Cycle Syncing®

In this conversation, Danica shares about her own hormonal journey, and becoming educated on the importance of cultivating greater balance in her life, particularly throughout her athletic career, coming off birth control, and navigating a profound process of healing after getting her breast implants removed. From tackling thyroid issues, gut dysbiosis and more, Danica dives deep into the practices - including Cycle Syncing® - that have worked for her.

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Watch here:

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Meet Danica Patrick:

Danica is a former U.S. Pro Race Car Driver, Entrepreneur, and Host of the Pretty Intense Podcast.

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What you'll learn:

• The effect that Cycle Syncing® has had on her hormones
• Danica's process of getting her breast implants removed and how she felt after
• Her journey with coming off of birth control

Alisa and Pia discuss her hormonal journey from her adolescence onward, including her mental health struggles, as well as her experience with birth control and prescription medication. She also speaks candidly about having PCOS and ovarian cysts that ruptured, and how practicing the Cycle Syncing® Method and using the MyFLO app has transformed her health and her cycle, and finally having happy, healthy periods. 

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Watch here:

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Meet Pia Baroncini:

Pia is an entrepreneur, creative director, and host of the Everything is the Best podcast.

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What you'll learn:

• Pia's journey with hormones from a young age
• Discussions about PCOS and her journey with lifestyle and dietary changes
• How Pia incorporated the Cycle Syncing® Method into her life

What is the infradian rhythm? The infradian rhythm is one of your body’s two internal time keepers. (The other timekeeper is the circadian rhythm.) In this post, I’m going to give you a sneak peek at your infradian rhythm, explain why no one else is talking about it, outline why the medical establishment largely ignores it, and introduce you to The  Cycle Syncing® Method, which is the revolutionary phase-based self-care practice I developed based on years of research and working with women all over the world to help them erase period problems, reverse hormone conditions like fibroids and PCOS, and live happier, healthier lives. The infradian rhythm influences six different systems of the body: brain, metabolism, immune system, microbiome, the stress response system, and reproductive system. Examples of the influences from your infradian rhythm are times during the month when you need more rest or when workouts are more difficult. In addition to in depth examples, this article covers the frequency and advice about your second clock so that you can then nurture your unique female biochemistry with phase-specific self care.

Why Learn About Your Infradian Rhythm?

Because people with female physiology can only look and feel their best when you eat, exercise, and live in ways that support your infradian rhythm. Just look at the past 10 years: There’s been an explosion in online wellness content — new diet protocols, new fitness programs, new ‘extreme’ biohacks like cryotherapy and infrared saunas — but women’s hormone and autoimmune conditions have jumped nearly 50-percent in that same time period. That’s because most medical research ignores the unique needs of people with female physiology.

Medicine has ignored the infradian rhythm, how it operates, and what it means for women and all people with female physiology. My new book is all about the infradian rhythm and how learning to live in line with our bodies’ ‘second timekeeper’ can help erase period problems, balance hormones, and help us live without symptoms like acne, bloating, cramps, missing or irregular periods, and heavy periods. Here’s what you need to know about your infradian rhythm and how to eat, exercise, work, and live in ways that support it.

What is the Infradian Rhythm?

The infradian rhythm is one of two internal timekeepers experienced by people with female biochemistry. It is a 28-day cycle that regulates the menstrual cycle. The infradian rhythm powerfully affects six different systems of the body:

• Brain
• Metabolism
• Immune System
• Microbiome
• Stress Response System
• Reproductive System

The infradian rhythm is also referred to as the body’s ‘second clock.’ The body’s other innate timekeeper is the 24-hour circadian rhythm, which is experienced by both men and women. The infradian rhythm is only experienced by people with female physiology.

How Does the Infradian Rhythm Influence Your Body and Brain?

Here are some facts about the infradian rhythm that will help you understand the cyclic nature of your mind and body. Did you know that:

• The infradian rhythm creates a 25% change in your brain chemistry over the course of the month?  
• Your metabolism speeds up and slows down predictably across the month and that you need to change what you eat and the intensity of your workouts each week in order to optimize your metabolism?
• Your cortisol levels are higher in one part of your infradian cycle, so pushing yourself through an intense workout bumps up cortisol levels even further, adding to your stress and inflammation, disrupting your hormones, and making you feel anxious and unfocused?
• People with female biochemistry need more sleep than men because we have a more complex brain and it needs 20 minutes longer to clean itself and reset for the cognitive day?
• People with female physiology tend to need less in the way of extreme self-care practices because we have more efficient biology.

As this list shows, your body and brain change significantly throughout the course of a month. Specifically, we move through four distinct phases within the course of 28-days. They are:

Phase 1: Follicular (the 7 to 10 days after your period)

Phase 2: Ovulatory (the to 4 days in the middle of your cycle)

Phase 3: Luteal (the 10 to 14 days between ovulation and your period)

Phase 4: Menstrual (the 3 to 7 days of your period)

During each of these four phases, you experience normal hormonal fluctuations that influence your body temperature, skin elasticity, sleep cycle, energy, emotions, and cognitive function. What’s more, your 28-day cycle (infradian rhythm) works in close concert with your 24-hour cycle: a dysregulated infradian rhythm will mess with your circadian cycle—and a wonky circadian cycle will negatively influence your infradian cycle. In this way, using phase-based self-care not only supports your month-long hormone cycle but also your 24-hour sleep-wake cycle. This makes practicing The Cycle Syncing Method™ even more powerful in promoting hormone health and overall health.

Why Most Wellness Protocols Don’t Work For the Infradian Rhythm

People with female physiology benefit when they eat, exercise, and work in ways that support their infradian rhythm, as opposed to following diet, fitness, and work trends that disrupt it. It’s precisely because so many women try to follow the ‘same-thing-everyday’ plans that work for male physiology that 50% of women are suffering with hormonal imbalances, while men don’t suffer them at the same rate.  

You’ve probably heard of the circadian clock, or the 24-hour biological rhythm that is inherent to all of us, men and women, old and young. This internal timekeeper directs many of the body’s internal processes, from when we get our get our deepest sleep (around 2:00am) and when we’re at our most alert (around 10:00am) to when we’re the most coordinated (2:30pm) and when we have the fastest reaction time (3:30pm). The circadian clock also helps regulate our body temperature and metabolism. Men's testosterone production  is organized around the circadian rhythm (and so is the vast majority of fitness and nutrition research and advice; more on that below). But people who menstruate also follow the infradian rhythm, which is linked to the menstrual cycle. And when you understand your infradian rhythm and how it informs your unique female biochemistry, you can become calmer, happier, and healthier, as well as more productive at work and more satisfied in your relationships. Your hormones will stay balanced and you can live symptom-free.

The Book on Infradian Rhythm

In the Flo is all about unlocking the secrets of our “second clock” and leveraging the power of phase-based self-care not only to erase period problems, but to live healthier, happier, more productive, and more fulfilling lives. The book details everything you need to know about living in sync with your cycle.

You can, for example, schedule important meetings at work during the phase of your cycle when you’re primed for communication. Or you can plan your workouts around your shifting biochemistry throughout each infradian cycle, doing high-intensity workouts when your body will make the most of them—and avoiding them during phases when a heart-pounding workout will do your body more harm than good. For optimal health and performance, you need to learn as much as you can about your second clock and then nurture your unique female biochemistry with phase-specific self care.

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Why Doing the Same Exercise Routine Everyday Hurts the Infradian Rhythm

Our bodies and brains are different during each phase of our cycle, so our food, exercise, and self-care should be different each week, too. If you’ve been living in a ‘same-thing-everyday’ way, you’re not alone. There is a widespread cultural belief that we are supposed to repeat the same rituals every 24 hours — have the same morning routine, for example, or exercise the same way each week. But this insistence on doing the same thing day-in and day-out caters to the male hormonal biological rhythm. Men follow the same predictable pattern everyday: the 24-hour circadian clock and the 24-hour circadian clock.

People with female biochemistry having shifting hormones and shifting needs all month long. This manifests in a lot of different ways, but you can get a good sense of what I mean if we look at one specific example. Take exercise. During your follicular and ovulatory phase, your metabolism is SLOWER and resting cortisol levels are LOWER. As such, you need fewer calories during these two phases, and when you couple that lower caloric intake with cardio and HIIT workouts—30 minutes is sufficient, but you can go longer if you are healthy—it creates a metabolic situation in which you use your glucose stores for energy, fat burning, and building more lean muscle without disrupting blood sugar or increasing cortisol, which would trigger inflammation and fat gain—the exact opposite of what you want to happen.

You don't have to avoid any specific workouts during this phase, but the ones that will net you the results are cardio and HIIT. During the luteal and menstrual phase, your metabolism is FASTER and resting cortisol levels are HIGHER. So you’ll need MORE overall calories each day (around 250 extra calories) and when you eat carbs they must be complex carbs to keep blood sugar levels stable. If you don’t increase your calories during this time, it will interfere with hormone balance and trigger fat storage. What’s more, because your cortisol levels are higher, you need to limit workouts to 30 minutes only and stick to simple strength training, pilates, or yoga without a high intensity cardio component.

Why Don’t People Know About the Infradian Rhythm?

Historically, medical research has has not prioritized women’s health issues and/or not included women in medical research. Precisely because of our unique 28-day hormone cycle. When putting together clinical trials, many researchers have decided it is simply too complicated to include women as subjects because our monthly hormone cycle is too complicated. It has been perceived as too complex to control for all the hormonal shifts women go through every 28-days, so instead of trying to account for those fluctuations, researchers have just left women out and focus on men, whose predictable 24-hour circadian cycles do not vary from day to day.

Another reason? When women go to the doctor, women’s concerns about their health are often dismissed as psychological. Women are told that their symptoms are in their head, or that they are imagining their pain, or that they’re overly concerned about their physical well-being. Studies back-up this theory: one report found that almost half of those who went on to be diagnosed with an autoimmune condition (the majority of people who experience autoimmune conditions are women) were originally told that they were too worried about their health. This is all to say that when medical professionals have the chance to explore women’s symptoms in more detail and understand the root cause of their symptoms, they often don’t.

Medicine doesn’t know a lot about women’s health, explains author Maya Dusenbery in the book "Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick", and it doesn’t pay serious attention to their symptoms. There is a gender bias in medicine and if you have experienced period problems like acne, bloating, cramps, heavy or irregular periods, missing periods, PMS or other hormone-related symptoms and not been helped by traditional interventions, you know this firsthand. But you can break the cycle of symptoms, and look and feel your best, when you ditch the idea that you are supposed to live the same way everyday and start living in sync with your cycle.

The Cycle Syncing® Method 101

Once I uncovered all of this about the infradian rhythm and our specific needs, it was clear that we needed a diet, fitness and lifestyle program that would help us support our biological rhythm.  This is why I created The Cycle Syncing® Method. Practicing The Cycle Syncing® Method is easy. It starts with deepening your familiarity with your 28-day hormone cycle—something you can do with the MyFlo app—and then tailoring your food, movement, supplements, and lifestyle choices to your unique strengths, weaknesses, and needs during each phase of your cycle.

That might sound daunting. It’s not. Before long, you will develop an intuitive sense of how your body feels during each phase of your cycle and what it needs to maintain hormone balance. You will begin to naturally shift your food, movement, and schedule as your hormones fluctuate. With time, making phase-based self-care choices will be second nature. What type of phase-based choices am I talking about? Here’s a closer look at the different ways The Cycle Synching® Method is used in practice:

• Do you have certain cravings during different weeks of the month?
• Do you feel hungrier at different stages of your cycle? If so, you already have an embodied sense of your shifting needs each month.
• What about libido and having a more satisfying relationship and sex life without the drama and frustration?
• Are you fatigued or do you wish you could spring out of bed in the morning and maintain your energy throughout the day?

Practicing The Cycle Synching® Method with food starts by choosing specific foods that will support optimal hormone balance in each phase. Sometimes, even if you’re eating perfectly, supplements are necessary to deepen your phase-based self-care plan, erase your period problems, and feel your best. If you are deficient in any of the five essential micronutrients required for hormone health, you will never fully resolve symptoms like acne, bloating, PMS, cramps, menstrual migraines, missing or irregular periods, or cyclical fatigue and moodiness. Planning your workouts in sync with your cycle will allow you to achieve your fitness goals with less effort. It also makes your workouts easier because you are not trying to do a workout that is ill-matched for your hormones during a specific time. Using The Cycle Synching® Method for exercise is a win-win.

Let me be clear, and the research confirms - you as a woman, can do ANYTHING ANYTIME. The research also shows that as hormones stimulate the brain in different ways throughout the month, that you are more interested and more naturally at ease with certain tasks at different times of the month. The same is true of men of course, their brains are stimulated just over the course of one day and they do arrange their work to be optimally productive based on their hormonal patterns.  So when we plan our schedules accordingly—for example, when we schedule important meetings or interviews when we are primed for communication—we may find even more success - and more importantly experience less overall stress on your body.

Sixty percent of women are sexually unsatisfied because we don't understand how our infradian rhythm affects our sexual desire and changes our requirements for physical stimulation in each phase. Once you get the right key, the ignition will work every time and you don't ever have to think something's wrong with you again. Nurturing a healthy, balanced relationship takes work, and using your infradian rhythm to organize the activities you might want to do with your partner can be a helpful way to bring in a wider variety of experiences. From trying new things to going out with friends, to romantic date nights, to Netflix and chill nights at home — timing these according to your biological rhythm increases pleasure, positive connection, and decreases stress!

My book In the Flo will help you achieve all this — and more. If you’re ready to harness the power of your unique female biochemistry to look and feel your best, grab a copy of In the Flo and get ready to look, feel, and perform your best.

Our 10 Year Anniversary is here! We’re celebrating 10 incredible years of FLO Living. That means 10 years of women’s healthcare, hormone-supportive offerings, menstrual education, and so much more. This has been our journey, just as much as it has been yours.

FLO Living provides hormonal health care to women globally from your first period to your last. We offer condition specific supplements, digital therapeutic courses, a Cycle Syncing® app, and 1-on-1 tele health coaching. 

Founder Alisa Vitti first envisioned FLO Living after struggling for years on her own with severe hormonal imbalance. Diagnosed with PCOS in her teens and 20s, Alisa was shocked at how little support was available to her as a patient and after researching a new path forward for her own hormonal health made it her mission to build a platform so that no other woman would have to go it alone on their hormonal journey.

Because of her experience, she envisioned a new kind of hormone care experience that she wished was there for her when she was struggling. And she committed to creating it. Our company’s DNA is forged from this shared experience of hormonal symptoms, frustration at the lack of solutions, and a passion to build a different future.

In addition to innovating on natural hormone treatments, and building this company, Alisa has also used her platform to help improve our understanding of bodies and shift the cultural narrative about our hormones. She has written 2 bestselling books - WomanCode and In the Flo, became the first person to discuss menstrual blood on national television, and was the first female biohacker to take the mainstage at SXSW.

As a thought leader and innovator, after uncovering the infradian rhythm, Alisa also coined the term Cycle Syncing®, and is the original creator of the Cycle Syncing® Method, which has now become a viral, international movement. 

The driving force behind all of these efforts is our mission to help women deal with their symptoms.  We’re most proud that our company has not only impacted the hormonal health of a million women, but also has helped to shift the cultural narrative to one of positivity, hormonal awareness and each woman’s daily role in their care.

‍Here’s a tour of what we’ve accomplished over the past decade.

The History of FLO Living and Cycle Syncing®:

2012 - FLO Living launched

2013 - Publication of WomanCode, went on Dr Oz show first person to do menstrual blood on natural television, Cycle Syncing® first mentioned in Alisa’s book, WomanCode

2017 - MyFLO 1.0 Cycle Syncing® app launched

2018 - Balance Supplements launched

2018 - Cycle Syncing® Membership - FLO28 launched, Alisa presented The Cycle Syncing® Method at SXSW

2019 - Cycle Syncing® supplements launched, NYT feature article

2020 - Publication of In the FLO - first and only book dedicated to The Cycle Syncing® Method, Alisa guested on over 100 podcasts

2021 - Cycle Syncing® the most important wellness trend for women by Vogue

2022 - Condition Specific Supplements launched, 250 million+ views #cyclesyncing

2023 - New Brand launch; MyFLO 3.0 release, the official Cycle Syncing® period tracking and improvement app

What’s next for FLO Living

80% of women will have a hormone issue at some point in her life. 3B women are currently suffering. Not enough funding or research is being done to understand and innovate around women’s hormones. We want to put an end to unnecessary suffering by bringing women everywhere the best natural hormonal healthcare platform - period. 

Start Your Hormonal Journey

We want to invite you to start your own Hormone Journey on our new hormonal healthcare platform.  Here’s what that journey looks like for you:

1 - Start with an assessment of symptoms here to understand the root cause of your issue

2 - Follow your customized care plan made up of our supplements and hormonal balancing food programs to resolve your symptoms.

3 - Begin your daily practice of Cycle Syncing® with the MyFLO® app.

4 - Enjoy your new reality of feeling great every day of the month!

Why the future of hormone care is functional

Whether you have bothersome PMS, a diagnosed menstrual issue like PCOS or fibroids, if you’re wanting to prep yourself for a successful conception or are undergoing IVF treatments, and when you eventually start perimenopause - we know for certain based on 20 years of research and experience that the BEST way to navigate all of these issues and goals is to use the FLO Living combination therapy of food and supplements to improve endocrine and hormone function. Medications like birth control are not curing any woman of her hormonal issues. The better way to resolve these complex issues is by supporting the systems of your body that are designed to regulate hormones, as opposed to managing symptoms. The FLO protocol of diet and supplement intervention addresses the massively interconnected complexity of the endocrine system in the most simple and effective way. 

We want to share some of the incredible transformations from members of our FLO Living Community, who have changed their lives through the FLO protocol and Cycle Syncing®. This kind of hormonal health is possible for you too!

Witnessing your journeys of hormonal recovery is what inspires us to continue doing this important work. We’ve come a long way over the last 10 years and we have even bigger things to take us into the next 10.

Thank you for joining us on this journey and we can’t wait to support you for years to come! 

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Alisa and Krista talk about a new level of healthcare for women, learning how to treat our bodies with love and kindness, and discovering how the body responds to compassion and grace on our healing journey.

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‍Meet Krista Williams:

‍The co-founder and co-host of Almost 30, a top 50 podcast, global brand, and loving community created to raise the collective consciousness.

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What you will learn in the video:

• Learn to tap into your inner guidance and begin listening to what’s going on in your body. 
• Learn how to connect with your body in a compassionate way.
• Work smarter, not harder; the female body is designed to be efficient.
• Choose joy in your body. Love it, tend to it and embrace the feminine.

Alisa and Freida discuss her journey with endometriosis and the effects of synthetic birth control on the body and the brain. Freida has used Cycle Syncing® to address her endometriosis instead of the pill and to support her path to motherhood. They also discuss why some women end up going against their instincts and inner voice. The reality of getting hormone care is not always straightforward, and understanding it all is not easy.

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‍Meet Freida Pinto:

Freida Pinto is an actress, producer, and advocate for maternal health and female reproductive rights. Best known for her critically acclaimed performance in "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Malcom’s List".

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What you'll learn:

• How synthetic birth control can affect the brain.
• The mission of making understanding your hormones as easy as possible so you do not have to become endocrine system experts.
• Cycle Syncing® is not a diet or a regime, it is a lifestyle. It’s aligning with how your body is working.
• The form of your self care should follow the function of your biology.
• It’s possible to change your relationship with exercise when you have a better understanding of how your hormones work.
• Symptoms are a loving way of asking you to help.

Alisa and Alix dive deep into Alix’s journey as she transitioned off hormonal birth control, improved her fertility, and used Cycle Syncing® to help her win her first Gold Medal!

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Meet Alix Klineman:

Alix Klineman is an American beach volleyball player, and Tokyo 2021 Summer Olympics gold medalist. She has won 8 international titles, plays on the AVP Volleyball Team professionally for Team USA, competes domestically and internationally, and is not counting out a run for Paris 2024! She was put on the pill at a young age and she felt the effects of it. She finally got off the pill and saw dramatic improvements in her athletic performance. By practicing the Cycle Syncing® Method, and addressing the root cause of her hormone symptoms, this set her up for her first Olympic success as well as her first pregnancy! 

