The Hormone Workout: A Diet & Exercise Plan To Match Your Cycle

So knowing this—can we create a lifestyle plan to match diet and exercise to our hormonal fluctuations? The answer is yes. And even though this particular post is for the females, cyclic training like I am describing is really great for all.

There are so many hormones at play in a woman's hormonal cycle, but I'll keep it simple and pick two primary hormones: estrogen and progesterone. These two (along with many others) can influence metabolism, mood, hunger, insulin sensitivity, and cortisol tolerance. Here's what estrogen and progesterone are up to during the month:

The first day of a woman's menstrual cycle initiates the follicular phase. In this early phase—days 1 through 7 in a typical month—estrogen is rising and progesterone is low.

During days 7 through 14, estrogen is high and progesterone low. Day 14 is usually when you ovulate, meaning an egg moves from the ovaries to the fallopian tubes to be fertilized.

After ovulation you enter the early luteal phase. Estrogen is high and progesterone high.

Last, in the late luteal or premenstrual phase estrogen and progesterone are both falling.

There are a ton of specific tweaks you can make in your diet and lifestyle throughout this hormonal cycle, but to make it SUPER simple, let's split the cycle into two separate halves.

This means that during the follicular phase you can tolerate more carbohydrates. Some expert trainers like Jade Teta recommend a 40:30:30 macronutrient intake (carbs:protein:fat). I tend to go a little higher on the carbs during this phase; just make sure they are plant-heavy carbs and not simple or gluten-containing carbs. Exercise at this time should be a little more cardio-focused, and this is the time to do traditionally cortisol-inducing activities like the crazy boot camp or CrossFit! You can do this three to five times a week for these two weeks of your cycle.

Fewer stress-inducing activities should be done at this part of the month. Think walking, yoga, or barre three to five times a week. If none of these appeal to you then a short burst session or HIIT would also work.

If you are on a steady-state hormone birth control, this might be a little different for you. Some hormonal birth control doesn't allow the estrogen and progesterone to fluctuate like with the natural cycle, so this plan is less applicable. I have tried this plan for myself and others and not only does it provide variety to your exercise and diet routine, but it forces you to get more in tune with your body. And that's something we can all get behind!