Hi, you guys, welcome to episode 13 of Headlines Podcast. I am so excited for this episode because I am doing an episode, as you can tell by the title, this is everything that I know about my menstrual cycle or about the menstrual cycle, shall I say. I'm so excited about this. You guys know I've kind of talked about this on my TikTok for like literally like a year now.
And I'm excited. I had the idea last night to do this. I was like, I should put all the information in one because I feel like people ask me about this stuff. all the time and I mention it here and there but I don't have like an all-encompassing like reference to it and I was like this is perfect now that the podcast is on Spotify and like album music and stuff like that's also my announcement like I already posted on my Instagram today but like now this is the first episode of the podcast officially that will be well all the old episodes are up there, but this is the first one that's going to get posted same day onto Spotify and Apple.
So if any of you guys are listening on Spotify and Apple, hope you're enjoying it. Hope it's a good listening experience. Let me know, like DM me if like the audio is bad or anything.
I listened to it. I thought the audio was good. Um, but let me know if there's like any issues with that and I will be happy to, you know, trial and error with it. But I'm so excited that it's now available on those platforms. So you guys, I am so happy, like going on my Spotify and like seeing my podcast on there.
I was just like staring at it yesterday. I was like, that's my podcast, like on Spotify. Like I just couldn't even believe it. So, so excited about that. But if you're on YouTube, like usual, Hey, I'm still posting it on YouTube.
If you want to watch the video versions. Um, but I'm so excited about this episode, just to explain everything to you guys about the menstrual cycle. If you guys are interested, because it is so freaking important that like, as women that we know about this stuff, and it's so effed up that it is not taught to us. because it's so important. It's something that we go through every single month.
And like a lot of people don't even know what the fuck their body is going through. Um, so I'm so excited to bring you guys all this information. This is stuff that I started educating myself about it. I would say probably like a year ago, a little over a year ago. And it's really helped me so much just, um, be able to like give myself grace in those times where like I know that my body is going through something like hormonally like through each phase of the cycle and just kind of adjust my routine give myself grace where I need to and make the most out of my life because unfortunately our period is something that we have to live with every single month you know for most of us um unless you're like on birth control something and again like a lot of people ask me like when I sometimes when I post about it people say like oh like what about if you're on birth control or like what about if your period is irregular like I don't know.
I've never been on birth control. I guess I should say that too. Like I'm not on birth control.
I've never been on birth control. My period is always very, very regular. I like consistently get it.
I have never missed a month. My period is never usually late or early or anything. It's pretty consistent. So that's where this is coming from. So if you do deal with any of those, other issues like I don't have really like you know good advice for you on that so I'm so sorry um but for anyone that does have a regular cycle and you know isn't on birth control or whatever um this is just and this is just general information too it's not like I'm not like telling I don't know like this is just like good information to know anyways um it's not like I'm like telling you like stuff to do it's just kind of like educating you so you can be more aware of what's going on in your body because it's so freaking important and we're not you taught this and it's just awful that we're not taught it so i'm so excited about this episode i hope i can do more like informative episodes like this for you guys now that like it's it's like a real podcast now um i want to do one on like the gut brain access and stuff and just like that's one of my goals for this year was just like get more educated about just like stuff in general and be able to just share that with you guys with like the platform that i have so i'm excited i'm excited to get into it um i am also vlogging today but i'm doing like my first one real like YouTube blog since like I kind of blew up on TikTok and um so I'm excited about that so I usually this is like my first podcast podcast episode that I'm not like you know it's usually like hey like what's going on in my life like I have like a little mental breakdown in the middle of it like usually that's how my podcasts go it's very like real raw like emotional like what I'm going through in that moment I'm kind of like you know girly talk like gossip talk and this is the first one that's kind of like a set topic so I am vlogging today it's gonna probably be posted either tomorrow or later in the week so if you want to hear like my little like girly talk just like kind of like chill like we're on FaceTime type of thing go check out my vlog um because that's where I kind of updated you guys and like what's going on in my life and all of that fun stuff so you can go watch that vlog when it's up but for now let's focus on I'm not gonna have any like you know pre topics to this episode just because I have so much to say about the menstrual cycle in general.
So let's get into the menstrual cycle. I am so excited to be sharing this with you guys. So um I am on my period right now.
Um just let's just put that out there. I started it two days ago and truly this I'll guess I'll kind of start with like a backstory like not backstory but like about like my period and like my experience with it. So My periods, I would like to think, of course, I don't know what other people go through, but I would like to think that my periods are... pretty bad. Like, and like, I've been to the, I've been to the OBGYN.
I haven't gotten like tested for anything, just like any like, like PCOS or whatever those other things are. Some, some people will DM me and be like, Hey, do you like have PCOS or whatever? Cause I'm like talking about it so much, so much. Or I talk about like, Hey, I have really bad cramps or whatever.
And people will ask me, but I don't know, like I haven't been tested. I did bring it up to my OBGYN that like, I was having like, that I would puke, like I would get really bad cramps, like couldn't move, like, like. just like debilitating like cramps like throwing up like my my boobs will get like so big and like so painful some months it depends like sometimes they don't at all like this month they were like fine but sometimes it's like a week straight they like hurt to like move and i was telling her that and she was just like oh it's normal whatever and i'm like okay whatever it's like she was like basically oh it's fine it's fine and then when i like asked her more because i was telling her like how i like to go like kind of like from a holistic approach to things and um she was just like well like i can put you on birth control you like that's it and I was like okay like cool like not like I'm not like trying to like I don't even know I didn't even I didn't mean to even bring that up like I'm not trying to like shit on like ob-gyns but I'm just saying like that's my personal experience like I did bring up to her that I was having these like issues in my mind I mean I think that they're issues like I think my periods are really awful and like I would like leave work leave school when I would start my period like I couldn't even like sit and focus on work like My pain is so bad on my period. Like I can't even watch TV. Like, you know, I was like, if you're doing nothing, you're sitting on the couch, you're in pain.
