Balance Your Hormones.
Own Your Cycle.
Live Fully.
Where women learn to thrive through every hormonal phase of life.
You are not losing your mind, you are losing Oestrogen.
Did you know that when healthy, Oestrogen stimulates all of our feel good chemicals. Dopamine, Serotonin, GABA (the calming chemical), BDNF (simply, this is your cognitive function) and most importantly Oxytocin (the love chemical also known as the cuddle chemical).
When we don't manage our menstrual cycle well, or allow our modern lives to dictate what happens to our bodies, we neglect Oestrogen and we lose these vital neuro chemicals that make us happy and healthy.
Oestrogen should come surging in to our systems from day one of our periods and continues to rise until she peaks at ovulation, days 10-15.
Have you every wondered why you feel so much better after you bleed? This is Oestrogen.
As women we lose Oestrogen (along with other hormones) when we start Perimenopause, this can be very erratic and unpredictable, you are not losing your mind you are losing Oestrogen.
Ever experience brain fog and hot flushes? This is due to you losing Oestrogen.
Balanced hormones are the keystone to health.
Our hormones and how we use them are prioritised within our bodies.
Whether we like it or not, a women's body is biologically designed for two things, survival, and reproduction. In that order.
If we are chronically stressed we are living in survival, this means our body is not able to efficiently make the other hormones for reproduction.
If we are eating all the time that means our body is always making insulin and not able to efficiently make sex hormones.
Even if having a baby is not on your agenda, you need a healthy cycle to be balanced and happy, so you need sex hormones working in symphony.
In other words you need cortisol and insulin to be balanced for your sex hormones to work properly.
A Fast Like a Girl Certified Coach.
Start your fasting journey and you can learn what fasting does to your body and the biological benefits of going longer without food.
Fasting is a form of healing, like sleep. During the time after 8-12 hours of no food, our body stops using all its energy to digest and gets to work on areas in our body that need attention. Rejuvenating cells, cleaning up the gut and improving liver and brain function.
This must be done sensibly, and with practice you can gain profound benefits to support you as a woman, cycling or not.
Do you know your cycle?
Under the Fast Like a Girl principles your cycle is broken down in to four phases. These are Power 1, Manifest, Power 2 and Nurture. Where are you in your cycle?
If you don't have a cycle you can still follow the rhythms to stimulate hormones at different times, or follow the moon.
When each phase is not managed well at the right time, they will impact the next. For example if you don't nurture yourself the week before your period you may feel more hunger, PMS and spotting when you bleed.
Lots of us don't know what these phases are and don't honour them, this can lead to menstrual issues, hormonal imbalances and weight gain.
A typical cycle length is 28 days, but can range from anywhere between 21 to 34 days.
Power 1
Day 1-10.
This starts on Day 1 of your cycle. This means the first day you bleed, not the spotting before.
Here, Oestrogen comes racing in to take over from Progesterone. She is your extroverted hormone, fun and out going. Giving you strength and power to go go go, you will have more energy, better stress management and you feel less hungry.
Leaning in to longer fasts at this time is good for the body, and you can increase your workouts.
Manifest
Day 10-15
This is when Oestrogen reaches her peak and you ovulate, you also get 5 days of Testosterone and a little bit of Progesterone.
At this time all your hormones are high, together they give you strength, stamina, connection and cognitive function among other benefits.
This is the time for shorter fasts, to start a new project, have a difficult conversation and lift weights.
Power 2
Day 15-19
Your body has ovulated and your hormones have done their job. This is a time when all your hormones are low, if you are in tune with your body you may feel the drop.
When hormones are low you can fast longer and follow the principles of Power 1.
Nurture
Day 19 to bleed
Many women are missing a cycle due to not understanding this phase. This is the most important phase.
This is a time to nurture your body, it has worked hard for you the whole month, this is when you rest.
Here Progesterone makes her début, she is your introverted hormone, she makes you calm, giving you a lower tolerance to stress.
You need Progesterone to be as high as possible to build the uterine lining in your womb. To support this, add more of nature's carbs into your diet.
No fasting at this time, as fasting can be a stressor on the body.
Contact me
E-mail: charlie@infradianrhythms.co.uk
Location: Oxfordshire.