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Let’s talk periods

Let’s talk periods, or more specifically the menstrual cycle. Our reproductive years are marked by the regular occurrence of a menstrual cycle. Like it or loathe it, the menstrual cycle and the hormonal changes that drive the cycle, lie at the core of a female’s health and well-being.

Some of us are really in synch with our monthly cycles, others (me being one of them) not so much. But there is much to be learnt from tuning into your menstrual cycle and then to use this knowledge to your advantage, particularly if you have specific strength, performance or physique change goals.

The cyclic hormonal changes involve a number of important organs in the body that are instrumental to the development and regulation of the reproductive and immune systems. These hormonal changes influence your mood, energy fluctuations, cravings, body shape and performance. By having an understanding of your cycle it can provide you with a useful “snapshot” into the status of your overall health, and therefore how to potentially make a few tweaks to your lifestyle to see positive changes.

The following is a brief summary of the menstrual cycle, the hormonal changes and how exercise prescription can be altered to take advantage of these fluctuations. It may also explain why you feel stronger one week and like you’ve hit a brick wall the next.

A normal menstrual cycle can be anywhere between 28 and 35 days. For the purpose of this article let’s use 28-days as that fits neatly into a 4-week period. A cycle can be divided into 2 main phases – the Follicular and Luteal Phase. Each phase is characterised by a change in the ratio of the two main sex hormones – oestrogen and progesterone.

Follicular Phase

This first phase occurs between day one (first day of bleeding) and ovulation (when an egg is released from the follicle). When you have your period oestrogen and progesterone are at their lowest levels. Interestingly, this is the time when women are physiologically “most like men” which explains why you may feel strong and good when exercising.

Oestrogen levels rise gradually during the first 10-days of the cycle and peak just prior to ovulation around day 14. Oestrogen has a positive effect on mood and energy, muscle strength and force production, and has a protective quality in mitigating muscle damage.

In regards to exercise and training – this phase provides an opportunity to build muscle, improve strength and train at higher intensity. The body can handle more pain, can produce more muscle force and recovers well. Therefore, high intensity, short duration interval sessions are effective, as is training for strength and hypertrophy gains.

Interestingly, during this phase the body utilises more glucose and is more insulin sensitive – the body’s cells readily absorb glucose out of the bloodstream to use as fuel. It is therefore important to fuel the body with adequate amounts of carbohydrates to meet any increase in energy demands.

Ovulation

Ovulation – when an egg is released from the follicle – occurs around day 14 and is characterised by a sharp increase in all hormones, including testosterone.

Luteal Phase

The time between ovulation and menstruation is the luteal phase. Initially there is a dip in oestrogen levels, but this rises again, along with the hormone progesterone.

Progesterone is known to be “catabolic” in nature – it “breaks down” molecules – as a result increasing core body temperature and a switch in fuel source from carbohydrate to fat.

If you are in tune with your body, you may notice subtle changes that occur after ovulation – energy shifts, mood changes, maybe you don’t recover so well after training. And, as you near your period, you may experience symptoms of PMS and/or cravings.

This is potentially a time to switch down gears and reduce intensity and loads to match your energy level and mood, and honour how your body is feeling. In the lead up to your period, you may find switching towards lower intensity, longer duration intervals and exercises, circuit training and general play may be more beneficial than short, sharp intense sessions. If you suffer from bloating, cramping and other premenstrual symptoms, the ability to activate your inner core may be impacted and could leave you vulnerable to injury without adequate preparation.

And finally, if you really are feeling crap – give yourself permission to rest. A few days of lighter training or relaxation will actually improve your overall health.

Some women are more prone to cyclic changes than others. Understanding how you respond to your cycle can make it easier to adapt your lifestyle – exercise, nutrition, sleep and stress levels in particular – in order to work with rather than against your cycle.

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Readiness to Train

“As we warm-up, do a scan of your body. How do you feel today? Stiff or sore from Monday? Work and modify the exercises for how you feel today.”

Have you heard me say and ask this before? By being able to identify with how you and your body “feel” on any particular day, and then modifying how you train is one of the best ways to honour your body and get the most out of not only that day’s training, but your training in general.

Using a daily readiness scale is a simple way for you to track how different lifestyle choices and behaviours impact on your overall wellbeing, and therefore assist you to make the necessary tweaks to help you achieve greater benefits from your fitness program.

