Morgana Lakatos-Hayward is a health coach and business owner of This Isn't a Diet where the primary focus is to help women lose weight without dieting and balance their hormones, blood sugar and gut health. She is the host of Listen to This When You're Done Dieting on Spotify, with her new book, Read This When You're Done Dieting on the way.
The number of infertility cases we see in women today is astounding, and it is only growing. Not to mention the rates of PCOS, PMS, endometriosis, fibroids and other female reproductive conditions that seem to be plaguing women around the globe. I don’t mean to write this to scare you—but rather to educate you.
Of course, we can blame the increasing number of chemicals we see in all our products including our food, pollution, radiation from our devices, rising stress levels and synthetic hormones, but what if one of the major reasons was just that we are out of sync with our feminine biology?
The real reason behind the feminine hormone dilemma
Khanna reported in the World Economic Forum —“the medical system’s approach has been more of a patriarchal investigation into the human body including female participants in clinical studies only started in the late 1980s and was only made mandatory in the US in 1993” (2023, 6).
This lack of care for women’s health has caused society to be built around what works for men’s health and for us to follow along and suffer silently. The time has come for a revolution. The time has come for us to finally learn more about our bodies, sync with our cycles and use it to our advantage to unleash our feminine power.
Vitti states in her new book, In the Flo, that men and menopausal women operate on a circadian clock (the sun rising and setting affects their hormonal and energy levels). Women, however, operate on an infradian rhythm. This rhythm pertains to a 28-day clock based on various hormonal concentrations which we can hack via food, workouts, our social and work-lives to tackle life head on and solve many of the female reproductive conditions that we see today (most of which is occurring through estrogen dominance).
Let’s uncover many of these hacks together to get you back on track and to even banish what we’ve been told as “normal” pain during our menstruation week (which is complete BS).
Hack your food
As a holistic health coach, I know the true powers of having the correct nutrition. Utilizing and rotating your foods during different phases of your cycle can help cool or warm your body and metabolize hormones more efficiently. Before we get to the fun stuff, there are some things you should know.
Your cycle follows four phases: menstruation (days 1-7 roughly, although your period may last between 3-7 days), follicular (days 7-12), ovulation (days 12-14), luteal part 1 (days 14-21), luteal part 2 (days 21-28). Your body is typically warmer during your follicular and ovulation phases hence why we will be using cooling foods at this time. And your body heats up during luteal and menstruation phases. As far as your hormones go, during menstruation they are at their lowest levels which explains your lack of energy and why you want to curl up in bed all day. Your follicular phase is when your estrogen levels begin to rise giving you a beautiful recharge of energy and your ovulation is where your hormones are at their highest (including testosterone to get you busy in the bedroom). It is during the luteal phase where your hormones will begin to come down and thus giving you less energy.
Let’s begin with foods for the menstruation phase. This phase is when your physical bleed takes place and when your body is the coolest. Replenishing your body with iron and zinc lost during this time through the use of eating seafood, kelp and nori can greatly improve your next cycle. I recommend emphasizing healthy fats and proteins to help your body synthesize your hormones. This can come in the form of red meat, kidney beans, sesame and sunflower seeds, pork and duck.
Your follicular phase is a great time to prep your gut microbiome with probiotic rich foods such as kimchi, pickles and sauerkraut. This will help balance your estrogen levels, as well as getting plenty of veggies and lean proteins in such as chicken and eggs. Great veggies during this time include carrots, zucchini, parsley and broccoli!
Ovulation time calls for primarily raw foods to cool your body down. Think summer foods like red bell pepper, raspberries, strawberries, tomatoes and zucchini. The flourish of antioxidants in your body will also help it prepare the best quality of egg (in case you are looking to get pregnant).
The luteal phase is when your metabolism will speed up and usually when those sweets cravings associated with PMS kick-in. This is very important: your body is doing this due to the lower serotonin levels and it will seek more in the form of sugar. This will only make your symptoms and period worse. Try to tackle these by roasting your vegetables to bring out their natural sweetness and have slow-burning carbohydrates like rice and sweet potato (sweet potato is also super high in beta-carotene which is great for your reproductive organs)! Chickpeas, pears, apples and walnuts can also help your liver flush out excess estrogen.
Sync your workouts
Yes, you can even sync your workouts. And you should! Aggie Laal in her book, "Biohack Like a Woman", discusses the importance of syncing your workouts. Many women overdo it in the gym and hold onto fat as a result! This is because of the pesky hormone cortisol associated with high intensity workouts which when paired with the luteal and menstrual times of the month is a big no-no. So, how should you structure your workouts?
During your follicular and ovulation phases you will have high energy levels and can indulge in all of the HIIT, cardio, spinning classes and lifting that your lil ol’ heart desires! This is the prime time to build and shape your body and lose weight if that is one of your goals.
Your luteal and menstruation weeks are not high surges of energy. Low-impact workouts during these times will greatly benefit your hormones, accompanied by lots of rest. Some great ones I personally utilize are gentle yoga and pilates, gentle swimming and long walks in nature (yes this is a workout, and the best fat-burning workout there is)!
Prep your social and work life
Your follicular phase is a prime creative phase. You will have so many new ideas flowing that it is best to get them down on paper and create! You can maximize your output on these projects during ovulation and really tackle any marketing objectives you have during this time. These weeks socially are also times where you can feel good about seeing your friends, going to a get-together and maybe even to a party.
Your luteal phase serves as a completion phase. This is when you can nurture your projects and meet your deadlines. Your menstruation phase is all about evaluating and reflecting on your past work so that you can perform better for your next cycle! As far as your social life goes, set your boundaries. You will naturally have less energy and should prioritize your rest and recharging during this time. Of course, if there is some event you can’t miss then don’t sweat it. But where you can control your social life, steer clear of the stressful stuff and enjoy some you-time.
Become the female powerhouse you are
It is prime time for you baby. After reading this information and implementing these hacks you will be on top of the world and not only bettering your health, but also your output into the world. Know that this is cyclical, and some periods will overlap. Listen to your body and trust your gut first and foremost.
Read more from Morgana Lakatos-Hayward
Morgana Lakatos-Hayward, Health Coach, Podcaster, Author
Morgana is a former world champion Latin dancer turned health coach. From making under $25k per year to now owning a thriving health coaching practice called: "This Isn't a Diet", a podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts "Listen to This When You're Done Dieting", and a book on the way entitled "Read This When You're Done Dieting", she has turned her financial situation around to become financially independent and open 6 different income streams. She is currently working on developing two more income streams and claims that her financial shift started with a simple mindset change.
Resources:
Khanna, Deeptha. “Why Is Women’s Healthcare Globally so Often Overlooked?” World Economic Forum, 2 Jan. 2023.
Lal, Aggie. Biohack like a Woman: How to Get Fit Effortlessly, Feel Beautiful, Have More Energy, and Unleash Your Superpowers with Biohacking. Biohacking Bestie, 2024.
Vitti, Alisa. In the Flo. MIRA, 2020.
