Living In Flow: The Follicular Phase

What does it mean to live in flow with your life? Last week I discussed the wisdom in your body, and now we're diving deeper into what it means to live in the flow of your body.  Cycle syncing is a beautiful way to reconnect with the innate wisdom with your body. 
Let's start with Phase 1: the Follicular Phase. 

First, some basics about cycle syncing. Men run on 24 hour cycles while women run on 28 day cycles. The 28 day cycle is broken down into 4 distinct cycles, each with their own duration, as well as specific energetic and dietary needs. 

If you're on a diet or perform the same exercises week after week, you are functioning on a 24 hour cycle and it's likely that you feel yourself pushing beyond your body's wisdom at times, like exercising when your body is telling you it needs rest, or limiting carbs when your cycle needs more carbs in order to function optimally. 

When we function on a 24 hour cycle instead of a 28 day cycle as we're meant to, we end up experiencing fatigue, weight gain, sleep disruption, loss of desire for joy and pleasure & more. ​The good news is that once we get in touch with our cycles, we're able to harness their power  to work for us instead of against us. 

I know what it's like to dread getting your period. For most of my life I would experience excruciating pain each month, sometimes to the point of losing consciousness. It wasn't until this year that I was diagnosed with Endometriosis and had surgery to help with my pain management. Needless to say I had been living out of sync with my cycles- in fact I had no interest in getting into the flow of my cycles. I would have been happy to never hear about or experience a cycle again. However now that I have explored the wisdom that each cycle has to give me, I feel more connected to my body than ever. I hope this will help you in your journey also!

Phase 1 is known as the Follicular Phase

I will get more in depth about the needs of each cycle as we continue to explore cycle syncing, but here are some basics to keep in mind during your Follicular Phase: 

• Duration: 7-10 days
• The Follicular Phase follows your Menstrual Phase. 
• During the Follicular Phase your physical energy increases so you may find yourself with a boost of energy. This is a great time to utilize that energy to try a new exercise class you've been eyeing. 
• Your creativity is at it's peak during this phase so this is a great time to invest in brainstorming and implementing plans for work or home. 
• During this phase all hormone levels are at their lowest so keep your foods vibrant and light. Enjoy lots of salads, lean proteins and grains.

What questions do you have about the Follicular Phase, or cycle syncing? I'm excited to dive into this with you!