Take your self-care power back by living in line with your infradian rhythm with cycle syncing.
This past week was rough for me. I felt tired and unmotivated. I wasn’t sure what was up with me, but then I looked at the calendar and realized it was that time of the month.
Does this sound familiar?
As it turns out, this dip in my mood is completely normal. It is part of my biological cycle as a menstruating human being. How many of us know this as fact, yet we continue to strive for constant results from ourselves all throughout the month?
For this week’s blog, I want to dive into what self-care can look like if we listened to our bodies throughout the four phases of our cycle. Let’s dive in to our second biological clock – the infradian rhythm.
What is the infradian rhythm?
According to Alisa Vitti, women’s hormone expert and author of In the Flo, the infradian rhythm is a 28-day clock that syncs up to the four phases of the menstrual cycle. This is women’s second biological clock (circadian rhythm being first).
Vitti proposes that we should live our lives in accordance with this rhythm in order to harness the power of each phase of our cycle. She created the Cycle Syncing Method to help women maximize their potential in each phase with food, exercise, and self-care.
What is cycle syncing?
Cycle syncing is when we adapt our lifestyle (diet, exercise routines, social calendar, etc.) to the different phases of our menstrual cycle.
You may ask, “why should we go through all this trouble?” Well, we are cyclical creatures and we go through incredible changes throughout the month.
Vitti highlights that “the infradian rhythm creates a 25% change in women’s brain chemistry over the course of the month.” Throughout our menstrual cycle, the amount of estrogen and progesterone changes [1]. Our brain size also increases in parts of our cycle [2].
What are the four phases of the infradian rhythm?
1. Menstrual Phase
The menstrual part of the infradian rhythm lasts 3 to 7 days. During this part, women have low estrogen and progesterone. Fatigue is common. During this phase, it’s a good time to rest and avoid high impact workouts.
2. Folicular Phase
The follicular phase lasts 7 to 10 days and you are feeling great! The estrogen increases and so does your energy. It’s a great time to start projects and try new things.
3. Ovulatory Phase
The ovulatory phase lasts 3 to 4 days. This is when you are at your most outgoing so plan social adventures. This is also a great time to conquer the big projects for the month.
4. Luteal Phase
The luteal phase lasts 10 to 14 days. The estrogen starts to decrease and your energy starts to decrease as well. You may start feeling more introverted. In the latter half of the phase, you should focus on low impact workouts.
How to keep track of your infradian rhythm?
You can keep track of your infradian rhythm by charting your cycle. Also, keep track of how you feel physically and mentally. You can chart your cycle using apps like MyFlo or Period Calendar.
Key Takeaways
Paying attention to our second biological clock will help us to optimize our physical and mental wellbeing. It’s a form of self-care as we practice listening to our bodies and becoming more connected with ourselves.
Last week, when I didn’t feel like myself, I gave myself permission to rest and be more gentle with myself. I hope this new understanding will help you be more kind to yourself as it did with me.
In the next couple of months, I will be trying to sync my cycle and trying out the MyFlo app. Make sure to subscribe to the blog so you can get updates on my self-love journey.
Let me know in the comments how you practice self-care and if you have any tips on how to become better at caring for ourselves.
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