You would like watch TV or watch a YouTube video. I can't even focus on watching a video. Like I'm in so much pain. It takes over my whole body. um and yeah I told my OBGYN that she said that's normal she was like yeah yeah whatever like she was like well I can put you on birth control that's all I can do and I was like okay cool no like I'm good um I just don't I just personally I've never been on it I just don't want to go on it I don't know that's just my personal opinion um so that's kind of my experience with it I have had bad cramps, honestly, since I remember in high school, I think that it started, I started my period in like the eighth grade.
I don't know why I'm like giving you my whole life story right now. I started here in like the eighth grade and I feel like they started getting really bad. Like my senior year of high school, I remember like leaving school and like laying on my bathroom floor, like in so much pain, like throwing up.
Um, and I still, sometimes I throw up sometimes, you know, I didn't this month, last month I did throw up at work or maybe that was two months ago I threw up at work. Um, so I think that my pain is really bad. I also think I have a low pain tolerance, but I think that my periods are pretty bad. So that's kind of how I got into this.
Cause I was like, okay, like what's going on? Like, how can I make this better? How can I make my experience better? Like what's truly going on in my body?
Like, why am I experiencing this pain and these cramps and whatever? So that's kind of how I got into it. And some of the symptoms that I experienced are one, like I said, like my, my boobs get like huge and like very painful sometimes.
Um, I think that that's pretty normal. um and also during my period like when my period starts i get really bad i didn't this month which was weird i get terrible usually hot and cold flashes like and it's due to like your hormone levels like i don't know what the fuck is wrong with my hormones like i get terrible hot and cold flashes like really really hot and sweaty like oh my god and then i get freezing cold so super weird and like my pain it'll come in waves too like it'll be 20 minutes of just like like debilitating like pain like I cannot move I cannot do anything such bad pain and then all of a sudden I feel better and I'm like wait okay I like went away for like 10 minutes and then here it comes back and I like can't move and I'm like about to puke about to puke and then it goes away so it's like in like waves um And that's kind of what I experience in my period mostly. And it's usually just the first day when I first start my period.
I get cramps and I get those weird hormone fluctuations and just extreme like full body pain. And then pretty much for the rest of my period, I'm okay. Again, I think I already said this, but I don't bleed that much. It's not like I, I think that's why I don't know if I have those like, I don't know what they're called.
Like not like the PCOS. Like I don't think I have those things because my period is very regular. It's not irregular. I don't miss periods. I never like bleed through anything.
Like it's not heavy. It's not irregular. So like my period is very normal. Like the bleeding part is very normal.
Um, so that's why like, I don't know, it's about four days. My cycle, my period usually lasts about four days. It's pretty short.
Um, so that's kind of why I'm like, wait, like maybe I don't have that stuff. It's just like the pain is so bad for me for some reason. Anyways. And I don't usually take. like I don't take Midol or anything either.
Again, I don't really just, I don't really like taking like medicine like that. I used to take Midol back in like high school and stuff because my mom told me to take it, but I realized I think it made me puke even more. Like every time I took Midol, I would puke.
I don't know. I don't know. And I... So then I kind of stopped taking medicine because I was like, I don't think this is helping at all. It kind of just made me feel worse.
So that's why I stopped taking medicine like probably a couple years ago. I haven't taken any like Midol or anything in about like two or three years, I would say. Just because I felt like it wasn't helping and it was making it worse. I don't know what to do. I almost like this month almost pushed me to, I was like, someone get me like painkillers right now.
Like I was like, I need to take something. Like it was so awful. Like my leg, like sometimes that's too, like my legs will hurt. Like I'll get pain in my legs.
I'll get pain in my lower back. um and that that was like the worst part of like that's when like this month was my worst period of all time like the pain I don't know what happened but my leg was killing me my right leg was killing me I woke up in the middle of the night with my leg in so much pain my back was in so much pain my cramps everything was so bad so that's like what I've been going through. That's kind of my backstory on my period. So if you have any of those things, like I feel you, I really, and again, like this, this episode is titled everything I know about the menstrual cycle.
I am in no way like, this is just my experience. And from my research, I am not, you know, obviously like, I'm not telling you what to do or like anything or like trying to replace, like going to a doctor by any means at all. This is just my edge.
you know, me trying to educate you and helping you based on what I know. So please like, don't take anything that I say is like, this is like a very like, you know, like, you know, OBGYNs like that's very like serious stuff, like your cycle and like the health of your like uterus and stuff like that's very serious. And I'm not trying to like be like some like professional on it, just simply sharing my experience in hopes that it can help someone or, you know, you can relate to it or something like that. Not at all trying to like be like a scientist, like Dr. Andrew Huberman or anything like that. So.
That is my experience with it. And now let's get into kind of like me telling you guys like what your body goes through during your cycle. Because so many people don't know.
It's like makes me so sad how many people comment on my videos and they're like, wait, like what? What's a luteal phase? And I'm like, we need to know this stuff. Like why don't women know this shit?
Like it's so crazy. So also I'm just popping in here. I'm editing it right now. I'm editing the podcast right now. And I just wanted to say I tried to keep it like fairly simple.
