Journey To The Soul

The Rhythm of Your Cycle: A Practical Blueprint for Everyday Life

• Jacenda Villa

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Discovering the rhythm of your menstrual cycle could be the key to unlocking more energy, productivity, and peace in your life. What if instead of pushing through your period with gritted teeth, you could actually flow with your body's natural wisdom?

The practice of cycle syncing allows us to work with our hormonal shifts rather than against them. Each phase of our cycle brings different strengths, challenges, and needs. Your follicular phase (inner spring) brings rising creativity and energy perfect for new projects and lighter foods. During ovulation (inner summer), your natural magnetism peaks, making it ideal for presentations, socializing, and more intense movement. As you transition to your luteal phase (inner fall), your body craves more nourishment and completion-focused work. Finally, your menstrual phase (inner winter) calls for deep rest, reflection, and gentler care.

This isn't about adding another item to your wellness to-do list. It's about understanding the natural ebbs and flows of your body so you can honor them. When we fight against our cyclical nature, we often create more stress, fatigue, and frustration. But when we learn to sync with our cycles, we can experience more ease, energy when we need it, and permission to rest when that's what our bodies require. Whether you're looking to optimize your workouts, improve your productivity, or simply feel more at home in your body, cycle syncing offers a framework that celebrates rather than suppresses your feminine wisdom.

Ready to experiment with this approach? Start small by tracking your cycle and noticing patterns in your energy, focus, and cravings. Choose just one area to sync—perhaps your movement practice or work scheduling—and see how it feels to honor your body's changing needs. Your body has been speaking to you all along. Now might be the perfect time to listen.

Alisa Vitti has a wonderful chart that you can use as a guide of how your hormones fluctuate HERE over the length of your cycle. You can also find her phase specific food list HERE.

Check out her book: In the Flo

You can tune into the first episode on cycle syncing HERE if you missed it. It will lay the foundation for this one :)

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Speaker 1:

Hello, my loves, welcome to this week's episode. I hope you are all having a beautiful day, wherever you are tuning in from. Today I wanted to go into the next portion of the cycle syncing episode, which I released the first one a few weeks ago. So if you haven't tuned into that episode, I highly suggest you do before you tune into this one. But this week I wanted to move more into the different nuances of cycle syncing and how we can actually put that into use in our life in very practical ways. So the first episode really laid a foundation for us to be able to better understand what's going on with our body more at a physiological level and to see why these ebbs and flow that we feel come about through our hormones, all the key hormones that play a role in that. So I really do suggest you listen to that one, but if not, listen to it after this episode too. But I do also want to start with saying and I know I said it in the last episode too is that not everything is meant for everyone. So I know that cycle syncing has been one of the things that more and more people in the wellness space have been talking about. It kind of sounds more like a trend and stuff like that. You know, a lot of wellness trends sometimes can get a little bit of a bad rap because it's like they gain traction for some time and then they kind of die or they're proved wrong or all of these other things. And I'm sharing this because it really has helped me and I think that, whether you choose to use this information to actually try cycle syncing or not, I think, knowing the physiological aspect of it, you know, and how our body does change, is valuable information for any woman, regardless of whether you choose to cycle sync or not. And I say this a lot with a lot of things, because I really do believe that we are all, like in the more physical sense, bio-individual, which means that what's good for one person is not necessarily good for another. So and that applies with anything, because we are not all the same Our genetic makeup, our bodies, you know, how we came into this world, the environment that we grew up, but just our souls, you know we are just so, not all the same. So this could be something that a lot of people are having conversations about. If this is something that doesn't vibe with you or you feel like this is overwhelming or it's not something that you really want to apply into. Is overwhelming or it's not something that you really want to apply into your life, that's okay. You're going to know that If something in this episode piques your interest, that's going to be your sign that maybe this is something that you should explore more.