What you'll learn in the video:

• Hormones are not a liability, cyclical hormonal patterns are an advantage.
• You can take charge naturally of your body with food and supplements.
• Healing your hormones naturally is not a quick fix, it is an ongoing process. 
• You can learn how your endocrine system works, how your cycle works, and how to work in alignment with your cycle. 
• Symptoms are a conversation. You do not have to be at war with your body. Your symptoms are there to get your attention, so you can change your input. When you change your input your hormonal output changes. 
• Change is possible and it doesn’t take that long to feel the benefits.

As an adult, you assumed breakouts were a thing of the past once. But, no. Your skin is smooth until the week before your period and then, boom, it’s like you’re 16 all over again, with acne appearing most prominently on your chin, jawline, neck, shoulders, and back.

Cyclical breakouts are caused by hormones. A woman’s hormone levels rise and fall over the course of 28 days, in a cycle known as the infradian rhythm, and these hormone shifts are normal and natural. They are an innate part of female physiology when we are in our reproductive years.

When our hormones are balanced, we don’t experience unpleasant symptoms like acne throughout our monthly cycle. When our hormones are imbalanced, we experience a host of unpleasant symptoms, including acne. Here’s another way to look at it: Hormone shifts throughout the month are normal (and can be leveraged to our advantage).

Acne isn’t. The good news? You can use food, lifestyle, and supplement strategies to balance your hormones and erase cyclical acne. When it comes to adult acne, knowledge is power. Here’s everything you need to know to say goodbye to cyclical acne forever.

Meet your 28-Day Cycle, aka Your Infradian Rhythm

The first step toward clear skin all month long is to understand what’s happening in your body over the course of your infradian rhythm. During your 28-day hormone cycle, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone levels naturally rise and fall. When your system is healthy and you’re cycling normally, these fluctuations occur in familiar patterns. Specifically:

• During the follicular phase (which is the first days of your cycle up until ovulation): estrogen levels begin to rise
• During the ovulation phase (mid-cycle): estrogen and testosterone rise until they peak
• During the luteal phase (which occurs right after ovulation and up until you start bleeding): estrogen, testosterone and progesterone rises in the first half and then falls
• During the menstrual phase (bleeding): all hormone levels fall to their lowest levels

The hormone changes that happen during each phase mean different things for all aspects of your life, affecting your energy levels, concentration, communication skills, and strengths and weaknesses. It also affects your skin.

How Fluctuating Hormones Affect Skin

Estrogen and progesterone levels affect the thickness of the skin differently each phase of your cycle.  During the follicular phase and especially during ovulation, high levels of estrogen boost collagen, make the skin thicker, and improve elasticity. You can thank the estrogen during this phase for that famed ‘ovulation glow’.  Testosterone levels also rise during the luteal phase and that helps keep skin thick. But testosterone is a double-edged sword when it comes to skin. Studies show a link between spikes in testosterone and acne.So this is the crucial point in your cycle when you either become vulnerable to breakouts or go through the second half of your cycle with clear skin. What causes some women to break out and others to barely notice a blemish? The difference is in the body’s ability to efficiently process and eliminate the excess estrogen and testosterone in the system as levels rise.If your body isn’t processing hormones properly during your luteal phase and eliminating them efficiently, excess estrogen and excess testosterone accumulate and fuel acne.This happens in two ways: the excess estrogen causes estrogen dominance and skin inflammation, and the extra testosterone triggers the sebaceous glands to produce more oil.For women with optimally functioning endocrine systems, these hormonal peaks don’t cause a lot of problems. But for women who can’t process hormones correctly, acne is often the unwanted result.Premenstrually and during your period, estrogen drops and your skin gets thinner, retains less moisture, and produces less collagen.  Progesterone rising and falling in the luteal phase can worsen skin conditions if present.

This is why The Cycle Syncing Method® is so effective in addressing these fluctuations, as you’ll be eating in ways that improve estrogen and progesterone imbalances.

Signs that Acne is Caused by Imbalanced Hormones

So timing — that is, when you breakout — is a major sign that acne is hormonal. Breakouts during the luteal (premenstrual) phase are a sure sign that your hormones are out of balance and could use some TLC. Another sign of hormonal acne is where you breakout. Breakouts along the chin and jaw line are a sign of hormonal acne. Pimples on the temple are another common sign of a hormonal imbalance that stems from liver congestion due to excess estrogen. If you’ve got pimples on your forehead, it’s usually a sign of a gut imbalance.Here are more telltale signs of specific hormone imbalances and root causes of acne:

• If you break out during ovulation, the cause is high estrogen and you will need to support your body’s ability to break it down more quickly during this phase with cruciferous vegetables.
• If you break out before your period, the cause is low progesterone and you can use food and lifestyle to support boosting progesterone. The supplement Vitex can also help support progesterone.
• If you break out all the time, the cause is inflammation, so incorporate inflammation-fighting foods into your diet like cruciferous vegetables and foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, like salmon and egg yolks.
• If you break out during stressful situations, the cause is high cortisol and dysregulated insulin. Focus on balancing blood sugar and limiting high-sugar foods.
• If you break out after 35, the cause is the erratic hormonal shifts related to perimenopause. Make it a priority to engage in The Cycle Syncing Method® to bring balance back to your monthly hormone shifts.
• If you break out during postpartum/miscarriage, the cause is plunging levels of estrogen and progesterone and the return of menstruation. If your period has returned, your priority here should be engaging in phase-based self care by practicing The Cycle Syncing Method®. If your cycle has not returned, seek out support from acupuncture.

None of the root causes of acne can be spot treated. Hormone-driven and inflammation-driven acne are caused by imbalances inside your body that need to be addressed at the core. I offer phase-specific skin care advice below, but any long-term fix for easing acne must go beyond skin care strategies. A holistic, sustained and sustainable fix for adult acne must include food, supplement, and lifestyle strategies.

Your Skin Care Schedule During Your 28-Day Cycle

Here’s how to time your skin care routine to match your hormonal needs throughout the month:

• Day 7-12 (follicular phase). If you get a facial with extractions, schedule it during your follicular phase. This is also the time to do any hair removal.
• Day 13-24 (ovulation/first half of luteal). Facials are still okay during this time, but it’s best to go for masks, not extractions. Dry brushing is a great way to help the lymph offload the estrogen. You don’t need much in the way of products during this phase.
• Day 25-Day 28 (the second half of luteal). This is a perfect time for home care with your favorite products and using oil-based serum to reduce sebum production. Clay masks are also great during this time, and you can use products with lactic acid to shrink pores.
• Day 1 – Day 6 (Bleeding). During menstruation, focus on restorative, soothing skin care. Think hydrating and calming masks, and collagen masks.  

NOTE: Don’t have any extractions or hair removal during the second half of the month when skin is thinner and increased blood flow to your capillaries means more post-extraction swelling. Save facial appointments until right after your bleed is over.

Every day of your cycle. I take Balance Supplements every day of my cycle to make sure my hormones and skin can be at their best throughout the month. Whatever you do to optimize your micronutrients, don’t skip this step! Clear skin starts on the inside and with what we eat and how we supplement.…. And if you don’t have any idea where you are in your cycle, start tracking it now with the MyFLO app. You can only practice cyclical self-care when you know which phase you’re in!

4 Factors That Contribute to Hormone Imbalances and Cyclical Acne

Hormone imbalances are the root cause of adult acne, and there are several key ways our hormones get out of balance. Here are five main factors that affect hormonal harmony:

1. Micronutrient deficiencies: In order for the body to make enough hormones — and to eliminate excess hormones efficiently and effectively via the liver  — we need optimal levels of key micronutrients. When our bodies are deficient in specific micronutrients, we will be more prone to breakouts.
2. Your detoxification system is sluggish. If you experience acne as part of your 28-day hormone cycle—for example, if you notice breakouts around ovulation (mid-cycle) and/or right before your period—it’s a sign that your body isn’t processing and eliminating excess hormones. Here’s what happens: during the second half of your cycle, estrogen and testosterone peak. If your detox system (lymphatic system, liver, and large intestine)  iscongested and can’t get rid of these excess hormones quickly enough, estrogen builds up in your body (estrogen dominance) and causes problems (like skin inflammation). The extra testosterone sends signals to your sebaceous glands to produce more oil. Acne is the result.
3. Inflammation: Chronic inflammation, which is fueled by a variety of common factors — from eating pro-inflammatory foods to being too sedentary to exposure to toxic chemicals — is a root cause of acne.
4. You’re not getting enough exercise (or sex!) Both exercise and sex help flush the stress hormone cortisol from the body — and keeping cortisol moving out of the body is essential for glowing, gorgeous skin. If you’re not moving enough or clocking enough amazing orgasms, the evidence could show on your face.

Why the Conventional Acne Treatments You’re Using Aren’t Working

When I had acne, I tried everything my doctor would give me. I was desperate to improve the way my skin looked and the way I felt about myself. I imagine you’ve also gone through a list of potions and pills, hoping each would work for you. I personally tried a long course of antibiotics to stop the acne, which permanently stained my teeth slightly yellow and destroyed my gut microbiome so badly that I spent my entire freshman year of college with viruses, yeast infections, and flu-like symptoms. I tried Retinol-A cream and Salicylic Acid and Benzoyl Peroxide thinking I could heal my skin from the outside and just fix the surface of the issue. Needless to say, none of those things worked.There’s a reason these commonly prescribed medications don’t work — and most even come with dangerous side effects:

• The birth control pill: The pill disrupts your microbiome, endocrine system, and micronutrient levels – all systems essential for keeping your skin clear. You may have clear skin while you’re taking it, but not without added side effects that can worsen issues like PCOS, plus increase your risk of some reproductive cancers. Once you decide to stop using hormonal birth control, a common symptom of the withdrawal period is acne, often worse than you’ve had before because of the internal disruption that has occurred as a result of the medication.
• Antibiotics: Antibiotics do incredible damage to the microbiome because they don’t distinguish between good bacteria and bad bacteria—they just kill all of them—and robust gut health is important for clear skin. As with hormonal birth control, when you come off the antibiotics, the acne may not only return, it can be much worse than it was before because of the microbiome damage.
• Spironolactone/Aldactone: Just as I don’t recommend synthetic hormonal birth control or meat and dairy that contain synthetic hormones, I don’t recommend the steroid medication spironolactone. This steroid is nothing like the hormones your body produces on its own. It disrupts your body’s production of testosterone by confusing your body with a synthetically similar steroid. Plus, spironolactone use can trigger one of the most common hormone imbalance issues (and a cause of acne)—estrogen dominance—as well as depression, blood clots, and increased risk of some cancers. Spironolactone is not safe to take long term and is not going to prevent acne beyond the point that you are using it.
• Isotretinoin (originally Accutane): If you’re prescribed Isotretinoin, then you are also prescribed hormonal birth control, because Isotretinoin causes birth defects. There are other side effects—including an initial worsening of acne—and severe depression. The original patented drug, Accutane, was discontinued after many users developed inflammatory bowel disease and use of the drug was associated with increased risk of suicide. Usually this medication is offered as a last resort, but rarely have diet and lifestyle changes been part of prior acne-treatment protocols.

Once I figured out how to eat and live to support my hormones, my skin cleared up (and a lot of other great stuff happened too). My skin’s been clear ever since and I’ve helped many other women achieve the same lasting success.

Worst Foods for Your Skin

One of the most powerful ways to balance your hormones and support clear skin is by what you eat — and what you don’t eat. Your liver needs enough key micronutrients from food to help your body detoxify excess hormones and other skin damaging waste products, so it's important to prioritize foods that contain those micronutrients and liver support compounds — foods like cruciferous vegetables, dark leafy greens, and small, oily fish like sardines (rich in skin-friendly omega 3 fats). Because inflammation drives acne, it’s important to avoid eating inflammatory foods, like sugar and dairy.Here are some of the specific foods I recommend saying goodbye to entirely if you experience cyclical breakouts:

• Dairy – In addition to the fact that a lot of US dairy products contain synthetic hormones that contribute to hormone imbalances, dairy is inflammatory — and inflammation is a root cause of acne.
• Peanuts – The same allergens in peanuts that cause certain people to have serious adverse reactions can cause many other folks to experience skin inflammation.
• Soy Isolate– This form of highly processed soy can create estrogen overload in those who are already hormonally sensitive.
• Canola, sunflower, safflower, vegetable oil – These cooking oils have more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3 fatty acids. A high ratio of omega-6 fats to omega-3 fats is inflammatory — and hard on the skin.
• Caffeine – Coffee and black and green teas strip your body of essential B vitamins, magnesium, and zinc, all of which are important for healthy, glowing, and clear skin.
• Gluten – Like dairy, gluten is inflammatory and can increase the likelihood of breakouts

What foods are best for clear skin? I give you my top recommendations below, in my step-by-step guide to clear skin.

How to Solve Cyclical Acne for Good — Your Step-By-Step Guide

The skin is the largest organ of detoxification and one of your top goals for easing cyclical acne is detoxing the excess hormones and other toxins in your body. Here are my top strategies for saying goodbye to cyclical acne for good, and I save the most important — supplementing for detoxification and glowing skin — for last. Pay special attention to the supplements section. Targeted micronutrients in the form of high-quality supplements are what really move the needle on your skin health.

Step One: Understand that hormonal acne is an “inside job”

The root causes of acne start deep within your body. They don’t start at the level of the skin. That means that any changes you make to your skin care routine will only help so much… and, if you do nothing else, the root causes of your acne will smolder on. So your first step in easing hormonal acne is shifting your mindset. You can only truly address hormonal acne by understanding it for what it is — a condition with internal root causes — and then using food, supplement, and lifestyle strategies to address those root causes.

Step Two: Practice The Cycle Syncing Method™

The Cycle Syncing Method™ is the practice of living in a way that gets your hormones working for you rather than against you. It involves tailoring your self-care and hormone-support routines to your unique needs during each phase of your 28-day hormone cycle. It is also what differentiates the Flo Protocol from other hormone support programs, and it is what will ultimately make the biggest difference when it comes to clear skin. The first step in practicing The Cycle Syncing Method™ is to track your cycle. Once you know what’s happening in your body each week of the month, it’s time to match what you eat, how you move, and even how you plan your schedule and how you interact with others with your hormones.

Step Three: Eat your way to clear skin

Food is one of the most powerful levers you can pull when it comes to easing hormonal acne. That’s because the right foods address not just one but several root causes of acne. Specifically, you can use food to (1) reduce system-wide inflammation, which fuels acne; (2) address hormone imbalances, like estrogen dominance, which exacerbate skin issues; (3) support your body’s natural ability to detoxify, (4) balance your blood sugar and improve insulin sensitivity, which calms your oil glands and decreases the bioavailability of androgens (high levels of androgens can trigger breakouts); and (5) patch up micronutrient deficiencies that can contribute to breakouts. Wanna do a deep dive on eating for acne, including which foods to prioritize? Here’s where to turn:

• To learn which foods to eat to support detoxification, go here.
• To build an anti-inflammatory, micronutrient-rich eating plan, go here.
• To find out the worst foods for acne, go here.

What’s on your plate is one of your best defenses against breakouts. Make food a top priority in healing the root causes of acne.

Step Four: Find good skin care

There are a plethora of organic skin care lines to address acne-prone skin, from Marie Veronique to Renee Rouleau Anti Bump Solution. Check out Credo Beauty and Cap Beauty for more excellent options. This is an important step because if you’re giving up the medicated topicals, you will need something to help with skin turnover, pore decongestion, excess oil, and cysts.

Step Five: Use targeted supplementation to clear your skin

As I said, I saved one of the most critical steps for last. The right supplementation can make all the difference between slightly improving your acne and clearing it for good. You will read a lot on the Internet about micronutrients that are best for skin, but after nearly 20 years of research — and of using these same supplements to clear my own hormonal acne — this is what I recommend:

• Magnesium. A lack of magnesium causes skin inflammation. Taking magnesium with calcium combined in supplement form can lower the amount of C-reactive proteins in your body which cause this inflammation. Calcium is part of our tissue matrix – bones, cells, and skin – and very important for skin cell renewal.
• Omega-3s. Getting your omega-3 fatty acids in fish or flax oil will give you almost instant results. Clearer, softer, smoother skin as well as stronger hair and nails – you can see it happen in days. They have a big picture, whole body affect, as well as results in the short term. I also advise supplementation. It is hard to overstate the importance of omega-3 fatty acids when it comes to skin health.
• Zinc. Zinc deficiency is a very common issue for many women. When we are deficient in zinc our pores become easily irritated by bacteria and show redness. A large-scale scientific study concluded that zinc supplementation is very effective even when compared to commonly prescribed antibiotics. I also recommend having a little bit of grass-fed liver every week as part of a meal or as a snack. It’s full of copper and vitamin A. The copper will balance out the zinc in your body and the vitamin A is what your liver needs to detoxify from excess hormones. A well-functioning liver boosts your absorption of all vitamins and minerals and prevent deficiencies developing in the first place.
• Probiotics. We need probiotics for a healthy gut. A common symptom of a damaged and depleted microbiome is acne and other skin issues like rosacea. It’s particularly important with hormonal acne as your microbiome assists your body in processing and eliminating excess estrogen. If you’ve been on the Pill or antibiotics for any length of time, probiotics could be key to getting your skin back on track.
• B Vitamins. Your skin needs B-vitamins to regenerate and renew as they provide the energy all of your cells need for fuel. Taking a good B-complex every day that includes a high level of B6 will target hormonal and premenstrual acne. B6 prevents skin inflammation and overproduction of sebum (the oil your skin produces at can create acne issues).

Always remember that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you. You can do this – the science of your body is on your side.

Here is A Great Video Resource For You - 5 Ways to Stop Hormonal Acne

Balance Supplements

I designed my Balance Supplements specifically to help women address these key deficiencies, balance their hormones, and reclaim their energy.You don’t need to feel listless and exhausted for 1-2 weeks every month. You can reclaim your energy in as little as one 28-day hormone cycle. BALANCE by FLO Living is the FIRST supplement kit for happier periods that supports balancing your hormones. Balance Supplements include five formulations that provide essential micronutrients to balance your hormones. Think of them as your personal “insurance policy” against environmental factors that are (knowingly or unknowingly) zapping your energy every month. Balance Supplements can help you have more energy within a few weeks!

For as long as I’ve been teaching women about hormonal health, I’ve been asked questions about supplements. What brands are best? Which supplements help solve period problems? Does a food-based healing protocol need to include supplements at all? I’ve got answers to these questions, and more. In this post, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about supplements for hormone balance, healthy endocrine function, and symptom-free periods. A little knowledge goes a long way when it comes to supplements.

You’ll save money (because you won’t spend it on low-quality or mismatched supplements). You’ll save time (because you won’t have to research which supplements target which symptoms of which brands are better and worse). And you’ll fast track your healing. Supplements support and amplify every other lifestyle change you make to improve your hormone health. You’ll get to your goal of symptom-free periods faster when high-quality, targeted supplements are part of your protocol.

Do You Need Supplements If You’re Eating the Right Foods?

When it comes to healing your hormones, food is always first. There’s no budging on that. To recalibrate your endocrine system and erase period problems, you have to feed your body a micronutrient-rich diet of hormonally-supportive foods in a phase-based pattern. No single supplement will solve symptoms like bloating, acne, PMS, cramps, heavy or irregular periods, missing periods, mood swings, and fatigue.

That said, adding specific high-quality supplements to an already-nourishing diet will speed up your healing process and provide support as you bring your body back into balance. I’m a big believer in using supplements selectively and intelligently to help the body heal.After years of exhaustive research, I have identified which micronutrients are non-negotiable for optimal hormone health. I’ll go into each micronutrient in detail below, but first it’s important to answer a few questions.

Why Aren’t Women Getting Enough Micronutrients?

Phytonutrient-dense whole foods, like leafy green vegetables, avocados, pastured eggs, and omega 3-rich fish like salmon, contain micronutrients that support the endocrine system — micronutrients like magnesium, omega 3 fatty acids, B vitamins, and vitamin D. But we often don’t get enough of these micronutrients in our food, even when we’re eating perfectly.

Why?

