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every woman I know is curious about this too š
we need to talk about cycle syncing & health
Sabrina Molu
March 06, 2024
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if youāre a paid subscriber there will be a link below that will allow you to listen to this entire post
I was poolside in Cancun last week talking to a friend about family planning. She told me that she had been on birth control for so many years, she didnāt even know how her body would handle being off of it. That sparked a conversation about cycle syncing.
We both had a general idea about what it was, but the specifics on how to do it were foggy. I mean does it actually work? I barely have time to track my calendar so adding yet another thing to keep track of sounds tedious and unneccessary.
Unless.. itās actually the magical unicorn that will unlock the secret to a life thatās healthy and more productive.
Okay, now Iām interested ā [continued below]
The theme of the week is investing, and while I would love to get into financial literacy 101ā¦ I need to learn before I teach, so more on that later.
This week weāre talking about investing in your most valuable asset: your health.
Betterhealth was my first experience with therapy. It did take me 2 tries to find the RIGHT provider for me, but I loved the ability to have weekly video chat sessions in the convenience of my home. If youāre curious, you can click the link below to learn more.
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THIS WEEKāS HIGHS
We traveled to Cancun for a 72 hour trip with friends and littles. Sahir and I parented so hard (honestly mostly him - he was the King of the Waterpark and basically rode slides with Mila for 4 hours everyday) and Mila had a great time ā but we were exhausted. As a parent, you certainly start to understand the difference between a trip and a vacation.
We luckily did not encounter any delays there or back. I feel grateful to put another trip in the good bucket and work towards being in a better place with flight anxiety.
THIS WEEKāS LOWS
Mila started school full time this week and itās a transition for everyone at home. She has a lot of feelings and weāre doing our best to support her. Meanwhile, Iām transitioning to focus on work full time. Iām in this weird phase of biting off WAY too much and also trying to restructure my days from āwork any free moment you get!ā to āthese are working hours and you should stick to themā ā hopefully we all get the hang of things this month.
š« work wife trivia
š weekly report is in
Read, Eat, Play, Obsess, Recommend, & Treat
šIām committing to finishing the third ACOTR book by the end of this month. Iāve been told thereās a 4th and 5th book as well so I need to get on it.
š“This is my favorite soup for weekday meals. Itās the Indo-Chinese version and I love that I can make it in my Instant Pot
š² If you have any kind of adult breakouts or acne, buy this under $10 face wash - I promise it will be your best friend. Keep it on for 3 full minutes when you wash your face in the MORNING.
šļø I promised you a swimsuit haul and here it is. Linked everything right here for you! Sizing runs a little bit big!
š¤ If you havenāt listened to the 50 part story on TikTok about ReesaTessaās ATL swindler, I need you to put it on in the background when youāre at the gym, cleaning, or multitasking because it is so insane.
š¦ This is definitely a treat. I splurged and bought some very chic sunglasses. I have zero regrets, but need to start taking good care of my things.
š whatās the deal with cycle syncing
Has someone ever asked you if you are a morning person or an evening person? You kinda hesitate and say well, ādepends on the dayā - youāre not alone.
Men operate on a 24 hour schedule. Women operate on a 28 DAY schedule. The world is designed for men.
Conveniently, the rhythm of a manās cycle is perfectly aligned with normal working life and regular day and night patterns. Men are at their best during the day because their cycle works in harmony with a 9-5 lifestyle.
Their hormones (yes they have them too) experience spikes and dips too, just in a shorter timeframe - over the course of 24 hours.
Women on the other hand, our cycles donāt really seem to care about our professional lives. A female cycle is aligned with the irregular monthly moon rhythms so we donāt have the same hormonal advantage as men in the workplace. Weāre often working against our bodies, instead of with them.
So what now?
We need to understand our cycle and make the most of it rather than working against it.
The phases and approximate lengths of time they can last are below:
Menstruation: about 1 to 5 days on average.
Follicular: the first 14 days of the cycle.
Ovulatory: about 12 to 24 hours.
Luteal: the last 14 days of the cycle.
I thought about writing out the best things to do during each part of your cycle, but thatās boring so I made it into a fun graphic for you to review if youāre a visual learner like me. (see below)
Now letās answer some of your biggest questions!
ā±ļø WHAT IS CYCLE SYNCING?
Itās a way to work with your bodyās natural rhythm to be more productive, healthier, and truly listen to your body and itās needs.
š© WHERE DID IT COME FROM?
The term came from Alisa Vittiās book āWoman Codeā in 2014. Sheās an integrative nutritionist and womenās hormone expert. Sheās also the founder of the Flo app.
Look! I made you a graphic!
ā WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
According to experts, cycle syncing is thought to provide several potential benefits, some of which include:
Feeling more energized
Feeling more balanced and experiencing less mood swings
Making workouts more effective
Providing fertility support and knowing the best time to conceive
š± HOW DO I TRACK?
You can use your calendar, the Apple Health app, or any of these apps: Flo, Clue or Spot On.
š£ DOES THIS WORK IF IāM ON BIRTH CONTROL?
Sources sayā¦ no. If youāre on birth control itāll alter the phases of your natural hormone cycle to stop ovulation. Since those hormones override your natural ones, cycle syncing wonāt really work here.
š„ AM I SUPPOSED TO CHANGE WHAT I EAT?
Studies show nutrient needs change slightly depending on each stage of the menstrual cycle.
For example, iron levels tend to be lower during the menstruation phase, so to support your body add in iron-rich foods like nuts, lentils and meat.
During the menstrual cycle, itās recommended to eat foods that help reduce inflammation and replenish blood loss like omega-3s and vitamin B12. More on this in the chart!
P.S. I love being able to share my goodies with you all in the weekly giveaway. You can find the secret password at the bottom of the email, but there's no rush - enjoy the email. I've worked hard on it :)
šļø Should I try it?
Thatās really up to you! Iām going to start tracking for the next 3 months to truly give myself time to see if I feel a difference.
What really sold me on it is that I used to blame myself if I woke up one day bustling with energy and checking things off of my to-do list and other day I could barely get the energy to write an email. If this sounds like you, it could be worth it to work with our bodies instead of against them.
This week's giveaway will be a bundle hundreds of dollars of makeup and beauty products. In order to enter, you need to BOTH of the two things.
As a reminder, be sure to like AND comment on my last 6 posts to be entered to win.
1) Go to my Instagram profile here & like/comment on my last 6 posts. This tells the IG algorithm that you like my content and want to see more of it. #besties
2) Go to my stories and enter the secret password "Sync" into the box in my Instagram stories now. The box will remain up till 8:00 AM EST on Thursday 03/14
Canāt wait to see you for the next edition of The Work Wife!