Three Things to Do to Optimize Your Training and Performance When You’re PMSing

Ladies, if it’s that time of month and you notice changes in your energy, mood, appetite, performance or some aspect of your life you are not alone. Cycle related changes are normal, but the degree to which they affect our lives can vary from person to person.  Add to that if you’re a paddler the last thing you want to have to deal with is changes that impact your training or even worse racing.  The changes you experience month to month have to do with hormones, and the more drastic the shift in hormones week to week and day to day the more you will feel it when it comes to what you do amongst your daily routine - from lifting in the gym to those miles of paddling on the water.  Add to that, as we get older, and as early as our mid 30s for some women entering perimenopause even those hormone changes can become even more erratic.

I made it through my teens and most of my 20s without experiencing much PMS or female-hormone related challenges.  I was routine like, structured, trained and worked out regularly.  Truth be told, I didn’t even start getting my period until my late teens, and through my 20s it was nearly absent until around 28, both thanks to the rigors of being a gymnast, and then simply intense workouts and extreme training that kept my body from having a healthy cycle.  It may sound nice, but once my cycle returned more regularly I started experiencing the cycle and hormone-related swings throughout the month and they were not fun.   

I set out then to find solutions not only for myself, but for my clients whom I worked with being a personal trainer, health and wellness coach. Metabolism and female hormones became a focal point of study and in turn expertise post-college and really has been ever since.  As for my personal journey to balanced and optimized hormones and a healthy metabolism, that all started over 15 years ago now, and I made it through most of my 30s faring pretty well considering.  I managed to create a plan and structure for myself that was built around consistent weight training, movement, and an overall balanced diet - I still have my vices, ;-). A couple years back though a combination of stress and life changes arose, and with that changes in my sleep.  I had been able to get a solid nights sleep and I personally knew my body needed the 7.5+ hours in order to function.  Initially, I tried to brush off the sleep challenges and fought to continue my daytime life and training routines, but eventually it started catching up.  I was struggling with mood, appetite, lack of focus, irritability, my performance and recovery were impaired, and things I enjoyed before felt like a struggle.  

Still, I did not give up.  Part of my education on hormones and metabolism, was around age related hormone changes and how to shift our approaches as we entered different phases of our life beyond young and early adulthood including perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause.  I knew what to do, but that didn’t make it any easier.  I loved training and workout out intensely and at a pretty decent volume relative to others and the typical ‘norm’.  I mean, training and exercise was my life my entire life and that all was rooted in 5 hour Gymnastics practices dating back to my childhood and early teens.  Initially, I did not want to cut back on the volume of training I was doing, but my first step was in modifying my 6-7 days a week in the gym to 4 to 5 days and complimenting those with walking and active rest on the other days.  I had to trust myself and my body that I wasn’t going to suddenly gain weight, or lose my fitness, by not working out a few days a week.  It turns out, I made a wise and beneficial choice. My energy and accompanied hunger and cravings leveled out and I was able to push hard on my training days, and enjoy lower intensity movement and activity on my off days.  Success!! 

Old habits die hard though, and this was prior to me really getting into SUP Racing. Stand up paddling started out as just a way for me to cross-train, be active outside, and be on the water. (I used to love swimming in college and for as long as I can remember have envisioned myself being able to live on the coast, wake up and surf every morning at sunrise). SUP was also how I got other people involved in fitness and exercise, through my SUP fitness class - Paddle Fused Fitness.  Then I slowly took up SUP racing. It started with just paddling regularly on an inflatable SUP. I remember going out on the water on the alternating days that I lifted in the gym to do a 3-mile or 5k paddle in preparation for our local race scheduled for late summer. Fast forward a year or two and I was continuing to hit the gym regularly, run a fitness business, adult gymnastics program, AND SUP business taking people on tours, leading SUP fitness classes, and teaching SUP lessons all by myself in addition to my own SUP training.  Sure, I was busy, and tired, but I also loved what I was doing, and did not want to just cut out anything, let along cut back.  I fought through for a while, but by the end of the season, I was wiped, and I didn’t even realize it!  I was also not fully sure whether I was actually experiencing hormone-related changed due to perimenopause, though I highly suspected it, or stress, or both.  

Another change was in store. I finally, reached a point where I wanted to explore in detail whether my hormones were impacting my lifestyle, or vice verse, and to what degree.  Blood work and saliva tests later, I came to learn I was indeed experiencing hormone-related symptoms.  It’s taken me a couple years now to readjust my lifestyle to support my hormones, metabolism, and lifestyle.  Each day, each week, each month, fares a little different, and I have to adapt and adjust with it.  

In reality, that’s the truth though. What works for us in one stage of our lives, may not and likely will not work the same way in another.  In the case here, and for women, how we approach our workouts, diet, daily habits and lifestyle, will inevitably shift and change throughout our lives.  This is NOT a bad thing, rather it’s empowering, because we have the ability to shift and adjust with our changing bodies and needs. 

