way to personify or

470

: 00:27:31

to separate yourself from what

you think is happening within your

471

: 00:27:35

brain that's not a personality

shift, but more of a hormonal shift.

472

: 00:27:39

Some women might feel most connected

and most social around ovulation.

473

: 00:27:44

That is also okay.

474

: 00:27:45

Sometimes that's my

experience, not very often.

475

: 00:27:47

So this is maybe where

I divert from the norm.

476

: 00:27:50

But during ovulation, that day

fourteen, fifteen, plus or minus

477

: 00:27:53

three days, you might feel a little

bit more social, a little bit more

478

: 00:27:56

connected, and that's okay too

479

: 00:27:57

So when it comes to how to apply all

of these principles to your wedding,

480

: 00:28:01

you might adjust your workout intensity

and frequency and really prioritize

481

: 00:28:06

recovery in this phase, understanding

that maybe pushing yourself in a

482

: 00:28:10

certain exercise and allowing longer

rest in between some of those exercises

483

: 00:28:15

or day by day, allowing maybe two to

three strength training days, one or

484

: 00:28:20

two cardio days, followed by a little

bit more recovery days in this phase.

485

: 00:28:23

This also might not be the

phase for high stakes meetings

486

: 00:28:27

or highly stressful situations.

487

: 00:28:29

Just like we talked about the immunity

piece of this puzzle, where our

488

: 00:28:33

immune system is actually heightened

in this phase for the potentially

489

: 00:28:37

evolutionary reason of protecting

the growing baby inside of us.

490

: 00:28:42

The same thing has been said about

mentally what happens within our brains.

491

: 00:28:45

Where in our follicular phase,

we are more likely to chase

492

: 00:28:49

opportunities, that's our focus.

493

: 00:28:51

And in the luteal phase,

we're more likely to

494

: 00:28:55

sort of protect against potentially

negative experiences and protect

495

: 00:28:59

ourselves and the potential growing baby.

496

: 00:29:02

So our brain is on high alert to

anything that might be considered

497

: 00:29:07

threatening, whether that is an

actual threat or whether that's

498

: 00:29:10

just something that we sense is

threatening because we are feeling

499

: 00:29:13

stress or anxiety about that meeting

or that activity or that conversation.

500

: 00:29:19

So just another thing to be aware

of that it's a really cool thing

501

: 00:29:23

within our bodies that we have

these built-in ways of protecting.

502

: 00:29:28

if your goal is to get pregnant, where

our immune system ramps up, our mind

503

: 00:29:31

starts to become one of a little bit

more protecting our space and protecting

504

: 00:29:37

our environment to protect the growing

baby inside of us, And we can link that

505

: 00:29:40

back to the way our bodies were created

to protect life growing inside of us.

506

: 00:29:44

And

507

: 00:29:45

I like to think of it from, you

know, a safari perspective or a, a

508

: 00:29:49

mama lion's perspective of trying to

protect her growing cub and becoming

509

: 00:29:53

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