Like everything I was saying is like fairly simple. you can get it in like one google search like and so i'm like so sorry if there is anyone like listening that is like a actual like doctor and if i said something wrong or something i'm like so sorry like i did not mean it again like i am no doctor like i am just some random girl like i I like I'm so sorry if I said something wrong or if I said something incorrectly or anything. Again like I am NOT the smartest person on this topic by any means.
I'm just sharing my experience sharing my thoughts. So if I do say anything wrong like I'm so sorry like I didn't mean it of course like I'm just trying to do my best so I just had to throw that in there. I do want to define some things.
If you're watching on YouTube sorry if I'm looking to the side because I have a lot of notes on this obviously cuz I don't want to like mess anything up because I am talking about sciencey stuff. I do want to define some things for you guys before we get into it just so you guys know these words and know what they mean. first one being estrogen. I'm going to find three different hormones that kind of play a role in your cycle.
So the first one is estrogen. I think we're kind of all fairly familiar with estrogen. We've heard it before. It is the female like sex hormone, like reproductive hormone.
And then we have testosterone, which is of course the male reproductive hormone. We've all heard of that before. So our estrogen is going to spike.
You can look up a chart for this if you want on Google, just so you can kind of visualize it better. Just Google like hormone chart. during menstrual cycle or something, and there will be a ton of them and it'll show you the spikes.
You can kind of visualize what I'm saying because it's hard to comprehend a little bit when I'm just talking about it. So your estrogen is going to spike twice during your cycle. So your cycle is of course, if you have a normal cycle, it's 28 day cycle.
There's four different phases that you are going to go through in this cycle. And it's said to start during your period. So your first day of your period is day one of your cycle.
So you're gonna have your period, of course, all the days are different for everyone. Again, my period lasts about four days, I would say some people's are seven days, whatever. So your period, however long that lasts, then you're going to go into your follicular phase, which is when you're feeling your best.
You're like, that's like, you're good. You're feeling positive, energized, everything. And then you're going to go into ovulation, which is when you're most fertile.
And that lasts about three, four days. Follicular phase is like seven to 10 days. Again, all different based on the person. and then after your ovulation is when you go into your luteal phase which I feel like is what most people talk about on because that's when you kind of get your PMS symptoms you start slowing down you get moody you get hungry and then that leads you into your period okay so that is your cycle so there's the four different phases of your cycle so your estrogen let's go back to those hormones so your estrogen it's going to spike twice in your cycle it's going to spike right before ovulation and during ovulation, and then it's going to go back down.
And then right before you start your period, it's going to spike again. So you have two spikes of estrogen during your cycle. It's spiking because it's getting you ready to have a baby essentially.
So when you ovulate, your body is saying like your body's releasing your egg. And that's when you're the most fertile. So if you go on those like period tracker, like if you track your period with one of those apps, it'll say like, Hey, like and I know like it tells you like some people use that as like their form of birth control and that's when it's going to say like hey like use protection during this time or you know avoid having intercourse during this time because that is when you are the most fertile is during your ovulation or if there's a woman and she's trying to get pregnant she is going to be having intercourse during that ovulation time because that is when you're the most um you know your body is you releasing the egg and the egg is like, hey, where's my sperm?
It's like, hey, I'm ready. I'm ready. You know, I want to, I want to be fertilized and your body wants to get pregnant during that time.
It's ready to get pregnant. So that's estrogen. So it's spiking during those times because that's when your body is getting ready to have a baby. Essentially, I'll get more into that later.
But next one is testosterone, which is the male sex hormone. And that also spikes during ovulation. During ovulation, that is when you're going to have a baby. So be more, you might have the urge to be more sexually active during ovulation because your body is like, hey, I just, you know, I'm here's your egg, like it's ready, like where's my sperm?
So your testosterone spikes, which then could increase your sex drive. You often will feel an increase in sex drive during your ovulation. So that's testosterone.
So it just spikes once during your ovulation or like in the middle of your cycle, essentially. and then we have progesterone which is basically the hormone that is in the female body that supports a healthy uterus supports a healthy pregnancy is that is going to be at a normal level your whole cycle and then right before right after ovulation and before your period it's gonna spike because it's like oh Okay, we have our egg, like we're waiting for our sperm, like let's get pregnant and that's going to spike. And then once it's like, oh wait, we're not pregnant, we didn't get fertilized and you start your period, it's going to go back down.
So it's like getting you, it's like, okay, like I'm ready to be pregnant, ready to be pregnant. And then you're not pregnant, you get your period and it's like, oh, nevermind girl, I'm going to go back down. We're not pregnant.
I'm going to go back down to my normal level. So those are the three hormones that are most, you know, that are most active in your. menstrual cycle. So just go over those really quick, just so you guys know. So now let's get into kind of the depths of cycle and what is going on in your body during these times.
So let's start off with the period. Again, like I said, that's the start of your cycle. It's going to be, you know, four to seven days, whatever it is for you.
And I just want to give you guys some of my, everyone, obviously you guys know what a period is. You guys know how you feel during your period. I don't need to explain that.
Oh, you feel like shit. Like, yeah, you're bleeding. Duh.