Speaker 1:

So, again, so much of what I talk about in these episodes are stuff that I either do or have learned about or different things like that, and this is something that I do do and I have been practicing myself for probably going on four years now. It started very lightly I kind of experimented with it a little bit because it did seem very overwhelming to me at first to cycle sync, which is essentially to change the way that we eat, move, connect and do work based off of our cycle and how the hormones in each phase of our cycle influence those things. So, therefore, what we need in each phase of our cycle, which there's four phases in our cycle is going to change. So we're going to touch on how we can do that, if you want to do that. So how can we flow with each phase? And we're going to look at, like I mentioned, how we eat, how we move, how we focus during each phase, mentally and emotionally. Again, this is based off of our hormones, where we are at during these key parts of our cycle and our desire and our need for connection.

Speaker 1:

So the first phase that we are going to explore is the follicular phase, which is right after our menstrual cycle ends, and our cycle can also be tied and correlates greatly with the seasons. So spring, summer, fall, winter, and you can see these correlations, very similar themes, really the same themes as the seasons happening within us. So, with the follicular phase, this is our inner spring, and the food that we're going to want to focus on eating here, or that we're probably just naturally drawn to without knowing, is going to be lighter foods, vibrant, fresh, you know, think, salads, lean proteins, veggies, beans, grains, and these foods will make us feel more energized Probiotic rich foods, things like oats, yogurt, avocados, zucchini, eggs, chicken. I'm going to link in the show notes a chart that can show you a list of foods that are beneficial for you to eat during each phase, if you want to try syncing your food, if that's kind of the area that you want to explore or if you're just interested in looking. So I am going to link that below.

Speaker 1:

But the purpose of the food, along with keeping our energy stable, which I'll touch on more as we continue with this episode is that, if it's done intentionally, it can actually help us detox certain hormones more efficiently, which, during certain aspects of our cycle, are actually very necessary, because, if not very necessary, because if not, we can have an excess of estrogen or progesterone that can sometimes create acne or different side effects, you know, bloating or lack of sleep. So it's all tied. When we have too much of a hormone, that's not necessarily the best for our body either. So certain foods can help us detox those hormones. The other thing, of course, with having just a healthy, wholesome diet anyways, is the fact that they provide key vitamins and minerals that are necessary for each phase, because what's going on at a cellular level, if you look, is so intricate and what your body needs in order to continue moving through these phases is so intricate. So it's really cool if we think about it.

Speaker 1:

So the kind of movement I don't really like saying exercise, I like saying movement, but if you want to say exercise, that would be really good for us here is to do something that is a little different than what we normally would. So if you normally lift weights or, you know, do certain workout classes, maybe trying something new, our energy levels are rising here. They're still pretty low, but they slowly start to rise, so it can be hit dancing, hiking, running, some kind of cardio. But we want to make sure that we're using up some of this energy that we have and our focus when it comes to our mind, and we're setting all of these little seeds, because they're all going to tie into each other as we continue on. But we have, of course, our inner season, which we talked about is our inner spring, and our focus for our mind during this period of time, during these days of our cycle, is to prepare.

Speaker 1:

So this is a time for new beginnings and fresh starts. It's going to be a wonderful time for you to start a new creative project if maybe you weren't energized during another part of your cycle or to set intentions for what you want to accomplish for the week, for the coming, you know, month, or just do anything that allows you to really make use of your creativity, which is higher right now. And when it comes to connection, it's a great time for you to say yes to new experiences. So, whether that's with other people, but really evaluating what feels good and pleasurable, what do you want to do more of, and allowing yourself to do that during this time? And after a few days of our follicular phase, we move on to our ovulation phase and this is our.

Speaker 1:

So the foods that we're going to be more drawn to eating here are going to be lighter grains, a lot of fruit and vegetables for our body to be able to metabolize the higher levels of estrogen during this time. Fiber-rich foods. Your body doesn't naturally need as many calories during the first half of this phase. Need as many calories during the first half of this phase, so some foods can be corn, quinoa, strawberries, pumpkin seeds, salmon, things like that. And your movement is going to help you really burn off your energy at this time, because your energy is at its highest right now. So things that feel good to you for you to be able to do that effectively. But some examples are power yoga classes, boot camp classes if that's your fancy. Strength training is also still really good or, again, hiit classes, just whatever feels good.

