How to Match Your Pilates to Your Natural Monthly Energy
Hey, ladies, do you ever feel like in Pilates, one week you’re super strong and another week you’re just wiped out? It’s not because you’re inconsistent. It’s not because there’s something weird and crazy about the class. It’s actually what’s going on in your body. It’s the cycle that you have. And I want to dig into how you can use Pilates cycle syncing along with your cycle so you can get the best workouts for your body.
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Learning to Listen to What Your Body Needs
Hi, I’m Lesley Logan, co-founder of onlinepilatesclasses.com and I’ve been doing Pilates since 2005, teaching since 2008 and I remember thinking, why is it that I can totally understand these exercises right now and then other days, just feeling like I had to push so hard to get the same results or get the same feelings. And I think that it’s important to understand what is going on with your body, what makes things easier or harder at different times of your cycle, and then also how to be thinking about the Pilates practice that you’re doing so that you actually continue to hit the amazing goals you have and have a consistent practice that works for you. So let’s dig into it.
What is Cycle Syncing and How to Start
Simply put, it means adjusting your workouts based on your cycle. Yep, it’s kind of simple, but also not. It requires you to understand where you are in your cycle. And I know for some women, that can be tricky to learn where you’re at. And so what I would say is, really do take the time to figure out the dates of your cycle and track as best you can. If you are someone who has an irregular cycle, and that’s harder, another way to cycle sync is go with the actual moon cycle. Yep, the moon. I’ll let you google how that works. I’m not a scientists on that, but it absolutely helped me when my cycle was something that was a little irregular and hard for me to track.
But when you work with your own body cycle, and you’re listening to your body, it actually allows you to give your body the rest and restoration that it needs so that you can get strong without burnout, without creating extra cortisol, without stressing your body, you’ll notice less bloating and things like that, when you’re actually working within your cycle. Yeah, it does mean we have to kind of cover what feels good to you, and you may have to go on a journey to figure out what that is. I highly encourage you to do it, but once you do, it’s easier to listen to your body. So I want to talk about the different parts of your cycle and the workouts that might feel good to you to give it a try as you learn about your body and its needs.
Days 1 to 5: The Menstrual Phase & Low-Intensity Movement
So during your period, days one through five-ish of your cycle, I know some of you are a three-dayer. Lucky you. Some of you are going to be a little longer. I feel you, I see you, I have been there. And what you want to understand is that this might be when your energy is at its lowest, so shorter movement snacks might feel the best for cramping and things like that, just to kind of get the body moving. But it’s also okay just to go and do light walks or focus on breath work at that time, or some meditations, getting the nice rest that you need so that your body is ready to move when it’s over.
Other people, though, have found that because of the hormone shifts in the body, from day one in their period, they’re ready to do a little bit more intensity. What I would recommend is making sure that you give yourself a few cycles to try out doing less and doing more, so you understand when your body is feeling like it could do a bit more effort in any movement practice, whether that be Pilates or weight training or running, so that you know when to adjust Pilates for low energy days if it’s not feeling right.
Alright, if you want a movement snack to try during days one through five, and you’re not an OPC member, where you can hit play on anything and just stop when you’re ready, you can check out this 15-minute Mat Workout. It’s great for beginners. What I highly recommend is do what feels good to you, leave what feels not so great, and come back and compare yourself to yourself. Sometimes taking the same class at different parts of your cycle really allows you to understand when you are feeling more energized versus less.
The Energy Boost: Building Up Strength
Alright, so as the period ends and we continue on the follicular cycle, our energy is going to rise. And this is a great time to try out Pilates workouts, like Focus on Flow, maybe even a little bit more advanced. It could even be a shorter, more intense class. Or you can even combine it with some weight and strength training that you’re doing. You can also do more combo workouts. I find during this part of my cycle, I can easily do pilates and a weight training day and hit a zone too. Just have a lot more energy. It’s a great time to also try new things, try out new workouts.
Your body has a little bit more ability to be new and be a beginner at something and take on a new challenge during this time. So it’s a great time to explore the horizon, what’s out there, and find ways to even double-stack some workouts. If you’re trying to incorporate other movement modalities and have other fitness goals, this is a great time in your cycle to do so. Always listen to your body. I would keep a little journal going on so you can understand how and when and the day is best for you to do these workouts.
Taking on the Challenge: Rhythm and Flow
Also, as we go through these high-energy days, I really do want to challenge you to explore the transitional work in Pilates and get exercises that go from one to the next. Here’s the cool thing, right? Some people, you’ll research, it’s like, oh, this is the best time to do an advanced classical Mat or an advanced Reformer. Yes, you can also do those on low-energy days by avoiding overhead exercises or more intense rhythm exercises. You can actually juice out the exercise a little longer and take your time. But on these high-energy days, it’s like, why don’t we do Joe’s work in the rhythm that he wanted and the pace that he wanted?
And so what I think is really fun is you can check out the Mat class that I have on here. It’s the original order. It takes 30 minutes. We’re gonna do over 34 exercises. So it’s gonna move really at a nice, zesty pace. We also have the full reformer order from Joe on this channel. That one, you’re getting over 79 exercises in 60 minutes. So it’s gonna flow. And if you’re really in that high energy, I highly recommend a combo. Do them back-to-back. You can choose what you want to do with Mat first or Reformer, but what’s really nice on these high-energy days is that as you challenge your practice, you’ll start to really see what you should be working on in the lower-energy days. You can think of the low-energy days as homework time for the exercise you struggle with in high-energy time.