We get it. um but I do want to give you guys kind of my tips what I've heard or what I do or what works for me on just how to have a better period and what you should be eating during that time and stuff like that so let's get into it first um something that I've helped that I have found has helped me so much and this might be like I don't know like taboo is that the word to use I don't know but I found for me my periods are pretty short four days and I try to the biggest two things I do is drinking more water because obviously the more water that you drink the more hydrated you are like the easier like the blood can come out you know what I mean like I don't know how to say that like you're being more hydrated so it's like okay like let's flush it out it's like flushing it out faster um and of course drinking more water in general is just great for you obviously so I always try to stay super hydrated during my period just to flush it out quicker um and some things that you can drink of course water you Um bone broth, I always I just drank a cup of bone broth some chicken bone broth That's great for like your gut health too because we can kind of get bloated our digestion kind of gets off during our cycle Too um so bone broth is really great again keeps you hydrated has protein in it because obviously we know we get cravings I'll get into that more when I start talking about the luteal phase But the protein and it's really good for you a nice warm beverage is always good for your you know heating pad It's like an internal heating pad me and drink like a nice warm beverage bone broth is great warm lemon water. Of course, lemon water is fantastic all the time, but especially during your period because it has electrolytes and minerals.
It's going to keep you hydrated. It's going to keep your everything healthy. Even your digestion, help your digestion. Sleep and rest is great.
The more sleep that you can get, the more rest that you can get during your period. I know we all have work and we have all of our things that we have to do, but if you can get, you know, an extra hour of rest or try to just prioritize a little bit more, of course, that helps too. I do take magnesium every single night and that is said to help with cramps and just like your it's what magnesium in general it's supposed to like help relax you help relax your body help relax your muscles and of course your uterus is contracting so that is like I guess it's like a muscle right I don't really know again not a doctor but it's supposed to help just your cramps easier cramps just help your body relax it can help you sleep as well so I do take magnesium all the time but if you don't take magnesium and maybe you want to try it out um it is said to help with periods again nothing I say is like doctor okay like I'm not a doctor okay I'm just saying like I've heard that this helps um if you want some ideas and also this is also oh wait I didn't even say that thing remember when I said like I don't know a couple minutes ago I was like okay this may be a little taboo I like forgot to actually say it but I wear I try to wear pads as much as I can during my period I have I wear a tampon whenever like if I'm at work or if I'm going out I have a tampon or if I'm like working out or something I have a tampon but if I'm at home or like sleeping or just like sitting at home I usually have a pad in just because One, like, there's, especially like on the first day of my period, the last thing I want to do is just put something up there.
You know what I mean? I like just don't want that. So unless of course I have to, if I'm going somewhere, if I'm going to the gym, whatever, um, going to work, it just helps obviously the tampon up there.
Like it, the blood isn't having anywhere to get out. Like it's not able to like get out. So having a pad in, I feel like it reduces my cramps just cause there's not something up there, you know, causing more discomfort. I feel like it's supposed to help with your cramps, um, just helps with pain and discomfort. It just lets them.
lets it all come out. You know what I mean? And, um, it also, I feel like it helps with the length of my period too, because my periods are very short and I feel like drinking water, staying hydrated, and then wearing the pads as much as I can instead of tampons really, really helps with shortening my period.
Cause it just all can come out, you know, it's not like up there. I do. Um, I know like tampons are like so much more like comfortable.
Like I feel you, I'm, I have a tampon in right now just cause like sometimes I just like can't deal with the pad. Cause it's so like. uncomfortable sometimes for me and I'm sure it is for a lot of other people too um but it does I think help a lot with the duration if you have longer periods maybe try it or I don't know I just found that it helps a lot with me another thing that I heard is so I did try out this out this month I was talking about a lot of my tiktok is I was drinking raspberry leaf tea dandelion root tea and spearmint tea every single day for like the past almost two weeks you and it was supposed to help regulate your hormones and reduce period cramps. Like everyone was being like, oh my God, like that got rid of my cramps. Like I have no cramps now when I drink that.
I literally just had the worst period of my entire life. So that didn't work for me personally, those teas, but I have heard that those teas help balance your hormones out and help make your periods a little bit more bearable, especially the raspberry leaf tea is supposed to really, really help period cramps. It did not help me at all.
I had the worst period ever, but maybe I will, I'm gonna give it another month. I'm gonna try it out for another month. And if next month my period's bad again, no, I'm done. I'm not drinking that tea anymore, but I, it. I have heard that it helped other people so I did want to share that with you.
Another thing is I like to prioritize more like instead of like because obviously you're not in the mood to work out and like you know be all energized and like go run 10 miles you know during your period so instead of doing stuff like that I like to prioritize more like healthy mind habits so journaling meditating, stuff like that, like resting, something you can do while you're like resting, you know what I mean? Maybe like reading a book, like prioritize those habits. So say you feel guilty, like, oh, I feel guilty.
You know, I usually run three miles in the morning, but my period came and I feel bad because I can't run three miles. But now I feel like shit about myself because I didn't do my workout. That's okay.
Give yourself grace. swap that habit out for a different habit that maybe you don't do every day. Maybe you want to get into reading and journaling and meditating, but you don't have time because you spend your mornings running. Use your period and be like, oh, I'm on my period. Like I'm so excited.
You know, I'm not going to do my run, but I get to do these healthy mind habits that make me feel so good, make my mindset, my mental health feel good. I'm going to journal and I'm going to read and I'm going to meditate. swap out those habits swap out maybe some more active habits with some more like nurturing like mind mental health habits or maybe like you you know you even just like watching your favorite show or like watching your favorite youtuber like save something like fun like that save like a fun what's it called like resting habit like a fun habit that you can do while you're like relaxing um or like taking a bath or something like that you know save that fun have me like oh i'm starting my period like i get to do this fun little habit that's good for my mental health that's good for my body you know So those are some tips that I have just for dealing with your period. Now let's get into our follicular phase.
