Women are bombarded with a myriad of external health disrupters. They are all interrelated; causing the cascade effect; when one domino falls, the rest follow. Maybe this looks like a tough economy, which looks like working overtime, which then looks like cheap grab & go foods, oh, and that means hormonal imbalances. So now we’re contending with weight gain, chronic fatigue, hair loss…The list goes on. One facet of life bleeds into the others, leaving a trail of frustration, hopelessness, & chaos.
There are many solutions, to which therapists, health coaches, massage therapists, and the like all seem to have answers for. I am all about the responsible self. It’s taking that problem, and to the best of your ability, adapting to the circumstance, learning from it (if it was within your own control), and then stopping it from bleeding into other aspects of your life. Just because one domino falls, doesn’t mean you can’t put a stop on the rest.
This seems to be a theme in women’s lives especially. There is much to be said as to how women’s roles developed within our culture. We have grown from traditional familial structures to now experiencing a world wide open with opportunity. There is something called social determinants of health which is a specific term to what I was eluding to earlier.
Social determinants of health are the “conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks”.
Economic stability can affect your health.
The neighborhood in which you were born can determine health outcomes. Were you brought up in a food desert? Where the only place food was readily accessible was from the gas station?
Your social world and community can impact your health.
As an Integrative Nutritionist, I always look to see how social determinants of health are at play in someone’s life. Seeing supposed and actual limitations, while pinpointing the assets to someone’s circumstance they may not have been aware of. It’s all about knowing what is in your control and making the necessary changes to sow the seeds for a happier, healthier life.
A chef, for instance, may be more susceptible to urinary tract infections due to the obvious fact that they can’t relieve themselves at their leisure – instead they have to succumb to the pressure of the kitchen and put physical needs aside.
A child in Africa is going to be prone to disease and sickness if they were born in an area without proper sanitation systems / plumbing.
A groomer is exposed to parasites if they are around dogs all day, every day.
A receptionist, in a seemingly innocent position, may not see the issue of sitting down for hours at a time, with constant blue light / EMF exposure, and surrounded by artificial light.
Some social determinants of health call for radical change – others not so much.
Women in general were not set up for success. In mutual agreement, we have come long strides in society compared to 100s of years ago. And yet, many I know suffer from lack of education or awareness around their own rhythms, biology, and spirituality.
The very framework in which we are living is skewed. Between work schedules, social pressures, toxic cosmetics and hygiene products, big pharma, and the doomed food supply, we are being shifted, without consent, by social determinants of health.
Did you know that women have different rhythms in our body that demand to be recognized? It’s called our Infradian rhythm, which is much like the circadian rhythm that you’re most likely familiar with. The circadian rhythm is alive and well in both female and male biology. The infradian rhythm points to the female menstrual cycle and works as our second clock, to which we have epically disregarded in our society.
Women basically entered a workforce that was predominantly male-created, as we see how the normal grind of the work week is programmed to accommodate the 24hr hormonal cycle of men.
Heightened testosterone in the morning to fuel exercise and work productivity. Focus and socialization are easy coming off of lunch and into the afternoon. Testosterone drops in the evening to signal time for nourishment, rejuvenation, and alone time.
You may have already felt this in your bones – or maybe you’ve just accepted that something is inherently wrong with your work ethic… this was NOT how women are supposed to function.
There is ebb & flow to the female biology, which is squandered by 9-5’s.
The masculine-dominated work schedule and mentality leads women, who are in the work force, to adopt those same energies and force a hormonal pattern not conducive to their biology.
Take, for example, the fact that thousands of women drink coffee to replace their breakfast due to lack of time or a hack to get energized for the day. Heck, they might even skip lunch too.
Even though men can still thrive from the unintentional schedule of intermittent fasting, women find themselves more burnt out from the upsurge of cortisol and metabolically compromised.
As I’ll reiterate, this can turn into weight gain, chronic fatigue, PMS, PCOS, thyroid dysfunction, and more. Sometimes less is not more. Proper nourishment and balance IS the target for optimal health.
What’s more, there is a feminine move of creativity sometimes, a perfect time of execution (aka, get sh*t done), and an organizational prompt other times.. all of which have a time and place within our 4 phases. I’m sure you have recognized that sometimes these actions come naturally, and sometimes they feel forced. This all hinges on if your hormones are resisting your actions or propelling them.