Slowing Down: Precision and Cortisol Management
Alright, so then what goes up starts to slowly wind down as we get into the second part of our cycle, and this part of the cycle, from all the research I’ve done, the doctors I’ve talked to, progesterone doesn’t like too much stress. What is working out? It stresses the body. So what we want to do is incorporate our workouts in a way that meets our needs and our bodies’ needs, without scaring progesterone away. So what does that mean? First of all, Pilates is a given. You can absolutely do it.
What you might find is that you’re focusing more on precision rather than rhythm. Right? You might be, instead of taking that 30-minute Express advanced Wunda chair class for athletes, you might actually be enjoying a more of a Tower class that’s for a more intermediate level, where they’re taking their time to understand the focus of an exercise, rather than trying to get upside down. Now I am someone who doesn’t mind going upside down at any part of my cycle. Some people will find, as they get to the big, that we go all the way back around to the period part of the cycle, that they don’t want to do upside-down work.
You might find that’s not an issue, but as your energy levels go, you don’t have that energy to do so. Some other things to consider are that I still weight-train during these low-energy days, as my cycle starts to approach the end. However, instead of doing HIIT with my trainer and weights, I focus on heavier weights with longer rest periods, and I keep the workouts a little shorter so I’m not spiking cortisol for too long. This type of cortisol management is key during this phase. Another thing to consider in these low-energy days is the time of day you do your workout. Again, not getting that cortisol too high right before bed causes you to have a rough night’s sleep when your body’s already tired and needs more rest.
The Long-Term Benefits of Cycle Syncing
So why syncing helps? It really does give us this permission to not be in an all or nothing mindset when it comes to our movement practice, our Pilates practice, or the goals that we have for our body. I think it is incredibly important, as you cycle sync, you’ll notice less of those dramatic, annoying symptoms as your cycle comes around. It’s true. When I started to adjust Pilates for my cycle, I had way less bloating, way less pressure in my chest, fewer breakouts, and less irritability. It’s not like a light switch. You’re not going to have any of those things. It just makes it easier. So your cycle is not so disruptive in your life.
You have less burnout, right? And you’re going to notice that as you give yourself permission to one, listen to your body, so in the days that you can do more, you do more, and the days you need less, you do less. You’ll actually realize that you have more energy for everything. You have a lot more love for yourself and what you’re doing. And here’s the thing that I really believe at OPC and Pilates, specifically what I talk about at OPC, is that it is brave and courageous to replace what you can’t do yet with what you can. It is also brave and courageous to replace what your body does not need in that moment, in that part of your cycle, with what it does. When you are expecting your body to be the same every single day, you’re going to find yourself super frustrated and disappointed. But when you are recognizing where you are in your cycle and giving yourself the standards around that, it really allows you to level up or level out what you need, and you’ll find that you have a lot more grace for yourself, but in comparing yourself to yourself month over month versus day after day, you will see your goals be met and your progress and your practice progress, you’ll also notice it helps you in all things in your life, not just your workouts.
Personalizing Your Experience
And for those of you watching this whole thing, going, “Lesley, I wish this worked for me; my energy never matches my schedule.” I understand. I am a woman over 40, every day is a new day in this body, which is why I love Pilates so much. So here is the deal, even if your cycle doesn’t match cycle syncing, guess what? You’re gonna match your cycle syncing, because it’s about awareness, listening to your body, and giving it what it needs. And maybe that means you need some equipment at home, so on those days when you actually have more energy, you can take advantage of it. You’re not hoping to get into a certain class or level or have a schedule that meets those needs. You could do it on your own, in the privacy of your home. Maybe that means having memberships or access to classes where you can switch from a high-intensity class to a low-intensity one, or working with a teacher who lets you dial down when you don’t feel you have to keep up with the group.
Personally, with the workouts I do, I get to go at my own pace every single time. I could not handle going at someone else’s pace because I am always listening to my body and giving it what it needs. And so I want to give you that same permission. And I do believe that Pilates, true Pilates, when you’re doing it correctly, is actually challenging you to practice that each and every time you do it, whether it’s on the Mat or other equipment. You’re always listening to your body. Am I ready for more? Can I get more out of this exercise? Do I need to work on a little piece of homework over here on the foot corrector? And so I would say, even if your cycle syncing doesn’t match what the science says, your cycle should feel, energy-wise, as long as you’re listening to yourself and you’re following that, you are cycle syncing for you.
Conclusion
So here’s the deal, your Pilates practice should not be competing with you. It should be going along with you. It should be meeting you where you are. That’s what Pilates really is, each and every day. That’s what Joe Pilates gave us. And so I really encourage you to find ways to listen to your body through your Pilates practice, and find spaces that allow you to do that, versus pushing through. You think you’ll really, truly enjoy your Pilates practice more, learn so much more about your body, and be taken to greater places and spaces.
And I do know that you’ll get stronger on the other side. And so if you want a space where all bodies are welcome at any part of their energy levels, and we believe finishing is optional, and it’s brave and courageous to replace what you can’t do yet with something that you can do, I highly encourage you to come over to Online Pilates Classes with an incredible membership that can roll with where your energy levels are. We have amazing teachers who are also listening to their body when they’re filming, and they’re doing only what’s right for them, and that is there to guide you, remind you, and inspire you to do those things as well. So thank you so much for watching this video. If you have any questions or comments, please drop them below. I will see you Sundays at 9 am Pacific Time, and hopefully in the OPC community, have an amazing day.