Your daily readiness score provides valuable insight into how various physical, emotional, psychological and lifestyle stressors impact you and your body. There are no hard and fast rules or “one size fits all” approach for training intensity as it all “depends” on so many different factors – gender, age and goals to name just a few. I believe the best approach for the everyday athlete – like you & me – is to honour how you feel, and if you want to get a little more techo, track your heart rate (HR) to monitor intensity and recovery through your workout.

Why measure?  We have been conditioned to think that “more is better” and “harder & faster” or “go hard or go home” is the way to approach each and every training or fitness session. But in reality, training an already “stressed” system too hard will see results plateau or reverse, and only increase the stress on an already inflamed body. Pushing through when your body and your emotional state is already in “fight or flight” mode and unable to cope will take you further away from your goals than towards them.

So, with that in mind and to help you quantify your readiness to train, I’d like to introduce to the Daily Readiness Scale as developed by PTA Global. This scale gives you an honest and solid indication of how hard you should train on THAT day, if at all. Simply answer the questions honestly and tally up your score. Once you know your readiness score, you make a few subtle tweaks to your workout to give you the best chance of improving your outcomes.

Give yourself 1 point for each you have done well:

  • I slept well and feel rested
  • I have fuelled my body with good nutrition
  • I have hydrated with 2+ litres of water
  • I have moved well and often in the last 24 hours
  • I feel energised and strong
  • I have no pain or stiffness
  • I feel emotionally happy and clam, not stressed
  • I feel mentally ready and motivated to train

What your score means:

GREEN 6-8 out of 8 – You are good to go!

AMBER 3-5 out of 8 – Caution! Reduce the intensity or weight today

RED 1-2 out of 8 – Take it very easy today

For example, if you scored in the red zone thanks to doing too much, eating poorly and not allowing for sufficient recovery in your life – then make your training session one that focuses on restorative movement or an activity that makes you feel better than when you started. And if stress and emotions are running hot, then reduce the stress & intensity in your session (stay out of the red zone!), and focus on play, movement and recovery. If you score in the amber or caution zone as you’ve pulled up a little sore & stiff, then employ strategies that will help you move more efficiently – lower impact, full range of movement, less is more.

And finally – the best way to increase your readiness score and boost your overall wellness is to try and tick all the boxes by looking after the 4 big rocks:

  • SLEEP – Prioritising good quality sleep
  • STRESS – Understanding how stress affects you and what strategy is needed to reduce its impact on your body
  • NUTRITION – Hydrating and nourishing your body with foods that serve you well
  • MOVEMENT – Move daily, decrease time spent sitting and find purposeful “exercise” options that you ENJOY doing

A little more on the BIG ROCKS to come soon!

How ready are you to train today?

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One step back…two steps forward

Do you feel a constant urge to make progress? In life, relationships, fitness, business? Have you noticed that progress isn’t always one way traffic?

Progress is by definition “forward or onward movement towards an objective or to a goal”, or my preferred definition “gradual betterment”.

The path towards the goal may plateau and undulate, and even loop back on itself, but ultimately we move forward, we get better, we progress.

Back in the day I very rarely (ie. never!) took a backward step in training until I was forced to. For the stubborn among us, sometimes we are forced into or need to regress a movement, skill or training load – such as when faced with injury or illness – before we can progress.

But there are also times, (and there are also sensible people who work with a good coach) when we can embrace regression or chose to take a backwards step, in order to take two steps forward.

If we embrace regression – rather than wait for imbalance or injury to strike – we give ourselves a better opportunity to succeed in the long run.

So, is it time to give yourself permission to REGRESS?

Maybe you’ve had an extended break from training. Maybe you are returning to exercise after having a baby. Maybe you’ve been stuck on a performance plateau for a few months. Maybe you have an underlying injury or imbalance that’s causing a chain reaction in other parts of your body.

Addressing an injury, imbalance, weakness or a plateau doesn’t have to be a negative experience

Tackle your weakest link, the one you’ve possibly been ignoring or avoiding for a while.

Regressing doesn’t always mean choosing “easier” exercise options.

Try slowing down – less is more.

Train smarter – not harder.

Try increasing your range of movement – focus on quality over quantity.

Allow for adequate recovery – within and between sessions.

