I Miss My Menstrual Cycle

I read a newsletter email the other day from Claire Baker about being productive and on her period. And it made me miss the ebb and flow of my menstrual cycle. 

I miss the monthly reset of my period. 

I miss the energy boost that comes with the end of my period. 

I miss the outgoing, energetic, take on the world mentality of ovulation. 

I’ve said it before but pregnancy feels like you’re stuck in your luteal phase. 

And I guess that’s because you are. 

Your luteal phase is the two(ish) weeks between ovulation and when you start your next period. So, if you get pregnant and don’t start that period you are kind of stuck in luteal limbo. 

Normally, the luteal phase is a great reminder to slow down and take it easy on your upcoming period. But being stuck here for 7 months has left me wanting that fresh restart and energy that comes from a new cycle, and I know it’s not coming anytime soon. 

I am really curious to see how my body rebalances after giving birth, what my hormones do, and how my cycle returns. But I have to say I’m looking forward to having a cycle again when it comes back. 

I’ve had a few people say, “Oh I bet it’s been nice not having a period.” And honestly I like my period. I like my cycle. And I miss it.

I look forward to documenting my returning cycle and fertility after birth and how I’m handling it. 

I’m not complaining about being pregnant. It’s been lovely and I’m so grateful that I am. I wouldn’t trade having a monthly cycle for this pregnancy. I’m just excited to get it back, that’s all.

Estrogen Deficiency

So, I’ve talked a lot before about progesterone deficiencies because that’s something I have experience with personally. And so while I don’t have personal experience with estrogen deficiencies I wanted to try to balance it out with just doing some research and sharing what I’ve found. 

But take all of this with a grain of salt, I'm no expert and I’m not pretending to be. 

This is simply to get your wheels turning if you’re experiencing any of this. You don’t have to struggle, solutions are out there for you. 

Alright let’s start with the importance of estrogen. At puberty it helps with the growth of our breasts, pubic and armpit hair as well as helps start our wonderful menstrual cycles. 

As you get older it keeps your cholesterol where it’s supposed to be, protects your bones (for both men and women), and it impacts your brain, heart and skin. All things I would have no idea had anything to do with estrogen if I hadn’t been told that. 

When we think of estrogen we think of the reproductive system and menstrual cycle. Our ovaries are what produce the largest amount of estrogen in our body. It is also made in our adrenal glands as well as fat tissues. 

A lot of things can influence how much estrogen our bodies make. We can have too much estrogen because of things like birth control pills or estrogen replacement therapy. 

Next let’s go into the symptoms of an estrogen deficiency (and it’s worth noting it’s normal to experience some of these at different points in your cycle when your estrogen levels are naturally lower):

+ hot flashes

+ irregular periods (common to have light or nonexistent periods)

+ depression and mood swings

+ breast tenderness

+ increased UTI’s

+ fatigue

+ trouble concentrating

+ weight gain

+ hair loss

+ insomnia

+ dry skin

+ vaginal dryness

+ night sweats

+ loss of libido

Estrogen is an important part of how our bodies function. “It builds bone, strengthens muscle, slows aging, raises libido, enhances insulin sensitivity and boosts serotonin.” 

It can be common for women going through menopause or peri-menopause to be low in estrogen. 

But if you’re young and therefore shouldn’t be experiencing menopause you might not be ovulating, which is the key event in menstrual health. 

If you’re experiencing irregular cycles, anovulatory cycles, or other hormonal imbalances I hate to say it but hormonal birth control is not the answer. It is not going to “balance out your hormones” it’s going to shut off ovulation and therefore stop estradiol (one of your natural estrogens). 

If you’re reading this and think “this is me!” don’t stress out. I love the book Period Repair Manual for hormonal imbalances as well as Lara Briden and Alisa Vitti’s websites. While I’m not in a position to recommend treatment there are lovely women out there like Lara and Alisa who can. 

Have any of you dealt with too little estrogen? What did you find helped you, or are you still searching for an answer? 

Fall is Like Your Luteal Phase

I love the concept that the seasons exist within your menstrual cycle, and I definitely believe there is some truth to this. 

And by exploring this I believe you can gain a better understanding of your cycle. So, in honor of the changing seasons we’re going to talk about how fall is like our luteal phase. 

First off, your luteal phase is the end of your cycle before your period comes and your cycle starts again. Depending on the length of your particular cycle it is roughly the last week of your cycle. 

So, fall is like your luteal phase, but what about the rest of your cycle? 

Well, winter is like your menstrual phase (your period), spring is like your follicular phase and summer is similar to your ovulatory phase. 

And some cycles I feel like my luteal phase is more like what I expect my menstrual phase to be, than what my period is actually like. 

It’s like vacation, often there’s a lot of build up and excitement leading up to vacation that actually lasts longer than the trip itself. And I find that my period is like that. My body and mind prepares for it longer than it actually lasts. 

So, the first similarity between fall and our final phase — we slow down. 

The energy and excitement of summer, and our ovulatory phase, wears off. If you stop to pay attention you will notice this. 

Our physical energy wains, but that isn’t necessarily a negative. Because even though physically we are pushed to slow down, mentally we’re very active and creative during this phase. 

I don’t know about you but I’m already thinking about next year, about potential goals, things I want to do and accomplish. 

And just like that our luteal phase is the perfect time to focus inward, to reflect, think and dig deep within ourselves. 

For anything you’ve been hanging onto, dragging around with you, that’s no longer serving you, this is a great time to let that extra baggage go. 

As your physical energy slows down, you may find yourself more tired than before. This reminds me of the dreary, gray weather we’re currently experiencing here in Iowa, and how this always effects my energy level. 

I feel like it’s mother nature’s way of preparing me for the hibernation of winter and my period. Yes, there are those who are super active during the winter. (We don’t have any mountains to snowboard down here unfortunately. And I’m a bit of a hermit in the winter. I like to be warm, snuggled up and cozy.) 

But I’ve been working on my relationship with winter. Well, I started last year trying to change my attitude towards the season. And learning about hygge really helped me. 

These next parts are necessarily season specific, but I’ve been feeling a draw towards them currently as the season is changing. 

I have this pull towards evolving, stepping outside my comfort zone. Doing things that are obviously going to benefit me, but I’m feeling uncomfortable about doing. 

I’m trying to break down a few walls of comfort in an effort to evolve as a business, a brand and as a person. I’m working towards being uncomfortable, whether thats in a professional way, or pushing myself in my own life. 

Instead of retreating back to where I feel comfortable when I hit that resistance, I’m trying to be ok in that sensation. Because I know that’s where growth happens. 

It’s not fun, but it’s important. 

The luteal phase is also where I find myself wanting more space and time to myself. So, I try to schedule that in. I’ve been working from home more. I find the balance between being social and being by myself depending on where I am in my cycle.