The problem I see for so many women though is they fight to keep doing what worked for them before, in their 20s, when they were younger, even though it’s not serving them now.  They believe they just have to do more, push harder. Or they adopt and follow ONE diet or meal plan and come to know only that which works, for a while. This is exactly why I don’t like diets or writing meal plans for clients - one plan will not work forever (which is totally ok, and even normal!).  Even if it does work for now, truth be told, one day it may not work the same way or the same approach will take so much out of us we don’t have much left to live and enjoy the rest of our lives. And in the meantime, becoming more and more frustrated.

I get it, I’ve been there.  Not knowing, not wanting to accept, nervous that if I eased up and made some changes to my routine - :gasp: taking more rest days, adjusting my workouts, prioritizing a sleep schedule… - everything I worked so hard for would be wiped out.  

But, the sooner we can accept that we WILL have to tweak, adapt and adjust as we go, the better we will fare in the long run.  This takes awareness, practice in mindfulness, lessons in moderation and metabolism, and the willingness to stay curious around our own bodies, needs, signs and symptoms. 

Fortunately, there are a number of things you CAN do to support your hormones and cycle-related changes when you are PMSing whether or not you are in perimenopause.  

What’s happening hormonally? When we are PMSing or during the second half of our cycle, also known as the luteal phase, progesterone become the dominant hormone. This prepares a woman for pregnancy.  If fertilization does not occur, progesterone and estrogen decline which leads to menstruation. In a healthy cycle, in the luteal phase or second half, hormonally, progesterone rises, followed by estrogen, before dropping off at the start of your period. When hormones are imbalanced - due to stress, age, perimenopause, PCOS, or other health conditions - this normal cycle will look different.  More extremes, longer or shorter periods with higher or lower hormones, for example which in turn affects how we feel and ultimately perform.

Here are three of my top practices that you can start implementing in your own life today to support your hormones and metabolism, and in turn help optimize your ability to train, race and perform throughout the month:

1. Hydration - the last half of our cycle, or when progesterone and eventually estrogen drop, our hydration needs change. You may experience feeling less tolerant to heat and be more susceptible to dehydration. In turn, this can affect your energy, focus, and ultimately your performance.  Be extra intentional about your hydration.  Drinking water throughout the day.  And hydrating with electrolyte beverages too. (*I share my top pics in my Hydration Ebook!) Don’t wait until you feel thirsty or exhibit signs of dehydration because it will take that much longer to rehydrate.  Also, bring bottles or hydration packs with you during training and sip throughout your sessions. Hydration can also be supported by what you eat and what you drink besides water. Water-rich produce is hydrating - think watermelon, citrus, fruit infused waters, and veggies. Pickled veggies are also great. Coffee and alcohol are dehydrating so limit these and choose caffeine-free teas, unsweetened seltzer or soda water, and fresh squeezed citrus juice.

1. Sleep - getting a full nights rest when you are in your luteal phase can be problematic, but is essential to your physical and mental wellbeing.  This starts with establishing and maintaining a routine around your sleep and wake schedule throughout the month, before you start to experience any hormonal shifts.  Even timing and what you eat during the day can affect your sleep.  Have a wind-down routine that may include breathing, relaxation, mobility or stretching, journaling or mindfulness.  Allow yourself sleep, even if that means a little less of training or daytime activities.  Sleep is when your body resets, including hormones like stress.  Without a good nights rest, cortisol and the adrenals start to work overtime, which further impairs the rest of our hormones from functioning optimally.  It also puts us at risk for injury or at the very least, poor training sessions. Sleep supporting supplements like magnesium and CBD may also help, but use in conjunction with lifestyle practices.

1. Mobility/foam rolling - daily mobility will help you show up to your training sessions with more power, and less chance of injury, stiffness or soreness. For some women, hormone changes during their luteal phase can predispose them to tightness and laxity in muscles and ligaments which can cause injury or pain. Make mobility work and foam rolling a routine throughout the month as a preemptive practice. Taking just 5 minutes before and/or after your training sessions (in the gym or on the water) can do wonders for your training and performance.

Bonus:

1. Mindset - grace, confidence, trust, belief, lightness - you can do all the things right and still have challenges during this time of the month.  It’s important to be realistic and nonjudgmental to yourself, go easy on yourself.  This is not to say not to work hard or give it your all, just to be aware and conscious and give yourself grace regardless of the outcome. And of course, continue to troubleshoot adapt and adjust to optimize your hormones.

Was this helpful? Would you like some additional guidance or personalized support on your journey to balancing your hormones and optimizing your performance?  Reach out anytime, just email contact@standandpaddle.com, and be sure to check out all my DIY programs and ebooks at www.standandpaddle.com.