Break a sweat before dawn or bust a move after work? Lunch time lunges or late-night laps? It’s the age-old question that so many women struggle with, but few can confidently answer: what’s the best time of day to work out?I’m about to demystify this dilemma for you, but let’s begin by stating the obvious: women are not men. Obvious? Yes. Always acknowledged? Don’t bet on it. When we look at research measuring exercise performance at various times of day, it’s so important to understand that the majority of these studies focus on male subjects. This was pretty neatly summed up in 2010 New York Times article called “What Exercise Science Doesn’t Know About Women”: “Scientists know, of course, that women are not men. But they often rely on male subjects exclusively, particularly in the exercise-science realm, where, numerically, fewer female athletes exist to be studied. But when sports scientists recreate classic men-only experiments with distaff subjects, the women often react quite differently...In the meantime, female athletes should view with skepticism the results from exercise studies that use only male subjects. As Dr. Rowlands says — echoing a chorus of men before him — when it comes to women, there’s a great deal that sports scientists ‘just don’t understand.’”
So if these studies can’t help you crack the code on when to hit the gym, how can you create a sustainable exercise schedule that delivers results and fits into your busy life? By relying on the intuitive wisdom of your hormones, of course! If you’re already a fan of FLO Living, then you’ve heard me talk quite a bit about synchronizing your diet to your natural hormonal fluctuations. It’s a system I call cycle-syncing, and it’s the key to completely transforming your overall health. But cycle-syncing isn’t just for food; it’s a perfect strategy to apply in all areas of your life — including workouts. Your body isn’t the same every single day, and if you’re truly living in your FLO, you’ll be eating, exercising, socializing, and getting romantic in ways that perfectly complement and enhance the assets of each phase of your cycle. Running every single morning at 6 a.m. or sticking to just one kind of conditioning class each and every evening won’t get you real results. By modifying the type of activities you do each day and adjusting the timing of your workouts depending on the time of the month, you’ll play to your strengths all cycle long.Just like food, exercise is an essential tool for achieving and maintaining optimal endocrine health. But understanding how to implement this powerful tool is key — despite what popular culture and social media stars would have you believe, more is not better when it comes to getting fit, and strategically syncing up your cycle with your workouts is the only way to ensure real results and happy, healthy hormones.
It takes about 30 minutes of exercise to burn through all the glucose in your bloodstream. Once that’s gone, you start forcing your adrenal glands to pump out cortisol to get your fat cells to convert into sugar for the blood stream. While this may seem like a surefire way to melt unwanted pounds, that’s not the case for women with too much estrogen (the most common root cause of period problems, fertility issues, and other forms of hormonal chaos). When your body is overloaded with estrogen, the circulating sugar gets converted to fat, perpetuating a vicious cycle (and this is assuming your adrenals are working perfectly — not the case for many super stressed women). Exercising for more than 30 minutes at a time puts undue stress on your adrenal glands by causing cortisol to skyrocket and any excess estrogen to encourage further fat production. Rather than wasting hours on the elliptical, focus your efforts with a 30-minute session that fits the categories below.
So without further ado, here’s your phase-by-phase, no-brainer guide to cycle-syncing your workouts and finding the best time of day to reap the biggest rewards:
Workout: Walk - keep your workouts mild, even if you’re not feeling major discomfort. When: An evening stroll is the perfect way to get some simple movement.
Workout: RunWhen: Mid-day - your estrogen will be low and your cortisol levels will be just right for a challenging cardio burst.
Workout: Intense cardio, dance, or bodyweight circuitWhen: 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!
Workout: Pilates, yogaWhen: Keep it early during the first half, and then transition into the early evening. You might still feel full of energy during the first days of your luteal phase, so feel free to keep kicking butt in 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 combatting issues like moodiness and bloat. But the only real way to nip those symptoms in the bud for good is to fix the hormonal issue once and for all. If you’re ready to kiss symptoms goodbye forever, then MonthlyFLO is for you!Happy, hormone-friendly workouts, ladies! Alisa
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 are a complete package that work together to keep your hormone levels healthy. They include a 2 month (2 cycle) 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 brand-new BALANCE Supplement Kit.
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Reduce Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) symptoms like painful periods, weight gain, acne breakouts, and unwanted hair with Restore, our PCOS supplement kit.
Optimize your fertility and get your body baby-ready with Nurture, our therapeutic-grade fertility supplement kit.
Support whole-body hormonal balance and regular, PMS-free periods with these five essential micronutrient formulations, designed to be taken simultaneously every day.
Explore the Store
Support whole-body hormonal balance and regular, PMS-free periods with these five essential micronutrient formulations, designed to be taken simultaneously every day.
Feel better and perform more effectively when you support your hormonal health during every phase of your cycle.
A revolutionary roadmap for women to help balance their hormones and care for their bodies, so they can feel their best all month long with Cycle Syncing®.
For those struggling with absent or infrequent periods, heavy bleeding, and other more intense menstrual symptoms
Read Woman CodeFor those struggling with absent or infrequent periods, heavy bleeding, and other more intense menstrual symptoms
Read In the FloAlisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
“MyFLO has been a true game changer for me and my cycle. I now have an increased awareness of my body's needs throughout the month.”
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
“MyFLO has completely transformed my relationship with my cycle. I am sleeping through the night, intuitively managing my stress, and eating with my cycle.”
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
“I use MyFLO every day to track my cycle and symptoms. I've managed to significantly reduce PMS symptoms like breast tenderness, and my cycle length has gone down from 40 days to 30 days.”
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Boost micronutrient levels
Manage blood sugar
Reduce stress
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
"My period was missing for 3 years after getting off birth control. MonthlyFLO helped me finally get my period back.”
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
I feel more empowered to understand my body and heal my hormones. I no longer accept the patriarchal dismissal and confusion about the female cycle”
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
“I got my period back after 15 years! Thank all of you for your support. I'm just so grateful!”
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
“FLO Living has seriously changed my life. It gave me the courage and bravery to get off of birth control, and completely changed my outlook on health. I look and feel better than I ever have in my life”
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Detox estrogen
Reduce inflammatory foods
Improve elimination
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Stabilize blood sugar
Reduce Androgens
Restore ovulation
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Boost progesterone production
Support estrogen elimination with dietary changes
Replenish micronutrients
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Detox estrogen
Improve bowel movements
Reduce inflammation
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Manage blood sugar
Address micronutrient deficiencies
Restore ovulation
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Detox chemical stress
Micronutrients to boost egg quality
Reduce inflammation
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Stabilize blood sugar
Detox chemical stress
Targeted micronutrients to support ovulation
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Micronutrients to boost egg quality
Reduce inflammation
Support immune function of uterus
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Implement Cycle Syncing ®
Detox chemical stress
Boost micronutrient levels
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Manage blood sugar
Detox estrogen
Boost progesterone production
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Stabilize blood sugar
Reduce stress
Boost energy
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Cycle Syncing® Food & Workouts
Stabilize blood sugar
Restore Micronutrients
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Cycle Syncing® Food & Workouts
Boost progesterone production
Support estrogen elimination
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Cycle Syncing® Food & Workouts
Micronutrients to boost egg quality
Reduce inflammation
Alisha A / 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Cycle Syncing® Food & Workouts
Boost progesterone production
Increase micronutrient levels