I made sure I had this past Sunday at home to get all the little things done around the house that I wanted to. I just really wanted to make a cup of coffee, put on some music and clean my apartment. 

I find something about ending my week that way very cathartic, and it sends me into the upcoming week feeling fresh, revived and ready to go. 

And just like that I like to plan out some time to do things that I want during my different phases. 

What do you feel yourself drawn towards at the end of your cycle?

Gut Health + Hormones

So, this is one of those things that I know is important, but haven’t really dug too deep into. And that's our gut flora, or gut microbiome.

I’ve noticed such a difference in my health and wellbeing from when I changed my diet and started paying more attention to what I was putting into and onto my body. 

So basically you’ve got a gut full of bacteria working hard to keep your body in order. The good bacteria in our gut are called probiotics, which we’ve all heard of.

Probiotics can help break down and recycle the hormones in our body, which is great because we don’t want too much of any hormone hanging around too long. 

And the big one that comes to mind here, and in the realm of our menstrual cycle, is estrogen. If our estrogen isn’t being properly discarded from our body it can wreak havoc on a lot of things. 

I’ve mentioned our endocrine system before, but I need to start talking about it more often because it’s pretty important. It makes over 50 hormones! To be honest I didn’t even know our bodies had that many. 

Some fascinating facts I learned when researching:

+ 95% of serotonin is made in your gut. 

+ 80% of our immune system operates from the gut. 

+ there are 80 million neurons located in your gut microbiome and it is known as the second brain! 

Symptoms of an imbalance in your gut:

+ bloating and gas

+ acne and skin issues

+ not pooping regular (diarrhea and constipation)

+ headaches and feeling foggy

+ feeling anxious or depressed

+ get sick often

+ hard to lose weight

+ deficient in vitamins and minerals

+ reoccurring yeast infections

So how can you make sure you’re helping instead of hindering your good ol’ gut bacteria? 

+ Consider a probiotic, and not just any old probiotic. Do your research, go to a local health shop and ask for a recommendation. 

+ Check out your diet! You want to avoid all the processed junk available for us to eat because it’s only going to negatively impact your gut flora. Make sure you’re getting enough fiber to keep things moving, get those good good fats in your diet, and don’t be shy when it comes to fermented foods. 

+ Avoid things like stress, antibiotics, antibacterial cleaners and like I said above, processed food. Get that cortisol under control with things like sleep, meditation, yoga, journaling, whatever works for you. 

+ Take some vitamin D. It’s actually a hormone, and important to your gut health. It’s pretty easy and common to be deficient. 

+ Ditch the pill, or at least think about it. You would be shocked to learn how much hormonal birth control impacts your body. It alters around 150 different bodily functions. It throws your microbiome off balance, and can make your PCOS worse. 

There’s so much more I want to dig into in regards to this topic, and I hope to continue to do so. 

I had a lot of digestive issues before I got my diet in order and quit the pill. Have you had gut issues? How did you figure that out, and what did you do? 

Hormonal Birth Control Doesn't "Regulate" Your Cycle

There’s something I hear time and time again, and it's something along the lines of:

“I have to take hormonal birth control to have a regular period."

OR

“My doctor wants me to get back on the pill to regulate my cycle."

And I’m here to let you in on a secret that definitely shouldn’t even be a secret:

Hormonal birth control does not regulate your menstrual cycle. 

Think of it this way, instead of “regulating” your hormones it replaces them with synthetic hormones. 

That “period" you think you’re getting, on the dot, every 28 days is actually a withdrawal bleed, not your real menstrual period.

The withdrawal bleed was actually a marketing tool created back in the day to help society accept the pill as more “natural”. Because if you’re bleeding once a month, it has to be natural right? And there are hormonal options that make women just not have a period at all. 

The pill works by messing with our endocrine system, which controls everything hormonal in our bodies. I first started recognizing the important role of our endocrine system when I read the book “WomanCode” by Alisa Vitti. 

Regular cycles, with ovulation and periods (which you don’t have on the pill) have been shown to play an important role in heart, bone and breast health. Which isn’t surprising since the pill alters 150 different bodily functions. 

You can’t tell me that something that impacts that many things in our bodies isn’t messing something up.

The pill packs a punch of around four times the corresponding synthetic estrogen and progesterone that naturally occurs in our body. This is a level that is actually quite lower than the first hormonal birth controls marketed to women, but what on earth are we doing putting that much in our bodies? Even the “lower dose” hormonal birth control options are still much more than our bodies create normally. 

Here’s another one for you, hormonal contraceptives are ranked by the WHO as a class one carcinogen, putting it right up there with tobacco and asbestos, which most of us try pretty hard to avoid as it is. 

Yes, I know a lot of people out there in the world smoke, but they are well aware of the danger of what they are doing. I guarantee there are countless women out there right now taking hormonal birth control unaware of the potential negatives because it is seen as just another thing women do, like shaving our legs. 

There is so much good that comes from having a natural cycle, and understanding that cycle. 

Being on the pill masks health issues or hormonal imbalances, which in turn makes it harder for the practitioner to figure out what’s really going on. It’s like putting a bandaid over a festering wound and then saying “whelp, that’s fixed now I can just ignore it."

A few other great books that talk about the dark side of hormonal birth control that I love are “The Pill: Are You Sure It’s For You?” and “Sweetening the Pill”. 

And a book I love that talks about a benefit of knowing your cycle (completely unrelated to birth control or the physical side effects of hormonal birth control) is “The Optimized Woman” which goes over the four phases of our cycle and our strengths and weaknesses in each of those phases, and how to make the most out of each phase. 

My point here today is that hormonal birth control isn’t the “cure all” it’s touted to be. And I think knowing all the information makes for a more well informed group of people making decisions that really do impact their bodies and minds. 

My Period is a Morning Person

I’m not here to brag, even though it kind of feels like that. 

I just want to share something positive about my period. So here we go. 

My period is very polite in her arrival, and what I mean by this is I never seem to start my period in the middle of the day or the middle of the night. 

It always starts first thing in the morning when I go to the bathroom.

It’s like it waits for me to wake up, walk to the bathroom and to sit down to do my business, and then she’s like “Oh hello, good we can begin." 

And each time I’m like oh hello, thank you so much for being so patient and freaking polite. 

But just because it starts so easy doesn’t mean I don’t have my difficulties with my period. 

I still get cramps which require me to plug in my heating pad and take hot baths to soothe. 

I still leak and bleed through things, a lot. 

I still get tired, and emotional. 

But my period is a breeze compared to what it used to be. And I have a few things to thank. 

+ Going vegan — I truly believe diet has so much to do with how well your body functions. And I think going vegan played a huge role in lightening up my periods, calming the PMS and all that jazz. 

+ Getting off hormonal birth control and learning about my body — Yup, finally understanding how and why my body does different things made life so much easier. I felt empowered by this knowledge. 