So that is what happens after our period. So when our period is over. and this is going to be the phase where you feel your absolute best.
we are energized, we're positive, we're optimistic, we're setting new goals, we want to go do ten workout classes, we are feeling amazing. this is when we feel our best and of course this is a very short cycle. it's only like seven days.
again depends on everyone. depends different from person to person, but it's only about seven days which sucks. thanks mother nature.
you're just feeling amazing during these days. you can do anything like you're not feeling, you don't have a bunch of cravings. You're not having, you know, you're just living your best life for this one week, one week we have in the months to live our best life. It literally makes me so mad. It makes me so mad.
So that's your follicular phase. That's when you're going to be feeling really awesome. I always like, I'm like always like thinking about this. Like, obviously no one wants to plan their wedding.
Like when they're on their period, like that's like my biggest fear is like being, starting my period at my wedding or like something like that. So like, if you're like planning anything, like a planning, a vacation, like plan it during your follicular phase if you can because you're just going to be feeling your best you're going to be the most optimistic positive energized everything so plan your wedding plan your vacations all during that time right after your period because that's when you're going to feel your best so that's your follicular phase um and i in my brain i just like to set because it can get confusing with this phase is this many days i just like to separate it You have two weeks of like, you feel great. Like one, it's your period and then you feel great.
And then there's two weeks of like, okay, you're getting ready for your period. You're starting. It's like, you're going up for two weeks. Like, okay, let me explain it like this.
I'm so sorry. If you're like listening to this, I'm like kind of doing hand visuals in the video, but you can't see it if you're listening to like on Spotify or whatever. Say it's like a mountain.
So your period is like you're at the bottom of the mountain. Okay, you're like feeling like shit, you know, and then you're going up, up, up, you're in your follicular phase. Oh my god, you feel so good.
You're positive. You're energized. You're at the top of the mountain.
And then that's two weeks. Okay, so it's your period. So that's two weeks is one side of the mountain. And then you start going down for two weeks. Oh no.
Oh no, I'm getting moody. I'm getting hungry. I have low energy. I'm getting sad.
I'm crying. My boobs are getting big and there goes your period again. So it's kind of like mountains.
So think of it like two weeks, you're climbing up the mountain, you're at the top. And then two weeks you're starting to go down and there's your period again. So that's kind of a way to visualize it. So I just think that there's like two good weeks and there's like two, like you're going back downhill weeks. So that's why I like to think about it just to make it easier because it does get kind of confusing.
So. Let's go back to what I was talking about. So we have our period, we have our follicular phase, we're feeling great, and then we get to the top of the mountain.
Woo! Ovulation. So me personally, you might feel, you might have some period symptoms during this. I kind of sometimes do feel like cramping.
I definitely get like some different, you might see like different discharge, or you might even bleed, or like not bleed, but like spot. During your ovulation, that's totally normal. That's okay.
I, that happens to me. That's ovulation. And that is when your body, again, I discussed this a little bit earlier.
That's when you're the most fertile. You're going to be the most sexually active. If you are, you're going to want to be sexually active during this time.
Your sex drive is going to go up because that's when that testosterone spikes. Remember how we were talking about that? So, and that is also when you're going to be the most fertile.
So if you are using one of those period apps to like, um, be like your form of birth control, like a natural birth control. um that's when it's gonna say like use protection or like avoid intercourse during this time because it is when you are the most fertile if you don't want to get pregnant but if you do want to get pregnant definitely go for it at this time in your cycle because that is when your egg is like waiting it's like hey i'm out here's i'm a little egg like where's my sperm like it's looking for her little sperm also i forgot to write this in my notes but you're also your prettiest and most attractive during your it's literally proven by science that you're prettier and more attractive in your follicular phase because you're trying to like you're like you're trying to attract a mate like not actually but like you're female body, something in there is like, all right, like I got to look good. Like I'm trying to attract a mate.
Like I'm about to ovulate. Like my egg is about to be out. Like I got to attract a mate.
Cause I'm trying to get pregnant. Right? Like, it's so weird. So you do like get prettier.
And then like in your, when you get into your luteal phase and close to your beard, you start to get ugly. Like everyone knows that. Like, like you can see it.
Like girls know, like, you know, you're like, why do I look so ugly? It's not you girl. It's not you girl. It's literally your hormones.
Cause your body is like, Oh, like I'm about to be pregnant. Like I don't need to be hot anymore. Like my egg is out like I don't need to be hot anymore and then you start to get ugly like I wish it wasn't true You guys I wish it wasn't true like but it is so you're always like your best look again Like get married during your follicular phase like go on your trip during your follicular phases you're gonna be the hottest you ever are and the most positive and just the most energized during your Follicular phase so that's just such a funny and you can see it like in your face like you literally like get prettier. Anyways, at least I can tell when I'm in that phase.
Okay. We talked about ovulation. So sex drive is up, your egg comes out and you might spot and stuff.
Okay. So that's ovulation. That's at the middle.
You're kind of at the top of the mountain and you ovulate and then you start going down, down, down. Okay. So you're going to start getting your PMS symptoms.
So you're going to start losing energy. You might start getting a little moody. Okay. As we go into those two weeks into our luteal phase, leading up to our period. um we can start maybe to get more hungry get more cravings and so let's talk about the luteal phase because that's the phase that i really focus on and where i really like change my habits around and kind of make accommodations because your body is going through like like your body is going through something like justice for women honestly like why is this like why is this not you like talked about.
Okay, let's go a little deeper into it. Let's get a little bit sciencey. I will be reading from my script right now. So if I sound like I'm reading off a script, girl, I am because I don't want to say anything wrong. Okay.
So let's talk about the science behind the luteal phase. We kind of know it's like, you know, PMS symptoms, cravings, stuff like that. You kind of get moody.
