There are high and low points in our lives whether it is regarding our personal life or our professional work. Some days we find ourselves able to conquer the world while looking good at it and then there are times when feel like a klutz and we become completely lost. If this is a common occurrence then you might find that your hormones are to be blamed.

The good news is that you are not the only one who is experiencing this. It’s all about making your hormones work to your advantage. This means that you need to pay special attention to your hormonal cycle so that you will be able to pattern your work or your personal life accordingly. Here is what you can do.

First Week: During Menstruation

The first week usually means that we don’t have much energy because of low hormone levels. Add to this the fact that iron is being sapped from our body and you know that you’ll feel tired most of the time. Most women find that as the days of their menstruation progresses their mood swings tend to recede and they have more energy. This is because the level of estrogen is actually going up at this point so you’re feeling better. What’s even better with the increase of estrogen is that you are becoming less hungry. This can reduce your intake of food and guess what? The cramps that you are feeling are actually a good sign that you can take on more reps during your exercise so you will find that you are getting more gains with this workout.

Second Week: After Menstruation

Since your period has ended, you will feel more energized because your estrogen and testosterone levels are on the rise. During this period, you will feel more alert and have the ability to focus better on your work and on yourself. However, take note that estrogen may cause anxiety attacks to occur so you need to be on the lookout. If you find yourself having anxious thoughts it’s just your estrogen working against you.

And just like during the first week, you can actually use this phase to improve on your workout. This is the perfect time to do your HIIT training as well as lifting heavier weights since your body is still in diet mode. Doing tougher exercises can actually offset the lower calorie burn at this stage.

Ovulation

Ovulation tends to happen on day 15 but this may vary from one person to the next. It is during this phase when your body inhibits its hormone production while increasing progesterone levels. There are studies that show that women who are in their ovulation stage actually increased their strength at this point. However, there are some who actually injured themselves at this stage.

Week 3

During the third week of your menstrual cycle, you will start experiencing PMS especially when you are a bit sensitive to progesterone. You will find that you are a bit groggy during this phase so don’t schedule important events at this point in time. Keep in mind that progesterone has a sedating effect hence you feel sleepy at this point. Another thing to keep in mind during the third week is that your appetite will be on full gear. You will find that you are craving more food at this stage. However, since there is still low estrogen level in your body, there is a high chance that the foods that you are eating are simply getting stored as fat. In order to combat this, you should go for longer runs and ramp up the intensity of your workout too.

Week 4

The fourth week is where your hormones will start bailing out on you. You will feel irritable and you’ll find that your mood is taking a downturn. With that being said, choosing the right foods like turkey, pumpkin seeds, and even cottage cheese can actually improve your feel-good hormones so that you will feel better soon.