+ Switching to menstrual cups and period underwear — Getting all the irritants that come with disposable products away from my vagina made everyone involved just so much happier. 

So you may be thinking “Screw her and her perfect period” but I’m here to share that even though it’s such a chill period I still have period problems. But also know that it hasn’t always been this easy and that if you have a period you’re not happy with it doesn’t have to be like that. 

I’m not saying what worked for me will work for you, or that there’s a right or wrong way to deal with cycle issues. I just want to encourage you to keep searching for your solution because I truly believe it is out there. 

What is something you’ve done that’s improved your period or cycle? 

Intuitive Exercise Throughout Your Cycle

The only time that I’ve ever stuck to a “work out plan” was when I trained for my marathon last year, and these past four weeks of training for a half-marathon at the start of June. 

Other than that I have always just kind of gone through spurts and phases of exercising. 

Things like yoga, weight lifting, biking, but the most of what I’ve done over the years has been running. 

Have you ever noticed that you’re drawn to different types, or amounts of, exercise at different points in your cycle? 

Leading up to and during my period I find myself wanting a much slower form of exercise, whether that be yoga, hiking or simply going for a walk. I’ve still go running during this, but I don’t push myself too hard. Thankfully, our pace this year hasn’t been very intense at all so it works out great. 

I don’t base my exercise on where I am in my cycle so much as just listening to my body as I go along. Because I’ve got a training plan to follow I usually stick to that for the most part. 

But last week around ovulation I found myself wanting to get outside more than once, or go further than originally planned. Three days in a row I ran 6 miles. 

Wednesday I went on a run with my mom, and then Michael asked if I wanted to go with him so I did. The next day I ran around two miles with my mom, and then decided to run the 4 miles back to my apartment. And Friday we had six miles to run. 

I’m more likely to head out on an unplanned run, hike, etc. because I get this urge to blow off some steam or excess energy (or lack of energy). 

One thing that I’ve discovered I enjoy a lot is running on trails. Not bike paths, but dirt trails through the woods, or when we were in Phoenix is was through the desert. 

Once I get into the habit of being active again (when it’s starts getting warm out) I just really try to focus on what my body feels like, combined of course with what I have for a training plan. 

I don’t necessarily switch up the type of exercise I do depending on where I’m at in my cycle, I just change the amount and intensity of running I’m doing that week. 

I do find that when I’m feeling in a slump, tired or things like that, getting out for a run really helps to balance me back out again. 

What is your go to exercise, and do you switch it up at all throughout your cycle? 

Your Period Is Not Evil

I’m just continually trying to do my part in breaking the taboo surrounding our periods and menstrual cycle. And today I want to talk about how our periods aren’t evil. 

Because I see all too often so much negativity surrounding our periods. 

When we’re younger, and first get our periods, there’s this sense of “this is unfair, boys don’t have to do this!”

When we get older they’re seen as an annoying inconvenience mixed with gratitude that they came. 

Then when women start trying to conceive their periods transform into something that is downright evil. 

Our poor periods can’t ever win with us. 

Our periods aren’t this thing separate from us, happening to us. They’re just a part of our reproductive system, just like breathing is a part of our respiratory system and our heart beating is part of our cardiovascular system. 

But at the same time if there’s something painfully wrong with your period, don’t feel like you just have to deal with it. It takes women so long to get diagnosed with hormonal issues like PCOS or Endometriosis. And most of the time doctors will try and put you on hormonal birth control to “balance your hormones”. Don’t even get me started with this BS “band-aid”, one size fits all solution. 

This idea that our periods and our fertility are all things that need to be controlled by some outside source is ridiculous. 

I’m guilty of these beliefs just like anyone else. 

I fell into the trap as a teenager thinking my period was this out of body thing that I needed to contain. I went on hormonal birth control to “make my periods easier”, but the pill didn’t improve them that much, and not enough to make up for all the negative side effects that being on the pill came with. 

By trying to control something, my period and later my fertility, I ended up doing more harm than good to my body, and mind. 

Don’t get me wrong I am forever grateful for the easy access I had to hormonal birth control at that age. But I’m also really bitter about everything I didn’t know at that age too. 

These days I hear about teenagers who use period tracking apps to actually know where they are in their cycle, something so simple now was always a guessing game for me growing up. I never knew you could track, let alone chart your cycle. 

I just wish I could share the knowledge I now have surrounding cycles and charting with every girl headed into getting her first period, every teenager and young adult annoyed with her period, trying to control her fertility, and every woman trying to get pregnant. 

That’s part of the reason the first course I created was Chart Your Cycle for everyone who is new to FAM and charting. It’s a place to learn the sympto-thermal method in an understandable and relatable way. Zero judgment, embarrassment, and very little confusion. And the confusion is where I come in to answer questions. 

Knowledge is power and learning about my cycle, my fertility and my body were one of the most incredible things I have done for myself. I wasn’t always this period or body positive. I used to groan when my period showed up, expected the guy I was dating to know what to “do” instead of telling him what I liked, and I mentally picked my body apart wishing I looked different than I did. 

You wouldn’t think there were so many positive effects from one small change, but it was a huge change in my little world, splitting it wide open, changing my direction in life and so much more. 

I truly believe I wouldn’t be who I am today without getting off the pill and learning about my body. It all stems from small shifts in our attitude and perception, and can start with something as simple as realizing that our periods are a part of us, not some evil witch out to ruin our lives. 

Natural Period Pain Management

Normal period pain is caused by the release of prostaglandins in your uterus. Prostaglandins are hormone-like and have different effects like construction and dilation of blood vessels. More estrogen and less progesterone can mean more prostaglandins and pain. This should improve with a change in diet and supplements, if it doesn’t it’s severe period pain. By this I mean unbearable pain that lasts for many days, can happen between periods and doesn’t improve with ibuprofen like normal period pain. If it’s so painful you vomit or have to miss school or work, it’s severe pain, and not normal. It’s probably being caused by some underlying issue like endometriosis or adenomyosis. 

Unbearable period pain is not something you should just “deal with”. It’s something that’s pointing to a bigger issue going on. 

Your body is not out to get you. It’s not out to make you miserable. You are your body, and your body is you. You’re not meant to suffer from period cramps, your body just needs a little support. 

Women who experience more cramping have higher levels of those prostaglandins we just talked about than women who have low amounts of cramping. 

But I need relief now!

You might reach for Ibuprofen, or any number of other pain relievers. Midol was my period drug of choice through high school and college, but I do all that I can to avoid these types of medication these days if I can. But if you’re going to take something don’t overdo it. Start with the lowest dosage and give it time to kick in before taking more. 

I’ve never tried it, but I’ve heard more people than I can count talk about the power of Magnesium. It’s said to relax your uterus and reduce the amount of prostaglandins. So you can try taking a daily supplement throughout your cycle to help relieve the pain.