There are several reasons. One critical factor is that most women are not eating or exercising in ways that support our infradian rhythm, the 28-day hormone cycle that functions as the body’s second clock. Another factor is that many fruits and vegetables are grown in nutrient-depleted soil, so they don’t contain enough of the good stuff to support optimal health. It’s also because a lot of environmental factors —  many beyond our control — collude to rob our bodies of precious micronutrients faster than we can take them in. It’s also because of the very real limits of our busy lives.

Many of us simply don’t have the time to cook, let alone eat, 9 to 11 servings of vegetables a day.Food comes first when healing your hormones. But sometimes a micronutrient-rich diet of hormonally-supportive foods isn’t enough to achieve optimal hormone health. Sometimes your body needs an extra boost.

What Causes Micronutrient Deficiency?

As I mentioned in the previous section, sometimes micronutrient deficiency just happens, even when you’re doing everything right. But there are some habits and practices that might seem healthy (or at least not harmful) but that, in fact, deplete essential micronutrients and make hormone imbalances worse.Here are 8 common ways you might be unintentionally speeding up micronutrient loss in your body:

1. You drink caffeine. Caffeine leaches precious micronutrients from the body.
2. You drink alcohol regularly. Regular alcohol consumption bleeds the body of micronutrients, too.
3. You take the pill (or you have in the past). Same problem as caffeine. The pill causes your body to jettison micronutrients faster than you can replace them.
4. You engage in extreme diets. Maybe you only eat one or two types of food, or you are following a food protocol that has you cut out some macronutrients all together (like carbs). Restrictive diets can’t give you the wide breadth of micronutrients you need for optimal hormone health, no matter how healthy the foods you’re eating are. Same goes if you don’t eat enough calories each day. Eating too few calories can present separate challenges for hormonal health, but not getting ample micronutrients is one of them.
5. You exercise too much. Over-exercise depletes the body of essential micronutrients faster than you can replace them.
6. You use conventional health and body care products. These products are full of toxins that tax the endocrine system and prevent optimal micronutrient levels.
7. You use conventional house-cleaning products. Same deal as using conventional health and body care products.
8. You experience chronic, unremitting stress. Emotional stress taxes the body and works against optimal micronutrient levels.

Luckily, some high-quality targeted supplements can help replenish your micronutrient stores.

The 5 Essential Supplements for Hormones

Here are the five essential supplements that I recommend for optimal hormone health:

B-complex

I can’t say enough good things about B-vitamins. They’re necessary for good health and many women just don’t get enough. A deficiency in B vitamins can cause low energy and fatigue since they’re crucial for so many metabolic functions. B6 is a particularly important vitamin for boosting progesterone production to counteract excess estrogen (a top cause of hormonal dysfunction). B6 supports the development of the corpus luteum, which is where all your progesterone originates, and it supports liver function as the liver works to remove excess estrogen from the body. It’s great for the immune system, too.

Magnesium

Magnesium helps support the pituitary gland. Without it, we produce less FSH (follicular stimulating), LH (luteinizing), and TSH (thyroid stimulating). Low levels of those foundational hormones can cause irregular ovulation and thyroid problems, which can lead to bigger hormonal issues. Magnesium is involved in over 300 catalytic reactions in the body and most women are magnesium deficient. Bloating, headaches, and muscle tension (among other symptoms) can be a sign of magnesium deficiency.

Liver detoxifier/estrogen metabolizer

Your liver is your main organ for detoxification and it plays a critical role in maintaining hormonal balance and keeping symptoms at bay. To do its work properly, the liver needs a full supply of micronutrients and antioxidants, which we can get in part from food — but, as I mentioned earlier in the post, we often don’t get enough from our food. The liver especially needs micronutrients and antioxidants like vitamin C, alpha lipoic acid, turmeric and selenium.  When your liver is well nourished, it can efficiently break down excess estrogen and help keep estrogen and progesterone in balance, which is a critical factor in keeping period problems at bay. If your body can’t efficiently process toxins like excess hormones, you’ll be more likely to develop menstrual, fertility, and libido problems.

Probiotics

A healthy microbiome is essential for maintaining hormone balance and staving off symptoms. There’s a community of bacteria in the gut called the estrobolome. The estrobolome produces an enzyme that supports the metabolization of estrogen. This makes the gut an important part of the elimination system that ushers hormones out of the body. Give the hard-working bugs in your gut a boost with a probiotic, which is food for the gut bugs that live in the GI tract. This can do wonders for your endocrine health.

D3-Omega-3 blend

Studies have shown that 93% of women dealing with infertility issues are vitamin D3 deficient, and women with higher vitamin D3 levels are four times more likely to conceive via IVF than women with low levels. The reason? Vitamin D3 acts like a master hormone in the body and a low concentration of vitamin D3 can throw off the tightly choreographed dance that all our bodies hormones do with each other. Specifically, low vitamin D can add fuel to the fire of estrogen dominance, which can lead to a host of hormonal issues. Omega-3 fats are good mood stabilization and reducing cramps. My formulation also includes vitamins K1 and K2 for bone and heart health and collagen for skin and hair. I consider these the five essential supplements that every woman needs to heal her hormones and erase period problems.

What Supplement Brand is Best?

In the past I’ve recommended products available at health food stores, but I always dreamed of formulating my own supplements that met my extremely high standards. I finally decided to do it when, a few years ago, some of the supplements sold at big-box retailers were outed for not containing the ingredients listed on the label. I really get peeved when women waste money on health-promoting products that don’t work, because that happened to me at the beginning of my hormonal health journey. It’s almost impossible to know which brands to trust, and once you find a reliable source, then it’s time to decide which of their million products to actually purchase.I’d finally had enough of the confusion. So I created Balance by FLO Living, the first and only cycle-syncing supplement set. The five formulations in Balance by FLO Living provide the essential micronutrient support that you need to balance your hormones. Think of them as your personal “insurance policy” against endocrine disruptors like stress, coffee, environmental toxins, lack of sleep, and plain-old modern life.You no longer have to waste money on low-quality supplements or supplements that don’t target your unique hormonal profile. I’ve formulated all the essential supplements you need to heal your hormones with the highest quality ingredients. The Balance FLO supplement kit is thoroughly researched, rigorously tested, and perfectly suited to meet your needs.

The Supporting Players: More Supplements that Help Heal Hormones

The supplements I listed above are the ones I sell in my Balance by FLO Living supplement kit, and they’re essential for any menstruating woman who experiences symptoms like PMS, acne, bloating, cramps, hormonal migraines, PCOS, mood swings, fatigue, heavy or irregular periods, missing periods, or other period problems. But you can add other high-quality supplements to your protocol if you want to take your hormonal healing to the next level. Here are a few more supplements that can be “supporting players” on your quest for optimal menstrual health.

Turmeric

Certain spices, like turmeric, improve circulation to all organs, including the uterus and ovaries. The better the blood is flowing to your organs, the more oxygen is present, and the better their overall health, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine. That’s not all: more blood flow to the reproductive organs supports regular periods and boosts fertility. Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric and it is a powerful anti-inflammatory, which can help with period pain, cramps, and headaches. (It’s also great for overall general health.) Curcumin helps keep blood sugar stable, which is important for all women who are hormonally-sensitive, and it has been shown to slow the growth of uterine fibroids. Studies also suggest that this warming spice may protect against the development of breast and ovarian cancers and may help women who suffer with endometriosis.You can cook with turmeric, add it to hot beverages like tea, or take it as a supplement. Look for a brand like Thorne that uses curcumin phytosome, which is the form best absorbed by the body.

Cinnamon

Blood sugar balance is critically important for hormone balance, and studies show that cinnamon supports stable blood sugar. You can take cinnamon as a supplement — I like New Chapter’s Cinnamon Force — and add it liberally to meals and drinks. Healing your hormones has never been so delicious.

Adaptogenic herbs

Adaptogens help your body respond to stress, which is exquisitely important when you are working to heal your hormones.Taking adaptogenic herbs is a generally safe practice that can ease symptoms and improve quality of life. But herbs should only be part of your stress-reduction and hormone-balancing strategy after you’ve addressed some of the bigger lifestyle factors that drive hormone issues, like sleep deprivation, exposure to chronic stressors, exposure to toxins, and being out of touch with your natural hormone cycle. If your tank is running on empty, and has been for a while, start with the big stuff. When you’ve made progress in those areas, it might be time to consider an adaptogen.Adaptogens that I like include:

Ashwagandha — This well-researched herb has been shown to reduce oxidative stress (also known as the internal process that contributes to cell damage and accelerated aging) and support a healthy stress response. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, ashwagandha was shown to improve stress resistance and participants’ self-assessed quality of life. When it comes to hormones, ashwagandha has been shown to improve sexual function and low libido for some women (perhaps because it supports healthy testosterone production). Other studies suggest that this herb can dramatically slow down cell division in estrogen-receptor positive breast cancers. I recommend ashwagandha if you struggle with anxiety and/or if you’re wrestling with low libido.

Holy Basil —  Research suggests that holy basil may help support liver function. The liver detoxes excess hormones from the body and helps prevent estrogen dominance. For healthy hormones, you need a healthy liver. Holy basil may also help stabilize blood sugar. I recommend holy basil if stress and anxiety are an issue and you also wrestle with imbalanced blood sugar. If you have a history of taking over-the-counter or prescription medications, you may consider taking holy basil for liver and detox support.

Reishi mushroom — Reishi is a powerful adaptogen that is also chock full of antioxidants. These mushrooms have been lauded for their anti-tumor, anti-androgenic, anti-aging, and immune-boosting effects. I don’t believe in superfoods as such — no one food or single intervention can be a miracle cure on its own — but if any plant comes close to deserving the title of a super food, I’d nominate reishi mushrooms. The antioxidant and chemopreventive benefits of reishi are well-studied, and when it comes to hormones, studies show that reishi (and other cordyceps mushrooms) may help ease symptoms of PCOS, hirsutism, and acne by exerting an anti-androgenic effect in the body. I recommend reishi mushrooms if you’re struggling with acne, unwanted hair growth, or symptoms related to PCOS.

Digestive Enzymes

Digestive enzymes help you break down the food you eat and absorb nutrients better. If you experience indigestion, gas, or bloating, or if you suspect you have a nutrient deficiency, try them out! Rainbow Light is one of my favorite brands. But don’t take this brand while pregnant as it contains bromelain, which is not safe for pregnancy.Don’t forget that supplements are exactly what the word suggests: supplemental boosts to an already balanced diet. If your diet is not working for you, supplements will have little effect. Always remember that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you. You can do this – the science of your body is on your side!

Balance Supplements

I designed my Balance Supplements specifically to help women address these key deficiencies, balance their hormones, and reclaim their energy.You don’t need to feel listless and exhausted for 1-2 weeks every month. You can reclaim your energy in as little as one 28-day hormone cycle. BALANCE by FLO Living is the FIRST supplement kit for happier periods that supports balancing your hormones. Balance Supplements include five formulations that provide essential micronutrients to balance your hormones. Think of them as your personal “insurance policy” against environmental factors that are (knowingly or unknowingly) zapping your energy every month. Balance Supplements can help you have more energy within a few weeks!

Attention, Coffee and Tea Drinkers: Did you know that caffeine disrupts your hormones — including insulin, cortisol, and reproductive hormones — for many hours after you drink it, interfering with blood sugar, sleep AND a wide range of physiological processes? For example:Caffeine hijacks your delicate hormonal wiring and wreaks havoc on your health in significant ways — from increasing the stress hormone cortisol (especially in women) to fueling the growth of benign breast cysts and increasing the risk of infertility and miscarriage.

‍Studies show that insulin rates are significantly higher after caffeine intake than after participants drank placebos without caffeine. And that’s not all. Caffeine stays in women’s bodies longer than men’s and it robs women of essential hormone-balancing nutrients and minerals. Caffeine consumption is also linked with increases in blood pressure in females (but not males).

This makes coffee and caffeinated beverages dangerous stuff if you suffer from existing hormone balances — or if you are concerned about protecting your hormones and your fertility in the future. What’s more, only 10 percent of the population is able to efficiently metabolize caffeine. If you’re one of the 9 in 10 people who have trouble processing caffeine, you might be extra susceptible to caffeine’s hormone disrupting effects.

Are You Able to Metabolize Caffeine?

Caffeine is broken down by the liver using the CYP1A2 enzyme. The CYP1A2 enzyme is regulated by the CYP1A2 gene. If you have a mutation in this gene, it affects how your liver breaks down and eliminates caffeine from your system. Based on your gene variation, you’ll either make a lot of this enzyme (and be a successful caffeine guzzler) or a little (and be unable to safely process caffeine). If you have a CYP1A2 mutation, a 2006 study found that you are at an elevated risk of suffering a heart attack from consuming 2 or more cups of coffee a day. Heart disease is the number 1 killer of women, so I think it makes sense for all women to  think twice before consuming caffeine.

The Mayo Clinic notes that too much caffeine can cause a variety of problems, from fertility struggles to insomnia and irritability. The CYP1A2 gene is also involved in the metabolism of estrogen. So if you struggle with PMS or a diagnosed estrogen-dominant condition like PCOS, fibroids, or endometriosis, then you have reason to suspect that you have a CYP1A2 mutation and are making less of the enzyme that breaks down both caffeine and estrogen. In 2008, research was done to build on the earlier studies linking caffeine to breast tissue changes and showed some association with increased risk of negative changes in breast tissue. Perhaps the variation in risk factors has something to do with this gene variation?

I think if there’s a history of breast cancer in your family, then this is important information to consider.Women often ask me about black and green tea, especially match, which is an antioxidant-rich green tea. Certainly teas provide certain health benefits, and matcha is rich in health-promoting compounds that protect cellular health and support physiological functions. But the fact remains that these beverages contain caffeine — and caffeine poses unique challenges for any woman with hormone imbalances. If you plan to indulge in caffeine once in a while, I think matcha is a great splurge, but I still maintain that women in their reproductive years should avoid most caffeine most of the time.

This is why getting off caffeine is such an important part of the FLO protocol. If you’re struggling with any hormone related issue (and if you’re reading this, you likely are), it’s important to remove any potential endocrine disruptors from your daily diet and lifestyle routine, including caffeine. You want to give your hormone system the break it needs to heal and come back into balance.

How Can I Tell if I Have a Hormone Imbalance (...aka How Do I Know if I Should Ditch Caffeine?)

I encourage all people with female physiology who are in their reproductive years to say no to caffeine. But women who suffer from hormone imbalances or a diagnosed hormone condition, like PCOS, fibroids, ovarian cysts, or endometriosis, should make going caffeine-free a top priority. How do you know if your hormones are out of balance (and that giving up caffeine is a good idea for you)? Here are some signs and symptoms of a hormone imbalance:

• PMS
• Severe period cramps
• Bloating
• Acne
• Moodiness/depression
• Anxiety
• You have been steadily gaining weight for a few months or years
• You can’t seem to lose weight even with a healthy diet and increased exercise
• Chronic exhaustion/fatigue
• Cyclical migraines
• Sugar cravings
• Breast or ovarian cysts
• Low sex drive
• Low energy
• Endometriosis
• PCOS

Women who are experiencing one or more of these symptoms should consider ditching caffeine for good. You should also give up caffeine if you suspect you have a caffeine intolerance.

How Can I Tell If I’m Caffeine Intolerant?

As I mentioned above, caffeine intolerance is surprisingly common, but most of us think of ourselves as immune to caffeine’s harshest effects. And almost everyone who drinks coffee or other caffeinated beverages will recognize that familiar pick-me-up feeling that caffeine brings. But if you experience any of the symptoms on the following list—symptoms that are often attributed to other conditions or physiological responses—you might be caffeine intolerant. Symptoms like:

• Anxiety
• Insomnia
• Restlessness
• Fatigue (yes, fatigue!)
• High blood pressure
• Poorly balanced blood sugar
• Digestive distress
• Feeling wired but tired
• Racing heartbeat

You suffer from a hormone condition related to estrogen dominance (like PCOS or endometriosis)In many cases, these symptoms are chalked up to other diagnoses, like adrenal fatigue or anxiety disorders, but the real culprit might be coffee OR the causes of your symptoms are multifactorial and coffee consumption is one of the factors.

Caffeine Damages Fertility — in Both Men and Women

Caffeine has a significant negative impact on fertility for both men and women, yet it’s rarely ever mentioned as a dietary change that supports conception. Here’s just some of what the research tells us about the link between caffeine and infertility:

• 3 cups of coffee a day consumed by women or men dramatically increases the risk of miscarriage – by 74%
• Caffeine is associated with sub-optimal or suppressed fertility and, therefore, difficulties conceiving
• Drinking caffeinated beverages during early pregnancy (before you may know that you’re pregnant) increases the risk of early pregnancy loss
• Caffeine is considered an impairment to fertility, alongside alcohol and smoking
• Men who drink 2 of more cups of coffee a day had a lower chance of conception via IVF
• Coffee disrupts ovulation by increasing cortisol levels and stressing the adrenals
• Coffee depletes vital vitamins and minerals needed for ovulation and healthy fertility (including absolutely necessary B vitamins and folate)  and coffee’s acidity causes gut health problems  

What About Upgraded Coffee?

In my new book, In the FLO, I expose the gender bias inherent in medical, fitness, and nutrition research and in health trends. Upgraded coffee is a great example of this in action. It can be great for men, and it's questionable for women.

Here's why:

Coffee can be a potent biohacking tool for men who experience an energy dip in the afternoon as they run out of  their testosterone and cortisol supply for the day or for those who are intermittent fasting. People with female physiology, however, do not have the same issue, nor is it safe to practice intermittent fasting during your reproductive years, as I uncover in In the FLO, and, hence, do not need to compensate for the same daily energy dip. For men, caffeine as an energy booster makes sense for their bodies and their unique hormone patterns (so long as they have no CYP1A2 gene variation).In the female-centric health paradigm, you want to boost your energy by balancing your blood sugar and supporting as your estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and insulin fluctuations throughout the month by working with your infradian rhythm.  

Eliminating coffee and using The Cycle Syncing Method™ to eat, move, and supplement in a phase-based pattern is the best way to biohack for increased energy. Women’s bodies are brilliantly designed to conserve energy (so we are better able to conceive and carry a pregnancy). Our bodies retain fluids longer and we metabolize the compounds contained in foods and beverages much more slowly. Men drink and excrete both alcohol and caffeine faster and more efficiently than women, meaning these substances don’t have as significant an impact on their physiology or lead to caffeine toxicity.

If you have female hormones and you choose to consume caffeine, it IS essential to consume it with or after a meal that contains some healthy fats — to keep blood sugar stable and never on an empty stomach. You don’t need to add butter to your coffee. But of course my top recommendation is to give up caffeine all together!

How to Wean Yourself Off Coffee

Ready to give your hormones some TLC by ditching coffee? Here’s how to come off coffee with fewer withdrawal symptoms and no loss of energy:

‍Eat a big, nutrient-dense breakfast.

‍Eat a phytonutrient-rich breakfast with lots of healthy, high-quality fats and protein every day. This could be a (free-range organic) egg omelette with spinach plus gluten-free avocado toast drizzled in extra virgin olive oil. Or a smoothie with nut butter and hemp protein.  Make breakfast the biggest meal of your day. Your body needs most of its fuel in the morning (rather than the evening) to support healthy energy levels throughout the day.

‍Shore up your adrenal system with supplements and adaptogenic herbs.

Herbs like ginkgo biloba and rhodiola support sharp thinking and mental focus, making them a good addition to your routine when you are trying to give up coffee and caffeinated tea. Vitamin B12 and vitamin B5 are necessary nutrients for maintaining healthy sustained energy everyday, and most people are deficient. Maca root powder is another plant compound that helps boost energy and support the adrenal system without taking a toll in adrenal and whole body health, like coffee does.

Seek out healthy substitutes.

Swap coffee for kukicha or “twig” tea, which is made from the roasted stem from which green tea leaves are plucked. It has a nutty taste and is perfect any time of the day. It’s also alkalizing for the blood versus the acid-forming cup of coffee. I am a tea collector, and I know that most herbal tea over time just tastes like hot potpourri. But kukicha tea is in a non-floral, non-herbaceous class by itself. You can also drink maca root powder as a tea. It has a coffee-like taste, helps with energy and detox, and is especially delicious with a bit of non-dairy creamer and a small dollop of honey. Roasted dandelion root tea and burdock root tea both have a satisfying earthy flavor.

