Your Hormones, Fitness, Food, and More
Even though the ovaries are no more powerful than the female mind - just as men are not controlled only by instinct - all our behavior is also influenced daily by our hormones. This makes it even more important to know our own cycle and to use this knowledge in relation to food, mood and fitness.
Menstruation
Food:
Many women lose a little weight during their menstruation and that’s due to an increase in metabolism and excretion of water and fluids. This is associated with the drop in estrogen and progesterone levels during this phase, as pregnancy has not occurred.
Mood:
A drop in hormones may have you feeling relaxed and calm the first week of your cycle.
Fitness:
Even if you prefer to withdraw from athletic activities during your period, exercise can still be beneficial. Physical exercise can reduce muscle cramps and pain. At the beginning of a new cycle, estrogen and progesterone levels are at their lowest, but they begin a gradual rise during your period. You may notice that you have more energy to be active than in the previous weeks.
Pre-Ovulatory Phase
Food:
Research has found that estrogen acts like an appetite suppressant, so even if you crave carbohydrate-rich foods, you can also burn them more easily during this time!
Mood:
Near the end of your period, estrogen increases, which will likely boost your mood, energy, verbal communication skills, and ability to learn new things. The most important male sex hormone, testosterone, also plays an important role for women and their mood during this phase. You may also notice a change in romantic desires as testosterone is increasing around ovulation.
Fitness:
You will likely feel stronger and more capable in your workouts during this time. This is a great time to focus on strength and harder workouts. You’ll build more muscle faster, thanks to rising estrogen.
Ovulation
Food:
Now, at the time of ovulation and afterwards, the body produces more progesterone, the corpus luteum hormone. At the same time, the blood sugar level rises so that the embryo is well supplied with sugar in case of a possible pregnancy. In the late follicular phase, when estrogen is at its highest, you will feel less of an appetite. In the luteal phase, the energy level decreases, but your appetite increases. Cravings for specific foods are typical signs of the coming pre-menstrual period.
Mood:
You might feel more sluggish and tired around the time of ovulation. This is due to rise and decline of estrogen levels and the rise of progesterone after ovulation.
Fitness:
One way to boost energy and mood during this time is to engage in physical activity. Find time in your schedule to exercise, perhaps in the morning before your energy level decrease as the day goes on.
Post-Ovulatory Phase
Food:
An increase in appetite has been observed near the end of some women‘s cycles. That’s totally normal, metabolism actually rises 5-10%. It‘s recommended that you eat a balanced meal to avoid low blood sugar which is more common during this phase. Also, eating more protein has been shown to be beneficial during the luteal phase as progesterone has catabolic (muscle-wasting) effects in the body.
Mood:
Irritability and moodiness is also common during this phase as estrogen levels decrease and progesterone levels rise. You might feel slightly more tired and fatigued that‘s associated with higher progesterone. Progesterone is also known as the body's own Valium and, when metabolized, has a calming effect on the organism. Use this phase to slow down a little.
Fitness:
Hormone fluctuations during this phase have an effect on coordination and body temperature leading to poorer fitness performance.
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References
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