Speaker 1:

But during these days, which the ovulation phase is one of the shortest phase of your cycle, along with your menstrual phase. You're going to feel that added energy, that added sense of vitality. So really tuning into what'll feel good for you and your focus, your mental focus, during this time is going to be to open up. So you're going to feel very social and communicative. So putting yourself out there is going to be the best thing. This is your most social phase, so this is a great time for you to schedule meetings, present ideas, to speak, socialize, to collaborate with other people, to do all the things that maybe you need to do that require your most extroverted self, your most shiny, you know, magnetic self. This is where we're going to feel that energy more. So just engage with the people that you want to be with, be magnetic, go out with friends more. If that feels good to you, you know, schedule a date night with your partner or something like that.

Speaker 1:

The next phase that we're looking at is your luteal phase and it's your inner fall and your body naturally needs more food during this time. So if you notice yourself being hungrier than you were a week ago, that's normal. You should honor that and it's telling you for a reason it's getting ready to go into the menstrual phase. So in order for it to do that, it needs to feel safe. So if you do feel more hungry, that's okay. And during this phase as well, it's super important that we look as much as possible at balancing meals. So every meal that we should have should have some kind of protein, fat, fiber and carbs. But it's for us to be able to stabilize our blood sugar as much as possible, because during this phase, this is a time where our blood sugar can also be more sensitive and it can also just help us manage cravings more, which is usually when we have the cravings during our cycle.

Speaker 1:

It's the days leading up to our period, right, or during our period. So things like slow-burning carbs and high-fiber foods are going to help us feel nourished, full and satisfied. So things like brown rice, sweet potato, cauliflower, chickpeas, brown rice, sweet potato, cauliflower, chickpeas, beef, turkey all of that good stuff is going to be really nourishing right now, and our movement here is going to change a little bit. So during the first half of our cycle we're going to still feel a little bit more energized, and then that will slowly start to go down. Our energy will start to go down, and that's okay. So just honor that you can start the first few days with strength training, more intense yoga, power Pilates, and then move to lighter movements if that feels good to you, such, as you know, walking, more mat style Pilates or yin yoga. So you're going to notice that shift and just allow your body to really see what it wants to do. You know, you could just simply ask your body the question of what really feels good for me to do in this moment and if you tune in and you notice where your energy is, you'll notice where you want to go, and our mental focus during this time is devotion.

Speaker 1:

So these are the days leading up to our menstrual cycle. So this is a great time for us to complete things, to nurture things that need to get done, to tend to little things that we need to do. It's all about finishing projects and tying up any loose ends. So just going through your to-do lists and checking off things that you might want to get done before you know that you're going to be more low energy when your menstrual cycle comes. So just carve out time to get the projects that you want to do done. It's a little more of a doing phase and with connection, you might feel more social during the first half of this phase because you still have more energy and again, as your hormones dip slowly, during the second half of your phase you might not feel as energized. So honor yourself and your needs. You know, if you don't feel like doing as much socializing or staying at home more, that's totally okay. You should definitely set some boundaries where you need them.

Speaker 1:

And our final phase is our menstrual phase. It's our inner winter and the foods that we want to focus on here are high protein and high fat and it's to keep our energy and mood stable. And we really want to also try to do as much warm food as possible, foods to help nourish the blood and keep the blood sugar stable, since during this particular phase our blood sugar is going to be more sensitive. So warm foods are going to really nourish the body. Things that we could look at eating are going to be wild rice, kale, beets, blueberry, kidney beans, low sugar kind of fruits and things like that low sugar kind of fruits and things like that and your movement will be very much tailored to how your energy feels, which right now you're going to feel at your lowest during the first couple of days of your cycle and you don't need to do anything if you really don't feel like doing anything.

Speaker 1:

I think a lot of women push themselves more when it comes to this cycle and our luteal phase. I think it's natural because we feel like we constantly need to do things the way that we've always done things, or we have certain expectations of ourselves, of you know, I'm gonna move my body five times a week and it's going to look like this and all of these things. But if you really don't feel like doing it and it doesn't feel nourishing to you, if you feel like you're going to do a workout and it's going to make you more tired, you shouldn't be doing the workout. So your body is going to tell you if you want to just rest during this entire time, that's okay. Take a nap. Literally, you can do some light movement if you feel energized to do that Things like walking, yin yoga or Pilates but you don't have to push it and it's actually more detrimental to your hormones if you do push it, because during this phase your body is less tolerant to stress.

Speaker 1:

So things like a super hard workout could add stress to your body and elevate your cortisol, which we don't want. So and it's the same during the luteal phase, but it gets more emphasized during this phase. And it's the same during the luteal phase, but it gets more emphasized during this phase, which is why we naturally again, if we want to work with our cycle, we slowly start taking a step back from the intensity of our workout in the luteal phase and then in the menstrual phase. It's really low impact things that we want to work on, because even though we're working out, depending on how we're working out and where our body is, that can actually do more harm than good to our body.

Speaker 1:

It's not that you can't do anything. That's so not what I'm saying. It's saying that we want to try to focus on doing the right things, the right things that are not going to add more stress to our body, and our mental focus during this time is going to be just that. It's going to be to rest. It's going to be a perfect time for you to reflect on the last month, on what you want to do going forward. It's a good time to go inward, to do research on anything that maybe you've been wanting to do research on. Again, that's not something that is too mentally demanding, so it's a great time to just kind of lay on the couch with your laptop and do that, or sit on your desk and do that and just let your intuition guide you.

Speaker 1:

Again, for some women that perhaps struggle with rest, this could be a time to just let yourself rest and not have super high expectations of yourself. If you need to do certain things, maybe just setting one thing on your to-do list and letting it be light, you know. But if you feel tired and you feel like you can rest, to allow yourself to rest, and if you've never cycle synced before, I really suggest that you start with something small because, like I mentioned, this can be super overwhelming at first. It's like, okay, there's the food, there's the movement, there's, you know, the connection. There's all of these different ways that we can apply it, but I highly suggest that you just choose one thing that you really feel called to experiment with, if that is your food, or if that's your movements, or how you plan out your month according to each phase of your cycle, see what feels good to you and I know I mentioned this in the first episode as well, but one of the keys to being able to do this is being able to track your cycle, so making sure that you have something that helps you see where you are in your cycle if you're using an app or using a calendar or something like that and just experiment, see what feels good to you.

Speaker 1:

This is not about perfection. This is us just having more information to honor who we are as women, and I don't want this to be just another thing that you have to do. Again, I feel like with a lot of the wellness-y things, it feels like just that. It's like, oh, I have to remember to this and to this and to do the sauna and to move my body and to eat healthy and to tongue scrape. It's like we have a laundry list of things that we need to do and just experiment with it, and it feels like something that you want to do. Allow yourself to do it. But for me, the biggest thing is that I think it allows us, as women, to be more empowered in our bodies. We are cyclical beings and it's learning for us to honor and work with each of these phases that we're in, working with the energy versus against it, because that enhances our overall well-being, our happiness, our joy, our sense of peace. It really ties into every aspect of our life, if you want to dive into this more.

Speaker 1:

If you heard this episode and you're like okay, I really want to know how to do all the things and to understand this at a deeper level, I would highly suggest Elisa Vitti's book In the Flow. I'm going to link it down below as well. If you've never heard of it or never read it, she's a gem. She's actually the person that created this method, and her book, of course, goes a lot more in depth to this and there's a lot of great things that you can reference to in that. But our body is always speaking to us. This is just a way to deepen our relationship with ourselves and to soften into our flow. I hope this episode invited you to do that. I look forward to talking to you all next time.