‍Replenish your micronutrients.

‍Coffee drains the body of essential micronutrients. If you have a history of caffeine use, your body will need supplemental nutrients in order to bring your reproductive hormones back into balance.

‍Practice The Cycle Syncing Method™.

When you eat, exercise, and work in a way that supports your fluctuating hormones, you will build energy daily instead of working against your hormones and leaving yourself depleted and drained. If you are new to The Cycle Syncing Method™, star by downloading the MyFlo app and tracking your 28-day hormone cycle, also known as your infradian rhythm.

‍If you occasionally Indulge in caffeine, remember that size matters.

‍Take the European approach to coffee drinking. Drink a small cup of fresh espresso, rather than a giant cup (or two or three) of coffee and only have it with food. And make a habit of savoring your occasional cup of coffee instead of guzzling it on the run. And on any day you have caffeine, make sure to rehydrate with coconut water or another healthy source of electrolytes.

If your sex life leaves you wanting, you’re in good company. A 2015 study found that over half of all women described their sex life as unfulfilling, and Americans — specifically young Americans — are having less sex than previous generations. I talk with women everyday, both clients and friends, who describe low libido and trouble with orgasm like it is a fact of life. Why are Americans, and particularly women, experiencing such dissatisfaction in their sex lives? The reasons are many, from relational problems to the demands and stresses of modern life (which have only increased during the pandemic), and the solutions are just as wide-ranging. Sometimes it requires working on our relationships; sometimes it requires looking at our work-life balance. Often it requires both.

But a big contributing factor for women in their reproductive years is lack of knowledge about the infradian rhythm, or the 28-day hormone cycle we experience each month. The infradian rhythm modulates sexual desire and response across the menstrual cycle. The more you know about the infradian rhythm, the better sex you can have. Women also experience four distinct stages of arousal, and the more you know about each stage, the better orgasms you can have.  For a deeper dive, check out chapter 8 of In the FLO.

There are two steps to biohacking your orgasm:

‍Step 1 - Learn how to get and stay in orgasmic plateau for as long as possible

‍Step 2 - Identify which phase of the cycle you're in so you can provide yourself with the hacks you need to achieve orgasmic plateau in each phase successfully.

Here’s what you need to know:

Understanding the Stages of Arousal

The first step in having a more fulfilling sex life is understanding the mechanics of the arousal process. When you understand the four distinct phases of arousal, you’re better able to biohack your sexual response and experience better, more consistent pleasure. ‍

The first stage of arousal: Tumescence

‍The first stage of arousal is called tumescence. It’s when you experience the tingly sensation of wanting to have sex. Here’s what’s happening inside your body during tumescence: your heart races and blood rushes to your clitoris. You also experience vaginal lubrication and increased blood flow to the breasts and nipples. During certain phases of your cycle, including this one, it can take longer for this initial arousal process to kick in (which we will talk more about in a minute), and you can take extra steps to help your body along during those phases.

‍The Second Stage of Arousal: Orgasmic Plateau

‍Levels of dopamine and epinephrine increase and the pleasure centers in your brain light up like  a Christmas tree. Meanwhile, activity goes down in the brain regions associated with anxiety. Your clitoris becomes more sensitive and your brain sends signals to your muscles telling them to contract. Climax is where your body is headed, and your body is getting ready for that. But don’t rush the process. Extending the orgasmic plateau helps your body release stress hormones and triggers other health benefits, like improved immune function. Spending more time in the plateau stage can also lead to a more powerful orgasm. I recommend trying to spend close to 20 minutes in this stage once or twice a week.

‍The Third Stage of Arousal: Climax

‍This stage is brief but powerful! It’s when your brain produces a rush of feel-good neurochemicals that make your whole body tingle. If you are having sex with a partner, those same chemicals will increase your feelings of connectedness with that person. Your muscles contract and relax This lasts a short time, but it electrifies the nerve endings in your clitoris and feels fantastic.

‍The Fourth Stage of Arousal: Refractory Period

‍This stage is when your body starts to come back to baseline. Your physiological systems slow back down and most people feel relaxed and connected.

How to Sync Your Orgasm with Your Infradian Rhythm

The next step in biohacking your way to more pleasure is to understand how your hormones change over the course of your infradian rhythm, or the 28-day hormone cycle your body moves through every month. As your hormones shift and change each month, it affects your cognitive function, energy, mood, and libido, as well as how you experience the four stages of arousal. Many women think that, if it is taking them longer than usual to climax or to get in the mood, there is something wrong with them. That’s not the case! How long it takes for your body to feel ready for sex depends on which phase of your cycle you’re in. The more you know about the phases of your cycle, the more you can work with your body to experience more pleasure.

Here is what you need to know about the 4 phases of your cycle:

FOLLICULAR

• Duration: 7–10 Days
• Cyclical Focus: Novelty
• Hormonal happenings: Low hormone levels during this phase, but your estrogen is rising.
• Body: Dry phase. Vaginal dryness is normal.
• Desire focus: You need to engage the biggest sexual organ in the body — your brain — to get in the mood.
• Practical: Use lubricant during this phase and take your time getting to the orgasmic plateau.

OVULATORY

• Duration: 3–4 Days
• Cyclical Focus: Receiving
• Hormonal happenings: You get your biggest surge of estrogen during this phase, and testosterone comes on the scene.
• Body: Wet phase. Lots of cervical fluid during this phase provides natural lubrication.
• Desire focus: Ovulation stimulates your desire to procreate, so you will be more in the mood physically during this phase.
• Practical: You likely won’t need lube during this phase and you can achieve orgasmic plateau more easily with clitoral stimulation.

LUTEAL

• Duration: 10–14 Days
• Cyclical Focus: Clarity
• Hormonal happenings: Estrogen and progesterone arrive on the scene, and testosterone is still present in the first half of this phase.
• Body: Wet phase. Self-lubricating.
• Desire: In the first half of this phase, testosterone will increase libido. During the second half of this phase, you might be less interested in sex than normal as your hormone levels start to wane.
• Practical: Focus on lots of foreplay during this time — and take your time. Don’t rush toward the orgasmic plateau.

MENSTRUAL

• Duration: 3–7 Days Cyclical
• Focus: Recharge
• Hormonal happenings: Your hormones are at their lowest levels during this phase. Body: Dry phase (menstrual blood is not lubricating).
• Desire focus: It can be normal not to feel desire at all during this phase, but the increased volume of the uterus can add pleasurable pressure to your g-spot, reminding you that sex might feel good right now.
• Practical: Use lube and focus on the clitoris.

If your sex life has become lackluster, or if you’ve always suspected that you could be experiencing more sexual pleasure, use this cyclical knowledge to biohack your orgasm. Orgasm is good for your health: it helps balance hormones and flush the stress hormone cortisol. It is also good for your quality of life. And if you want to learn even more about sex and your cycle, check out my latest book In the Flo.

Always remember that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this – the science of your body is on your side!

PMS stinks. You shouldn’t have to spend one week each month with pain, bloating, acne, brain fog, and fatigue. You shouldn’t lose so much time to feeling crummy. You don’t deserve all those weeks of lost productivity and being less present and engaged in your life. If PMS and period problems are part of your life, you’re being robbed! You can reclaim your health and your life. How? By using food, supplements and lifestyle to address the root causes of period pain and PMS.At Flo Living, we believe all women should have access to easy, affordable reproductive care.

For over 15 years we’ve helped thousands of women around the world balance their hormones and reclaim their health with nutrition, supplements and lifestyle. Our proven protocol is backed by science and research to help you achieve real results.Sure, you can try spot treating your period problems with ibuprofen. But spot treating doesn’t work, which — let’s face it— you already knew. If spot treating worked, you’d take an ibuprofen or Midol and feel all-the-way better. Your fatigue would disappear. Your acne would clear right up. You would feel healthy and well all month long. Have you ever taken ibuprofen and felt truly alive and symptom-free?‍

Simply put, spot treating PMS doesn’t work. In fact, it can make the underlying issues that cause PMS and period problems worse. Why? Two reasons:

1. Spot treatments pave over symptoms instead of treating the root causes. You may get temporary relief from popping an ibuprofen, but the hormone imbalances that cause your symptoms go untreated and ignored — and, often, they get worse.
2. Spot treating means taking supplements ONLY when you have symptoms, and by the time you have symptoms your system is already out of balance. The hormone imbalances, nutrient deficiencies, and system-wide asymmetry that is causing you to feel miserable is already well established, and spot treating can’t fix that.

But you CAN erase period problems and PMS. You don’t have to suffer every month.I used to have terrible PMS, but now I have healthy, regular periods. I only know my period is coming when my period tracking app tells me it’s coming. This is a complete turnaround from when I was younger. My PMS left me on the sofa, curled up with a hot water bottle, and desperately trying to hide my acne and bloating.

What’s the secret to easing PMS and having happier periods every month? It’s supporting your hormones during each phase of your 28-day hormone cycle, not just taking a pill when symptoms crop up. Having a better period means doing the OPPOSITE of spot treating: The secret is using specific herbs and supplements in every phase of your monthly cycle to address root causes BEFORE they become pesky, unwanted symptoms.  

The Benefits of Cycle Syncing with Herbs & Supplements

When you choose the right foods, adaptogens, and herbs at the right time during your cycle, you will ease PMS symptoms AND you will do so much more. You’ll experience:

• Consistent, clear mental focus every day of the month
• Consistent energy levels every day of the month
• Clear skin all month long
• No bloating or cramping the week before your period
• Steadier mood without dramatic mood swings

The first step to successfully synchronizing your food, supplement, and lifestyle choices with your 28-day hormone cycle — and freeing yourself from PMS and problem periods — is understanding your hormone cycle, which is governed by the infradian rhythm, and supporting your body in key ways during each phase of the cycle.

Support Your Body’s Second Cycle: The Infradian Rhythm

Menstruating women experience two biological cycles:

1. THE CIRCADIAN RHYTHM is the 24-hour biological cycle that people of all genders experience. It governs the sleep-wake cycle and energy fluctuations each day.
2. THE INFRADIAN RHYTHM is the 28-day hormonal cycle. It’s experienced by people with female physiology during their reproductive years. The infradian rhythm has four phases, and each one requires specific herb and micronutrient support to balance hormones and keep symptoms at bay.

The infradian rhythm, also known as the body’s ‘second clock’, affects six different body systems:

1. Brain
2. Metabolism
3. Immune system
4. Microbiome
5. Stress response system
6. Reproductive system

How much of a difference does the infradian rhythm make on these six systems?

• The infradian rhythm creates a 25% change in your brain chemistry over the course of each month, which means you will have different levels of focus, and different areas of strength, during the course of each month. When you plan your schedule in accordance with your infradian rhythm, you can be more productive with less stress.
• Metabolism speeds up and slows down across the infradian rhythm, requiring changes in when and what you eat, and how you work out.
• Cortisol levels go up during certain phases of your infradian cycle, so without proper support and care during those phases you may experience more stress and inflammation, and your workouts (depending on what type of workouts you do) may be counterproductive.
• Your skin changes throughout the course of your infradian rhythm, meaning you will benefit from different skin care routines at different times of the month
• As your hormones fluctuate during the infradian rhythm, your body requires different herb and supplement support to help you system stay balanced. Targeted herbs also help your body detox, and keeps your whole body nourished.

The infradian rhythm has four distinct phases. Your body and brain change significantly in each phase, as your reproductive hormones fluctuate:

• Phase 1: Follicular (the 7 to 10 days after your period)
• Phase 2: Ovulatory (the to 4 days in the middle of your cycle)
• Phase 3: Luteal (the 10 to 14 days between ovulation and your period)
• Phase 4: Menstrual (the 3 to 7 days of your period)

The Best Herbs & Supplements for Each Phase of Your Infradian Rhythm

Since your hormones are changing each week, and you have different symptoms from those hormonal ratios each phase, it makes sense for you to use supplements in a targeted way for each phase to ease symptoms and smooth out your cycle.  I designed the FLO Living Cycle Syncing Supplements to give you the targeted support you need for a symptom-free cycle. These supplements give you the herbal and micronutrient infrastructure you need  to address the root causes of period problems and erase symptoms like PMS, bloating, acne, mood swings, low energy, and fatigue.   And you simply take the one for the phase you’re in - period.

#1: CoQ10 for the FOLLICULAR PHASE

Right after your period ends, you can feel fatigued and less focused. You need to create deep energy from within your cells.  CoQ10 is an antioxidant that supports healthy energy levels, protects our cells against oxidative stress, and may even help reverse some of the damage caused by free radicals. (That is a fancy way of saying that it helps slow down aging). CoQ10 helps support balanced blood sugar, which is essential for maintaining healthy hormones, and it helps promote good ovarian response and egg health. CoQ10 is important for protecting your fertility now and in the future.

#2: DIM for the OVULATORY PHASE

It’s very common for excess estrogen during this phase can trigger ovarian pain and acne. Your body needs help to break down estrogen faster. DIM is a powerful natural compound found in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and Brussel sprouts, and it helps your body clear out used-up estrogen. Studies show that DIM helps support healthy estrogen levels. Balanced estrogen levels are key for clear skin all month long and healthy weight maintenance. Helping the body detox estrogen efficiently and effectively also helps reduce PMS symptoms like cramps and bloating.

#3: Chromium and cinnamon for the LUTEAL PHASE

Metabolism is naturally higher during the luteal phase of the cycle. But most of us don’t eat enough calories because we’ve been taught to believe that we should eat the same calories daily (turns out that’s only good for the guys). Our ability to burn calories goes up — but so do our food cravings. During this phase, it’s critical to maintain balanced blood sugar, so taking a supplement that supports blood sugar stability can be really helpful during this phase. Research shows that consuming cinnamon is associated with significant decreases in fasting blood glucose, and chromium has been shown to help with insulin sensitivity and better carbohydrate metabolism.

#4: Quercetin and Nettles for the MENSTRUAL PHASE

During the menstrual phase of your cycle, your uterus needs support to reduce inflammation and soothe cramps. That’s why I chose quercetin and nettles for this supplement. Both help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation. Nettles are rich in vitamins A and C, as well as iron and calcium, which helps replenish nutrients during your bleed. Quercetin supports healthy immune system function which is slightly suppressed during this phase and a healthy inflammatory response. I’ve been researching the best herb and supplement strategies for menstruating women for the past 20 years, and I designed these powerful, supportive supplements using my deep well of knowledge. If you suffer from PMS and other period problems, I invite you to try the FLO Living Cycle Syncing Supplements. They are specifically designed to support your unique female physiology and address the root causes of period problems and PMS. Unlike spot treatments like ibuprofen, the FLO Living Cycle Syncing Supplements help you optimize your hormones during each phase of your cycle so you can find lasting relief. You deserve better than the temporary, partially effective, and sometimes dangerous spot treatments on the market. Each formula in the FLO Living Cycle Syncing Supplement kit has been scientifically developed using therapeutic-grade herbs, and we guarantee NO fillers and NO impurities. It’s a myth that PMS is part of life, and that cramps, bloating, and other symptoms are just part of having a period. Period problems AREN’T inevitable. You can use your knowledge of the infradian rhythm to address the root causes of PMS and period pain and transform your monthly cycle into one that is symptom free. You deserve to feel better!At Flo Living, we are building a future where it’s easy and simple to get targeted support for your hormonal symptoms from your first period to your last. With the right support, women in their reproductive years can ease their symptoms, live with less pain, and look and feel their best — which is what every woman deserves.

‍NOTE: We use the words “woman” and “women” and she/her pronouns throughout these posts for ease of writing, but the principles and advice apply to any person, regardless of gender identity, who was born with female physiology. At the same time, if you are a person born with male physiology and you identify as non-binary or you are transitioning to identify as female, using a cyclical support system can help you feel more in sync with your female energy.

The Cycle Syncing® Supplement Kit

Targeted Nutraceuticals to help you optimize each phase of your cycle

Since your hormones change each phase of your cycle and you have different symptoms from those hormonal ratios each phase, you need targeted supplements for each phase to ease those specific symptoms during that phase.This kit will help relieve your period symptoms so you can stay energized and focused all month long.

If you or a loved one suffers from endometriosis, you don’t need me to tell you how painful and debilitating the condition can be, and that conventional medical interventions for endometriosis are limited—and far from ideal. The condition involves inflammation, estrogen excess, and an abnormal immune response—but one of the things science doesn’t know about endometriosis is the best way to treat it.

To date, Western medicine’s best tools for dealing with endometriosis are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like ibuprofen, or surgery. Both strategies are for pain control; neither one addresses the root causes of the condition. But no woman with endometriosis needs to live without hope. Lifestyle strategies for reducing inflammation, strengthening the immune system, supporting the liver, and balancing hormones can make a huge difference in reducing symptoms and improving quality of life.

What is Endometriosis?

It is a painful, sometimes debilitating condition that affects as many as one in 15 percent of women ages 15 to 44 in the United States. Endometriosis occurs when endometrial tissue, which is normally found in the uterus, grows in places outside the uterus—places where it shouldn’t be. Most of the time this misplaced endometrial tissue lands on the ovaries or fallopian tubes or, painfully, on the abdomen. Because endometrial tissue responds to the same hormonal shifts that trigger the menstrual cycle, the pain associated with endometriosis will follow the same 28-day cycle as your period.

Astonishingly, and tragically, many women with endometriosis aren’t diagnosed right away. The average delay in diagnosis is almost seven years. Seven years! This means many women suffer with terrible, sometimes crippling, endometriosis-related pain for the better part of a decade, thinking that it is just severe period problems.Endometriosis can happen to any menstruating women. But why the condition strikes some women and not others is not entirely clear. Some women may be genetically predisposed. Three other factors fuel endometriosis:

1. A faulty immune system response

In women with endometriosis, the immune system fails to destroy the endometrial tissue that lands outside the uterus.

2. Excess estrogen in the body

Unfortunately, and simply by virtue of the world we live in today, excess estrogen in women (and many men) is more the norm than the exception. This overload of estrogen can fuel endometriosis in some women

3. Inflammation

Inflammation, like estrogen excess, is driven by lifestyle. What we eat and the toxins we are exposed to (and how well our bodies can detox them) drive inflammation and fuel endometriosis.While you can’t control your genetics, you can reduce inflammation in your body, help your liver flush out excess estrogen, and support your immune system with the nutrition, targeted supplementation, and lifestyle.In the next several sections, I outline my favorite strategies for easing the symptoms of endometriosis. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

The Best Foods for Endometriosis

Think of food as your best weapon in the fight against the painful symptoms of endometriosis. When it comes to hormone conditions like PCOS, fibroids, and endo, food is medicine. I’ve broken down the list of foods I recommend into four important categories (1) immune-boosting foods, (2) detox-support foods, (3) liver-support foods, and (4) healthy protein sources (for healing).[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/2"][vc_column_text]

Foods to help boost immune function

These foods will help boost immune function:

• Carrots
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Dark leafy greens
• Leeks
• Mushrooms
• Beans, peas & lentils
• Green tea
• Rooibos tea
• Yogurt with live cultures and other fermented foods like kim chi and sauerkraut
• Rhubarb
• Berries
• Seeds (like flax, chia, and pumpkin)

Food for Healthy Protein

I recommend these healthy protein sources:

• Salmon
• Beans
• Chicken or turkey

Note:You can maximize your benefit by emphasizing these foods.

Fiber-Rich Food for Hormone Detox

I recommend these fiber-rich foods for helping your body detox excess hormones:

• Beans, peas and legumes
• Brown rice
• Quinoa
• Low-glycemic fruits, like berries; citrus fruits; apples
• Vegetables, especially dark leafy greens like kale; cruciferous vegetables, broccoli, and cauliflower; carrots and beets
• Oatmeal
• Whole grains (but NOT wheat or rye; it is important to avoid gluten)

Foods for Liver Support

I recommend these foods for liver support. The liver is the body’s main organ of detoxification and it plays a central role in helping the body detox from excess estrogen:

• Artichokes
• Beets
• Burdock
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Kale
• Lemon & Lime
• Dandelion & mustard greens
• Watercress

The Worst Foods for Endometriosis

As with any health-supportive diet, it’s as much about what you take out of your body as what you put in. If you have endometriosis, you’ll want to cut out or dramatically reduce the following foods:

Alcohol

Alcohol Is immunosuppressive and hard on the liver.