Personally, I find more relief in heat. My two go-to’s are a heating pad or jumping into a toasty tub. And sometimes when my lower back cramps are a bit more than heat can fix I’ll either dig in myself or ask my hubby to give me a quick lower pack rub. 

There are also times when I just have to get out of whatever position I’m in. The same goes when I’m experience stomach pain or a number of other ailments. What I often do is go into some variation of child’s pose. And this is another great time for someone to come and push down on your lower back or rub it. There are a number of recommended yoga poses for period pain relief. I never do a routine, I just pick a few that feel good and sit in those for awhile. And you wouldn’t think it relieves pain but it does. 

I’m not totally up to date on the use of essential oils, not to mention I gave the majority of my stash to my sister while she was pregnant, but I know there are a number of options for oils to help with any cycle woes you might have. Some I’ve seen mentioned are lavender, eucalyptus, rose, ylang-ylang, chamomile as well as clary sage and peppermint. I have a diffuser that I love to use, even though at the moment it’s just lemon I put in there. There are other methods of using essential oils, so it’s up to you to use what works for you. 

I’ve mentioned this one in the past but I really think ditching tampons helped with my periods overall. I now use a combo of a cup and period underwear, but if I’m feeling especially crampy I’ll just avoid putting anything up there and stick with a thicker pair of period underwear. 

I really also believe in the importance of being adequately hydrated as well as properly nourished with your fruits and veggies. If there’s ever a cycle (and there’s been plenty) where I’m not drinking enough water and eating a bunch of processed crap, I 100% feel crappier during my period. 

None of these are a quick fix pill that many of us wish we had when we’re experiencing gnarly cramps. But the point I want to say today is that if you’re experience pain beyond what can be calmed by what I’ve mentioned today that isn’t normal period pain. You’re going to want to go in and figure out what’s really going on. And don’t take “that’s just part of having a period” as an answer. If you feel like something isn’t right, it probably isn’t. 

What are your go to remedies for period pain? Like I said above mine is heat either in a heating pad or a hot bath depending on the time of day. 

An Intuitive Menstrual Phase This Cycle

I’ve seen a number of people talking about intuitive eating, where you listen to your body and eat what you feel like, not forcing meals if you’re not hungry and just eating what you want. 

I’ll always be learning and evolving in this area of life, but I have made great progress over the past few years to just listening to my body. 

Who would have ever thought it would have been so difficult to just give your body what it needs? 

I’ve talked before about some different strengths and weaknesses we have in each phase of our cycle. And that’s the obvious first step, just recognizing the different phases and acknowledging that you have different needs in each. 

I feel like I’ve done a good job this past menstrual phase (period) of really slowing down, and going about my days differently. 

Normally, I love getting up early and getting going on my day of work pretty soon after. 

But last Monday was the start of a new cycle, and for whatever reason, it hit me fairly hard. 

I was exhausted, but not sleeping well, which just snowballs as you know. I was feeling zero motivation for work and frustrated for that lack of spark. 

I wanted to stay home and be alone but knew I would feel more inspiration if I went out and worked somewhere public. 

So, instead of pushing myself to conform to my normal schedule I decided to create a new one for that week. 

I let myself sleep in. I took my mornings slowly, making sure I was eating a breakfast, even if it was something small. 

The weather was nice so I made sure I was spending time outside, walking to the coffeeshop or library to work, going on walks in the afternoon, getting a bit of physical movement each day. Even if this meant cutting my work day short I knew that getting outside when it was warm, and moving was going to do for me mentally and physically then forcing myself to stay inside and work. 

Each morning after I made my way to where I was going to work for a bit, I wrote out a to-do list, and focused on the things I had to actually get done for the day. Then if I got those tasks completed, and didn’t feel like working for the rest of the day I didn’t. 

There was one day that I was feeling very reflective, thoughtful and curious. And I used that to focus on some research I needed to do instead of pushing myself to do other projects I wasn’t drawn to. This was a way for me to still be productive, but also to listen to what I needed that day. 

I always find that my menstrual phase is a great time to reflect on how things went last month, what goals I want to focus on coming up. And it’s always a great idea to come up with ideas for content, projects or things I want to do. 

I know I’m very lucky in that I have control over my work days, but there are ways you can support your needs regardless of your lifestyle. 

One thing that always helps me is to cut back on how social I am during my period. Instead, I choose to focus on myself, have a little pamper "me" time, and plan meet-ups for the following week when I’ll be wanting to connect with others. 

Sleep is always a big thing for me. And while we can’t all sleep in, we can usually tweak our bedtime a little. Whether this is to squeeze in 30 more minutes or sleep or an hour more. I promise this always has such a positive effect for me. And make sure the quality of sleep you’re getting is adequate. If you’re tossing and turning it doesn’t matter how much time you spend in bed. You’re not going to be well rested. 

For me this meant taking a homeopathic sleep aid a few nights, and giving myself to wind down with a little meditative music to fall asleep to. I’m very guilty of technology right up until bed time. But I always notice it’s negative effect more during my period. Give yourself an hour or so before bed to disconnect. Maybe this can be when you get ready for bed, take a bath, read a book, meditate, whatever fits into your schedule. 

And whenever I focus on taking care of myself during those few days of my period I ways find that I come out of it with so much energy, motivation and spunk for life and work. So, while I feel that frustration during my period of “why can’t I just focus and be productive?!” I always remind myself to give myself those few days and all of that will return soon enough. 

This month that meant that the first of my period was pretty rough and I didn’t get much done, the second day was a bit better, but by the third day I was back at it and super productive. I just have to back off for a few days and the results are so worth it for me.

What are ways in which you listen to your body? How do you nurture yourself? What are some of the things you’ve noticed since you’ve taken more of an intuitive approach? 

Sorry Winter, I'm Ready For Spring

I can’t actually complain about winter. I’ve gotten a pretty big break with our trips so far this year. Those warm trips always make coming back to a cold Iowa a little more bearable. 

But what gets me itching for winter to be over more than anything is when we have a really nice day here. When it’s the end of February and nearly 70 degrees out. That’s when I find myself saying “This is what my soul needs!” 

You don’t realize how much the weather truly impacts you until you go from having to bundle up just so your skin doesn’t hurt, to being able to go for a walk in just a sweatshirt a week later. 

Blue skies, sunshine and warmth, that’s what I crave. 

Monday this week I felt pretty meh from the lack of sleep I had, and the start of my period complete with cramping. I posted on Instagram about this wave of melancholy I was feeling that day. 

The next day I woke up, fully rested, to blue skies and sunshine. Then to top it all off I found out that it was already above 50, headed towards 60 degrees that day. Sweet baby Jesus get me outside!

