The Phases of our Infradian Rhythm
Published May 2020 by Alyssa Miller
Today we are talking about the phases of our menstrual cycle as well as our Circadian and Infradian Rhythms.
Note: Check out my video covering this topic here ⬇️ They get posted to Instagram and Facebook every Friday along with these blog posts!
Those are a lot of big words up there. I get it! No worries, I will do my best to make it easy to understand and break it down to how it affects us, what is has to do with skin and the next steps to take to create a healthy balance.
I heard Alisa Vitti (OB/GYN) speak for the first time on Kelly Leveque's podcast Be Well By Kelly. I have mad respect for Kelly and *highly* recommend her podcast, books and following her on social media! I listened to the podcast with Alisa called "Living in the Flo" THREE times through and took 6 pages of notes!! It seemed that all the information rolling around in my head suddenly had a home. I know all the information coming at you in the next few weeks as I dive into women's health is a lot. However, I also know it will give you the answers you've been searching for to balance your body naturally and bring to back to a state of balance and harmony, just like it was made to be. Hold on for the ride babe, here we go! ✨
The Circadian Rhythm
The Circadian Rhythm summed up is this: it's our bodies natural internal clock that gives us energy in the morning starting at work to release epinephrine two hours before we wake and uses melatonin to start winding us down in the evening. This rhythm is also very in sync with light- the light of day and the dark at night affect our rhythm significantly. Ever had jet lag? Ever felt like you could take an afternoon nap? Ohhhh ya this plays a huge role! Upon activation of light special photoreceptor cells in the retina in our eyes transmit signals to the hypothalamus and then on to the pineal gland that integrates rhythmic patterns and sleep patterns. The pineal gland is responsible for melatonin production. Healthy sleep patterns ensure a healthy gut, stable mood, memory and protection of our immune system. Kind of important right?! ?
Not only that, our body makes hormones every day and is also made to rid them every day. Men are naturally nutrient wasters. Their bodies don’t hold on to these hormones like ours do. Women are the complete opposite. We have a much more complex system and we are also made to carry life and carry on the population. This is why your husband can go on a diet and lose weight seemingly easy, while we don’t budge or even gain weight at the end of a month. There are many things in a woman's body that must be in balance to do so and that changes as we go through our monthly cycle. If the liver cannot get rid of these excess hormones properly, they become toxic and cause debilitating health problems- especially PMS and weight gain. All of these issues relate back to skin. Our skin is the body's largest form of elimination, so if something is off inside, it’s got to come out somehow and it probably won’t be ideal (aka a giant monthly zit or several).
The Infradian Rhythm
Women have something special called the Infradian Rhythm. Men can have this too, as different systems of our body have their own internal systems. However, we have our monthly cycle and this plays an enormous role in many, many functions of our body. It affects our brain from who we are as a person to who we are attracted to, our gut microbiome (which completely affects ovulation), stress response and reproduction (hello, estrogen).
Think of this like a second biological clock running in the background. "The Infradian Rhythm creates a 25% change in women's brain chemistry over the course of a month" says Alisa Vitti. A woman's metabolism speeds up and slows down throughout her cycle, as well as cortisol. So why is it that I can do the same workout at two difficult times in a month and feel completely different during and after? Well Alisa described it perfectly by helping me understand that we have four phases as we go from ovulation to our actual period. Our body needs different foods and forms of exercise during each phase to aid our liver in breaking down estrogen properly and ridding excess. Without understanding this, we can have toxic overload that is causing us horrible PMS, infertility, pre-menopause and even diseases like PCOS or endometriosis. I, for example, am very regular, but basically have to plan to have an entire day off once a month because of my symptoms. This is not normal! In fact, there is healing! That alone gives me new life, knowing that I don’t have to live this way. ??
