CUE TO JAWS THEME SONG –> Here we go again, it’s THAT time of the month…
I spent most of my adult life dreading my period. Because all that it meant was a time of the month filled with irritability, fatigue, and oh so many inconveniences.
P.S. –> If talking about periods seems icky, be warned: The Nutrinut is about to focus fully on hormone health. Periods have been a taboo topic for far too long. It is time that we stop tiptoeing around it and make the menstrual cycle a NORMAL topic.
I mean I get it. You won’t see me having happy chats with my girlfriends about being on my period. Those usually consist of how the world can be a triggering place and people can be annoying and how a lot of things suck – like why does everything come in plastic?
But my borderline obsession over everything menstrual cycle related has me realizing that there’s so much more to it than “on my period” and “not on my period.”
You’d think that as a 36-year-old there would be no surprises there. Yet I feel I am ONLY NOW getting to understand my cycle and learning how to properly support it. Call it my Period Awakening…
I’m not sure why we so easily accept the narrative that our biology is an annoying and inconvenient weakness. But I think it’s time to change that. Don’t you?
And it starts with us – by understanding what happens in our entire cycle – the full 4 phases. Not just the bloody side of things. Because each phase comes with its own set of gifts + superpowers.
The duration of your full cycle (and each phase) can vary from cycle to cycle. A little side note: The average menstrual cycle is considered to be 28 days, but studies show that only about 13-16% of women have a 28 day cycle. Most women in the United States and Canada have a cycle length of 25 to 31 days.
Tracking Your Menstrual Cycle
Old me would not pay much attention to my cycle. Heck, I wouldn’t even track it. Like I didn’t have a clue of when my next period would happen. Every month was like playing a tweaked version of Russian roulette:
“Can I wear white jeans today?”
I first started tracking my cycle no more than 5 years ago. And it opened a WORLD of possibilities.
I promise to dive deep and break down every phase of your cycle in the upcoming posts. For this one, I want to get you curious about tracking your cycle. And don’t worry, you don’t have to use an app if you don’t want – Yeah, I am talking to all the planner lovers out there (me!). Just do this…
Keep track and write down:
-When bleeding begins + ends
-Symptoms (before, during, after)
-Flow intensity
-Duration of full cycle
If you never really thought about it before, don’t worry, you are not alone. So many of us are walking around on auto-pilot without really even knowing our own bodies. But it’s never too late to start.
Want to hear something AMAZING that blew my mind?…
I had never thought about checking my cycle before booking a flight. I’d just hope for the best and pray my period didn’t land on my vacation days. But did you know that you can use your cycle tracking to help you book flights/vacations/getaways. Just book AWAY from your period days. Like where have I been all my life?
