Cycle Syncing 101: Why Your Cycle Isn’t Just About Periods
Understand Your Cycle
Unlock Your Potential
In this Newsletter:
➡️ What Is Cycle Syncing & Why It Matters
➡️ The 4 Phases of Your Cycle
➡️ Key Hormones That Run the Show
➡️ How to Start Working With Your Cycle, Not Against It
I used to label my low-energy days as “lazy” and my emotional days as “irrational.” I’d push through intense workouts when my body just wanted rest. Or force productivity during a time my brain wanted to turn inward.
Turns out, I wasn’t lazy or moody — I was just out of sync with my own biology.
Learning how my cycle actually works — and how my hormones shift week to week — gave me something I didn’t expect: clarity. I’m still in the process of syncing my life with my cycle, but just recognizing the phases has changed how I treat myself. I’ve stopped punishing myself for not feeling energized every day. Instead, I meet myself with more compassion — and that’s been transformational.
Let’s dive into Cycle Syncing 101.
👉 A Note For Men: Even if you don’t have a menstrual cycle, this newsletter is still for you.
If you have a sister, daughter, partner, wife, colleague, or friend who does — this knowledge can help you understand them better, show more empathy, and support them in ways that matter.
🌀 What Is Cycle Syncing?
Cycle syncing is the practice of aligning your lifestyle — like nutrition, workouts, social plans, and even work tasks — to your natural hormonal fluctuations.
Unlike men, whose hormones reset roughly every 24 hours, women operate on a monthly biological rhythm. That’s your infradian rhythm — and it affects everything from your metabolism to your mood.
Understanding your cycle helps you optimize how you eat, move, and live at every phase.
🔬 Meet Your Hormones
Here are the key players that rise and fall throughout your cycle:
Estrogen: Promotes growth, mood, and energy. Peaks before ovulation.
Progesterone: Calming, stabilizing hormone that prepares the body for pregnancy. Rises after ovulation.
Luteinizing Hormone (LH): Triggers ovulation.
Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH): Helps eggs mature in the ovaries.
Testosterone: Boosts libido, confidence, and muscle strength — yes, women have it too!
These hormones work together to support your body’s natural rhythm, energy, fertility, and mood.
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🌸 The 4 Phases of Your Cycle (Like Seasons)
Each phase has its own hormonal fingerprint — and when we align with it, we unlock our full potential.
Every cycle is unique — some women have 26-day cycles, others 35. The day ranges I mention below are based on the “average” 28-day cycle, but don’t worry if yours looks a little different. What matters most is understanding the phases, not the exact day numbers.
As long as your hormones are generally in balance, the sequence and nature of the phases remain similar, even if their timing shifts slightly. If your phases feel dramatically different or inconsistent, it could be a sign of underlying hormonal imbalance
Menstrual Phase (Winter ❄️)
🗓️ ~Days 1–5 (Your Period)
What’s Happening:
Your uterine lining is shedding — the body’s way of clearing out what’s no longer needed to prepare for a new cycle. Estrogen and progesterone are at their lowest.
Why It Matters:
This is your body’s natural reset. Uterine shedding removes the unfertilized egg and old tissue — if this doesn’t happen efficiently, it can lead to clotting, cramping, and inflammation.
How You Might Feel:
Low energy, introspective, tender. You may crave rest and quiet — honor it.
If Hormones Are Off:
Very heavy, painful, or clot-filled periods may indicate estrogen dominance or low progesterone. Light or absent periods can signal low estrogen, hypothalamic dysfunction, or stress-related HPA axis issues.
Best Support:
Warm, iron-rich foods (soups, stews, beets, leafy greens)
Gentle movement like walking or stretching
Sleep and downtime — your body is literally doing internal cleanup
Follicular Phase (Spring 🌱)
🗓️ ~Days 6–14
What’s Happening:
FSH stimulates your ovaries to grow follicles, one of which will mature into an egg. Estrogen starts to rise, thickening the uterine lining and making you feel more energized and optimistic.
Why It Matters:
Estrogen supports collagen production, skin glow, brain sharpness, and mood. It's your motivation hormone.
How You Might Feel:
Creative, motivated, curious — like waking up after a long winter.
If Hormones Are Off:
Low estrogen: fatigue, low libido, dry skin, brain fog
Estrogen dominance: PMS, breast tenderness, bloating
Best Support:
Try new things, set goals, schedule brainstorming tasks
Start incorporating moderate-intensity workouts
Eat lighter, fresh foods like sprouts, legumes, and lean protein
Ovulatory Phase (Summer ☀️)
🗓️ ~Days 14–16 (Varies per person)
What’s Happening:
LH surges, triggering ovulation (the release of an egg). Estrogen peaks, and testosterone makes a brief appearance, increasing libido and confidence.
Why It Matters:
This is your most fertile window — and hormonally, your most magnetic. Estrogen also supports heart and bone health.
How You Might Feel:
Energized, social, glowing. This is peak productivity and connection time.
If Hormones Are Off:
Irregular or absent ovulation = potential thyroid issues, PCOS, or under-eating
Low LH can lead to poor egg release and fertility struggles
Best Support:
Plan events, meetings, and high-intensity workouts here
Eat antioxidant-rich foods (berries, greens, vitamin C foods)
Hydrate well — cervical fluid is peaking too!
Luteal Phase (Autumn 🍂)
🗓️ ~Days 17–28
What’s Happening:
The body produces progesterone from the corpus luteum (the empty follicle after ovulation). Estrogen drops, then rises slightly. If no pregnancy occurs, both decline.
Why It Matters:
Progesterone is your calming, anti-anxiety hormone. It helps with sleep, mood, and uterine lining stability. If it's low, PMS can get intense.
How You Might Feel:
At first: grounded and focused. Toward the end: more sensitive, tired, craving carbs. Your metabolism rises slightly.
If Hormones Are Off:
Low progesterone = anxiety, insomnia, short cycles, spotting
Estrogen dominance = bloating, breast pain, intense PMS
Best Support:
Add complex carbs, magnesium, and vitamin B6
Choose resistance training or pilates over HIIT
Cut back on caffeine or alcohol to support liver detox
🧠 Cycle Awareness Is a Game-Changer
When you ignore your cycle, you risk burnout, hormone imbalances, and never quite understanding why you feel off.
When you work with your body:
✅ You reduce PMS
✅ Improve mood + metabolism
✅ Sleep better
✅ Feel empowered, not unpredictable
Your cycle isn’t a burden — it’s a blueprint.
👀 Coming Next Week: What to Eat in Each Phase
You’ll learn how to fuel your body in a way that feels right — because it’s based on your hormones, not a one-size-fits-all plan.
Until then, be gentle with yourself this week — you’re not a machine. You’re cyclical, powerful, and already working in perfect rhythm. You just need to tune in.
Warmly,
Viktorija 💛