Your Menstrual Cycle: The Superpower You Were Never Taught
- beautifulandbalanc
- Aug 28
- 4 min read
For most of us, sex ed gave us the basics: “Here’s a tampon. Here’s a pad. Good luck.”
But what they didn’t tell us? Your menstrual cycle isn’t just about bleeding. It’s about hormones shifting week to week that affect your mood, energy, appetite, motivation - even how strong you feel in the gym.
And here’s the truth: what you feel every week isn’t random - it’s rhythm. When you learn to work with your cycle instead of fighting against it, everything changes.
It’s time we stop seeing our period as a burden and start recognising it for what it really is... your built-in superpower.
First Things First: What Actually Is Your Menstrual Cycle?
Your cycle isn’t just the days you bleed. A healthy menstrual cycle lasts anywhere from 21 to 35 days, with four distinct phases. Each phase brings hormonal shifts that influence how you feel, think, and perform.
Let’s break it down.
Phase 1: Early Follicular (Day 1 – Your Period Begins)
Day one of your cycle is the first day of bleeding. Your body is shedding the uterine lining it built to support a pregnancy that didn’t happen.
Hormones are at their lowest, which is why energy can feel flat. This is your body’s natural rest and reset time.
How to support yourself:
Move gently (if that's what you need) - walk, stretch, or take the pressure off in the gym.
Nourish with iron-rich, warming foods - think red meat, leafy greens, citrus, soups, stews, and anti-inflammatory spices like turmeric and ginger.
Rest without guilt - your body is doing important repair work.
💡 Listen to your body. Some women feel wiped out here, others actually feel relieved because PMS symptoms have lifted. Both are normal.
Phase 2: Late Follicular (After Your Period – Energy Rising)
Oestrogen starts climbing, bringing energy, focus, and endurance along with it. This is your get-shit-done week.
How to support yourself:
Push in the gym - you may feel stronger and less sensitive to pain.
Say yes to projects and plans - your motivation and brainpower are peaking.
Fuel with smart carbs and fiber - they’ll power your workouts and focus.
This is the time to lean in. Start the new project, try the new class, tackle the to-do list.
Phase 3: Ovulation (Around Day 14 – Your Fertile Window)
Oestrogen peaks, luteinizing hormone triggers ovulation, and progesterone rises. Translation: confidence, energy, and connection are at an all-time high.
How to support yourself:
Socialise and network - you’ll feel more magnetic, more confident, more “you.”
Go for PBs in the gym - your body is primed for strength and intensity.
Prioritise protein and fats - to keep blood sugar stable and support your higher metabolism.
You might notice fertile cervical mucus (that “snot like” discharge). You might also notice feeling sexier and more connected. This is nature’s way of saying, “You’re fertile.”
Phase 4: Luteal Phase (Day 21–28 – The PMS Window)
If you didn’t conceive, hormone levels drop. This is when PMS can strike - mood swings, cravings, irritability, fatigue, sore breasts, cramps.
This is your “know and nurture” phase.
How to support yourself:
Delegate and slow down - say no where you can, protect your energy.
Support cravings wisely - dark chocolate (hello magnesium), bananas, nuts, leafy greens, and lean protein help calm PMS.
Practice stress reduction - meditation, journaling, gentle movement, or simply taking time for yourself.
💡 The more you ignore your body here, the louder PMS shouts. Listen early, and this phase can feel more manageable.
Why This Matters
Society is built around a 24-hour cycle (aka a man’s hormone rhythm). Women are expected to perform the same every single day but that’s not how our biology works.
Your rhythm changes. And that’s not weakness... it’s wisdom. The more you fight it, the worse you feel. The more you work with it, the more empowered you become.
Take Back the Power: Start Tracking Your Cycle
You don’t need a complicated system. Start simply:
Track your bleed days in a notebook or app (like Clue).
Notice your energy, appetite, mood, and focus each week.
Look for patterns - your body will show you its rhythm.
When you know your own cycle, you can plan better, train smarter, eat in alignment, and most importantly - ditch the guilt.
The Takeaway
You’re not moody, lazy, or “crazy.” You’re cyclical. And that’s your damn superpower.
We deserve to grow up with this knowledge, to understand our own rhythms, and to pass it on to the next generation. So if you’ve got daughters - share this with them. If your friends never got this education - share it with them too.
Because the more women who know their bodies, the more we stop doubting ourselves - and the more we start living boldly and unapologetically.
🔥 Your Next Step: Download my free cycle tracker (linked below) to map your hormones, energy, and nutrition through each phase. Start rewriting the story you were never told - one empowered cycle at a time.
🎧Listen to the "She Knows Her Body" podcast episode HERE where take a deeper dive into each phase of the cycle.
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