Infradian Rhythms: Nutrition & Fitness for Women
This article is a collaboration of Charissa Sutliff of Renewed Health and Fitness and Sarah Loogman of Point One Vision and Full Armor with a shared passion to model physical wellbeing from a biblical perspective about body image, lifestyle habits and what it means to utilize strength and endurance to serve others.
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You’re probably familiar with the idea of your “circadian rhythm” - an internal biological clock that normally aligns with the 24-hour cycle of the sun and that impacts how we feel emotionally and energetically. But did you know that we have other biological clocks, too?
We have a circannual rhythm that is an approximately one-year cycle often related to reproductive hormones and environment. And we have infradian rhythms that fall somewhere between our circadian and circannual rhythms, including the monthly rhythm of female hormones and the menstrual cycle or seasonal affective disorders. These biological “clocks” are our natural timing devices that regulate our tissues, organs, hormones and even molecular structure that impact every aspect of our health and wellbeing - humans, animals and even fungi experience these devices in order to function and regulate properly.
Whether you’re an athlete or you’re just diving into your health and fitness journey, you’ve probably begun to understand some of the importance of these rhythms for your recovery - especially sleep. The common use of fitness wearables such as the Whoop band have popularized this trend to maximize our understanding of our 24-hour (circadian) recovery, but there’s more to it than that and this is especially true for women.
The best thing that women can do to optimize their fitness and recovery is to understand their unique infradian rhythm, or menstrual cycle. Just like our circadian rhythm influences different systems of the body, so does our infradian rhythm by impacting our brain, stress responses, digestion, thoughts, emotions and metabolism. It becomes increasingly difficult to meet your fitness goals without acknowledging these biological rhythms.
The body can sometimes feel like such a complicated subject and you might be someone who feels like a foreigner to their own body. Learning more about your physiological state can help you feel better, more in control and work with your body rather than feeling like you’re fighting against it.
For women, the monthly infradian rhythm of the menstrual cycle has 4 distinct phases:
Menstrual: the 3-7 days of the period associated with “bleeding”
Follicular: the 7-10 days after the period
Ovulatory: the 3-5 days near the middle of the cycle associated with increased cervical mucus production
Luteal: the 10-14 days between ovulation and the period, or the phase before the period and typically referred to as “PMS”
Although each woman’s cycle will fluctuate, a healthy cycle is typically between 23-38 days with greater variations for postmarche and premenopausal women. Within each phase of this cycle there are unique things going on with the female hormones and body, including the ability to gain muscle or lose fat. What we experience in stress levels, tiredness, fatigue, need for sleep and rest, energy levels and mood, thoughts, and feelings are influenced by these changing hormones.
Menstrual Phase
What is happening in your body:
Your uterine lining is shedding; technically, it’s not “blood” in the traditional sense - it’s actually flesh that your body is removing since without a bun-in-the-oven, it has no functional purpose
Your progesterone levels have just dropped of significantly and your estrogen is just about to start building back up again
What this means for your nutrition:
Your metabolism is higher, so your body will need more calories. You will feel more hungry, which is normal, so make sure that you are well fed and don’t shy away from the additional calories you’re craving
Because you are losing iron, eating protein like red meat and other foods like seaweed and beans that are iron rich can help balance nutrients in your body
What this means for your physical exercise:
Your energy is likely to be pretty low, so it's okay to rest more and prioritize gentle movement during this phase. Monostructural exercises such as walking, running, biking, hiking or rowing might feel good at this time. Keep a pace at which you can maintain nasal breathing.
This is often a great time for creativity! This might mean art and music, but it could also apply to trying out new recipes or trying out a workout flow where you choose your movements as you go, like a choose-your-own-adventure.
Follicular Phase
What is happening in your body:
Your estrogen levels are rising
Your follicular stimulating hormones (FSH) are being released by the pituitary gland
Your ovaries are preparing to release an egg
Your uterine lining and cervical mucus is thickening
What this means for your nutrition:
Your metabolism is relatively slower; this might mean that you have less caloric needs at this time compared to the menstrual phase
Think of color and variety when it comes to your food sources such as colorful veggies and fruits, as well as varied sources of protein, and various sources of beans, legumes, potatoes.
What this means for your physical exercise:
Your energy levels are rising so you may be feeling more energy for more movement as well as higher intensity exercise routines - this is the best time for HIIT, CrossFit, muscle hypertrophy and strength volume.
Take advantage of your body adapting at this time to increase in tissue - it’s time to build up those muscles!
Ovulatory Phase
What is happening in your body:
Your estrogen and FSH levels peak as an egg is released
Your progesterone levels begin to rise
Your testosterone levels are higher
What this means for your nutrition:
Because estrogen peaks during this phase, eating cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale, can be helpful in balancing your hormones. These foods contain DIM which helps regulate healthy estrogen levels which may be helpful to treat acne breakouts or ovarian pain.
Prioritize fiber during this phase as well as it helps keep excess hormones moving towards the exit.
What this means for your physical exercise:
This is the phase where you will likely feel the most energetic due to the multiple high levels of hormones - it’s time to go “all in” on your workouts and maximize your strength. Go for that personal record! This energy can also apply to asking for a raise, starting a business or other bold ventures.
This is the part of your cycle that you’ll likely experience the most sexual arousal; make a move on your hubby!
Luteal Phase
What is happening in your body:
Your estrogen will dramatically drop, then raise slightly again
Your progesterone levels will peak
Both your estrogen and progesterone levels will fall just before your start your period
What this means for your nutrition:
Your metabolism is higher during this phase and your body needs more calories to prepare for your menstrual phase. Make sure to eat plenty of food and especially to keep blood-sugar levels balanced which will ensure your mood stays level to minimize PMS systems - that means that it would be best not to fill your extra calories with sugar
Eating cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts) during this time can help with hormone balance
What this means for your physical exercise:
The dramatic drop in estrogen and progesterone may leave you feeling more stressed during this phase - keep that in mind and practice stress management techniques such as yoga, breathwork or ice baths.
It might be best to avoid explosive workouts at this time and instead focus on workouts that draw you inward such as sandbag squats, situps or pullups/pulldowns. Setting clear expectations of your workout in an EMOM or body-building style will be helpful as well.
Why it matters…
Men and women are different - and that’s an incredible thing. We hope that if anything, this read has helped you recognize the powerful application of understanding your infradian rhythm as it applies to your mental, emotional and physical health as well as your nutritional habits. Doing the same routine every day and training like you’re just the smaller version of a man might be harmful to your health and your body in the long run. If you have an irregular cycle now or experience intense cramps or moodiness, that’s a telling sign that your current lifestyle might not be the best for your wellbeing.
All of this information might still feel overwhelming, so here’s the summary on how to get started on living more in-tune to your natural rhythm and maximizing your life:
Do your own research and be your own best advocate. “The Fifth Vital Sign” by Lisa Hendrickson-Jack is a great place to start. Also check out “ROAR: How to Match Your Food and Fitness to Your Unique Female Physiology” by Stacy Sims for an expansion on these topics.
Track your cycle. Smartphone apps like Flo or Clue can help you better understand what part of your cycle you are in and what you can expect to experience or change about your habits.
Get tuned in to how you feel. Start a journal or take notes on your emotional, mental and physical states according to each phase of your cycle. These might be topics that include muscle and joint soreness, hunger levels, digestion, energy levels, mood, etc. Over time, you’ll start to notice trends that will be helpful for you in future experiences.
It’s important to listen to your body, but also to respond to it. Based on what you learn in this process, make sure that you actually apply these concepts into your daily habits of how you eat, exercise, recover and even relate to others!
