You know that:one minute nothing is wrong and the next you turn into a witch? Sandra van Leeuwen, Hormone Factor trainer and specialized in menopause, explains what your cycle has to do with this.
A well-known male comedian hit the nail on the head. In his show he mentioned the differences between man and woman. Men who are actually always stable and women…not. Fortunately, he gave the correct explanation:women have a menstrual cycle and men…not.
Of course he described a number of hysterical situations in which the man completely confused saw his wife turn into the 'devil' from one moment to the next.
Read also Sandra's previous blog: ‘This is what happens in your head during menopause‘
Very briefly, a cycle can look like this:
In the first 14 days of your cycle you feel energized, you have more confidence and you can easily make decisions. In the following 14 days you wander around indecisively and want to close off more from the outside world. Come in motion? Don't think about it!
Logically, you adjust yourself and your agenda accordingly. Or not?
We often suppress our body's signals or may not even recognize them and perform heavy workouts when you notice that your body can't handle this as well. Just like men, we want to continuously perform at the same level, while from a hormonal point of view it is not strange if you deliver a less good sports performance in the 3rd week of the cycle.
Ignoring signals, it will not surprise you, results in an (even greater) imbalance in your hormone balance. You become a plaything of your hormones. From fairy to witch, in seconds.
Fortunately, my plaything is now in the corner collecting dust, simply by taking better care of myself when my body and head ask me to. Here are some of my tips for a more stable menstrual cycle:
In the first period of your cycle, after your period, you often feel your best. More energy and more perseverance. More active sports now also fits well with this. It is also easier to eat more carbohydrates now.
It is better to avoid alcohol altogether in the second part of your cycle. It has been proven that you experience more problems with PMS when using alcohol. You also sleep worse due to the use of alcohol, you are less sharp and therefore mood swings worsen.
You can also try the following:
Eat warm soups, foods with iron (such as green leafy vegetables) in combination with vitamin C rich foods (such as orange and grapefruit). Also, add eggs and fatty fish to your diet. Sinning with sugar-rich food has less impact, so taking in a little more carbohydrates is fine in this phase.
Take it easy with carbohydrates and add food with magnesium, for example bananas and dark chocolate, avocados and seaweed.
Try to eat as pure as possible to relieve the liver. This way you keep the ratio between the female hormones estrogen and progesterone nicely in balance. Avoid sugars and alcohol and add more leafy vegetables, broccoli and cauliflower.
To support a healthy menstrual cycle, you could add the following to your diet.
Start on day 1 of the cycle with 1 handful of pumpkin seeds, possibly combined with linseed. From day 15 (the 2nd part of the cycle) you adjust this by eating a handful of sunflower seeds in combination with sesame seeds every day.
Pumpkin seeds regulate estrogen levels and flaxseeds attenuate estrogenic activity for a better balance between estrogen and progesterone.
Sunflower seeds and sesame seeds also provide essential fatty acids that are important for properly functioning (sex) hormones.
By that I mean; put yourself first. We women are great at taking good care of others, but if the scales tip in the wrong direction, you have nothing left to give.
Treat yourself regularly to something that you really want or that makes you happy. For example, did you close a project successfully or meet a tight deadline? Buy yourself a large bunch of flowers or that expensive bath oil that you would normally only give to a friend as a gift.
During the cycle, estrogen drops on two occasions. On day 1 and around day 14. This is accompanied by a decrease in the happiness hormone serotonin and we often consciously or unconsciously absorb it with a food that has a combination of sugar, fat and salt. Not healthy and therefore every reason to give this happiness hormone a big boost in a healthy way!
About 90 percent of serotonin is produced in the gut, so keep your gut healthy. You do this by eating foods with fiber (such as green leafy vegetables) and taking a brisk walk every day.
Eat enough protein per day. The building block of serotonin is protein. For an adult, an average intake of 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight applies.
Omega 3 increases the serotonin level in your body. Use it as a supplement or put oily fish on the menu twice a week. In between you eat seeds such as linseed and chia seeds.
Not a must, but a nice addition to the basis of a healthy diet.
My daily basis consists of:
Should you still fall out of control after applying all these tips? Then lock yourself up, turn off your phone and put on a dramatic Netflix series;-)
