REBUILD: WEEK 3 LUTEAL (10-14 Days)
THE BIG PICTURE OF HAPPY HORMONES
You have now moved into the second half of your cycle. Therefore, you can think of the luteal phase of your cycle as your mombody’s “fall” season. It makes sense that your body will crave warmer foods like roasted chicken and baked root vegetables because your body’s internal temperature begins to “fall” as you navigate this phase of your cycle.
Notice that the luteal phase is quite long and you may feel completely different in the first part of this particular phase compared to the second half of it. When the luteal phase first begins, you probably won’t feel that much different from the ovulation phase because you still have a good amount of energy as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone reach their peak concentrations. But your energy levels will begin to drop as those three hormones “fall” to their lowest levels right before your period begins (the second half of luteal - when PMS strikes).
Yes, the luteal phase can be challenging for women as PMS is common during the second half of it. But remember, PMS results from too much estrogen in relation to progesterone so once this is balanced - you won’t have to deal with those familiar feelings of irritability, bloating, soreness, headaches, crankiness, cramps when the estrogen/progesterone ratio comes back into balance.
This is exactly what you are doing when you try to flush the excess estrogen throughout the month by supporting the liver with foods that help your body metabolize it. And when you eat pumpkin seeds, you are setting your body up for producing more progesterone in this phase….to help the estrogen/progesterone ratio. Hence, no pms.
Best ways to MBody8 your mombody this week:
The luteal phase is really two phases built into one. There’s part I and part II.
Body temperature is getting lower, so warm foods are now recommended. Roasting and baking are helpful cooking methods here.
Appetite increases and you need 25% more calories a day - particularly during the second part of this phase.
Seed Cycling: One tablespoon of sesame and sunflower seeds when progesterone levels rise. Sesame seeds have lignans which prevent the build up of excess estrogen and their high levels of zinc promotes progesterone production. Sunflower seeds support liver detoxification and contribute to healthy progesterone levels.
Weight lifting is king here in the luteal phase. Actually weight lifting is ok to do throughout your entire cycle. But we like to focus on it during the first half of luteal phase, but remember, the luteal phase is really two phases built into one. The second half of luteal is better spent focusing on flexibility or the CARVE technique (more on that technique in MOVE).
Cravings hit some of us really hard during this phase and I want you to understand why and how to prevent it.
Now you’re really getting the swing of things! Throughout the luteal phase, we will cover ways to MBODY8 your mombody through the 4 pillars of health: EAT, MOVE, REST, DETOX.
A SMALL DETAIL - DIASTASIS AND PELVIC FLOOR
This week we are going deep inside your mombody to see how your diastasis and pelvic floor are holding up. Remember, these muscles have a tendency to shut off and it’s the job of this program to make sure these muscles are turned on again.
If you have mompooch there are two important things to realize: 1). you could have a diastasis and 2). your pelvic floor isn’t firing properly because you really can’t have a flat tummy without a strong, flexible pelvic floor.
Let’s look at the video below to see what’s going on with your pelvic floor and a possible diastasis recti (abdominal separation).
PELVIC FLOOR AND DIASTASIS IN LUTEAL