And it was amazing, the huge difference I felt between those two days. Granted the start of my period probably had quite a bit to do with Monday (it was nice out too). But I had such a pep in my step walking around during that 66-degree day. 

I felt energized, inspired and just really freaking happy. 

I will buy winter boots for next winter, I promise, but I just crave that sensation where you close your eyes and tilt your head towards the warmth of the sun.  And I swear I can feel it recharging my mental and physical batteries as I do it.  

I want to be able to throw open my windows, let in the fresh air and dance around my kitchen while making food. I want to go for walks, runs, bike rides and you know what, I really want to ride my longboard around again.

I want to set up my hammock in the park to read or journal. I want to walk outside in sandals and shorts and feel hot. I want to sweat.

I want to go outside during a warm summer rainstorm. I want to crack my windows open that night to fall asleep to that glorious sound of the rain outside.

I want to go down to visit my sister and go out on walks with her and my little nephew. (I’ve been getting snaps of her and him doing this since it’s been warm this week.) I want to sit out on her back porch with them. (She has a very peaceful house). I want to go down to my parent's house out in the woods and just sit in that silence of being out in nature away from the city.

Gah, there’s so much I want to do when it gets warm, and I really hope I remember this feeling, this desire for spring when spring finally comes. 

What’s your favorite season? What’s the one you find yourself looking forward to most? If you can’t tell mine is spring, but then again I’m a spring baby so maybe I’m biased. 

Light + Our Menstrual Cycles

Recently I keep seeing passages in books and paragraphs on blogs about the effect of light on our cycles and fertility. It has really intrigued me so I wanted to dig into that a bit more and share some of what I've found today.

In her book “Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom” Christiane Northrup shares:

“Living in artificial light without going outside into the natural sunlight regularly can have adverse consequences on fertility, because light itself in a nutrient. Far too many people are not only stressed at work, they don’t get outside much. When I was trying to conceive my first child, my basal body temperature rose very slowly at ovulation.”

“The ovary produces progesterone at ovulation, which in turn produces this rise in body temperature."

“I decided to walk outside in the sunlight without glasses or contact lenses for twenty minutes each day. Natural light has to hit the retina in the eye directly. We shouldn’t look at the sun directly, but we must be out in the daytime. Within one menstrual cycle, my basal body temperature rose very sharply at ovulation — a big improvement in the pattern. I got pregnant within two cycles of doing this, having tried for five months before."

There seems to be a correlation between the amount of melatonin and what signals our body is sending and receiving. We need to be getting an adequate amount of natural light during the day, and blocking out the artificial light at night. 

When light hits our eyes, this tells the pineal gland (in our brain) to decrease production of melatonin. And the opposite happens when it’s dark, a.k.a. melatonin  increases. 

Research shows that in some women, melatonin may affect our cycle regularity and our overall fertility. 

It looks like some women might have too little melatonin, and when melatonin is too low, estrogen rises. And some women have found success in blocking out all types of light while they sleep, which has, in turn, increases melatonin and progesterone levels. 

In the book “Fertility Cycles and Nutrition”, Joy DeFelice "has found that eliminating light from the sleeping area can improve cycle irregularity and infertility. Women who have carefully reduced night lighting in their bedrooms have experienced improvements in their cycle lengths, their bleeding patterns, their mucus patterns, and their temperature patterns, including longer, more normal luteal phases.   Such changes generally occur within three menstrual cycles of reduced night lighting. Pregnancy among couples previously experiencing infertility has been achieved following elimination of night lighting, and early miscarriage rates have been reduced by eliminating night lighting while sleeping."

Another interesting note is that it looks like caffeine reduces melatonin, and that paired with night lighting greatly decreases melatonin. 

I haven’t figured out a way to black out the window in my bedroom (it’s pretty big). I have cut out caffeine this month, and there's been a drastic change in how well I have been sleeping.

It had become just a normal thing for me to wake 3-4 times a night to go to the bathroom, and at the end of November when I had a cold I was only getting a few hours of sleep a night. 

Just for that reason alone, the break from caffeine has been worth it because since cutting the caffeine I've been sleeping through the night. 

I’m curious to hear if anyone has tried blocking out artificial lights at night, and if they’ve noticed any change in their cycle (or sleep quality). I’ve started another round of Vitex this cycle so it wouldn’t be a variable free time to guinea pig myself with cutting out the light. But I want to give it a go in the future, even if it's just for an even better night of sleep. 

If you’re ready to learn more about your cycle, what’s going on in your different phases, with your fluid and temperature patterns, not to mention find an effective form on natural birth control, you have a few days left to sign up for my Chart Your Cycle course. Come join in and learn all about the sympto-thermal method!

The Good That Comes From Knowing Your Cycle

Where do I even start!?

I just filmed a video about a few reasons why I love my cycle, which I’ll link so you can go watch. 

An easy simple things that comes from charting is you know when your next period is supposed to come. And this comes in really hand when planning for travel, different events, etc. 

One of the biggest things that comes from charting, and knowing your cycle is that you know when you are fertile. And we all know this comes in really handy when you’re either trying to avoid pregnancy or when you’re trying to conceive a cute little munchkin. 

That will forever be one of the coolest things about FAM for me. That the same exact method is both a birth control method and a pregnancy achievement method. 

If something goes wonky with your cycle you know there’s something off in your body that needs to be taken care of, and you can then address it and heal it.  If you’re obvious to your cycle or suppressing it you might be missing out on something big that could be an easy fix but might cause you harm down the road. 

When you start tracking and charting you know what to expect, and it helps handle PMS and makes other cycle related things easier. For example, I don’t get angry about cramping anymore, I understand when and why I’m irritable, and I know why I’m tired and that I just need a quick 30 minute nap. 

When you learn about what happens to your body in the different phases you know how to better take care of your body and mind in each phase. For me this means being really social around ovulation, and sleeping more during your period 

It’s surprisingly such a good conversation piece to connect with other people who menstruate. You can compare cycles, offer advice, and talk about what you use during your period. 

When you get into the emotional and mental side of each phase you can dig even deeper into scheduling out your time. This is because you have different strengths and weaknesses in each phase that you can use to excel in life. 

Honestly, learning about how my cycle and my body works was one of the most amazing things I could have ever done for myself. It’s been empowering and enlightening and I want to share it with anyone who’s interested. 

For those of you out there ready to learn how to use the sympto-thermal method to understand more about your body and as a natural form of birth control you have a week left to sign up for my Chart Your Cycle course.

Winter is Like Our Menstrual Phase

I’m on a real winter kick right now.

But I had a bit of a revelation when it occurred to me that winter was an awful lot like our menstrual phase. 

When I went to look into it I saw I (obviously) wasn’t the only one who’d made this connection. 

I’ve seen beautiful illustrations where the seasons have been linked to the phases of our cycle. 

