Womens Health: Understanding Our Cycles

Welcome to my first post in a series about Women's Health!

There's a silent epidemic happening to women everywhere: hormonal balance is being destroyed. Over twenty million of us suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), fibroids, endometriosis, painful/difficult/heavy periods, and thyroid and adrenal issues. For the first time since their creation, birth control pills are being used to treat girls under the age of seventeen for endocrine-related concerns. Not only are young women suffering similar conditions to their mothers and sisters at an earlier age and with much more intensity, but new conditions are arising that women of older generations have not experienced. Hormone replacement therapy is at an all-time high. One in ten couples is infertile, and hysterectomies are still the number-one surgery performed on women. Modern gynecological care can't keep up with our demands, yet we women are desperate to restore balance, preserve fertility, and maintain youthful hormonal patterns in our bodies. 

So what can you do? Grab this book: WomenCode by Alisa Vitti. You will want this book!!! Begin to understand your body and why it does what it does! The easiest place to start? Know and track your cycle. I have a FREE printable PDF to help you do just that at the end of this article.

• Hormone focus. The hypothalamus signals your pituitary gland to send follicle-stimulating hormones to your ovaries, telling them to get ready to release another egg. Several egg follicles start to swell in preparation. Estrogen increases to thicken your uterine lining so that it can host an egg.

• Body focus. Physical energy increases throughout this phase, and you may sometimes feel restless.

• Lifestyle focus. Creativity and new beginnings characterize this phase. This is the time to direct your energy into stimulating projects at work and at home. Plan brainstorming sessions with your coworkers; save your most mentally challenging assignments for this week since your brain's penchant for creativity at this time makes it easier to problem-solve. Your physical energy is at one of its highest points during your follicular phase. Emotionally, you feel outgoing, upbeat, and revitalized.

• Exercise focus. Try something new-take that Zumba or yoga sculpting class you've been yearning to try at your gym. Putting your brain and body in a new, stimulating situation feels like an easy, natural thing for you to do at this time of the month.

CLICK HERE to read the blog post that breaks down Phases 2-4 of your cycle.

I hope this info helps to understand your cycle more in-depth! Now what? Get to tracking it and put that info to use. Click the next pic to download the printable PDF Cycle Tracker: