The moon vs. your body

What to know about cycle syncing 🌙

Last week a girlfriend and I were catching up over FaceTime and somehow spiraled into a conversation about how it wasn’t until adulthood that we realized women operate on a 28 day schedule and men operate on a 24 hour schedule. Guess which one the world is designed for?

I spent nearly 30 years of my life gaslighting myself into saying things like “man why am I so lazy today” and being down on myself for being hyper productive one week and barely able to function another. Why did I feel so pretty in my skin certain days and down on myself others? It was easy to fall into the “women are crazy” narrative or we just aren’t as motivated.

It couldn’t be further from the truth. Learning about how our bodies are different is such crucial information that could have shaped how we were raised and how we saw ourselves. Working with our bodies, instead of against them.

In adulthood, I dove deep into this because I wanted answers, and here’s the TL;DR of what I found & what I think every woman should know. Including how we’ve been told that there are 4 phases, but I’m pretty sure it’s only 3?!

In this column you’ll find:

• Why body doubling is my productivity hack

• European Summer vs. Toddler Summer

• I was influenced: the eye balm I’m obsessed with

• The perfect dark brown eyeliner

• Cycle syncing 101: including why there technically are only 3 phases, not 4 (more on this below)

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⬆️ This week’s highs:

I had my two female cousins (17 and 22) visit for about 36 hours and accomplished more with them than I have on my own in a month. There’s something about female energy and the willingness to help that is so contagious. When someone enthusiastically offers to help you do mundane things like organize the pantry or clean out your summer wardrobe, it’s my love language.

I’ve always been someone who strives when I “body double” either in person or virtually, but the sense of community pulls me into my most active self.

In case you didn’t know…

Body doubling is a productivity technique where you work on a task in the presence of another person, either physically or virtually, to enhance focus and reduce procrastination. The presence of another person, even if they are working on a different task, can provide a sense of accountability and structure, making it easier to initiate and complete tasks.

⬇️ This week’s lows:

I’m in cyclical searches trying to find the best European city to take a 3.5 year old toddler. We have a wedding in Portugal next month and since flights from ATL to POR aren’t direct we are tacking another city onto the trip. I can’t seem to find any clarity on cities from Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, or Paris and how they would be for a toddler. If you have person experience or if you’ve seen anything, will you send it my way?

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• This has become my new favorite every day with color. It's perfect for medium skin. It gives you like a really beautiful color but it's not overpowering.

• There are Jamaican artists that I really loved to follow separately. They both recommended this eye cream + eye cream over time so finally put the bullet in use. I've been using it for about a week and already starting to like see a difference.

• This is a high-quality precision eyeliner that's in a dark brown and if you know me, you know I love dark brown I replaced all of my blacks with it. I really do love this brand and this is a great product and worth it.

• I’ve been obsessed with the Pixi sheer blush, I did a video on it for the “glow from within” look. Bonus points if you apply it before your foundation for an “underpainting” effect.

Can you do me a favor? If you like this, will you hit the heart ❤️ at the bottom of your email? I pinky promise it helps me and will only take you a second!

🌀 what’s the deal with cycle syncing

Has someone ever asked you if you are a morning person or an evening person? You kinda hesitate and say well, “depends on the day” - you’re not alone.

Men operate on a 24 hour schedule. Women operate on a 28 DAY schedule. The world is designed for men.

Conveniently, the rhythm of a man’s cycle is perfectly aligned with normal working life and regular day and night patterns. Men are at their best during the day because their cycle works in harmony with a 9-5 lifestyle.

Their hormones (yes they have them too) experience spikes and dips too, just in a shorter timeframe - over the course of 24 hours.

Women on the other hand, our cycles don’t really seem to care about our professional lives. A female cycle is aligned with the irregular monthly moon rhythms so we don’t have the same hormonal advantage as men in the workplace. We’re often working against our bodies, instead of with them.

So what now?

We need to understand our cycle and make the most of it rather than working against it.

The phases and approximate lengths of time they can last are below:

• Menstruation: about 1 to 5 days on average

• Follicular: the first 14 days of the cycle

  • I learned the day 1 of your period is also day 1 of your Follicular phase so your period is encompassed in this.

• Ovulatory: about 12 to 24 hours

• Luteal: the last 12-14 days of the cycle

Honestly this is really confusing because every Google search will tell you that there are 4 phases, but there actually is kinda only 3: pre ovulation, ovulation, post ovulation

I thought about writing out the best things to do during each part of your cycle, but that’s boring so I made it into a fun graphic for you to review if you’re a visual learner like me. (see below)

Now let’s answer some of your biggest questions!

⏱️ WHAT IS CYCLE SYNCING?

It’s a way to work with your body’s natural rhythm to be more productive, healthier, and truly listen to your body and it’s needs.

👩 WHERE DID IT COME FROM?

The term came from Alisa Vitti’s book “Woman Code” in 2014. She’s an integrative nutritionist and women’s hormone expert. She’s also the founder of the Flo app.

Look! I made you a graphic!

➕ WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

According to experts, cycle syncing is thought to provide several potential benefits, some of which include:

• Feeling more energized

• Feeling more balanced and experiencing less mood swings

• Making workouts more effective

• Providing fertility support and knowing the best time to conceive

📱 HOW DO I TRACK?

You can use your calendar, the Apple Health app, or any of these apps: Flo, Clue or Spot On.

🐣 DOES THIS WORK IF I’M ON BIRTH CONTROL?

Sources say… no. If you’re on birth control it’ll alter the phases of your natural hormone cycle to stop ovulation. Since those hormones override your natural ones, cycle syncing won’t really work here.

Chart from CLUE helps understand how our hormones play into this cycle

🥕 AM I SUPPOSED TO CHANGE WHAT I EAT?

That’s up to you, studies show nutrient needs change slightly depending on each stage of the menstrual cycle.

For example, iron levels tend to be lower during the menstruation phase, so to support your body add in iron-rich foods like nuts, lentils and meat.

During the menstrual cycle, it’s recommended to eat foods that help reduce inflammation and replenish blood loss like omega-3s and vitamin B12. More on this in the chart!

😐️ Should I try it?

That’s really up to you! I noticed a huge benefit when I started tracking my cycle with my Oura Ring. It took into account where I was in my cycle and also my resting heart rate, how well I slept the past night, my activity levels, etc.

What really sold me on it is that I used to blame myself if I woke up one day bustling with energy and checking things off of my to-do list and other day I could barely get the energy to write an email. If this sounds like you, it could be worth it to work with our bodies instead of against them.

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