Caffeine

Some research has linked the intake of caffeine with endometriosis. Play it safe and avoid caffeinated beverages.

Refined and highly processed carbs

This includes pasta, white bread, candy, cookies, and other baked goods. These foods are inflammatory and high-glycemic, hence bad for any inflammatory condition, including endometriosis.

Dairy

Dairy is inflammatory and skim options are high-glycemic. Avoid all dairy if you have endometriosis, opting instead for coconut yogurt and kefir, and delicious non-dairy creamers made from nuts and seeds.

Fried foods and fast foods

Most fried foods and almost all fast food is prepared in unhealthy, inflammation-promoting cooking oils.

Red meat

Studies have linked red meat consumption to increased risk of endometriosis.

Sugar

Foods with a high-glycemic-index drive up inflammation, suppress the immune system and offer no phytonutrient support. If dark leafy greens are the win-win-win food of hormonal healing (because they address inflammation, immune function, and have fiber), sugar is the lose-lose-lose because it helps with none of those things — and actively interferes with your efforts to heal.

Processed foods with additives and preservatives

These foods introduce chemicals into the body that it neither needs or wants — and that it has to work very hard to detox from. Don’t force your body to use up precious resources getting rid of avoidable preservatives (when it could spend that time processing and eliminating estrogen). [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

The Best Supplements for Endometriosis

Food comes first when fighting endometriosis (or any hormonal imbalance). But using targeted, high-quality supplements is a close second. Here are the supplements I recommend for women with endometriosis:

Milk thistle

This herb contains the antioxidant silymarin, which helps repair the cells in the liver and protects liver cells from damage. It is also anti-inflammatory.

Evening primrose oil

Studies suggest that Evening primrose oil offers powerful support for a variety of hormonal imbalances related to female reproductive hormones. Evening primrose oil may help with pain management in endometriosis.

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 helps balance excess estrogen by boosting progesterone production in the body. B6 is also liver supportive.

Probiotics

A healthy microbiome is essential for the management of endometriosis. That’s because there is a colony of bacteria in the gut that helps process and eliminate excess estrogen from the body, according to research. It’s called the estrobolome and you can support by taking a high-quality probiotic.

DIM

Diindolylmethane supports the body in eliminating excess estrogen. DIM is derived from cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli and it metabolizes estrogen into smaller components that are more easily assimilated and removed by the body.

The Emotional Aspects of Endometriosis

Research into the mind-body connection is gaining ground in mainstream science, no longer relegated to “alternative” medicine. We are coming to understand – in a deeper and more detailed way – how thoughts and feelings can directly impact our physical health and well-being. We are seeing the empirical evidence mounting when it comes to how physical symptoms can manifest in connection to emotions. This is a concept I think we all understand instinctively and often relate to in our own lives. It’s good to see the science supporting a shared experience.

When a woman comes to me at FLO Living with endometriosis I explain that endometriosis is a complex condition that needs a comprehensive strategy for management, tackling the ecosystem of the microbiome, liver health, inflammation in the body, and excess estrogen. For women with endometriosis it’s vital that we work together to prevent symptoms as soon as possible, and shifts in diet, adding supplements, and removing certain triggers can be very effective, very quickly.I also work with women to explore the emotional components of endometriosis.

Addressing the emotional aspect of health issues like ovarian cysts, endometriosis, fibroids, and PCOS can be an important part of the healing process. While these problems and their symptoms create their own emotions in women — depression, anxiety, stress, worry, to name a few — they can also be connected to existing emotions and experiences. A closer look at the emotional aspects of endometriosis (or other hormone condition) won’t solve the symptoms, but understanding the emotional components can lead to more compassion for ourselves, for other women, and an individual and collective recovery.

This is something I see often with the women I work with through FLO Living, we will be in the process of working on her health issue from a functional medicine standpoint and eventually we’ll organically reach a point of discussing her life, her past experiences, her feelings about herself, and about the things that have happened to her. It’s not all that surprising, it’s intimate work, and when women work with women outside of the doctor’s office, there’s a tendency for the mind-body connection to come up in a way that you might not see happening elsewhere.

The Feminist Mind-Body Connection

Think about your female reproductive organs — uterus, ovaries, a vagina — acting as a “low heart” and as such holding many of your unconscious, deeper emotions that the “high heart” is not yet ready to process. The emotions are held here, only to be released once a person has processed the source of these held feelings.

There’s actually a deeply feminist history to the mind-body connection and how it relates to the female experience. A student of psychologist Carl Jung, Marion Woodman, developed a concept of “feminine psychology.” Her work details how unconsciously held emotions, feelings, and thoughts can affect the female body. It’s important to note that as science progresses we are seeing more and more empirical evidence to support and back up this perspective. Woodman investigated how women feel about their bodies. Many of us are brought up to be fearful and distrustful of our bodies, and she believed this has a significant impact on our health. She believed that the unprocessed trauma experienced by many women – as the result of individually experienced acts of abuse and violence, and as the result of cultural oppression – could manifest itself in physical symptoms, especially those relating specifically to female biology.

Endometriosis: Time to Prioritize Your Needs?

One theory about the emotional component of endometriosis is that it may reflect — if even symbolically — a physical manifestation of putting others needs before your own. The uterus, by design, exists to put another person’s needs first. The material of the womb, the endometrium, is the first maternal embrace an embryo receives. So it has been interpreted by some that when endometrial tissue grows outside the womb, it is the body’s attempt to mother a woman who isn’t mothering herself, who isn’t putting her own needs first.

By creating a symptom you have no choice but to pay attention to, you must, necessarily, put your own needs first — and set aside that outward (overly) mothering behavior that leaves you feeling depleted. It’s wonderful to care for others and support them in their lives, but when we do it in such a way that puts our own needs last on the list we can become depleted. We might feel frustrated, angry, resentful, or just plain stressed and exhausted by the practical requirements of living that life. The expectations put on all women to be the care-providers, to put others first always, to do the “emotional labor” of supporting those around them can be oppressive.

Does this resonate with you? Do you ever feel like you’re keeping everyone else happy, stable, and cared-for, but that you’re not attending to your own needs and desires? Do you long for someone to take care of you? There’s a burning desire there for self-nurturance as well as connection with other women and community-centered support.These pressures can come out in the body and manifest as symptoms.

‍The emotional theory of endometriosis is by no means the sole root cause of the disease, but it’s an element that I have seen over and over again in my work with women at FLO Living. As I’ve said before, this has nothing to do with your personal choices in your life, and everything to do with the position of women in society, and how we are conditioned to organize our lives and act towards ourselves.  Your uterus is offering you a gift, an opportunity to reflect on your patterns and revise them for not only better health, but a happier life.  

Your 13-Step Guide to Addressing Endometriosis with Lifestyle & Diet

You can work to reduce inflammation, balance hormones, and support your immune system with food and lifestyle in a systematic way. Here’s my step-by-step guide for helping ease endometriosis symptoms. You’ll see some of the key pieces of advice that I outlined above, fleshed out with even more essential lifestyle strategies for curbing the symptoms of endometriosis:

Step 1

Start by limiting—and eventually eliminating—exposure to toxic forms of estrogen found in household cleaners, cosmetics, and bathroom products. Go through your house with a fine tooth comb and:

• Replace cosmetic and body care products with natural alternatives, this includes, soap, shampoo, hair styling products, deodorant, lotions, cosmetics, and perfumes
• Replace standard laundry soap with green alternatives. You can now find many clean alternatives on the shelves of big box stores, sitting side by side with the old (toxic) standbys. Clean alternatives are comparable in price and work just as well. You can opt for unscented products or products that have been scented with natural fragrance.
• Replace household cleaning products with clean alternatives. You can buy effective products at almost all big box stores or you can make your own, which is cheaper and healthier. The main ingredients in most DIY cleaning products are vinegar and baking soda.
• Take off your shoes at the door (and ask your guests to do the same). A lot of pesticides and other hormone-disrupting chemicals are tracked in on the bottom of shoes. Stopping those chemicals in their tracks is a great way to protect yourself.

Step 2

Just say no to pesticides and other chemicals in your food. Shop organic exclusively if you can. If you are on a budget, avoid the dirty dozen (or buy them organic) and feel okay about buying the clean 15 even when not organic.

Step 3

Emphasize dark leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, low-glycemic fruits like berries and other high-fiber foods to support gut health and help your liver carry out important detox functions. The liver is responsible for breaking down and eliminating excess estrogen, and cruciferous vegetables directly support that detox process.

Step 4

Eat more healthy fats like those found in olive oil, coconut oil, and avocados. Healthy fats help support healthy hormone ratios in the body.

Step 5

Emphasize lean animal protein over other kinds of meat. They are less inflammatory.

Step 6

Limit red meat. Studies have linked red meat consumption with increased risk for endometriosis.

Step 7

Help kick your immune system into high gear with immune-supportive foods like carrots, kale, cabbage, broccoli, beets, artichokes, lemons, onions, garlic, and leeks.

Step 8

Limit sugar. Sugar fuels inflammation.

Step 9

Use targeted herbal support to further support liver detox and speed up estrogen metabolism. Think milk thistle, flax seeds, DIM, and dandelion root.

Step 10

Take evening primrose oil to decrease inflammation.

Step 11

Reduce or eliminate dairy, wheat, alcohol, and caffeine to improve your immune response.

Step 12

Take a probiotic to rebalance gut flora and support estrogen metabolism.

Step 13

Use Vitex and a B6 supplement daily to balance out excess estrogen.If you’re reading this article because your friend, sister, or family member is struggling with this condition, share this article with her. Too many women believe the myth that endometriosis has to ruin your life every month.

This is the second blog post in a 4-part series on The Cycle Syncing Method®: micronutrient and botanical support for the four phases of the infradian rhythm, or hormonal cycle.At Flo Living, our goal is to help women balance their hormones and resolve period problems with food, supplements, and lifestyle changes. We take a functional nutrition and systems medicine approach to achieving optimal hormone health. The first step for any woman* in balancing her hormones is learning about the 28-day hormone cycle, which is governed by a special biological rhythm called the infradian rhythm.

The infradian rhythm plays a vital role in female health and wellness. Knowing what your body needs during each phase of  your cycle is key not only to hormonal healing but to your health overall. To get more familiar with the infradian rhythm, see the first post in this series or check out my new book In the Flo. This is the second blog post in our four-part series on micronutrient and botanical support to help better support the infradian rhythm. In this post, we will explore supplement needs during the ovulatory phase.

The 4 Phases of the Infradian Rhythm

The infradian rhythm tracks with the menstrual cycle and has four distinct phases. They are:

1. The follicular phase
2. The ovulatory phase
3. The luteal phase
4. The menstrual phase

For women in their reproductive years, the key to optimal health is to eat, move, and supplement in ways that support each phase of the infradian rhythm. Our bodies require different types of self care during each phase.The ovulatory phase occurs for 3 to 4 days in the middle of your cycle, when your body produces an egg and releases it into the fallopian tube. To learn more about micronutrient needs in the first phase of the cycle (the follicular phase), click here. To learn more about micronutrient support for the ovulatory phase, keep reading!

Meet the Ovulatory Phase

When: The 3 to 4 days in the middle of your cycle, right after the follicular phase (which lasts for 7 to 10 days) and before the luteal phase (which is the phase just before your period).What’s happening in your body:

• Estrogen surges and luteinizing hormone (LH) arrives on the scene to spark the release of an egg
• The lining of the uterus gets thicker
• Testosterone surges and then quickly goes back down

What’s happening in your brain:The hormone shifts during this phase activate the verbal and social areas of the brain. You’re apt to feel your most social and communicative during this phase, and it is a good time to plan conversations with friends and significant others.

‍Food, Exercise, and Lifestyle Strategies for the Ovulatory Phase

‍Achieving optimal hormone health and easing period problems like PMS, cramps, bloating, acne, heavy or irregular periods and missing periods requires a multipronged approach that includes food, movement, and lifestyle strategies implemented in a cyclical way. I encourage women to eat in a cyclical pattern, exercise in line with their cycle, and plan their schedules with their infradian rhythm in mind.

‍During the ovulatory phase, specifically, your testosterone is high and you will have more energy, so you can go all out with your workouts. This is a great time for high-intensity interval training and bodyweight circuits. However, if you have issues breaking down estrogen in your liver and gut, you may experience ovarian pain or acne.  Eating cruciferous vegetables during this time helps flush excess estrogen from your body. It’s also important to prioritize fiber from whole foods during this time, which will help keep excess hormones moving toward the exit!Supplements are important, too. I recommend key micronutrients for every woman in her reproductive years; These should be taken daily. I also recommend taking phase-specific supplements to further support and optimize hormone health during each phase. For phase-based support during the ovulatory phase, I recommend a supplement to help with estrogen metabolism.

Key Supplement for the Ovulatory Phase

DIM stands for 3,3′-diindolylmethane, and it is a powerful health-promoting compound derived from cruciferous vegetables. One of its key functions in the body is to help moderate and enhance estrogen metabolism. In other words, it helps the body efficiently process and eliminate used-up estrogen, which is important during the ovulatory phase when estrogen is high. Estrogen dominance is a condition in which levels of estrogen are high relative to the amount of progesterone in the body, and it is one of the most common conditions in women with hormone imbalances and period problems.

The liver is the body’s main organ of elimination and it processes and eliminates excess estrogen. DIM helps the liver do its job more effectively, which helps prevent estrogen dominance and related symptoms like acne, PMS, and heavy or irregular periods. Research also suggests that DIM may help protect against certain estrogen-fuelled cancers. DIM is found in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collard greens, Brussels sprouts, and rutabaga, and prioritizing these foods in the diet is profoundly good for hormone health and overall health. DIM can be taken as a supplement as well, and it may be especially beneficial to take as a  supplement during ovulation, when the liver is working hard to eliminate the high volume of estrogen produced during this time. Like all the phase-based supplements I recommend, there is no wrong time to take DIM, but you may get the most benefit by taking it during the three or four days in the middle of your cycle when ovulation occurs.

I created The Cycle Syncing Ⓡ Supplement Kit to help women feel energized, calm, focused and pain-free throughout each phase of their cycle. Taking these targeted supplements can help reduce or eliminate the need for ibuprofen for pain and cramps, acne medications for cyclical breakouts, birth control pills for regular periods, and caffeine for an energy boost — all of which only mask symptoms anyway. The Flo Living Cycle Syncing Ⓡ Supplements helps you exactly when and how your body needs it during each distinct phase of your cycle.  Since your hormones change each phase, it makes sense to change the way you target certain supplements each phase too.I carefully curated the key nutrients you need to help you look and feel your best throughout your cycle. And you simply take the one for the phase you’re in - period.At FloLiving, we are building a future where it’s easy and simple to get targeted support for your hormonal symptoms from your first period to your last. With the right support, women in their reproductive years can ease their symptoms, live with less pain, and look and feel their best — which is what every woman deserves.

*We use the words “woman” and “women” and she/her pronouns throughout these posts for ease of writing, but the principles and advice apply to any person, regardless of gender identity, who was born with female physiology. At the same time, if you are a person born with male physiology and you identify as non-binary or you are transitioning to identify as female, using a cyclical support system can help you feel more in sync with your female energy.

In the past 10 years there’s been an explosion in online wellness content — new diet protocols, new fitness programs, new ‘extreme’ bio-hacks like cryotherapy and infrared saunas — but women’s hormone and autoimmune conditions have jumped nearly 50% in that same time period.

What’s going on with women's health?

I needed to figure out why wellness protocols are everywhere, but women are sicker than ever before. So I dove into the research and it led me to two answers:

• First, that women are being left out of most medical research.
• Second, people with female physiology have a second biological rhythm that impacts the performance of six key systems of your body, and it has a name — the infradian rhythm.

‍

Meet your Infradian Rhythm (your secondary clock!)

In my book In the FLO, I’m introducing the wellness world to the infradian rhythm, which is one of two internal timekeepers experienced by people with female biochemistry.

The infradian rhythm powerfully affects six different systems of the body — brain, metabolism, immune system, microbiome, stress response system and reproductive system — and women benefit when they eat, exercise, and work in ways that support their infradian rhythm, as opposed to following diet, fitness, and work trends that disrupt it.

It’s precisely because so many women try to follow the ‘same-thing-everyday’ plans that work for men that 50% of women are suffering with hormonal imbalances. Men don’t suffer them at the same rate.  

You’ve probably heard of the circadian clock, or the 24-hour biological rhythm that is inherent to all of us, men and women, old and young. This internal timekeeper directs many of the body’s internal processes, from when we get our deepest sleep (around 2:00am) and when we’re at our most alert (around 10:00am), to when we’re the most coordinated (2:30pm) and when we have the fastest reaction time (3:30pm).

The circadian clock also helps regulate our body temperature and metabolism. Men's testosterone production is organized around the circadian rhythm (and so is the vast majority of fitness and nutrition research and advice; more on that below.) But people who menstruate also follow the infradian rhythm, which is linked to the menstrual cycle. And when you understand your infradian rhythm and how it informs your unique female biochemistry, you can become calmer, happier, and healthier, as well as more productive at work and more satisfied in your relationships. Your hormones will stay balanced and you can live symptom-free.

How does your cycle affect your body and brain?

Did you know...?

• The infradian rhythm creates a 25% change in your brain chemistry over the course of the month
• Your metabolism speeds up and slows down predictably across the month and you need to change what you eat and the intensity of your workouts each week in order to optimize your metabolism
• Your cortisol levels are higher in one part of your infradian cycle, so pushing yourself through an intense workout bumps up cortisol levels even further, adding to your stress and inflammation, disrupting your hormones, and making you feel anxious and unfocused
• People with female biochemistry need more sleep than men because we have a more complex brain, and it needs 20 minutes longer to clean itself and reset for the cognitive day
• People with female physiology tend to need less in the way of extreme self-care practices because we have more efficient biology

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As this list shows, your body and brain change significantly throughout the course of a month. Specifically, we move through four distinct phases within the course of 28-days. They are:

• Phase 1: Follicular (the 7 to 10 days after your period)
• Phase 2: Ovulatory (the 4 days in the middle of your cycle)
• Phase 3: Luteal (the 10 to 14 days between ovulation and your period)
• Phase 4: Menstrual (the 3 to 7 days of your period)

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During each of these four phases, you experience normal hormonal fluctuations that influence your body temperature, skin elasticity, sleep cycle, energy, emotions, and cognitive function. What’s more, your 28-day cycle (infradian rhythm) works in close concert with your 24-hour cycle. A dysregulated infradian rhythm will mess with your circadian cycle—and a wonky circadian cycle will negatively influence your infradian cycle. In this way, using phase-based self-care not only supports your month-long hormone cycle, but also your 24-hour sleep-wake cycle. This makes practicing The Cycle Syncing® Method even more powerful in promoting hormone health and overall health.

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Why doing the same thing everyday disrupts your infradian rhythm and hurts your hormones

Our bodies and brains are different during each phase of our cycle, so our food, exercise, and self-care should be different each week, too. If you’ve been living in a ‘same-thing-everyday’ way, you’re not alone. There is a widespread cultural belief that we are supposed to repeat the same rituals every 24 hours — have the same morning routine, for example, or exercise the same way each week. But this insistence on doing the same thing day-in and day-out caters to the male hormonal biological rhythm. Men follow the same predictable pattern everyday: the 24-hour circadian clock and only the 24-hour circadian clock.

People with female biochemistry have shifting hormones and shifting needs all month long. This manifests in a lot of different ways, but you can get a good sense of what I mean if we look at one specific example.

Take exercise. During your follicular and ovulatory phase, your metabolism is SLOWER and cortisol levels are LOWER. As such, you need fewer calories during these two phases, and when you couple that lower caloric intake with cardio and HIIT workouts—30 minutes is sufficient, but you can go longer if you are healthy— it creates a metabolic situation in which you use your glucose stores for energy, fat burning, and building more lean muscle without disrupting blood sugar or increasing cortisol, which would trigger inflammation and fat gain—the exact opposite of what you want to happen. You don't have to avoid any specific workouts during this phase, but the ones that will net you the results are cardio and HIIT.