Okay, so what are the four phases and how do they work? First of all, I highly recommend downloading the My Flo App created by Alisa. It is $1.99 for both Apple and Android and it’s amazing! It tells you where you are in your cycle, how to exercise, eat and plan your calendar accordingly. Yes and amen! She also has two books: "In the Flo" and and "Woman Code". Understanding what your body needs and how it works is so important and beneficial in every aspect of life.
Now, for a basic outline of the four phases. Your metabolism and cortisol levels ebb and flow throughout and that it is why it is so important to understand what is happening to burn fat and build lean muscle mass. For example, HIIT workouts during the Menstrual phase will turn OFF lean muscle storage and turn ON fat storage! That’s crazy. Here’s more info:
The Phases
The Follicular Phase: This begins as soon as you stop bleeding. All hormones are at their lowest level and beginning to slowly increase. Your eggs are starting to mature in the ovaries. You feel lighter, open and creative. This is when you don’t need to eat quite as much and can sustain cardio workouts easily.
The Ovulatory Phase: Everyone usually knows this one because you are trying to conceive.... or not! The eggs are starting to be released from the ovaries and estrogen works to thicken the uterine lining. Testosterone begins to surge, driving desire and then drops around ovulation. The verbal and social centers of the brain are stimulated. This is a great time to go out with friends, try new things and be active. Raw fruits and veggies help metabolize and eliminate any estrogen surplus. This is a great time to do HIIT workouts and high-energy group events like spin or a bootcamp.
The Luteal Phase: Ohhh the luteal. This is when all of PMS comes to be in all its glory. Estrogen, progesterone and testosterone reach their peak concentrations and then begin to fall to their lowest levels right before bleeding begins. Estrogen thickens the uterine lining and progesterone keep s the lining in place in anticipation of a fertilized embryo. Your brain chemistry is optimized this week for task and detail orientation and bringing projects to completion. PMS comes from too much estrogen in relation to progesterone production. During the first part of this week when you have lots of energy and use it to channel slow strength training or intense yoga. Later in the week when your energy levels lower, stick to lighter activities and listen to how you’re feeling. Blood sugar is more unstable and cannot sustain cardio-heavy workouts like the phases prior. Emphasize foods high in B vitamins to stave off sugar cravings and eat lots of leafy greens to boost calcium and magnesium while reducing fluid retention. Add roasted or baked veggies to help your liver and large intestine flush out estrogen efficiently. You will feel like you want to eat more and this is a good thing! Your metabolism speeds up and you'll have higher cortisol at rest, which means you need an average of 230 more calories per day.
The Menstrual Phase: This phase begins as soon as bleeding begins. Hormone levels quickly decline to their lowest concentrations and create much communication between the left and right hemispheres of the brain. This means you can quickly understand how you feel in situations and come up with the best course of action. This is a great time for analysis, review, and strategizing. Your energy will be at its lowest here and it’s completely okay to rest and recover. When you feel up for it engage in lighter activities like walking, yoga or mat pilates. Focus on foods that add nutrients during this intense time for your body. Proteins, fats, low glycemic index veggies and fruits that keep blood sugar steady while adding fiber and antioxidants. Seafood can help mineralize with iron and zinc, which you lose during menstruation. Soups and stews may sound great at this time, so have some fun!
Like I mentioned above- a lot of info. Now, you can piece together what you feel and when during your cycle and understand what is happening internally. When blood sugar and hormones are balanced, cortisol and metabolism are balanced which keeps you feeling your best and best of all: clear, glowing, healthy skin! Beauty is a WHOLE. It must be looked at this way or we will never truly get to the bottom of the mystery our skin tells us every day. What was something that stood out to you the most? What are you most excited to try or test out? I could hardly wait to get this info out to you. I know your life just changed, right along with mine ❤️❤️❤️
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below as well as my Instagram IGTV that goes along with this blog post and Facebook post. Follow, like, comment and share! You can also find me on YouTube and pinning inspo on Pinterest. I appreciate you being here ?
Here is the link for the My Flo App by Alisa Vitti! https://myflotracker.com/
Much love -A