Okay. So let's talk about why, because we don't never talk about why we all just think that we're going crazy. Okay. After you ovulate your progesterone, which remember if we talked about in the beginning.
is that pregnancy hormone so it's giving you set up for pregnancy it's like girl we're about to get pregnant we just release an egg we're waiting for our sperm where's that sperm let's get pregnant okay that's what our body is thinking every month it's actually really funny um so your pregnancy hormone is rising cuz it's like alright let's get this uterus ready we're about to grow a baby and so the pregnancy hormones rising your progesterone is rising and then it's like hey Hey, I'm rising. I'm rising. I'm getting the uterus ready. Where's the frickin sperm? Where's sperm?
Hello? Are you there? Are you there?
And it's like, well, oh shit, I don't have a sperm. Boom. And your progesterone plummets and it goes back down.
Cause it's like, shit, where's my sperm? There's no baby in here. And that's what essentially causes your period.
So as it's rising through your luteal phase, it's growing your uterine lining to prepare it for a child, to prepare it, to get, it's literally so crazy. Our body is preparing for pregnancy every fricking month. And that's why we get our period.
So So It's growing your uterine lining and thickening, thickening the walls of it so it's ready to grow a baby. And then it's like, wait, when it realizes that there's no baby, hence, that's why you get your period. Because you get, obviously, when you're pregnant, you don't get your period.
Duh, we know that. Then when it realizes, hey, there's no baby in here. I just did all this work for nothing. It's like... F you and the progesterone plummets and that's when you start your period and everyone I'm sure we might know this already like your period is your uterine lining shedding and that's what where that blood comes from that's what your cramps are because your uterus is contracting and that's what your cramps are because it's contracting because it's trying to shed off that lining you that it just grew for no reason.
Why do our bodies do that? Like, can you just not grow a lining, please, every month? Okay, I'm not getting pregnant.
I'm not getting pregnant anytime soon, okay? So literally every month, our body's like getting ready for pregnancy and then it's like getting pissed essentially. It's like, hey, where's my baby?
Where's my sperm? And then it gets pissed and then you bleed. Like, isn't that crazy? Like, it's so crazy. So that's kind of the science around your luteal phase and what's going on in your body and your uterus, okay?
Now let's talk about. what you can do, because this is the, again, the phase where I kind of focus most in on changing my eating habits, changing my working out habits, giving myself grace with things, because it is like, really your body is going through so much. So let's talk about what you can do during this time, just to make it a little bit easier on you, easier on your body. First thing is, and that's why I love being educated on this and like knowing what my body is going through, because it helps me so much just be more gentle with myself and just give myself grace. through this time, like through those two weeks where I'm not feeling my best, where we're moody, we're hungry, we're, you know, not feeling good.
Like we might get bloated, like our stomach, we start retaining water, stuff like that. We're not feeling our best. Give yourself grace during that time.
And cause I used to, when I wasn't like tracking my period, I just like, whenever it came, it would, it came, you know, when I was like younger, I would just say, Oh, whenever my period comes and comes, I don't care. Like now I write down every, like I, every month I write in my thing. I even write when I ovulate, I have a whole notes app and I write.
The day my period starts, like, was it a bad period? What was I experiencing? What hurt?
Like stuff like that. And then I'll write when I ovulate too. I'll write the date in when I ovulate and if I had any symptoms.
Now I track it like really, really like well. But before, when I wasn't tracking it, I had no idea where I was in my cycle. I didn't care or whatever.
And I would start to get cravings or I would start to like... think negatively or be super sad or, you know, think negative thoughts or like get in my head about things or think like, oh my God, like, why am I so bloated? Like, am I gaining weight?
Or like, why am I so hungry? Like, am I lacking discipline? Like, oh, I don't want to work out. I just want to eat chocolate.
I would start being like, you know, like what's wrong with me? Like, I'm, you know, I'm falling off my routine. I'm, I, I lack discipline and like knowing what our body is going through and like knowing like. your body changes every two, like you have your two good weeks and then your two bad weeks.
In those two bad weeks, please just give yourself grace. Like don't get too hard on yourself. If you're feeling in a negative mindset, if you're feeling like you need to eat more, like you're craving food or you don't feel like working out, please don't beat yourself up about it. It's okay.
You're in your luteal phase. I always, I'm like, anything I'm like it's my luteal phase I'm like sorry my luteal phase I use it so I use it as a big fat excuse especially with men I'm like sorry you'll never get it I'm in my luteal phase you can never understand what I'm going through right now use it as an excuse just that just helped me so much mentally like knowing like hey Taylor it's okay yes you're feeling this craving you're feeling lazy you're feeling like negative it's okay you're fine it's not you nothing's wrong with you it's your hormones you're fine so just having that inner peace with myself. I'm like, okay, like I'm okay. It's not my fault.
It's just my cycle. You're fine. Nothing is wrong with you.
You don't have to freak out. It's not a big deal. Next week after your period, this is going to go away and you're going to feel better.
That just helps so, so much. Like it's already hard enough to go through it. And just like knowing it and giving yourself that peace of mind is just the best. thing about like knowing about your cycle and tracking your cycles. You definitely want to like do lower and if you feel the need to do lower impact workouts during this like today I just stretched the past two days.
I usually don't work out on the weekend. Sometimes I do if I feel like it sometimes I don't. I didn't work out over the weekend at all.
I was like really in a lot of pain over the weekend. Today I just did a stretch. Like it's fine. I didn't feel like working out. It's fine.
Next week when we're feeling good, we can go to the gym. We can lift those weights, everything, you know, like it's fine to give yourself a little break. You're fine. Everything is fine.