Winter = Menstrual

Spring = Follicular

Summer = Ovulatory

Fall = Luteal

So, seeing as the first day of winter is on its way (December 21st) I thought I would sit down and talk about why I think winter is like the menstrual phase. 

+ slow down

If you think about summer it seems like someone is always inviting you to a BBQ, picnic, to go for a bike ride, etc. We’re always trying to get outside, enjoy the weather, and go, go, go. 

This doesn’t mean we completely stop living in the winter, but it changes does it? It calms down, there’s not that same urgency. 

It’s the perfect time to get together with friends and family, sit around and have a glass of something or share a meal. To reconnect and have a good laugh.

+ rest

Bears hibernate in the winter, but humans don’t. And while I’m not promoting a sedentary lifestyle it’s definitely a good time to get your beauty rest. 

While I go to bed by 10 p.m. most nights regardless of the season I know plenty of people who have fun-filled nights that last early into the morning. 

This doesn’t mean you can’t go out and have a good time but maybe make an effort to get your eight hours during the colder months. 

+ reflect

We’re naturally more reflective during our periods, and I think the same is true in the winter. I’ve had some profound mental and emotional journeys within myself curled up on the couch, under some twinkly lights and a mug of something hot or a glass of something red. 

Winter is the perfect time to get back into journaling. So, grab yours, dust it off and just sit down with a pen each day. 

+ renew

Picture the caterpillar in its cocoon. Think of the feeling of complete refreshment when you come out of a really nourishing menstrual phase. 

This is a time I like to focus on self-care. And yes, I pamper the heck out of myself. I’m talking Epsom salt baths, face masks, manicures, pedicures, hydration, eating my plants, all things to nourish myself so I came come out of it as one spectacular butterfly!

I plan on going about this winter just as if it were my menstrual phase, and I’m really excited to see how it differs come spring from years past. 

[We’re a week and a half out from the next session of my Chart Your Cycle course which just so happens to start the day before the first day of winter. Learning how to chart was one of the most brilliant things I could do for myself, and I encourage anyone interested in connecting to their body and their cycle in a new way to give it a go!]

Running a Marathon on Your Period

The week before my last period I had a moment of “oh crap”. And that was because I realized I was most likely going to still have my period during my marathon that weekend. 

Why hadn’t I realized that before? 

Well, when I originally did my calculations I was supposed to just have finished up my period when it came time for the race. 

But because my Sept/Oct cycle was longer than normal (30 days instead of 26) the rest of my cycles had all been shifted back 3-4 days. 

Thankfully, my cycle was back to “normal" and I had a 26-day cycle, with my period starting on November 9th, and the last day of my period ended up being the day I ran, which was perfect. 

No need to worry about changing out my cup or leaking while running. 

But I wanted to share my game plan if I would have had a heavier day during my run. 

+ Use menstrual cup, which I did anyway. This would be my top tip. It would have been a pain to fit in tampons even though I had a little pouch on my hydration belt. With a cup, you don’t need anything extra. Just pull it out, dump it and put it back in. 

+ Wear your best, most “I’ve got you covered", pair of period underwear. Even though I knew it was one of my last days of my period I wasn’t going to mess around. My period has a way of doing mysterious things when I run. I grabbed my “thickest” pair of Modibodi underwear, which could have supported me through a heavy day without a cup.

+ Don't wear anything too tight around your waist. Not sure about you but I find I bloat and cramp when I’m wearing tight things around my uterus during my period. Thankfully the pair of Michael’s thick tights I ended up wearing fitting me nicely but not nearly as tight as my normal pair. 

+ Have a water bottle with you to clean off your hands if needed. Regardless of if you’re on your period or not you’re going to have to use porta potties on the run. If you need to rinse out your cup or your hands before using the hand sanitizer that’s where a water bottle comes in super handy. I had two on my race belt, and while I just drank out of them, I could have used them to spray off my hands (into the toilet). 

+ Go with it. The last thing you need to be worrying about when you’re getting through those miles is leaking. So go prepared, wear dark pants, and say, Well I’ve done all that I can and then just focus on the run. 

Has anyone ran a race on their period, what was your strategy, and what advice do you have?

Also, we're two and a half weeks out from the next session of Chart Your Cycle! S,o if you're ready to learn how to use the sympto-thermal method in all of it's greatness, grab you spot today!

My Diet + My Period

There’s no one size fits all approach to diet and menstruation. Different foods react differently person to person. And it takes a little trial and error to find your sweet spot. 

I started educating myself about nutrition my last year of college. I was having a lot of digestive issues, where I almost constantly had a stomach ache, that got worse after I ate, not to mention I would get quite bloated as well as only have a single bowel movement a week. Yeah, not good. 

Through education as well as adding and subtracting different things from my diet I have found I feel my absolute best with a balanced diet of whole plant based foods. The less processed I eat, the better I feel. 

Not only has this revolutionized how I feel, but also has shined through in my menstrual cycle as well. 

I’m no where near perfect, and there are a million different ways to be “vegan” and unhealthy. And so I can tell you there’s a huge difference between a period where I focus on staying hydrated, avoiding sugar and processed foods and jam-packing my diet with as many fruits and veggies (mostly veggies) as possible, and a period where I’m eating processed foods, breads, pastas, sugars, etc. 

My diet definitely changes with the seasons (as it should due to what plants are available and in season) but you can adapt a whole foods plant based diet to any season. 

While we usually crave comfort food in the winter as well as on our periods there are so many incredible “healthy” options. I love to make giant batches of veggie soup in the winter. I try to limit my coffee intake around my period as well as the amount of sugar I'm consuming. We all hit a wall whether it’s cold and gloomy out, or if we’re going to be starting our periods. I do my best to listen to my body instead of forcing it through the day jacking myself up on coffee. 

Avoiding sugar and grabbing something refreshing like some fruit as a snack is a great afternoon pick me up. Getting outside to run some errands or get a bit of exercise are other great options to get that pep back in your step for the rest of the day. But then there are those days (and I have at least one a month) where the only answer is a 30 - 60 minute nap (guilt free). 

Obviously, if you work in a more traditional job a nap during the work day might be out of the question, but maybe a quick cat nap when you get home and before you start your evening activities is the solution for you. Or maybe it's staying in that evening and having a low key date with yourself on the couch. 

You have to listen to your body around your period. Make sure you are eating enough, drinking enough and moving enough throughout the day. 

Some of my favorite meal/snack options:

+ noodles and veggies

+ rice and veggies

+ a big, hefty salad (yes that’s a thing)

+ veggie soup

+ fruit like clementines or grapes

+ bagel with hummus 

+ oatmeal (I'm currently burnt out on this but it's an option worth including)

+ smoothie (if it’s warm out or I’ve worked out)

+ chickpea toast/sandwich (avocados are gone for the winter, and this is the next best thing)

I say this all the time and I’ll say it again, pay attention to what you’re eating and how it makes you feel afterwords. Screw counting calories, if you’re focused on eating as many whole foods as you can, then there’s no worry about calories. 

