Periodization for Your Period
This is the second of a two-part blog series of female nutrition for athletes that was sparked by me coming across some resources by Dr. Stacy Sims. Dr. Sims is a leading expert and researcher on women's health in athletes and the author of a book called, "Roar," which is a resource I would recommend to any female endurance athlete. As a background, I am not a doctor or nutritionist. My education is in Chemistry and Math and my background includes teaching, coaching and my own personal experiences in sports. My sources are cited and linked below and I encourage you to check them out!
Hormones are funny things. Too little of certain hormones can cause major disruptions in our systems leading to many problems like thyroid dysfunction and osteoporosis. Too much of certain hormones can cause depression, unwanted weight gain and muscular breakdown. Fluctuations in hormones can cause mood swings, bloating and cramping. We need our hormones to function properly but in order to do that we need to take care of ourselves and learn about what is happening within our own body.
If you're a dedicated year-round runner then you and I probably share some similar traits. You are probably very in-tune with your body and how certain things affect you (sleep, food, etc) and you probably are a little 'Type A.' We like answers to what's going on and we also tend to blame ourselves and question our fitness when things just aren't going our way during training. Why can't I hit this tempo pace when I was 10 sec/mile faster last week? Why can't I rip the pace on my last 200? Why does this pace feel so difficult when last week it was effortless? Our tendency is to jump to the conclusion that, "something may be wrong with me and I'm losing fitness." Sound familiar? Well, it's possible that it just might be the timing of your cycle and that what you are experiencing is totally normal!
Now, when you have a couple months of fatigue, difficulty recovering, declining performance, etc, then it's very possible there are other factors at play. You might have a whole host of other things that aren't working and it's very important that you go and talk to your doctor. But if you are having a week or two here and there where you are just "off," then this might be able to provide you with some answers.
Hormones are funny things. Too little of certain hormones can cause major disruptions in our systems leading to many problems like thyroid dysfunction and osteoporosis. Too much of certain hormones can cause depression, unwanted weight gain and muscular breakdown. Fluctuations in hormones can cause mood swings, bloating and cramping. We need our hormones to function properly but in order to do that we need to take care of ourselves and learn about what is happening within our own body.
If you're a dedicated year-round runner then you and I probably share some similar traits. You are probably very in-tune with your body and how certain things affect you (sleep, food, etc) and you probably are a little 'Type A.' We like answers to what's going on and we also tend to blame ourselves and question our fitness when things just aren't going our way during training. Why can't I hit this tempo pace when I was 10 sec/mile faster last week? Why can't I rip the pace on my last 200? Why does this pace feel so difficult when last week it was effortless? Our tendency is to jump to the conclusion that, "something may be wrong with me and I'm losing fitness." Sound familiar? Well, it's possible that it just might be the timing of your cycle and that what you are experiencing is totally normal!
Now, when you have a couple months of fatigue, difficulty recovering, declining performance, etc, then it's very possible there are other factors at play. You might have a whole host of other things that aren't working and it's very important that you go and talk to your doctor. But if you are having a week or two here and there where you are just "off," then this might be able to provide you with some answers.
The Menstrual Cycle
A cycle is approximately 28 days with day 1 being the first day of bleeding. Days 1-14 are considered the "low hormone" follicular phase and days 15-28 are considered the "high hormone" luteal phase. I will refer to the first 14 days as the "low hormone" phase and days 15-28 of the "high hormone" phase. I do realize this is a bit of an oversimplification but it will work for the purpose of getting information to you. You should always consult your doctor with specifics relating to your body or concerns that you have.
Photo: 2013 Encyclopedia Britannica Inc.
Low Hormone Phase (Follicular)
Progesterone and estrogen are low until a spike in estrogen right before ovulation (see picture above). The low hormone phase is when our bodies are "more like men" according to Dr. Sims. We have the ability to access carbohydrates more readily, lower core temperature and the ability to hit higher intensities.
High Hormone Phase (Luteal)
Estrogen and progesterone are high in this phase. Our body cannot access carbohydrates as well and we rely more on fat in this phase. The higher levels of hormones can lead to higher output of sodium, an increase in muscle breakdown, increase in core body temperature, loss of 8% plasma volume, central nervous system fatigue and difficulty in sleep. This is most prominent in the 5-7 days prior to a period starting, something we are all familiar with; PMS.
While it might seem that half of our cycle is really disadvantageous, Sims states that we should never at any point in our cycle think that high performance is impossible. This just means that we have two different biological needs throughout the course of the 28 days and need to have two different strategies for fueling, hydration and recovery.