Or if you want, like last night, I literally had a cookie. I had a big cookie from Whole Foods for dinner. That's okay. I'm on my period.
Like, you know what? It's fine. And actually your body does need about, it depends on the person, of course.
but your body does need more calories. I read that it was about 300 calories, more calories per day when you're in your luteal phase than when you're in your follicular phase. So it's okay to eat those foods. If you're feeling cravings, if you're feeling more hungry, let yourself eat that food, girl.
Again, try your best to eat more protein and like foods that'll actually, you know, try not to just eat like chips and like snacks and whatever. Of course. everyone's going to, we're girls, we're on our period, we're going to eat chips, we're going to eat an entire whole foods cookie for dinner one night, you know, like it's fine. But just as a reference, like eating more healthy fats and eating more proteins is really going to help you so much, just help reduce those cravings as well as just nourish your body and give your body what it needs. So eating things like salmon is really great, salmon and tuna.
or any fish really are very great when you're on your period or those two weeks. So I'll always buy at least like on the weekend, I'll buy a salmon. Two weekends, I'll get salmon from Whole Foods and then two weekends I won't.
So when I'm in my luteal phase and on my period, I will get salmon at Whole Foods and then the other weeks I won't and I'll get tuna as well and I'll eat that in the two weeks before my period. Salmon and tuna and fish have healthy fats, protein, obviously omega-3s and vitamin D. in them and those four things healthy fats protein and vitamin D and omega threes are very very good for you when you're in your luteal phase and on your period vitamin D especially is really great for you it helps you like reduce cramps and stuff and just helps your body get through this phase and support your body um chia seeds are a great thing to eat again protein fiber healthy fats omega threes I eat chia seed pudding all the time especially during my luteal phase so good for you so if you want to incorporate chia seed pudding put some in your yogurt, put some in your oatmeal, whatever. That's really great for you. Walnuts are really good.
Again, healthy fats, all those foods, healthy fats, omega-3s, any like nut butter, peanut butter is really good. Again, with keeping you full as well. Chia seeds are great at keeping you full. Nuts and peanut butter, that's going to keep you full because it's protein and fat. And then fish, of course, is good at keeping you full because it's protein fats.
And then avocado as well. Again, nice, healthy fat. I'm going to support your body through this time. So all of those are really, really great foods to be eating in the two weeks before your period, in your luteal phase and on your period. And make sure, like, if you are getting those cravings, I always struggle with this on my period.
I don't get it. Like, the past, like, two days. I barely ate any protein because I was like snacking. I was like, oh, like, like I had like fries and then I had a cookie.
Like that's not healthy at all. But like try to get your protein in as much as possible. Like I tried to eat the other day.
I was hungry and I wanted to get like a little snack. And I was like, no, like I should probably eat. I had some like chicken sausage for dinner. And I was like, no, like don't eat your chips.
I was like, eat your chicken sausage. Like I know you want chips, but you need this protein, your body, what your body's like when you have cravings like that and you're craving like salty or you're craving carbs, you're craving, of course, like on. that craving sometimes and go and eat it but your body probably needs your body is probably lacking like protein or like a real nutrient and that's why it's craving that other like that salty or that sweet or that carby food is because it's actually lacking that's just what i've noticed with me like when i'm craving some of my period i'm like shit like i have not had enough protein today like i probably should eat something with protein in it So, um, but sometimes half the time, probably I'm like, okay, Taylor, eat something with protein, be good, have your chicken sausage, eat something good. And then half the time I'm like, no, sorry. I'm eating this bag of chips right now.
Um, but it's just good to know. It's good to know this information. You don't have to follow it every single time.
You gotta be like, oh, I'm never going to eat a craving food again. I'm just gonna eat protein. Like, no, but it's good to know. Okay. It's good to know.
So if you are feeling like, Hey, I should probably eat protein, eat your protein girl. Okay. But like, if you are, You're feeling more hungry.
Your hunger is very, very, very valid during your luteal phase and on your period. Your body truly does need about 300 more calories a day because your metabolism does increase when you're in your luteal phase. So your body's burning off that stuff faster.
So eat up, girl. Eat that food. Those cravings are valid. Your hunger is valid.
Eat, okay? And again, just the biggest thing in your luteal phase and on your period is just giving yourself grace. Eat the food if you want the food. Your hunger is valid.
Like if you don't feel like working out, you're fine. That's valid. You're okay.
Do a lower impact workout. Do some yoga. Do some stretching. You don't have to go to the gym and lift weights and run three miles and whatever. Go on the Stairmaster.
You're totally fine. If you are looking in the mirror and you're feeling like you're bloated or like, oh my God, like am I gaining weight? you're not, you're fine, you're okay, your body's gonna go back to normal in a week, okay?
If you're feeling mentally like I was last Thursday and Friday, I have been really mentally stable, honestly, the past, remember how I did no cry October? If you know, if you've been keeping up with me, you know, I did no cry October, because I was just crying every day. I, again, I'm not gonna get into my depression story right now, but I was crying a lot, and I did no cry October, and it really helped me a lot, kind of, instead of crying about my feelings, just being like, okay, like, you're feeling this.
but like, you don't have to let it overtake you in this moment. Okay. And like, you don't have to let it make you cry.
And I just kept letting all my feelings make me cry, um, for a really long time. So I kind of stopped that. And I kind of just like, instead of letting them make me upset and make me cry, I just thought about it.
And I said, okay, you're feeling this, like, you're fine. You don't have to cry. You're feeling this emotion.