What are some of your favorite plant based meals for the colder season?

If you're curious to learn more about your cycle, hop on over to my Chart Your Cycle course and sign up for the next session. 

Winter Is Coming + How I'm Dealing With It

I have never been a fan of winter, or of being cold. 

Recently I’ve discovered a similar transition into the colder months that I experience with my luteal/menstrual phase. 

And I’ve come up with a theory (and since then have seen other ladies talk about it as well). But my theory is that the different phases of our menstrual cycles correlate to different months. And by that I mean we have a similar feeling during that phase that we do in that phase. 

It could differ person to person, and be dependent on where you live. But for me it goes a little something like this:

Luteal Phase = Fall

Menstrual Phase = Winter

Follicular Phase = Spring

Ovulatory Phase = Summer 

Cold weather has always been something I’ve struggled with and even fought at different times. But this year I am taking a different approach. 

The same approach I have when I’m headed into my luteal and menstrual phase. 

And the two big strategies there are: 

+ Allowing myself to slow down. I love a fast paced, super inspired, productive day, but we all know that can’t happen every day. Mid way through my luteal phase I notice the pull to slow down, and I’ve really challenged myself over the past year or so to listen to that. 

I’ve been pleasantly surprised when I do. And I’m going to approach winter the same way. 

+ I recently discovered the Danish term “hygge” (pronounced hoo-ga) and while it looks like I’m behind the times, something about it resonated with me. And in particular during my period, and now as it is getting colder.

I saw it described as:

- the art of building sanctuary and community, of inviting closeness and paying attention to what makes us feel open hearted and alive;

- to create well-being, connection and warmth;

- a feeling of belonging to the moment and to each other;

- celebrating the everyday

Doesn’t that sound just absolutely freaking lovely?  

And I’ve realized. It’s ok to transition to “delights" of winter, warm baths, hot drinks, curling up with a good book, sitting in front of a fire place, spending time with family, wearing warm, cozy clothes, fuzzy socks, and just making your space into a place you can sink into comfort and relaxation in. 

Seriously, go on Pinterest and dive into the world of hygge for a moment (if you haven’t already of course). 

Now, a few other things I plan to focus on this fall and winter:

+ Setting a sleeping schedule and sticking to it. The days are getting shorter and darker and while I love waking up with the sun, it’s not making it’s appearance until around 7:30 am. 

I love my mornings when I wake up at 6 a.m. because the stat of my day is the best time for me. When I start my day sooner I feel calmer, accomplished, and less rushed.

+ Going along with that we’ve decided that we’re going to buy a sunrise simulator clock when we get back from France.  A friend of mine got one last year and swears by it saying it was a revolutionary purchase. And I’m ready for that. 

+ And finally is something I try to do year round, but it’s especially important (and slightly more difficult when it’s cold) is to exercise and eat a balanced diet of whole plant based foods. 

Heading into winter with this strategy makes me feel much more accepting of the weather and at ease with the transition. 

Not to mention we’re already talking about how we can escape the worst of it in January and February.

Foods For the Different Phases Of Your Cycle

I’ve had countless women ask for me to cover this topic. I haven’t reached this level of cycle/nutrition connection, but I know it’s possible. 

How? 

From reading different books like Alisa Vitti’s “WomanCode” which I recommend for anyone out there with a serious menstrual issue like PCOS or Endometriosis. 

Today is a small taste of what’s in that book, which you should definitely pick up if you’re interested in the subject. 

I try to eat a balanced diet of whole plant based foods (WPBF), and so I’ve included that portion of her food suggestions today. 

Menstrual Phase:

+ healthy fats

+ root veggies

+ water rich fruits and veggies

What you’re looking to do: be conscious of both giving your body the nutrition it needs but at the same time some comfort food goes a long way in soothing during our menstrual phase. Fats help keep mood stable. 

Grains: buckwheat and wild rice

Veggies: beet, burdock, pulse, hijiki, kale, kelp, kombu, mushroom, wakame, water chestnut

Fruits: blackberry, blueberry, grapes, cranberry, watermelon

Legumes: adzuki, black soybean, kidney bean

Nuts + Seeds: chestnut, pumpkin, flax

Other: Bancha tea, miso, sea salt, liquid aminos 

Follicular Phase: 

+ sprouted and fermented foods

+ light, fresh and vibrant foods

What you’re looking to do: estrogen is dominate in this phase and you’re looking to balance this hormone out.

Grains: barley, oat

Veggies: artichoke, broccoli, carrot, lettuce, parsley, green peas, rhubarb, string bean, zucchini

Fruits: avocado, lemon, lime, orange, plum, pomegranate, sour cherry

Legumes: black-eyed pea, green lentil, lima bean, mung bean, split pea

Nuts + Seeds: brazil, cashew, lychee, pumpkin, flax

Other: nut butter, olives, pickles, sauerkraut, vinegar

Ovulatory Phase:

+ fresh juices

+ fresh, whole veggies

+ fiber rich foods

What you’re looking to do: eat plenty of foods to keep estrogen moving through body.

Grains: amaranth, quinoa

Veggies: asparagus, bell pepper, brussel sprouts, chard, chicory, chive, dandelion, eggplant, endive, escarole, okra, scallion, spinach, tomato

Fruits: apricot, cantaloupe, coconut, fix, guava, persimmon, raspberry, strawberry

Legumes: red lentil

Nuts + Seeds: almond, pecan, pistachio, sesame, sunflower

Other: Tumeric

Luteal Phase:

+ greens

+ grains

What you’re looking to do: eat plenty of foods rich in b-vitamins, calcium and magnesium to help with mood swings

Grains: brow rice, millet

Veggies: cabbage, cauliflower, celery, collard, cucumber, daikon, garlic, ginger, leeks, mustard green, onion, parsnip, pumpkin, radish, squash, sweet potato, watercress

Fruits: apple, date, peach, pear, raisin

Legumes: chickpea, navy beans

Nuts + Seeds: hickory, pine nut, walnut, sesame, sunflower

Other: mint, peppermint, spirulina

I’ve heard a lot of people talking about intuitive eating for awhile now, and if you haven’t experienced what that actually is then I guarantee it can be quite confusing. 

We’ve been told for so long that certain things (I’m mostly referencing to animal products) are good for this that and everything when it comes to a “balanced” diet when in reality eating this way has been recking our bodies for years now. But we think, we’re doing what we’ve been told to do, eating what we’ve been told is a balanced diet so feeling this way must just be normal. 

Well, I can tell you that it’s not. I spent the majority of my life dealing with issues related to what I was eating without even thinking about it. It was only when I switched to a plant based diet that this light bulb came on. When I started feeling better and better I just thought, how did I spend all my life feeling like crap and thinking that was normal for me? 