During the luteal and menstrual phase, your metabolism is FASTER and cortisol levels are HIGHER. So you’ll need MORE overall calories each day (around 250 extra calories), and when you eat carbs they must be complex carbs to keep blood sugar levels stable. If you don’t increase your calories during this time, it will interfere with hormone balance and trigger fat storage. What’s more, because cortisol levels are higher, you need to limit workouts to 30 minutes only and stick to simple strength training, pilates, or yoga without a high intensity cardio component.

Why isn’t Cycle Syncing® and the Infradian Rhythm widespread knowledge?

Historically, medical research has deprioritized women’s health issues and/or not included women in medical research. Why? Precisely because of our unique 28-day hormone cycle.

When putting together clinical trials, many researchers have decided it is simply too complicated to include women as subjects because our monthly hormone cycle is too complicated. It’s hard to control for all the hormonal shifts women go through every 28-days, so instead of trying to account for those fluctuations, researchers have just left women out and focused on men, whose predictable 24-hour circadian cycles do not vary from day to day.

Another reason? When women go to the doctor, women’s concerns about their health are often dismissed as psychological. Women are told that their symptoms are in their head, or that they are imagining their pain, or that they’re overly concerned about their physical well-being.

Studies back-up this theory: one report found that almost half of those who went on to be diagnosed with an autoimmune condition (the majority of people who experience autoimmune conditions are women) were originally told that they were too worried about their health. This is all to say that when medical professionals have the chance to explore women’s symptoms in more detail and understand the root cause of their symptoms, they often don’t.

Medicine doesn’t know a lot about women’s health, explains author Maya Dusenbery in the book Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick, and it doesn’t pay serious attention to their symptoms. There is a gender bias in medicine and if you have experienced period problems like acne, bloating, cramps, heavy or irregular periods, missing periods, PMS or other hormone-related symptoms and have not been helped by traditional interventions, you know this firsthand. But you can break the cycle of symptoms, and look and feel your best, when you ditch the idea that you are supposed to live the same way everyday and start living in sync with your cycle.

The Cycle Syncing® Method 101

Once I uncovered all of this about the infradian rhythm and our specific needs, it was clear that we needed a diet, fitness and lifestyle program that would help us support our biological rhythm.  This is why I created The Cycle Syncing® Method. Practicing The Cycle Syncing® Method is easy. It starts with deepening your familiarity with your 28-day hormone cycle—something you can do with the MyFlo app—and then tailoring your food, movement, supplements, and lifestyle choices to your unique strengths, weaknesses, and needs during each phase of your cycle.

That might sound daunting, but it’s not. Before long, you will develop an intuitive sense of how your body feels during each phase of your cycle and what it needs to maintain hormone balance. You will begin to naturally shift your food, movement, and schedule as your hormones fluctuate. With time, making phase-based self-care choices will be second nature. What type of phase-based choices am I talking about? Here’s a closer look at the different ways The Cycle Syncing® Method is used in practice:

Food

Do you have certain cravings during different weeks of the month? Do you feel hungrier at different stages of your cycle? If so, you already have an embodied sense of your shifting needs each month. Practicing The Cycle Syncing® Method with food starts by choosing specific foods that will support optimal hormone balance in each phase. I go into more detail here, and I do a deep dive in my book In the Flo, which is packed with biohacking advice and meal plans.

Supplements

Sometimes, even if you’re eating perfectly, supplements are necessary to deepen your phase-based self-care plan, erase your period problems, and feel your best. If you are deficient in any of the five essential micronutrients required for hormone health, you will never fully resolve symptoms like acne, bloating, PMS, cramps, menstrual migraines, missing or irregular periods, or cyclical fatigue and moodiness.

Exercise

Planning your workouts in sync with your cycle will allow you to achieve your fitness goals with less effort. It also makes your workouts easier because you are not trying to do a workout that is ill-matched for your hormones during a specific time. Using The Cycle Syncing® Method for exercise is a win-win.

Productivity  

Let me be clear, and the research confirms, you as a woman can do ANYTHING, ANYTIME. The research also shows that as hormones stimulate the brain in different ways throughout the month, you are more interested and more naturally at ease with certain tasks at different times of the month. The same is true of men of course, their brains are stimulated over the course of one day and they do arrange their work to be optimally productive. So when we plan our schedules accordingly— scheduling important meetings or interviews when we are primed for communication—we may find even more success, and more importantly, experience less overall stress on our bodies.

Sex Drive

Sixty percent of women are sexually unsatisfied because we don't understand how our infradian rhythm affects our sexual desire and changes our requirements for physical stimulation in each phase. Once you get the right key, the ignition will work every time and you don't ever have to think something's wrong with you again.

Relationships

Nurturing a healthy, balanced relationship takes work, and using your infradian rhythm to organize the activities you might want to do with your partner can be a helpful way to bring in a wider variety of experiences. From trying new things, to going out with friends, to romantic date nights, to Netflix and chill nights at home — timing these according to your biological rhythm increases pleasure, positive connection, and decreases stress!

Motherhood

You can use your infradian rhythm to organize your approach to motherhood, too. With your cycle as your guide, you can plan to do the things that matter most to you as a parent, at times of the month when your interest in those activities is highest and when you will naturally be your best at those things. By planning out your parent-child time in this way, you will prevent burnout, be less susceptible to the cult of perfectionism around motherhood, and create more quality time with your children.

Simply put, The Cycle Syncing® Method can help you:

• Get more time back in your day to take care of yourself
• Stop dieting every day of your life and getting little or no results
• Accomplish everything on your to-do list without feeling overwhelmed and burned out
• Have a more satisfying relationship and sex life without the drama and frustration
• Maximize the right workouts for your energy levels, so you have energy to spare
• Spring out of bed in the morning and maintain your energy throughout the day

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My book In the Flo will help you achieve all this — and more

If you’re ready to harness the power of your unique female biochemistry to look and feel your best, grab a copy of In the Flo and get to look, feel, and perform your best.

This is the fourth blog post in a 4-part series on The Cycle Syncing Method®: micronutrient and botanical support for the four phases of the infradian rhythm, or hormonal cycle.At Flo Living, our goal is to help women balance their hormones and resolve period problems with food, supplements, and lifestyle changes. We take a functional nutrition and systems medicine approach to achieving optimal hormone health. The first step for any woman* in balancing her hormones is learning about the 28-day hormone cycle, which is governed by a special biological rhythm called the infradian rhythm. The infradian rhythm plays a vital role in female health and wellness. Knowing what your body needs during each phase of your cycle is key not only to hormonal healing but to your health overall.To learn more about the infradian rhythm, you can check out the in-depth post I wrote on the infradian rhythm here, and more about The Cycle Syncing Method® here. For a deep dive, grab a copy of my new book In The Flo, which is all about the unique rhythms of our 28-day hormone cycle, The Cycle Syncing Method®, and the specific supports we can offer our bodies during each phase.

This is the fourth blog post in our four-part series on micronutrient and botanical support to help better support the infradian rhythm. To read In this post, we will explore supplement needs during the menstrual phase of the 28-day hormone cycle.

The 4-Phases of the Infradian Rhythm

The infradian rhythm tracks with the menstrual cycle and has four distinct phases. They are:

1. The follicular phase
2. The ovulatory phase
3. The luteal phase
4. The menstrual phase

For women in their reproductive years, the key to optimal health is to eat, move, and supplement in ways that support each phase of the infradian rhythm. Our bodies require different types of self care during each phase.The menstrual phase is the 3 to 7 days during your bleed. You can learn more about micronutrient needs in the first phase (follicular) of your cycle here, the second phase (ovulatory) here, and the third phase (luteal) here. In today’s post, we’re going to do a deep dive on micronutrient support for the menstrual phase.

Meet the Menstrual Phase

When: The 3 to 7 days during your bleed.What’s happening in your body:

• The corpus luteum gets reabsorbed by the body
• Progesterone levels decline
• Your uterus sheds the thick endometrial lining that it has built up in the luteal phase
• Estrogen hits its lowest point just before your bleed

What’s happening in your brain:The left (analytical) and right (feeling) hemispheres of your brain communicate the most during this time, which means it's a great time to integrate how you feel about situations in your life and make decisions about how to proceed. This is an ideal time to reflect and journal. Food, Exercise, and Lifestyle Strategies for the Menstrual Phase

To achieve optimal hormone health and to ease period problems like PMS, cramps, bloating, acne, heavy or irregular periods and missing periods, it requires a multipronged approach that includes food, movement, and lifestyle strategies implemented in a cyclical way. I encourage women to eat in a cyclical pattern, exercise in line with their cycle, and plan their schedules with their infradian rhythm in mind. During the menstrual phase, specifically, your hormone levels are at their lowest, so it’s important to eat adequate calories and focus on restorative workouts. Keep your workouts relaxed, even if you’re not feeling discomfort. It’s a time to take things slowly and prioritize rest. Gentle walking or very light yoga is perfect during this phase. Make sure to get plenty of protein and healthy fat during your bleed, which will help with hormone production. (Your hormones are at their lowest levels during this phase.) Foods that help keep up your iron, like red meat and kidney beans, are helpful now, too. Adding in some seafood or mineral-rich seaweed helps replenish mineral levels in your body.Supplements are important, too. I recommend key micronutrients for every woman in her reproductive years—supplements that are important to take daily. I also recommend taking phase-specific supplements to further support and optimize hormone health during each phase. For phase-based support during the menstrual phase, I recommend taking a combination to help ease cramps and boost immune function.

Key Supplements for the Menstrual Phase

Quercetin is a powerful antioxidant that is good for hormone health and overall health. Studies show it helps reduce cramps and it may inhibit growth of endometrial tissue for people with endometriosis. An extensive body of research shows that quercetin has antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-Alzheimer’s, antiarthritic, cardiovascular, and wound-healing properties. It may also help protect against certain types of cancer. According to research, quercetin helps modulate inflammation and regulate blood sugar, two factors that are essential for balanced hormones and a healthy cycle. And studies suggest it may help reduce symptoms of PCOS. Quercetin is a type of plant compound known as a phytoestrogen, and studies suggest that it may help protect and support the ovaries from oxidative stress. As a phytoestrogen, quercetin may mimic some of the same actions as estrogen in the body, which is one reason to consider taking quercetin during your period, when estrogen levels are at their lowest levels all month. Quercetin and other antioxidants may also help prevent urinary tract infections, according to some research. I recommend taking quercetin during the menstrual phase to support healthy estrogen levels and keep inflammation levels low. Nettles help replenish magnesium in the body, which may help reduce PMS and other symptoms. Nettles may also help with heavy flow, and they are a good source of iron, which can help build up the blood after during and after menstruation. Taking these targeted supplements can help reduce or eliminate the need for ibuprofen for pain and cramps, acne medications for cyclical breakouts, birth control pills for regular periods, and caffeine for an energy boost — all of which only mask symptoms anyway. The Flo Living Cycle Syncing Ⓡ Supplements helps you exactly when and how your body needs it during each distinct phase of your cycle.  Since your hormones change each phase, it makes sense to change the way you target certain supplements each phase too.I carefully curated the key nutrients you need to help you look and feel your best throughout your cycle. And you simply take the one for the phase you’re in - period.At FloLiving, we are building a future where it’s easy and simple to get targeted support for your hormonal symptoms from your first period to your last. With the right support, women in their reproductive years can ease their symptoms, live with less pain, and look and feel their best — which is what every woman deserves.

*We use the words “woman” and “women” and she/her pronouns throughout these posts for ease of writing, but the principles and advice apply to any person, regardless of gender identity, who was born with female physiology. At the same time, if you are a person born with male physiology and you identify as non-binary or you are transitioning to identify as female, using a cyclical support system can help you feel more in sync with your female energy.

The Cycle Syncing® Supplement Kit

Targeted Nutraceuticals to help you optimize each phase of your cycle

Since your hormones change each phase of your cycle and you have different symptoms from those hormonal ratios each phase, you need targeted supplements for each phase to ease those specific symptoms during that phase.This kit will help relieve your period symptoms so you can stay energized and focused all month long.\

This is the third blog post in a 4-part series on The Cycle Syncing Method®: micronutrient and botanical support for the four phases of the infradian rhythm, or hormonal cycle. At Flo Living, our goal is to help women balance their hormones and resolve period problems with food, supplements, and lifestyle changes. We take a functional nutrition and systems medicine approach to achieving optimal hormone health. The first step for any woman* in balancing her hormones is learning about the 28-day hormone cycle, which is governed by a special biological rhythm called the infradian rhythm. The infradian rhythm plays a vital role in female health and wellness. Knowing what your body needs during each phase of your cycle is key not only to hormonal healing but to your health overall. To learn more about the infradian rhythm, you can check out the in-depth post I wrote on the infradian rhythm here, and more about The Cycle Syncing Method® here. For a deep dive, grab a copy of my new book In The Flo, which is all about the unique rhythms of our 28-day hormone cycle, The Cycle Syncing Method®, and the specific supports we can offer our bodies during each phase.This is the third blog post in our four-part series on micronutrient and botanical support to help better support the infradian rhythm. In this post, we will explore supplement needs during the luteal phase of the 28-day hormone cycle.

The 4-Phases of the Infradian Rhythm

The infradian rhythm tracks with the menstrual cycle and has four distinct phases. They are:

1. The follicular phase
2. The ovulatory phase
3. The luteal phase
4. The menstrual phase

For women in their reproductive years, the key to optimal health is to eat, move, and supplement in ways that support each phase of the infradian rhythm. Our bodies require different types of self care during each phase.The luteal phase is the 10 to 14 days after ovulation and before your period. You can learn more about micronutrient needs in the first phase (follicular) of your cycle here and in the second phase (ovulatory) here. In today’s post, we’re going to do a deep dive on micronutrient support for the luteal phase.

Meet the Luteal Phase

When: The 10 to 14 days after ovulation and before your bleed.What’s happening in your body:

• Estrogen levels continue to rise and the uterine lining continues to thicken
• Progesterone levels start to rise
• Toward the end of the luteal phase, estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone peak and then begin to drop, hitting their lowest levels just before your period.
• PMS during this phase is caused by too much estrogen in the body relative to progesterone, or estrogen dominance
• Metabolism speeds up

What’s happening in your brain:

‍Hormone levels during this phase prime your brain to be good at focusing on details and wrapping up projects. Toward the end of this phase, as your hormone levels plummet, you will have less energy and feel more inclined to focus inward rather than on socializing.

‍Food, Exercise, and Lifestyle Strategies for the Ovulatory Phase

‍To achieve optimal hormone health and to ease period problems like PMS, cramps, bloating, acne, heavy or irregular periods and missing periods, it requires a multipronged approach that includes food, movement, and lifestyle strategies implemented in a cyclical way. I encourage women to eat in a cyclical pattern, exercise in line with their cycle, and plan their schedules with their infradian rhythm in mind.

‍During the luteal phase, specifically, your metabolism speeds up, and your resting cortisol levels are higher. You must eat more calories daily to maintain stable blood sugar, which helps balance insulin — a critical hormone that greatly affects the degree of PMS you will experience.  In addition, don’t engage in HIIT workouts during this time. Opt for gentler movement, like Pilates and other non-cardio strength training. How much PMS you have is totally in your control and directly related to how much or how little you support your infradian rhythm during this phase. Continue to emphasize cruciferous vegetables during this phase and add in some complex carbohydrates like those found in sweet potatoes, which are nutrient-dense.

‍Supplements are important, too. I recommend key micronutrients for every woman in her reproductive years—supplements that are important to take daily. I also recommend taking phase-specific supplements to further support and optimize hormone health during each phase. For phase-based support during the luteal phase, I recommend women take a blend to balance blood sugar.

Key Supplement for the Luteal Phase

The luteal phase is marked by a natural increase in metabolism, which means your body needs more calories. However, if you don’t get that caloric level dialed in, you will experience sugar cravings during this phase. To keep those cravings at bay, it’s important to emphasize complex carbs, like sweet potato and brown rice, during this phase. You’ll want to continue to eat natural sugars and complex carbs throughout the entire luteal phase, because they help boost neurochemicals like serotonin and dopamine to keep your mood stable. As your need for calories and complex carbs goes up in the luteal phase, it’s essential to keep your blood sugar stable — and that’s where chromium and cinnamon come in.

Cinnamon is associated with a statistically significant decrease in fasting glucose levels, according to research, and has the potential to reduce blood sugar after eating a meal. Cinnamon has also been shown to help reduce insulin resistance, which can happen when blood sugar levels remain too high for a long period of time and which is a precursor to other, more serious conditions.

Chromium is an essential mineral that helps regulate insulin activity in the body and enhance the metabolism of carbs, proteins, and fats. Studies show that chromium can help reduce insulin resistance, which sets the stage for clinical conditions like PCOS and gestational diabetes, and keep blood glucose stable. Keeping blood sugar stable throughout all the phases of the infradian rhythm is important for hormone balance and a symptom-free cycle, so I encourage women to pay special attention to blood sugar across their entire infradian by eating low-glycemic foods in a phase-based pattern. For extra support during the luteal phase, I recommend taking a high-quality chromium-cinnamon supplement. There is no harm in taking chromium and cinnamon at other times during the infradian rhythm, but it can be especially helpful when you are naturally eating more complex carbs and natural sugars.

Taking these targeted supplements can help reduce or eliminate the need for ibuprofen for pain and cramps, acne medications for cyclical breakouts, birth control pills for regular periods, and caffeine for an energy boost — all of which only mask symptoms anyway.The Flo Living Cycle Syncing Ⓡ Supplements helps you exactly when and how your body needs it during each distinct phase of your cycle.  Since your hormones change each phase, it makes sense to change the way you target certain supplements each phase too.I carefully curated the key nutrients you need to help you look and feel your best throughout your cycle. And you simply take the one for the phase you’re in - period.

At Flo Living, we are building a future where it’s easy and simple to get targeted support for your hormonal symptoms from your first period to your last. With the right support, women in their reproductive years can ease their symptoms, live with less pain, and look and feel their best — which is what every woman deserves.*

‍We use the words “woman” and “women” and she/her pronouns throughout these posts for ease of writing, but the principles and advice apply to any person, regardless of gender identity, who was born with female physiology. At the same time, if you are a person born with male physiology and you identify as non-binary or you are transitioning to identify as female, using a cyclical support system can help you feel more in sync with your feminine energy.

The Cycle Syncing® Supplement Kit

Targeted Nutraceuticals to help you optimize each phase of your cycle

Since your hormones change each phase of your cycle and you have different symptoms from those hormonal ratios each phase, you need targeted supplements for each phase to ease those specific symptoms during that phase.This kit will help relieve your period symptoms so you can stay energized and focused all month long.

If you deal with heavy periods on a regular basis, you know how firsthand how frustrating they can be. You spend five to seven days (or more) doubling up on pads, changing tampons every hour, and soaking through your pajamas and staining your bedsheets. It’s exhausting, annoying, and potentially embarrassing. You might think that a heavy flow is your lot in life. You were just born that way, you think, so you’ve resigned yourself to a week of misery of every month.But! Overly heavy periods are not destiny. They are a symptom of underlying hormone imbalances—imbalances that can be fixed by looking at the big picture of your diet and lifestyle and making strategic changes that will help you have healthier hormone balance and eliminate heavy bleeding for good. In other words, you can biohack your way to lighter periods and less suffering. And if that sounds daunting, take heed! It’s not! The strategies for alleviating heavy flow are straightforward, and they include one of my favorites: using targeted supplements and key micronutrients to have easier, lighter periods.

Why Your Flow is Heavy

The first step in achieving a lighter flow is understanding why you’re bleeding so much right now. There are three root causes:

• Excess estrogen. When your estrogen levels are high, the lining of your uterus can become thicker. Estrogen can also be much higher in the body relative to progesterone, which is the hormone that will keep your uterine lining intact for a longer period of time. Excess estrogen has many causes, including the foods we eat, exposure to environmental toxins, chronic and unremitting stress, poor sleep, and toxic cosmetics and body care products. Excess estrogen can also build up in the body when our detox pathways become sluggish (thanks to similar environmental factors). In addition to the heavy bleeding and clots, estrogen overload can also contribute to endometriosis, fibroids, ovarian cysts, or polyps.
• Lack of uterine tone. Pregnancy can cause the uterus to lose tone, but so can a sedentary lifestyle. While this is primarily a physical issue, it is also influenced by the quality of nutrients you are getting through your diet.
• Hypothyroidism. One of the signs that your thyroid might not be functioning optimally is excess bleeding. If you also notice you have a lack of appetite, are gaining weight, feel cold most of the time, and are easily fatigued, there’s a chance your thyroid function is below the normal range.

