Luteal Phase Survival Guide
Women cycle through four different phases each and every month. The luteal phase is the phase that comes just after ovulation and before the menstrual phase. The luteal phase is also when women can start to experience those dreaded symptoms of PMS including low energy levels, moodiness, irritability, cravings, bloating, or other. In this post I’m going to share with you my top tips and recommendations for thriving through the luteal phase!
In modern society, the low energy luteal phase isn’t really considered ideal. We have this idea that we should be able to do the same things all month long and when we can’t we blame ourselves and our lack of willpower. The truth is that women’s needs are constantly fluctuating and this includes your diet, exercise and lifestyle needs as well. If we try to eat all of the low carb meals, do all of the high impact workouts and possibly are also overwhelmed at work or at home we can definitely see the impact of it in our luteal phase. Learning to live in sync with your menstrual cycle is a sure way to start reducing PMS symptoms.
Our dietary needs definitely do change after ovulation as we shift into the luteal phase and also throughout the menstrual phase. After ovulation, our progesterone rises and our metabolism actually speeds up which is why our appetite also increases. The first step towards improving luteal phase eating habits is to honor your increased hunger level without guilt or fear. Increasing your intake of both calories and slow burning carbohydrates (ex. sweet potato or other root veggies, quinoa, brown rice, etc.) will help to keep you full and satisfied while also supporting daytime energy levels and mood. Our digestion can also tend to get a little bit sluggish during this time which means all of those harder to digest raw foods should take the backseat while you focus on bringing in more warm cooked foods which are easier for your body to handle.
Our exercise routines should should also shift to a reduced amount of higher intensity cardio which can spike stress hormones like cortisol and cause more PMS symptoms to a more luteal phase supportive routine of low impact cardio or toning classes, outdoor walks or even yoga. Continuing with high impact and high intensity workouts in the luteal phase can actually trigger fat storage and muscle wasting in women which is of course the exact opposite of what we’re looking for most of the time.
The pressure we put on ourselves in our work, home or personal life can also play a huge role on how we feel in the second half of our cycle. Planning out your commitments based on where you are in your cycle is such a game changer. For example, if you get invited to a night out with a bunch of friends next week but you know that next week you’ll be in your luteal phase the chances of you wanting to get dressed up and hang out with a bunch of people is probably going to be low. Sometimes of course we can’t avoid commitments in our luteal phase and the key for this is to not put so much pressure on yourself or expect yourself to be as creative or motivated as you were the previous couple of weeks and ideally also plan for this in your follicular phase by getting ahead on some of the monthly to-dos so that you won’t feel so overwhelmed in your lower energy phase.
Here are a few key steps to thriving through your luteal phase & reducing all of the unwanted symptoms that come with it…
Track your cycle! It’s so important to know where you are in your cycle so you can plan your meals, workouts and other commitments accordingly. You can either use a regular period tracker app to give you an estimate of which phase you’re in or you can get really specific and know exactly where you are and when you ovulated by tracking BBT temperatures in the morning using a BBT temperature thermometer like Femometer. Note: tracking BBT temperature would not be a good option for you if you are on hormonal birth control.
Increase intake of Magnesium, Magnesium is such a helpful mineral for all things women’s health and hormones! It helps to keep cortisol (stress hormones down) which are more easily triggered in the luteal phase. Magnesium can also help with symptoms like anxiety, constipation, bloating, sugar cravings, sleep and even menstrual cramps.
Eat more cooked foods. Ditch the raw smoothies and salads and opt for a veggie packed soup, roasted root veggie salad, stir fry’s, turkey tacos, or cinnamon oatmeal instead.
Eat more slow burning carbohydrates. Carbs are so important for keeping our energy levels up and mood balanced. Eating too low carb after ovulation can trigger stress hormones and made irritability worse. Eating too low carb can also lead to binge eating on sweets or other unhealthy foods later on. My favorite luteal phase carbs are sweet potato’s and dark chocolate but you can also enjoy things like quinoa or quinoa pasta, beetroot, brown rice and brown rice pasta, different types of squash, lentils, or other.
Choose lower impact workouts! We definitely don’t want to trigger cortisol with our workouts so making sure that you’re being mindful with the types of movement you’re choosing is super important. My favorite luteal phase workouts are low impact barre, Pilates, outdoor walks in nature and yoga flow.
Say no to anything that isn’t 100% necessary without feeling guilty about it! Women and moms often put others before themselves but it’s important to understand that having time for something doesn’t mean that you actually have space for it. We need to learn how to say no so we can give ourselves more time to do things that bring us peace and joy.
Increase self care practices. This doesn’t have to mean a spa day… self care looks different for everyone. This could be your daily movement practice, walking outside while listening to a podcast, dancing to your favorite song, taking a bath, cooking a nice meal or taking time to actually sit down and eat mindfully.