So, while some people thrive on a strict, go big or go home diet, I encourage everyone to start recalling paying attention to what they’re eating on a daily basis, and how those foods are making you feel. And if there’s something that time and time again comes up as problematic, take a week break from it and see how you feel. 

Listen to your body and I guarantee you’ll be pleased with the results. 

Luteal/Menstrual Phase Funk

Even though I’ve dug into, and learned to love all aspects of my cycle, I am still caught off guard time to time by that week that overlaps the end of one cycle and the start of the next. 

It falls on the last few days of the luteal phase and first few days of the menstrual phase (your period). 

Today, I wanted to go over what I notice during this week and how I deal with it:

+ I am TIRED, exhausted, to a point that coffee can’t combat. 

I go to bed earlier, sleep in just a little longer, and I don’t feel guilty about it. And if there’s a day I need a nap, I take a 30 minute to an hour long nap, and don’t feel guilty about it. 

I get outside more, or just go out and run an errand. Getting up from my desk and out of my apartment usually gives me a little boost.

+ My motivation goes straight out the window.

This one is so much harder to accept than feeling tired. I get frustrated when I don’t feel that usual spark for work I normally have. 

There is only one way to handle this. Cut down your to-do list to what absolutely must get done that day. And focus on getting that done, give yourself more time and more breaks throughout the day. And if that’s all you accomplish, congratulations, celebrate it!

You can be productive on a different level when your motivation is low. Find that balance, that happy medium. 

+ Feeling blah, meh, wanting to curl up in a ball and do nothing.

There’s a time and a place to just let this take over, and I’ll usually allow myself one day to be a human blob. But if you’re going to do it, commit to it, don’t feel an ounce of guilt and really just bask in the glory of doing absolutely nothing. 

I also find time for mindless tasks I don’t make time for during the rest of the month. Usually decluttering or deep cleaning, organizing or sorting. Things that are on your to-do list but aren’t top tier essential must do's. 

+ Feeling more blue and gloomy than usual.

This is the time to pamper yourself. With food, with bubble baths, music, whatever makes you feel loved by yourself. 

It’s also a great time to do some reflection on life. Look at what you’ve been spending your time working on, or doing lately. Are you happy with how you’ve allocated your time? Are there things you wish you would make more time for? What changes can you make going forward to curate your days into what you want them to be? 

This phase (or combo of phases) is pretty much the same as the end of fall, headed into winter. Think about when the weather starts to get colder than you're comfortable with, the days get darker, shorter, more gray. You don’t just stop living because it’s not as exciting and fun. You learn to adapt and change your habits during the colder months. 

Learn to look at your cycle in a similar light. How can you adapt to make the most out of each phase? 

Embracing Your Body

#BodyPositive anyone? 

We’ve gotten a lot better recently with telling each other to love our bodies, but that’s easier said than done when we’re being bombarded with mixed messages from all angles. 

And that doesn’t even begin to include what preconceived notions of “beauty” we’ve been instilled with from childhood. 

So, how are we supposed to make peace with our bodies when we’re being told to “strive for a 'healthy' body” but “to love the body you already have”? 

I have no idea. And I don’t think it’s a one-sized fits all solution. But I can offer you my story.

I know, according to "society" I have a body type that is fitting with what others “strive" for. I’m not here to post photos of my thigh gap and tell you to eat your greens. 

I want to share two life changes that revolutionized the way I felt about my body.

I won’t get into how I used to grab at my “saddlebags” and wish for a perkier butt. 

But what’s it mean when someone who is “skinny” still feels they aren’t “there”. Who knows? 

Even the girls in the magazines don’t look like the girls in the magazines. (There’s a quote out there that is basically this). 

But moving right along. Those two changes:

Learning about my menstrual cycle and changing my diet (lifestyle). 

I know I’ve talked about these things before, but they are worth repeating over and over again. 

I don’t even know how to begin to explain the personal empowerment I discovered by ditching the pill, learning about how my body actually worked, and taking control of my own fertility. 

It made me realize how many myths there are about our fertility, our menstrual cycles, our minds and our bodies that are still prevalent today. 

Up until at least the age of 21 I didn’t know that a woman was only fertile for a few days out of every menstrual cycle. I seriously thought that we could get pregnant regardless of when we had sex. 

Knowledge is power, and that power feels good. 

I used to despise my period. It was annoying, unnecessary. It wasn’t fair that I had cramps and continuously ruined underwear. 

But when I discovered the magic behind the menstrual cycle, within the different phases and the purpose of the different functions, my world was rocked. 

No longer did I whine “Why me?!” when I cramped, but instead marveled at my body’s ability to do something without any effort from myself. To see what you are learning about play out in real life is quite incredible, and something I suggest for everyone. If there is something that frustrates you that you don’t understand, do some research. 

Moving along to my change in diet, or like I prefer to call it, lifestyle. Because diets seem to be pandered as temporary, quick fixes. Something you only have to do for a period of time before you can go back to what you were doing before. And frankly I think that’s a load of crap. 

I don’t understand how we can expect something that hasn’t been working to somehow work after we take a brief “health” hiatus from it. 

There's a quote that goes a little something like this: 

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results.” 

Think of the number of fad diets you’ve seen out there that claim you can continue eating everything you love eating, you won’t have to exercise, but you’ll somehow be able to drop all those unwanted pounds?

Anything that is sold as “temporary” screams fake to me. 

The truth is so many of us don’t want to change our habits. We like what we’re doing, but we don’t like the results. We see a potential change as difficult or unenjoyable. 

“But I don’t want to eat just lettuce!"

We think that to maintain a healthy lifestyle and body we have to live in a world of deprivation when in reality for many it’s a world of abundance. 

When you cut out processed foods, animal products and focus on filling your stomach with a whole foods plant based diet you can (*gasp*) eat as much as you want. 

Discovering this world of abundance, energy and vibrance was incredible as a 21-year-old. 

Not only did my insides feel so much better (I had a lot of digestion issues before), but I started to feel better about my outward appearance as well. When you start treating yourself better in one aspect of your life it is infectious, and it spreads. 

Instead of grabbing at and complaining at my perceived imperfections I started noticing and appreciating what my body was capable of. 

If your biggest problem in life is that you don’t have a thigh gap or a flat stomach it’s time to take a step back and find the things about your body that you are grateful for. 

And even if it just starts with “I’m grateful I have two legs,” that’s something to be grateful for. Recently, I’ve been challenging myself physically, and I’m constantly aware of my gratitude that my body is able to run 10 miles, or complete a sprint triathlon. 

The moral of the story here is to find ways to nourish and enrich your body and life. Find gratitude in your days, in your abilities. Learn about your body, what makes you feel good and what doesn’t? And start doing more of what does make you feel good.