How to Biohack Your Way to a Lighter Flow

Fixing the hormone imbalances that fuel heavy bleeding starts with making strategic changes to your diet and lifestyle. Addressing what you eat (and when you eat it) and making other shifts in how you sleep, when and how you move, and what you put on your body is the absolute first starting place when it comes to alleviating heavy flow. Our 5-step protocol helps you build a solid foundation with your diet and lifestyle so you can eliminate excess estrogen, rebuild uterine tone, restore proper thyroid function, and help boost your detox pathways—with the ultimate goal of achieving a lighter flow. In short, your goal is to align your food and lifestyle with each distinct phase of your 28-day cycle. I call this cycle syncing and it is the only way to truly bring hormones into balance. Woman have unique, fluctuating needs during each week of their cycle and when you match your food and lifestyle to those needs, you start to have a better period.The next crucial step is maximizing the essential micronutrients that support a healthy period. Here are the micronutrients you should focus on to alleviate a heavy flow (and ease other period problems):

• Vitamins A + C have anti-estrogenic effects on the uterus. One small study showed that vitamin C, in particular, helped 16 out of 18 women lighten their flow.
• Probiotics help support the bacteria in the gut that metabolize estrogen and get it ready for elimination from the body. This is an essential part of the detox process and a safeguard against estrogen dominance.
• B vitamins, and vitamin B6 in particular, help support healthy levels of progesterone and combat estrogen dominance. The Bs also offer adrenal support, which is essential for overall hormone balance and a lighter flow.
• Magnesium to help you flush cortisol, sleep more deeply, support healthy progesterone levels — all of which help normalize a heavy flow.
• Vitamin D helps support healthy ovarian function — and low levels of vitamin D are associated with irregular menstrual cycles. What’s more, vitamin D is critical for optimal thyroid function.

I designed my Balance Flo supplements to include all the micronutrients you need to support a healthy flow. Think of them as your personal insurance policy against all the factors that contribute to period problems. If you’re ready to have a better, lighter period—and you want an easy, trusted way to get all your key micronutrients in one place — I encourage you to check out the Balance Flo supplements. They will help you take your hormonal health to the next level!Always remember, that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this – the science of your body is on your side!To your FLO,Alisa

Introducing the BALANCE by FLO Living Hormone Supplement Kit

You’ve been asking me for hormone-friendly supplement recommendations, and I finally have created a solution that I am so thrilled to be able to offer to you on your hormonal balancing journey:

Balance by FLO Living Supplements is a complete package that works together to keep your hormone levels healthy. They include a 2 month (2 cycles) supply of the following formulations so you’re never caught short in any phase of your cycle.When you take these 5 supplements daily, you’ll be giving your body excellent micronutrients to support healthier hormone levels. Which means that you’ll start to see your worst period symptoms get better… and even disappear after a while.

Click here to learn more about the BALANCE Bio-Hacking Supplement Kit.

Endometriosis gets a lot of press these days, with celebs like Lena Dunham and Padma Lakshmi talking openly about their struggles with this painful hormonal condition. PCOS is also getting more recognition, thanks to Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley and a growing awareness of PCOS as a common cause of infertility for American women.

So if you struggle with period problems, but haven’t been diagnosed with endometriosis or PCOS, you might think that having heavy, uncomfortable periods is just something you have to deal with. Or maybe you're confused about the real root cause.

Your symptoms might actually be caused by uterine fibroids. Studies show that most American women will develop fibroids at some point during their lives. And while almost all of these non-cancerous tumors are benign (and some cases are asymptomatic), a lot of fibroids grow large and lead to a host of unpleasant symptoms — symptoms that you might otherwise chalk up to the idea that that’s just how your body works.

Do fibroids affect hormones?

Or, is it the other way around? In fact, fibroids are fueled by hormone imbalances (just like PCOS and endometriosis). So, you can take steps to balance your hormones and ease fibroid symptoms.

One of the most common imbalances when it comes to fibroids is excess estrogen. An overload of estrogen seems to make fibroids grow larger. Having too much estrogen relative to progesterone is a common hormone imbalance because so many things in our environment increase estrogen, including the foods we eat, the foods we don’t eat, exposure to toxins, poor sleep, stress, and other environmental factors. At times, it feels like the world is conspiring to make our estrogen go up. But you can take simple steps to biohack your hormones and bring estrogen and progesterone back into balance. Read on to learn how!

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‍Fibroid Symptoms

‍Fibroids give rise to some telltale symptoms. Here are some signs that fibroids might be at a root cause of your period problems:

1. Heavy flow. This is one of those symptoms that can be easily overlooked or assumed is "just how your period goes", but heavy flow can be a sign of fibroids.
2. Periods that last more than 7 days. If your period tends to run longer than a week, you might think that you just drew the short end of the menstrual stick. But overly long periods can also be a sign of fibroids.
3. Feeling like you have to pee all the time… but nothing comes out. You might never have thought of this as a symptom of an underlying hormone imbalance, but this too can be a sign of uterine fibroids.
4. Pelvic pain/pressure. Another potential symptom of fibroids.
5. Constipation. Constipation can strike for any number of reasons, many unrelated to hormones, but if you experience it in combination with other symptoms, it could be related to uterine fibroids.
6. Backaches and/or leg pain. Like constipation, a sore back and other aches might strike you as normal and not connected to your endocrine system. But in some cases, just like constipation, this can be connected to fibroids.

Fibroids are often diagnosed during a routine pelvic exam and confirmed with an ultrasound. If you suspect that you have uterine fibroids, consult with a trusted healthcare practitioner. And if you discover that fibroids are an issue for you, Western medicine will tell you that the cause is unknown and that the only “treatment” is taking hormonal birth control. But the Pill doesn’t address the underlying root cause of fibroids, which is hormone imbalance, and it can actually make hormone imbalances worse. In some cases, doctors offer surgery to remove fibroids, but an invasive procedure (with a high risk of generating scar tissue that can complicate future pregnancies) isn’t an ideal choice unless absolutely necessary.

Biohack Your Hormones and Fix Fibroids Naturally

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Happily, there’s a lot you can do with nutrition and lifestyle to address the hormone imbalances that underlie uterine fibroids, especially around the connection between estrogen and fibroids. Here’s how:

1. Understand your cycle. You can help bring hormones into balance by tracking your cycle and shifting what you eat and how much you move, so that your daily routine matches each distinct phase of your 28-day cycle. I call this Cycle Syncing®, and if you’re serious about biohacking your hormones and easing symptoms, this is the first and best place to start.
2. Eat to balance estrogen. Fibroids are affected by excess estrogen in the body, which makes them grow. (They often decrease in size after menopause, when estrogen in the body is lower). So it’s important to eliminate dairy and meat raised with synthetic hormones that can act like estrogen in the body, and to prioritize foods that help modulate and balance estrogen, like flax seeds, beans, whole grains, pears, and apples.
3. Balance your microbiome. The microbiome contains a colony of bacteria that helps metabolize estrogen. This colony is called the estrobolome—and when the microbiome is healthy, so is the estrobolome. But when the good and bad bugs in the microbiome are out of balance, the estrobolome can’t do its job efficiently and estrogen builds up. Ditching sugar, dairy, and gluten is the first step in healing the microbiome. (If you’re ready to give up those estrobolome-destroying foods, try my free 4-Day Detox.) Another key to building and maintaining a healthy microbiome is supplementing with a great probiotic.
4. Support liver function. The estrobolome metabolizes used-up estrogen. Then the liver gets it ready for elimination. So if your liver is sluggish (just like if your microbiome is imbalanced), estrogen can build up in the body. The liver thrives when we eat specific liver-nourishing foods—and it gets clogged and sluggish when we eat high fructose-containing processed foods and when we drink caffeine. You can also use targeted supplements to improve liver function. The supplements in my BALANCE Supplement Kit help support the liver.

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Remember that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this – the science of your body is on your side!

The 24 Hour Cycle vs 28 Day Cycle

Some weeks you’re on - you’re crushing it at work, you’re killing it in the gym, and you have energy after work to meet up with friends or to engage in leisure activities you love. But other weeks? Not so much. You have to drag yourself out of bed, you feel like you’re phoning it in at work and during workouts, and after work, you crash on the sofa and stare at the ceiling.

If that describes you, you’re probably (and rightfully) frustrated by these swings in mood, productivity, and energy. And being the wickedly intelligent woman that you are, you’ve probably set out to try to fix them.

Maybe you’ve tried the Bullet journal or a to-do list app.  Maybe you bought an inspiring day planner, hoping that the beautiful pages would zap you into action. Maybe you read one of the million books out there on time management or productivity secrets. . But none of those things have worked—or will work in the future.

Why?

Because traditional time management strategies don’t work for women. These external “solutions” force us to follow the 24-hour circadian cycle and they ignore a woman’s natural, 28-day hormone clock. We’ve been taught to plan our lives on the 24-hour circadian schedule, which works well for men—but not for women.

With most time management systems, we’re expected to make to-do lists, check things off as the day goes by, and then wake up the next day and repeat. Every day, every 24 hours, the same thing. But when women are forced to function as if their natural 28-day hormone clock doesn’t exist, we miss out on the superpower granted to us by our hormones.

We have different strengths during each of the four phases of our 28-day hormone cycle, and when we align our activities with our strengths during each phase—instead of keeping the rhythm of our lives the same, day in and day out— we can accomplish more, with less stress. When we understand and sync our lives with our hormone cycle, all of a sudden (and with very little effort!) we have plenty of time to do all that we want and need to. We have more spaciousness to get things done.

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Really? This all sounds a little woo woo….

Now, you might be thinking Wow, that sounds great. Far-fetched and totally made up, but great! But this isn’t theoretical at all. Research shows that our hormone cycles have a direct influence on our mood, energy, creativity, and worldview. So, when we plan our activities in accordance with the natural flow of our hormones, we can be top-performing, high-achieving women with energy left over at the end of the day—no to-do list app necessary. (Though we benefit greatly from knowing where we're at in our cycle, which is the reason our MyFLO app was designed!)

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Leverage your hormones for productivity

As women, our cyclical nature means we can and should work differently, (and plan our food and exercise differently), depending on which abilities are amplified by our hormones, during each phase of our cycle. When we start to get familiar with our different strengths during each phase, we become more predictable powerhouses at work and in life, instead of believing we’re victims to our hormonal fluctuations.

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Time Management for Women: Step into your power

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Step 1

Your essential first step is to sync your diet and exercise with each phase of your cycle. Research shows that your body has different micronutrient needs each week, and that, hormonally speaking, you are better equipped to handle intense workouts during the first half of our cycle. When your system gets the nourishment and movement it needs when it needs it, you will feel energized, creative, and naturally more productive.

Step 2

The second step? Respect your feminine energy. Now, when we say “feminine energy”, we're not talking about how you dress or behave. We're talking about connecting with your unique cyclical nature as a woman, and recognizing the natural shifts in energy and focus that come along with each part of your cycle.

These natural shifts are not vulnerabilities. When we learn how to use them in a way that benefits us, they become strengths. Harnessing the power of these shifts is the secret to achieving your personal, professional, and romantic goals. There is a timing and seasonality to your life—and when you use that knowledge to your advantage, you’re doing what I’ve coined as, Cycle Syncing®. Practicing Cycle Syncing® allows for greater creativity and productivity, without greater stress.

Through Cycle Syncing®, you can accomplish more of what really matters with ease, grace, and less stress. Cycle Syncing® isn’t mysterious or made-up. It’s a practice that starts with understanding the delicate (and often off-kilter) balance between estrogen and progesterone, and how those hormones shift during the month.

After that, it’s about structuring your life around the ebbs and flows of those hormones. It's actually quite simple! In practice, Cycle Syncing® is a totally doable and intuitive way to live.

Step 3

The third step is when things really get exciting. This is when you start to embody Cycle Syncing®, by learning about the four phases of your cycle and aligning your activities with your strengths in each phase. This is the magic that will help you do more of what matters to you, without burning out.

‍The follicular phase

• ‍When: The week after your period ends
• What’s happening hormonally: Estrogen is on the rise
• What to do: Set your intentions for the future, clarify your vision, spend time journaling (or otherwise recording your feelings and thoughts), organize what you want to accomplish in the coming weeks

‍The ovulation phase

• ‍When: Mid-cycle for 3–5 days
• What’s happening hormonally: Estrogen is at its highest point
• What to do: Talk about your vision, collaborate with like-minded folks, schedule meetings, connect with others, embrace your desire to be social during this phase

‍The luteal/premenstrual phase

• ‍When: About 10–12 days before your period begins
• What’s happening hormonally: Progesterone is at its highest point
• What to do: This is your do, do, do time! You are at your most organized during this phase and you love getting granular about the details. Make this phase all about accomplishing the activities and goals you outlined during your follicular phase

‍The menstrual phase

• ‍When: The days during your bleed, when you're on your period
• What’s happening hormonally: All of your hormones are at a low point
• What to do: Slow down, reflect on what’s happened over the last month, and practice gratitude for the good things that have occurred and all you’ve accomplished. Think back on any areas of your life that feel less than optimal or that need more attention, and use them as a starting point for setting intentions during your next follicular phase

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Cheers to your Cycle Syncing® journey! 

Not Meeting Your Goals? Here's Why

If you’ve been trying different diet and exercise plans to lose weight, or simply to feel healthier and less plagued by period problems, fantastic! Feeling better is a whole-systems approach, and a journey that involves food, movement, and lifestyle changes.

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But if you've been feeling like things aren't quite...working out, there's a reason. That’s because the diet and fitness industry offers well-meaning solutions, but those solutions are not universally applicable. The truth is that most of the research behind most mainstream diet and fitness recommendations is conducted on men — and women have unique biochemical needs that go unaddressed by male-centered research.

At the same time, women are the largest consumers of wellness industry products and protocols! But because women’s bodies work differently, this creates a vicious cycle, causing unnecessary stress, and depleting your time, energy and money. When these protocols are positioned in such a universally applicable way,  struggling to achieve results can feel like your fault. But it's not your fault! And we're here to set the record straight. The time is up on the gender bias in the diet and fitness industry.

As women, we’re biochemically different than men. When we adopt approaches that are designed to work with our unique biological distinctions—and stop biohacking with the boys—we will start to see results. The key to biohacking your unique female biochemistry is to understand your 28-day cycle & to match your food and exercise to your natural hormonal shifts. When you sync with your cycle, you’ll experience easier periods, less PMS, reduced bloating, get clearer skin, and see improvements in weight and body composition. By acknowledging your hormonal reality, you’ll finally be able to look and feel your best.

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The Science of Cycle Syncing®

Your body has different micronutrient needs during each week of the 28-day cycle, because your ovaries and uterus are doing different jobs during each week of the cycle. When you think about it, it makes sense: your body isn’t the same every day so your diet shouldn’t be either! But this isn’t just speculation.

‍Research suggests that our fluctuating hormones affect our nutrient levels—and, in turn, our nutrient levels affect our hormones (the research also shows that micronutrient deficiencies play a role in the severity of PMS symptoms). This means that we have different micronutrient needs at different times in our cycle.

All of today’s most popular diet plans— from keto and grain-free to a raw vegan diet—require eating the same way everyday, which ignores the natural interplay between micronutrients and our rhythmic, fluctuating hormones.

Add to that the fact that many nutrition and weight loss protocols emphasize calorie restriction, and you have an additional problem. Calorie restriction has been linked to thyroid hormone imbalances, which can cause sluggish metabolism, lackluster hair and skin, fatigue, and brain fog. Limiting calories also drives up cortisol production (cortisol is one of the body’s stress hormones) and high cortisol is a known factor in weight gain.

As women, we need to eat specific foods in order to make hormones. Healthy fats are especially important since estrogen and progesterone are made from cholesterol. Without enough cholesterol, we can’t adequately produce enough of these hormones to support healthy periods and fertility. We also need to eat specific foods to help break down and eliminate used-up hormones (so we don’t become estrogen dominant). Eating the right plant foods supports the liver in eliminating excess hormones and helps a specific group of bacteria in the gut microbiome, called the estrobolome, process estrogen overload.

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What you Can Expect When You Cycle Sync Your Diet

The Cycle Syncing® Method provides key foods at critical times to help break down excess levels of estrogen and keep estrogen and progesterone in balance. When this happens, you can expect fewer breakouts, less severe (or nonexistent) PMS, no more hormonal headaches, and less bloating. You can also expect improvements in fertility, sex drive, energy, and mood.

Another benefit of Cycle Syncing® your diet? Because you’re switching the foods you emphasize in your diet with each phase of you're cycle, you’re freed from the pressure from “sticking with a diet”. Not only is this practice more fun and satisfying, but it’s more sustainable in the long run.

‍Your big hormone-diet takeaway: You need to eat specific foods at specific times to maintain robust micronutrient levels and support hormone production and elimination. When you enjoy the right foods at the right times, you’ll experience remarkable results.

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Cycle Syncing® Your Exercise

This cyclical self care method extends into exercise as well.  There is a time and a place for short, intense workouts—but that’s not how you should workout all the time. When you consider your cycle, and when you look at the evidence, you’ll see that you may be able to handle the stress of intense exercise in the first half of your cycle, but doing a full-throttle workout in the second half of your cycle will sabotage your health and weight loss goals.

Here’s a closer look at why working out out hard all the time isn’t ideal: When you get your heart rate pounding, you burn through the glucose in your bloodstream (which is a good thing!). But you’re only burning glucose for about half an hour. After that, your body starts to pump out cortisol, the better to convert your fat cells into blood sugar so you have energy to keep working out.

At this point, you might be thinking, great! More energy to keep working out! But If you struggle with estrogen dominance, that excess estrogen tells your body to convert any leftover sugar back into fat. So instead of burning fat, you get stuck in a vicious cycle of burning stored fat with cortisol, only to have your high estrogen levels send it right back to all the wrong places.

Lots of women wonder if they should exercise during their period. Our answer is to listen to your body and to expand your focus to your entire cycle. Instead of just asking, "Should I workout on my period?" look further into the best times for higher intensity workouts and balance that with the best times for other types of movement.

You can use the MyFLO app to track your cycle and know what type of movement to do when, and you can look here for more on movement and exercise during each phase of your cycle.

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Workouts For Each Phase of Your Cycle‍

Here are the different types of exercise Alisa Vitti recommend for each of the four phases of your menstrual cycle:

Menstrual Phase

The 3 to 7 days during your bleed:

• Workout: Gentle Walking, Light Yoga - Keep your workouts relaxed, even if you’re not feeling discomfort. It’s a time to take things slowly and prioritize rest. Your hormones are at their lowest levels during this phase.
• Timing: An evening stroll is the perfect way to get some simple movement.

Follicular Phase

The 7 to 10 days after your period ends:

• Workout: Running or other cardio
• Timing: Mid-day – Your estrogen will be low and your cortisol levels will be just right for a challenging cardio burst.

Ovulatory Phase

The 3 to 4 days in the middle of your cycle, right after the follicular phase:

• Workout: High-intensity interval training (HIIT) or bodyweight circuit
• Time of Day: Early morning – you’ll have tons of energy during this time of the month, so take advantage of that natural high! Your testosterone is higher during this phase, so whatever you do, feel free to go all out.

Luteal Phase

The 10 to 14 days after ovulation and before your bleed:

• Workout: Pilates, yoga
• Time of Day: Keep it early during the first half of this phase, and then transition into the early evening in the second half. You might still feel full of energy during the first days of your luteal phase, so feel free to keep doing more intense workouts early in the day. But if you start to experience PMS symptoms in the days before your period, it’s time to tone it down and switch to Pilates or strength training in the early evening. Restorative (yin) yoga before bed can also be hugely helpful in combating issues like moodiness and bloat.

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What you Can Expect When You Practice The Cycle Syncing Method® With Your Exercise

You’ll deepen your intuitive sense of what type of movement your body wants and needs every day (and at every phase of your cycle). You can expect to lose weight and gain muscle more easily and sustainably, as well as prevent injury by varying your movement consistently.