So during your "high hormone" phase we really have to take extra steps to work with our biology. Sims suggests:
So having a couple of weeks where you "just aren't feeling it" are actually completely normal especially if you aren't working towards counteracting the effects of the higher hormone levels.
So how can you apply this to your training? Well, first you need to track your cycle and figure out your "day 1" along with the length of your cycle. You can simplify it by indicating the last approximately 14 days as your high hormone phase and the remaining days as your low hormone phase. Once you start tracking and comparing it to your workouts you can get an idea of when your hormone levels change and how it affects you. You can also track your hormones if you are on a hormonal IUD where you don't get your period. You can do this by taking your temperature first thing in the morning and tracking where it changes. You should have a slight rise in core temperature during your high hormone phase so you should see that in your tracking. For the general population this is probably good enough, but if you really want to get detailed you can buy an ovulation kit and figure out where that occurs which signals the change from your low hormone phase to your high hormone phase.
Once you have your cycle tracked you can adjust your nutrition to meet your needs. You can also plan for higher intensity workouts, heavier lifting and speed sessions during your low hormone phase and maybe back off a little if possible during your high hormone phase. This is great if you're working with a coach one on one but can be difficult from a coaching perspective if you're working with a team of athletes. What's important is that if you are a coach you work with your athletes to make this part of the conversation and not something that is "taboo" or "makes you uncomfortable." The fact is if you are working with girls, teenagers, young women or adult women then you need to help them to learn about what works for them and what's healthy for them. If you are a girl, teenager, young woman or adult woman then you need to be forgiving to yourself and take action to work with your biology. Avoiding this topic can have serious consequences to the future health of a female athlete.
Let's get the conversation going.
Sources (Yes; I listened to all of these and took notes on all of them!):
So during your "high hormone" phase we really have to take extra steps to work with our biology. Sims suggests:
- More protein
- More carbs
- Increase salt
- Have cold stuff to offset the rise in core temperature
- BCAA's before and after training (look for products with leucine)
The extra protein intake helps counter the muscle breakdown that progesterone is responsible for and the extra carbohydrates can help us to get to the higher intensities that are necessary for certain workouts. This becomes especially important in the 30 minute recovery window post-exercise. The BCAA's with leucine are there to work with the protein to build muscle, lower cortisol and help with central nervous system fatigue. (2)
So having a couple of weeks where you "just aren't feeling it" are actually completely normal especially if you aren't working towards counteracting the effects of the higher hormone levels.
So how can you apply this to your training? Well, first you need to track your cycle and figure out your "day 1" along with the length of your cycle. You can simplify it by indicating the last approximately 14 days as your high hormone phase and the remaining days as your low hormone phase. Once you start tracking and comparing it to your workouts you can get an idea of when your hormone levels change and how it affects you. You can also track your hormones if you are on a hormonal IUD where you don't get your period. You can do this by taking your temperature first thing in the morning and tracking where it changes. You should have a slight rise in core temperature during your high hormone phase so you should see that in your tracking. For the general population this is probably good enough, but if you really want to get detailed you can buy an ovulation kit and figure out where that occurs which signals the change from your low hormone phase to your high hormone phase.
Once you have your cycle tracked you can adjust your nutrition to meet your needs. You can also plan for higher intensity workouts, heavier lifting and speed sessions during your low hormone phase and maybe back off a little if possible during your high hormone phase. This is great if you're working with a coach one on one but can be difficult from a coaching perspective if you're working with a team of athletes. What's important is that if you are a coach you work with your athletes to make this part of the conversation and not something that is "taboo" or "makes you uncomfortable." The fact is if you are working with girls, teenagers, young women or adult women then you need to help them to learn about what works for them and what's healthy for them. If you are a girl, teenager, young woman or adult woman then you need to be forgiving to yourself and take action to work with your biology. Avoiding this topic can have serious consequences to the future health of a female athlete.
Let's get the conversation going.
Sources (Yes; I listened to all of these and took notes on all of them!):
- "Battle of the Hormones - Gender Specific Training" - BibRave Podcast Episode #194
- "The Everything Guide for Female Athletes - How to Navigate Your Cycle, Menopause, Cortiol and Stress, Nutrition Needs and More" - Endurance Planet Podcast
- "Fuel for What You're Doing: Rethinking Fueling and Hydration with Dr. Stacy Sims" - Runners Connect Podcast
- "Optimize Your Training Based On Your Gender" - BibRave Podcast Episode #105
- "Stacy Sims: Women Are Not Small Men" - The Curious Climber Podcast
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