Menstrual Cycle Nutrition and Training

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Consider structuring your training around this information

1          More stength and HIT (High intensity Interval training) in the follicular phase.

2          More recovery (Daily walks) and less intense training in the Luteal phase.

3          Having an awareness of how your body is feeling is crucial!  Being proactive with this can help keep                                adherence to body composition goals.(Weight loss) E.g increase calories by an extra 200/300 per day in the                  luteal phase and consider not dieting or going back to maintenance calories if you feel you struggle to                          maintain a calorie deficit.  An extra 2 or 3 pieces of 100 calorie fruits can help some people with cravings! or if              you are craving just have a small amount don’t fight the cravings!

5          Tracking your cycle will be able to help you in this and allow you to structure your training better!  Some                        good apps are Flo and Clue

6          Having more carbohydrate rich foods (Rice, Potatoes and Oats etc) in the first 2 weeks when you are more                  insulin sensitive due to oestrogen.   More healthy fats (Dark chocolate, Salmon, Avocado and Nut butters) in                the luteal phase!

7          You may wish to track your weight during your cycle to recognise the water fluctuations! You could then                        compare this to Week 1 Month 1, Week 2 month 2 so that there is consistency in seeing changes long term as             opposed to each week where you are in a completely different physiology and not to get upset or angry at the             scales!!

Hope these tips help you.  We have to be our own best friend.  See what works for you and please remember that it is different for each individual.