‍Your big hormone-exercise takeaway: How you work out during the first half of your cycle shouldn’t be the same as how you work out during the second half of your cycle. When you sync your exercise with your cycle, you’ll experience remarkable results!

The FLO Living protocol has its foundation in the 4 phases of the menstrual cycle. Many women are only familiar with one or two phases of this cycle - usually menstruation and the premenstrual phase. Menstruation is obvious, because that’s when we bleed, and the premenstrual phase tends to come with many negative connotations as well as lived symptoms that make up our understanding of PMS - like mood swings, cravings, bloating, and acne.

Yet, there are 4 full phases of the menstrual cycle throughout which your hormone levels dance and interplay to release an egg, prepare your uterus for pregnancy, and finally, prepare for a new menstrual cycle. Every phase has different hormones that are peaking and others that are on their low ebb. Every phase carries with it a different energetic pattern or focus that hinges on the fluctuation of your hormones.

The FLO Living protocol is about tapping into that shifting energy to get the most out of your hormones, and your life. In this series we’ll look at the 4 phases of the menstrual cycle and, starting with the follicular phase, share what you can expect to learn from the Monthly FLO program, about harnessing your hormones for your health and happiness.

Once you know the basics, you will discover how the Cycle Syncing® Method can make your menstrual cycle your power center & your best asset all at once!

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The follicular phase: the hormone science

The follicular phase is when your body is developing follicles in your ovary, ready for ovulation to occur. High amounts of the aptly-named follicle stimulating hormone is flooding your body at this time. Of the follicles that are being stimulated, one will burst to release the egg or ovum at ovulation. Estrogen is also peaking as it spurs on your uterus to prepare for a potential fertilized egg. Luteinizing hormone is released to support the follicles to maturation.

The follicular phase begins on the first day after the end of your period bleeding. It is the first day of your cycle and sometimes called Cycle Day 1 or CD1.

The length of your follicular phase can vary because ovulation can be delayed for days, weeks, or months because of your body’s inability to undertake the task. In a healthy cycle, the follicular phase would last 7-10 days, but your body needs help in achieving healthy cycles. There is a food & hormone connection - too little and our cycles will stop; too much of those hormone-disruptive foods and we will not ovulate; too little of the hormone-boosting foods and we won’t make enough hormones.

The Monthly FLO program provides a meal plan that will fuel your body to stimulate those follicles, ensuring the return of ovulation and regular menstrual cycles. Find out if you’re ovulating and where you are in your cycle today

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The follicular phase: the energy science

Once you have menstrual cycle awareness, you will notice that you feel differently throughout your whole cycle. Download our MyFLO app to tune into your body and get reminders of where your hormones are at and how best to harness them for your benefit.

During the follicular phase, your physical energy is at its height. You have more stamina, you feel less tired, you can workout without much fatigue, you can tackle long hikes and long work meetings without flagging. You will be happy to socialize and pack your schedule with activities, and you’ll have the reserves to conquer it all.

Inside your body, it’s the beginning of a creative process - building to the potential creation of a new life (although, the energy is the same whether you’re planning or avoiding pregnancy at this time). It’s all about ideation, inspiration, project planning, and your whole self emerging  in this new cycle, onto a new path.

During this time, as part of my Cycle Syncing® Method, I like to map out what I want to achieve in the weeks ahead of me. I set my intentions, I write down my goals and desires, I use my planner to draw up my schedule. If you’re more of a visual learner - you can use this phase to create a vision board for your new cycle. I carry a purple notebook with me during this phase, knowing that inspiration may strike at any time with new ideas for FLO Living.  

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The follicular phase: the Cycle Syncing® science

For your career: Begin a new project; host a brainstorming session with your team; take the team out for a celebratory dinner; welcome new teammates or employees; network; apply for a new job; start a new side business or creative project  ‍

For your social life: Say yes to all invitations, especially new experiences (a new exhibit, a band you’ve never seen, a new dance class, something outside of your usual comfort zone); pull a late-nighter and go out dancing with friends; try a new activity with your partner to bring you closer together; workout or hike with friends

For your workouts:  Go hard on the cardio; try a bootcamp week; start a new kind of workout that’s complex or challenging for your body and brain; go on a yoga retreat

For your romance: Have a few date nights with your partner; do something new that you’re both curious to try; get experimental with your sex life; go on a dating app and meet someone new

Once you have menstrual cycle awareness, everything in life just FLOs. You’re choosing to work with your body, instead of against it. Cooperating with your hormones, hand-in-hand, leads you to getting all the best out of your life. Your body and mind is primed for these activities and it will all come easily and eagerly to you. Your body is encoded with the creative process happening inside your ovaries during the follicular phase via your hormone patterns.

First, recognize that you already feel this way during this phase - know it, love it, embrace it as part of your life. Second, give yourself the permission to do things that feel the most natural for you during this phase. Taking this step means banishing stress, moodiness, fatigue, and frustration - and leads straight to feeling more in your FLO every single day.

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We believe that no woman should suffer simply because she has a period

And we also know that it’s not always possible to get access to functional and holistic healthcare solutions — sometimes they’re too far away and most of the time they are way too expensive. That’s why we offer phone and Skype consultation sessions with our FLO coaches.

All of our expert FLO coaches have been trained by Alisa on top of being certified health coaches and licensed acupuncturists. And they are all qualified to help you find the right next step to get out of hormonal chaos and into your FLO. Work with a FLO Coach and find your customized plan to solve your period symptoms.

Click here to book your counselor consultation

When the new year comes around we often feel prompted to both detox and lose weight, or, we detox simply because we feel we need to lose weight. This means that the idea of detoxing has become implicitly connected with cutting back on calories, cutting out food groups, eating very little, and even fasting. The thing is, a real detox is not a crash diet and a crash diet does nothing to help your body really detox or keep that weight off. January is the detox and diet month, but the best way to “diet” is to detox in a real way. Detoxing in a real way does not mean deprivation. By all means, do a dry January and don’t touch a drop of alcohol, but feed yourself and feed yourself well if you really want to lose pounds, and get that glow.You need to feed your hormones if you want to rev a sluggish post-holidays metabolism. You can end the war with your body and instead develop the kind of healthy, supportive relationship you need that will have the added bonus of always keeping you in your best shape.In Traditional Chinese Medicine detoxing is reserved for Spring and Fall. Spring is actually when your liver is available for a full detox. According to the Five Element Theory, your liver is most active in the Spring and needs special support. Winter is not the right time for a concentrated liver detox, and of course, you’re always better off not letting yourself get to the point where you need a detox to recover. That means not bingeing on unhealthy foods and alcohol in the first place. We instinctively know that Spring is the time for cleaning house and purging all our unwanted possessions, but we still always try to force a detox in January after the holiday fun.Instead, in January, focus on eating a nutrient-dense diet, full of good fats, greens and high-quality proteins. Your liver needs the fuel to process the excess hormones and toxins and eliminate them from your body. The FLO Living protocol is packed full of cleansing foods that address your liver, intestines and lymphatic system. In fact, the third central pillar of the protocol is supporting your organs of elimination. Your elimination organs require nutrients to breakdown toxins, and you get nutrients from food. You do not and will not get enough nutrients from a juice fast or cabbage soup diet!

How your liver detoxes your body:

Phase 1: The liver breaks down toxins into smaller components by using nutrients such as glutathione, B vitamins, and C vitamins stored in the liver from your food. These smaller components are free radicals and actually more toxic now they’re broken down, so they need to ushered out of the body ASAP.Phase 2: These free radicals are combined with the selenium and amino acids in the liver - again, sourced from your food - and they become harmless and water-soluble through the process. Phase 3: The water soluble molecules or waste finds fiber in the large intestine with which they combine and leave the body.Phase 4: You wake up in the morning, have a glass of water, and have a bowel movement shortly afterwards. Toxins are also eliminated via your skin and your lymphatic system.

How your liver affects your weight

If these phases are not completed successfully, because the body doesn’t find the nutrients or fibre it needs to process the toxins then:

1. Those toxins get absorbed back into the bloodstream and recirculate
2. Your body houses the toxins in your fat tissue
3. This makes it harder to lose weight, because your body then does not want to let go of that toxin-full fat, knowing that then it would become polluted with all those built-up toxins that now have nowhere else to go. Your fat keeps a hold of your toxins and your body keeps a hold of the fat.

So, when you don’t detox effectively and instead opt for crash dieting or fasts which deprive your liver of the nutrients it needs to process toxins, you set yourself to actually retain fat and subject yourself to a toxin-soup that causes all kinds of problems with your health and hormones.

My new year detox recommendations

If you feel the need to detox in the new year, then boost your intake of the nutrients your liver needs and assist and support your body in eliminating toxins naturally. It’s all about eating MORE not LESS. Let’s let go of this idea of punishing ourselves and instead focus on nourishing our bodies.

• Eat more glutathione-heavy vegetables like avocados, carrots, broccoli, spinach, apples, asparagus and melon. Add two additional servings a day
• Eat more selenium-full foods such as oats, eggs, and Brazil nuts.
• Eat more fiber from nuts, seeds, lentils and peas. Add flaxseeds to your breakfast eggs and lunch salad.

You can also speed up the elimination process and get those toxins out your body fast with a couple of simple lifestyle hacks.

• Sweat - encourage your lymphatic system to get in on the game of releasing toxins by giving it a gentle movement massage. Workout in a way that makes you sweat, whether that’s a home dance workout or a hatha yoga class.
• Soak - draw yourself a bath full of epsom salts, the ancient and highly effective way to detox via your body’s largest organ - your skin.

Always remember, that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this - the science of your body is on your side!to your FLO,AlisaGood things come in threes:

I want to hear from you!

First, do you feel like you need a detox? Second, what are your post-holiday symptoms? Third, everyone you know is hormonal – spread a little good ovary karma and share this article on social ;)

Is Your Period Healthy?

How do you know if your hormones are healthy? The answer is in your 5th vital sign - your period. The color of your flow, frequency of your period, and symptoms you have each month can tell you a lot about your health. There are 5 different V-SIGN TYPES, and knowing which one you have will help you get healthy now and prevent disease in the future. Click here to take The V-SIGN TYPE™ Quiz NOW

What is Maca?

‍Maca root powder might seem like just another "trending" superfood, but the benefits of maca root have been long known. This ancient natural remedy happens to be very well researched, and that research has revealed its hormone-balancing, hormonal symptom-soothing properties.

Maca root (most usually found as maca powder) is an adaptogen, which means it supports your whole endocrine system to produce the right amounts of hormones you need. Maca can help your body “adapt” to stressful life situations that might otherwise deplete your body’s hormone production and cause symptoms.

Maca root powder is a wonderful resource to have at hand, especially at certain critical times in your life when its properties can be the most beneficial. That said, maca is not for everyone and anyone, all of the time. Digging deeper and knowing more about this powerful supplement will help you to get the most out of it.‍

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Does Maca “cure” hormone imbalance?

While Maca can certainly be beneficial, we don't recommend seeing it as a miracle cure for all hormonal ills. There is no one product that can or will resolve a woman’s PMS, PCOS, cramps, acne, irrregular cycles or infertility issues on its own. Just adding in a supplement or one food, however “super,” unfortunately rarely works to help a woman overcome hormonal symptoms alone. Resolving hormonal imbalances requires a whole-systems approach - macro and micronutrient support, along with lifestyle changes.

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‍When To Take Maca

There are 3 times in a woman’s life when she could really benefit from using maca root powder on a regular basis as part of a wider hormonally-supportive diet. Those times are:

• After you hit 35, enter perimenopause and then post-menopause
• After you come off the birth control pill
• After you have a baby (and have stopped breastfeeding)

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During these windows, maca root powder could help your body produce more hormones, at a time when your own endocrine system may be flagging due to the effects of perimenopause, hormone suppression from the Pill, or lack of sleep after baby. As an adaptogen, maca root powder helps your endocrine system do its job in sub-optimal conditions. These three life stages can be a stress on your endocrine system.

Remember: maca has some wonderful benefits, but it is not a cure-all. However, using it alongside food can make maca a very effective supplement. After you reach 35, after using the Pill, after baby, you may be experiencing several hormone-based issues that maca can treat, including:

• Low energy levels
• Low sex drive
• Brain fog and poor focus or concentration
• Mood swings and depression
• PMS symptoms

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Who shouldn’t take Maca?

‍Maca root powder is a great tool for these critical moments when our bodies need the additional support to get back on track. However, when you’re between 15 and 35, eating a hormonally-supportive diet should be enough to balance your hormones, resolve your period problems and regulate your cycles. You should NOT take maca if you have an allergy to iodine, Hashimoto’s, or experience any kind of thyroid nodules or growths, as it contains significant amounts of iodine. Lastly, any time you are trying out new changes to your wellness regimen, remember to note any side effects you experience and keep in touch with your providers about what you experience.

‍What’s the best kind of Maca root to take?

‍The most important thing to know about maca root powder is that there are different kinds you can buy. Keep in mind that it’s the glucosinolate component that you need, to experience maca’s hormone-balancing properties.

Look for brands containing over 1% of glucosinolate  as a standardized extract. Our favorite way to take maca is in a smoothie. Just a spoonful is enough at first, but you can build up to more if you feel it’s working well for you.

There are red, black and yellow maca powders - yellow is the most commonly available and usually the least expensive - it packs a similar nutritional punch of minerals, fatty acids, amino acids and micronutrients as the other two kinds. However, red and black maca powders have some specific researched properties that make them stand out - red has shown to be most helpful for treating acne, infertility and low energy, for example.

Raw maca powder is better than gelatinized or cooked because the enzymes and nutrients remain at their peak levels in the raw state (although if you have a sensitive digestive system, cooked may be easier on your stomach). You may also find maca powders that blend of all 3 kinds of maca, which allow you to get their individual and combined benefits.

If you’ve been trying to get pregnant for a while, I know the process can feel so frustrating. You’ve probably spent years carefully avoiding pregnancy and now you’re ready you can’t believe it hasn’t happened yet. After all, I know you’re doing everything exactly as you’ve been told. You’re tracking your ovulation signs, you’re using all the tools at your disposal (from OPKs to tester strips to apps), you’re timing sex as best you can - but each month passes by and it’s not happening. When we decide to get pregnant, most of us want to get pregnant fast. We take on the task at hand like any other goal in our life - with tenacity, determination, and focus. However, this can be a very “masculine” or “linear” way to approach what is actually a process that belongs to the “feminine” sphere. Changing up your approach to embrace a different, more feminine, energy and outlook can help you to get pregnant faster. This is not just a nice idea, from a biochemical standpoint, reducing your cortisol (aka stress) levels absolutely improves fertility.

How I got pregnant fast

Before I got back in my FLO, I never knew where I was in my cycle, I missed more periods than I could count, and I wasn’t ovulating regularly - this lasted a full decade. After putting myself through the FLO protocol, I have been enjoying regular periods and my ovulation comes around when I expect it to. That said, I knew that conception was more than just well timed ovulation and cycles. I see this first hand when working with so many women through the FertileFLO program. Certainly, it’s not just the hormone numbers that dictate conception. In fact many women have idiopathic infertility - meaning on paper, everything looks as it should, but still conception is not happening. Alternatively, you have a known diagnosis that could affect your ability to conceive (like my own PCOS diagnosis). In both scenarios it’s critical that you take a holistic, full picture view of your fertility beyond “the numbers”. By doing this you can optimize all aspects of your fertility and boost your chance of getting pregnant when you want.

3 Keys to Getting Pregnant Faster

1 - Improve your ovulation with lifestyle changes One thing to remember is that approaching getting pregnant too much like it’s merely a mathematical equation or science experiment (what I mean when I say a “masculine” or “linear” approach) is not enough. It’s not as simple as temperature tracking or timing = conception. It’s easy to look to this approach to help solve what might seem like a mystery when you’ve been trying to conceive for a while. The overthinking, the methods, the materials, this can become stressful - and we all know stress is so bad for ovulation. You might be doing everything in a way that is technically correct and exacting, but you are likely missing a major component. That component is the relationship you have to your cycle, to your body, to your fertility. Practically speaking that means making sure you are eating consistently, sleeping optimally, and exercising in a way that improves your overall fertility, not, as we do in most cases, put a drain on it. Learn more here.2 - Supercharge your whole body from a micronutrient level to optimize egg quality and hormone levelsBefore I wanted to get pregnant, I had taken steps for an entire year before conceiving to make sure that my fertile factors were as optimal as possible. This was on top of everything I had been doing for over a decade by using the FLO protocol. This was about much more than timing, much more than knowing the right day to have sex (although of course that played its part). I spent a year supercharging my body in preparation for the conception. If you’re currently trying to get pregnant, or know you’d like to by next year or the next, you too can start now to prepare for pregnancy and, even if you have symptoms of PCOS, you will be in a much better position to conceive naturally and have a healthy pregnancy than if you continue as you are now. I upped my food and supplement game in specific ways to make sure my hormones, ovulation, microbiome and more were all where they needed to be. You can learn more about that here.3 - Engage your Maternal Energy now to reduce stress levels and set your body to conception-ready modeI embraced some of the responsibilities of motherhood way ahead of being a mother. I shifted my priorities and goals. I said no to things that were a drain on my energy and vitality. I was dedicated to my self care practices. Doing this was about being at my healthiest, my most fertile, my most able to get pregnant - but it was also about being really, truly, utterly ready for pregnancy and motherhood. Now that I am a mother, I’m still doing all of the above even more intensely. This is admittedly, not an easy thing to do. A few months before I knew I wanted to conceive, I cancelled a work trip. It was a big deal to change at the last minute, but I had an intuitive feeling that this trip was going to be a strain on my adrenals and undo my hard work to prep my body. I knew that if I did want to get pregnant I couldn’t afford to get stressed out like that. I had to prioritize that goal ahead of my other obligations. I had to cut down on extra commitments that were not absolutely necessary. I decided I was unwilling to deal with the potential consequences to my cycle and my fertility. I made the call to cancel the trip and do what was optimal for my fertility and my future child. Often times what can hold us back has a lot to do with the anxiety about the constraints of motherhood, when in fact “nesting” starts so much sooner than shopping for baby gear.

What does optimal fertility feel like?

In that year before I knew exactly when I wanted to conceive, I was so fully prepared for pregnancy - physically through my diet and lifestyle, and mentally and emotionally by optimizing my FertileFLO - that people would comment regularly about how I was glowing, and ask if I was pregnant, loooonnng before I actually conceived! Many of the women who have done the FertileFLO program and have gotten pregnant report that this was exactly the feeling that they had not had prior to the program - they looked and felt younger, more energized, happy, and vibrant. Of course, that’s what being fertile is about - being so ripe with health and vitality on all levels that your whole body is ready to receive and nurture a new person. It’s about being in so much abundant health, that there’s plenty to share to 3-D print a tiny human. Redefine the conception process to include your head, your heart...and your uterusI know we live in a culture that makes us think children are not supposed to change our lives one bit, let alone change them a whole year before they’re even conceived! But if you’re struggling to get pregnant, or because of a diagnosis or health issue you think you might struggle to get pregnant in the future, then you need to start thinking differently today about your life. Getting ready to be a mother is not about “missing out” like we’re taught, it’s about making different decisions based on your primary goals and desires. If you’ve been trying to get pregnant using thermometers, gadgets, calendars and equations for a while and it isn’t working for you, you might need to start thinking about how you relate to your cycle and the big changes that motherhood brings. Optimizing your Fertile FLO can get you in tune with your cycle phases and hormonal shifts. It can make you feel like your most vibrant, fertile self - ready for creation.Always remember, that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this - the science of your body is on your side!to your FLO,AlisaGood things come in threes:

I want to hear from you!

First, are you trying to conceive?Second, do you feel there are issues bigger than “the numbers” at play for you?Third, everyone you know is hormonal – spread a little good ovary karma and share this article on social ;)

Are you trying to conceive?

If you want to do everything in your power to improve your chances of becoming a mom, I want to help you optimize your fertility. Whether you are just starting to think about having a baby, or have already tried naturally or have been trying with IVF, my Fertile FLO Program will help improve your chances of conception. Click here to download my FREE guide, The 5 Health Foods to Avoid to Get and Stay Pregnant.