You may find that by taking a step back, you come out stronger on the other side, and take two giant steps forward.

I’m embracing regression this term and working with a new coach. My focus is to slow down, less is more, quality over quantity – in order to become more efficient, move better, and progress.

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Metafit for the midlife mumma?

Are you a 40+ female and looking for a new way to exercise that is short on time but big on results? If yes…read on!

If you’ve clicked on this post I’m going to presume you meet the following criteria:

  • Female
  • 40+
  • Currently exercising but not seeing results for the time or money you are devoting to it OR
  • Not exercising but would love to/need to start, but you don’t like gyms, and yoga and/or pilates don’t float your boat either OR
  • You feel a little intimidated to sign up to boot camp run by a 20 year old male trainer alongside his footy team-mates, but you love the idea of working hard and feeling the buzz after a tough session

If any of the above sound like you, then please read on…

OK, so I’m no stranger to pushing my body (& mind) to do heavy-duty physical things…in fact I met my hubby whilst sharing the chin-up bar at the gym!…so when I was introduced to METAFIT it was love at first sight! But doing old-school bodyweight exercises in short, intense bursts for 20 minutes until your legs are burning and you’re gasping for breath isn’t for everyone…or is it?

For the past 18 months I’ve been taking 7 metafit sessions a week. The overwhelming majority of my clients are women, and most of them would be north of 40 (or pretty close to). So why is metafit so attractive/addictive to the 40+ woman?

Here’s what I think:

It’s the RIGHT type of exercise for this age group (and I fit into this age bracket too). What do I mean by RIGHT type of exercise? Its INTENSE but SHORT, you feel ENERGISED afterwards and you GET RESULTS.

HOW? Because you:

  • Get HOT
  • Get SWEATY
  • Get OUT OF BREATH
  • Feel the LACTATE BURN in your muscles
  • Work in SHORT BURSTS
  • Work until you FEEL TRULY CHALLENGED and NEED TO REST
  • Use your own BODYWEIGHT – yep, the same weight that you drag around each day so you may as well use it!
  • FEEL yourself getting STRONGER and FITTER as you master exercises you thought a 40+ woman can’t/couldn’t/shouldn’t do! (Floor to sky tuck jump anyone?)

WHY should a 40+ woman do metafit or HIIT?

  1. BONE HEALTH – weight bearing and impact exercise are essential for bone health and maintaining bone mass at this critical phase of life. After the age of about 30, bone loss starts to outpace bone gain. In addition, the decline in oestrogen production that also occurs as we age has a negative impact on bone remodelling activity. Bone mass is reactive, not proactive. Bone must experience stress ie. load and impact, in order to remodel. Less stress = less remodelling = loss of bone mass.
  1. To build LEAN MUSCLE MASS (notice I say mass and not size) and therefore INCREASE YOUR METABOLISM – muscle tissue = metabolic tissue. The more (dense) muscle you have the higher your metabolic requirements – your body needs & will use more energy whilst at rest compared to someone who has less lean muscle.
  1. The high intensity of metafit promotes EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) or the afterburn effect. Our bodies want to return to their resting state, but after being worked so hard during high intensity exercise, it takes considerable energy (calories) to do this. Even though the actual workout is only 30 minutes, the after effects are felt for many hours (up to 48hrs) afterwards.
  1. To MAINTAIN or INCREASE MOBILITY, BALANCE & POSTURE – the whole body functional nature of the exercises used in metafit see you getting up and down from the floor, moving forwards, backwards, sideways, using your arms and legs to push, pull, bend, lift, jump, hold etc through a full range of movement in all joints. At the same time your core & postural muscles are working to stabilise your torso and maintain posture. And the resistance is your own body – the same weight you drag around all day – nothing more, nothing less.
  1. Check the strength and integrity of your CORE & PELVIC FLOOR. If you find when you do burpees, sprints or jumps and pee your pants at ANY level…fantastic! This is 100% proof that your core/pelvic floor isn’t up to par for this type of training…yet. If this is you, please seek assistance from a specialised women’s health physiotherapist or your GP ASAP. Just like any muscles, these muscles can be trained to increase their strength and tone and your ability to control them. (Sometimes we need to experience a little of what we don’t want to do something about it!)

Are you a metafit or HIIT convert? How do you find it?

