We’ve cheekily dubbed our “time of the month” Shark Week.
It’s just a way that we can be silly about an otherwise somewhat unpleasant event. (Not to talk bad about periods…they allow us to renew and reset every month!)
But as we’ve thought more about this Shark Week business, the more we’ve come to realize that there is a natural beauty about the ebb and flow of female bodies.
The world would have you believe otherwise. There are countless commercials and ads for products and medicines that allow you to “not change a thing” about your life as you menstruate.
They’re filled with women playing sports and working “man-ly” type jobs like a boss.
And that’s pretty cool in some ways.
(Side note: let’s disregard for a moment that issues of how women are treated compared to men. That’s a whooooole ‘nother blog post.)
After all, it’s not like Shark Week makes you any less capable than you are as your “regular” self. If you want to be a badass athlete or any other power Player, that’s an amazing thing no matter what the circumstance are!
But maybe there’s something to this ebb and flow phenomenon.
Just like our daily circadian rhythm, there is a larger flow of energy and rest that happens to women on a monthly basis.
In the first half of the cycle, estrogen predominates. The body is all about building up stores to make us ready to make a whole new person (that’s crazy when you really think about it!) and we often feel ready to tackle on the world. It becomes our time to expand and thrive!
The second half of the cycle is when progesterone starts to increase, changing the reproductive organs to be a welcoming place for a possible baby.
Women often respond to this change of hormones by naturally feeling like taking a break, finding some downtime, and focusing on self-care. Some of our nesting
The thing is, we’ve been conditioned from an early age to ignore such changes. Day in and day out, we’re expected to perform and act like there’s no cycle at all.
I guess this is part of the blog post where I make some grand statement about something you’re “supposed to do” to fix this phenomenon.
But that isn’t the case.
I’m simply writing this to bring attention to an alternative way to live, respond, and interact with the natural cycle that already is present in our lives.
How can we allow ourselves to enjoy the natural boost that characterizes the beginning of our cycle?
How can we best use the natural inclination to rest as we approach Shark Week?
How can we show our bodies some more care and love in the natural flow of how we feel?
How can we best support what is already happening?
These questions are for you to ponder. And whatever you come up with as an answer is totally fine; whatever works best for you is what you should be doing.
But in our sterile and temperature controlled lives, it’s important to realize that we are beings that are not distinct from the world in which we live.
Allow yourself some room to ride out the waves of life without fighting the current.
You might be surprised how nice it feels.
PS: We talk Shark Week, contrast showers, magical elixirs, and a whole lot more during our Love Your Liver Seasonal Detox coming up on November 2nd! Come join us and get ready to have your health journey transformed just in time for the holiday season!
XOXO,
I love this! I’ve considered several times to structure my workouts around this ebb and flow. Using that slow down time to just do yoga for the week and then get back to the higher pace the other weeks of the month. This would allow my body the rest it needs, and make the other weeks more effective I think. You guys just confirmed what I was thinking. Thanks for the post!
~Molly