It's okay. Or I would journal about it instead of crying anyways. So I've been very like, that helped me so much, like forcing myself to like.
not let my emotions overtake me and not let, this is completely off topic. I'm so sorry, but I didn't want to talk about it. Um, not letting my emotions overtake me, not letting things make me upset like that. Cause I wasn't crying about anything in the moment. And that's what I realized.
I was like, Taylor, you're crying about shit. Like that happened like two years ago, like, or I'm crying about like past trauma that's like affecting me now. And it's like, if it's something in the moment that's making you cry, sure cry, but you don't need to be crying about.
two years ago, every single day, like right now, like I was just letting all my past emotions like ruin my every day. Anyways, I did know her October. It helped me so much just like get those emotions under control and get them out on paper or like get them out in other ways or just come to peace with them.
It really helped me so much. So I did know her October and I've honestly been very good. I haven't cried in so long, which is just such a great feeling.
I've been so much... better mentally since like challenging myself with that. So I felt really good. But I did cry on like Friday or something. I was just like thinking about I started thinking about all that past stuff that would make me cry.
And instead of like getting mad at myself and like getting really upset. I was like, Taylor, you're about to start your period. Like you're okay. And I was like, you know what, I'm just gonna let myself cry. And I'm gonna remember that I'm gonna let myself cry now.
And in a week from now, I'm gonna be completely fine. And I was like, this means nothing like this. doesn't mean anything about you.
Like you're not a weak person. You're not whatever. You're fine. It's just your hormones.
You're okay. I'm going to let myself cry. So I was really upset and like just thinking negatively. I was thinking very negatively, very pessimistic on Thursday and Friday, but I knew like, Hey, it's just my hormones.
I'm okay. I'm not going to feel like this forever. I'm not going to feel like this next week. I'm going to be okay.
I let myself have that moment. I journal it out. I cried it out.
let myself feel negative and knew that that meant nothing about me as a person. And it was all just my hormones. I blamed it all on my hormones. And again, today, I feel absolutely great today. I feel fine.
I feel positive. I don't care about what I was crying about on Thursday and Friday. I feel completely fine now. So please just, if you could take one thing from this, just to give yourself grace with your mental health, with your physical health, with everything. during your luteal phase and during your period, it's completely valid, everything that you're feeling.
And like, again, if you want to, like I kind of touched on earlier, if you are someone that is very active and is used to like getting out and like on your period, you're like, Oh, like, dude, like I cannot go out and run right now. I cannot go to the gym right now. Like I'm, I feel so, you know, I feel so tired, whatever, swap those habits out for some mental health habits, for some like journaling, some meditation, some reading, like Or even just like going to the store and like getting yourself some like tea or like a kombucha or something I'm like crying like this is like girlhood.
You know what I mean? Like this is like girly stuff like I love this like like go to the Whole Foods and like get yourself some like healthy, like get yourself like a nice like salad with some chicken on it or something. Get yourself something good, some sushi, like get yourself a little like and be like, oh, like I'm on my period.
Like I get to go to Whole Foods and like get my little beverage and get my little sushi, you know, have stuff to do. Like when you're when you're feeling like that way in that like week before your period, have like those cute little habits that you do that make you feel better. Or like maybe do like an arts and crafts hobby.
Like maybe you like painting, like save that painting, you know. during your follicular phase get your working out in like do all that fun stuff maybe you like biking and you want to go bike 10 miles girl go do all your cycling classes go bike 10 miles go do your hiking during your follicular phase and then say you also like painting and you like crochet save that painting and crochet for the two weeks before your period when you're feeling a little more down you know and just this information like I can't even like it means like so much to me like to be sharing this with you guys and like Why am I gonna cry right now? And like educating you guys on this because it's so important that we know this as people. Like say, you know, or as women I mean.
like save those habits that are more like mental health and like relaxing for those weeks. And then save all your other like energetic habits for like the follicular phase and just give yourself grace in both in, in both phases and every phase and just know that it's okay. And that your body's changing. And I'm like so passionate about this.
I'm sorry. Okay. I think that's all I have to say. This has been a long episode. I did not think it was going to be this long.
I hope that that helped you guys. Like seriously, if you didn't know about that stuff. I hope that that helps you guys.
It's so important for us to know that as women and just to remember that and to remind ourselves of that. And I'm like so passionate about this. So if you have any other questions, feel free to DM me on Instagram. I love making this episode for you guys. I hope that I really hope it was helpful.
Please let me know if it was helpful. Even DM me and just be like, Hey, like I liked your episode. Like if it was helpful to you, like that would literally mean so much to me. If you DM me and like, let me know. Oh my God.
That'd be amazing. And of course I got to mention this too. Like if you, um, have been listening to the podcast for a while and now that it's on Spotify and Apple, if you want to like give it a review or whatever, or like rate it, um, that'd be so cool.
I would love to hear like, if you guys like the podcast and stuff that would literally like make me cry, I'm going to cry right now thinking about it. Cause literally like on YouTube and stuff, like your guys' comments on the podcast, like means so much to me because. like on this podcast, I know this was like an informative episode, but like, usually like my podcasts are just like so real and like raw, like it's truly me, like at my core, on TikTok and stuff, like, you know, it's like different, like on my podcast, like.
I am truly me and like truly who I am. So like when you guys comment nice stuff on my podcast, it like means like 10 times more than anything else. So thank you guys so much for like watching and stuff.
And I'm so excited that it's not on Spotify and Apple Music, but I'm going to go now because it's been a really long episode. But thank you guys so much. I literally can't say that enough.
And I hope that you liked the episode and I hope that it really helped you. So I'm going to go now. Okay, bye.