Curious to try? Come and join me at Heart Body & Soul in Glen Iris. You’ll find the timetable here. If you live a little too far away to visit me, search the Metafit Australia website for a coach near you.

 

 

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HIIT Workout for @ home or hotel

The latest DIY HIIT workout for @ home or the hotel room

One of the (many) brilliant things about HIIT bodyweight training is that a workout can be done anywhere at anytime – all you need is a little space, a clock with stopwatch or interval timer app, and a little self starter attitude.

The latest workout attached will take no more than 15 minutes including a warm-up!

So, what are you waiting for HIIT IT!IMG_0316.CR2

Hotel HIIT Workout #4

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Metafit for mums to be

Ok, so you’ve heard that Metafit is suitable for all thanks to the adaptability of the exercises – but what about for the pregnant client? A qualified Metafit coach can regress or progress each exercise to suit their client’s level of fitness, range of mobility – particularly if limited due to pre-existing conditions, and strength. The normal path is that we start with the regression and then progress as the client’s fitness and strength improves, but with a pregnant client this moves in the opposite direction.

“Pregnancy and Metafit- you wouldn’t think that they go together, but after support from my obstetrician and trainer Jacqui I have found metafit to be something that I look forward to as part of my regular routine.

Initially I was sceptical in thinking that I would be able to continue as I started to grow; thinking that Metafit would become less effective.  But as I am nearing the end of my pregnancy I have actually found my strength to increase and my control of each exercise improve as I strive to have the correct technique. My favourite part of Metafit is the endorphin rush after the final countdown on the finisher from Mr Metafit!

Thank you to Jacqui for reigniting my passion for exercise and I know if this baby can’t sleep it will be because it is missing the feel of burpees and squats!” Marie, Glen Iris

Let’s consider exercise during pregnancy. Physical activity and reproduction are normal parts of life. Pregnancy is a normal physiological state – ok so not all women have “normal” pregnancies (me being one of them!) – but the female species has been designed to conceive, grow and deliver a baby. Combining regular exercise and pregnancy for normal healthy women appears to benefit both the mother and baby in many ways:

  • Improve maternal fitness
  • Restrict weight gain without compromising fetal growth
  • Hasten postpartum recovery
  • Reduce risk of developing gestational diabetes
  • Improve self esteem and mental well being

Risks? Currently there are no known adverse risks to a pregnant woman or the developing fetus that are linked with participating in physical activity. However, as pregnancy progresses, the body goes through significant changes such as increased looseness of joints, changes in centre of gravity and an increased resting heart rate. Therefore, modifications to any exercise program need to be considered as the pregnancy continues.

Considerations – while most forms of exercise are safe, there are some general cautions:

  • Avoid raising body temp too high – interestingly adequate hydration, regular exercise and pregnancy combined can all improve a woman’s capacity to dissipate heat.
  • Don’t exercise to the point of exhaustion
  • Avoid exercise if ill or you really don’t have the energy – listen to your body to avoid depleting precious energy reserves
  • Don’t increase the intensity of your exercise whilst pregnant – pregnancy is not a time to try and set a new PB or reach peak fitness!
  • PELVIC FLOOR health is vital. As pregnancy progresses and the pelvic floor muscles come under greater load and stretch, reduce impact to reduce strain on pelvic floor.

METAFIT & the mum to be

In its purest form, Metafit is high intesntiy interval training (HIIT) – pushing yourself to work at 85% max heart rate. It is also bodyweight training, using functional whole body exercises that work joints and muscles through their full range of mobility.

So for a pregnant client, we regress Metafit – reduce the intensity, reduce the impact, modify exercises to accommodate the changes in centre of gravity and of course being prone/supine. Although not really a HIIT session in later pregnancy, Metafit is still a very useful program for the pregnant client as she is completing weight-bearing exercises, working aerobically, and exercising under the supervision of a qualified fitness professional. Effective, efficient, functional training.

Ultimately, exercising whilst pregnant is a personal choice often determined by the health of mother, baby and progression of the pregnancy. Doing any physical activity is better than none. Listen to your body – if it likes what you are doing, keep doing it. If it tells you to slow down, slow down. When in doubt, seek the help of a professional. The goal is for a healthy mum to deliver a healthy bub!

Putting the spring in your step…..and a smile on your face – a little physical activity each day is good for your Heart Body & Soul.

 

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