I’ll always remember the year of college before I moved to Wales. I went to a small private school where I played lacrosse and soccer and confidently declared pre-med as my major. I took a Health Program the year before in high school which was a glimpse into our healthcare system and alarmingly thick textbooks of medical terminology. Although I was extremely stressed and having health issues at the time, I could still sense through my compromised state that there were massive flaws with our medical system. I knew most of the health issues I encountered in patients (and nurses) within the hospital walls could be resolved through less invasive means, less medication, less side effects. I tried to respect the millions of dollars that have gone into research and education, attempting to align myself with a field that is trying to make a difference.
Having witnessed this world, and deciding I could make a difference in it, I experienced further health crisis trying to be a star-student and athlete. I recall the emotional and physical pitfalls more than the actual content learned. Looking back, I see that all I needed was nourishment, to spend time emotionally healing instead of tethered to perfectionism and a chronic cortisol addiction, to listen to my body which was screaming at me THIS ISN’T RIGHT.
I may have reacted dramatically when I had a study abroad which was strategically planned to miss a season of soccer, and to take different classes which stimulated my brain instead of frying it.
I did better in the UK in some ways, and in other ways I still really struggled with residual bodily imbalances and unresolved emotional snags. Although I didn’t have the Masters in Nutrition yet or the knowledge of our female infradian rhythm, I got the picture.
The expectations on life are virtually impossible to meet.
Americans take themselves SO SERIOUSLY!
I realized that women have lost a lot of our calling from God. In a perfect world, we were supported heavily by our family and social circles, lived in security until it was time to get married, had specific roles in our homes and community that highlighted our strengths or lived in the assignments the Lord willed for us.
We obviously don’t live in a perfect world…however, knowledge is power. Even the mere acknowledgment of our inherent systems is enough to say, ‘ok, I get why ____ is maybe off right now. I can remove ____ and add ___ to help rebalance a little’.
It’s understanding that your infradian rythym works FOR YOU to amplify your skill sets and empower you throughout the month.. If you just care to listen 🙂
Why is adhering to the nutritional and lifestyle needs of your menstrual cycle important?
Well, it’s not just about actualizing your potential in whatever season of life you’re in right now. Your health depends on it.
Your inner clock governs 6 different sovereign systems of the body:
Brain
Metabolism
Immune system
Microbiome
Stress response
Reproductive system
When we force ourselves to live as masculinity naturally operates, we see issues. We live in a world of PCOS, chronic fatigue, infertility, low-immunity, brain fog, and weight fluctuations. Ignoring this internal second clock is a sure way to develop health issues.
To supply concrete examples, disrupting your infradian system can look like:
Sleep Deprivation
Not getting enough sleep. Women have more complex brains than men and thus we need more sleep. The number of hours depends on the individual and his/her energy expenditure, but for most of us, 8 hours is sufficient.
Excessive Exercise
Working out every day. Doing the same workout routine daily has a negative impact on your hormones. In fact, you don’t need to work out every day. Different phases call for different movements. Most importantly – slow down in the menstrual phase where rest is your biggest ally. This is where I especially had issues as a collegiate athlete. Some days I felt ‘on’, other days I wondered why I just couldn’t perform the same, leading to forceful pushes instead of self-governing, individualized health decisions.
Tethered to Routine
Having the same routines week-by-week. Sometimes, we want to be a fly on the wall, or be the center of attention, or be planners. This definitely depends on the personality type at hand, but it’s a general acknowledgment that it’s okay not to feel like you’re in a productive mood all the time. It doesn’t mean you’re not a hard worker, it just means a ‘not right now’. This example is just affirming your need to honor routine and commitments, but to maybe plan ahead if you know you’re getting your period a certain week. Maybe alter your plans to be more cozy instead of outgoing / adventurous.
Our schedules are PACKED! There are definitely unmoving aspects and responsibilities of our lives that we have to accept. As an athlete and an overly-caring student, my body and mind really deteriorated – all I had was caffeine to try to override the messages my hormones were pleading me to read. If I were to do things differently, I would have greatly decreased my pace and made some big cuts in my schedule, leaving room for rest & creativity!
This post is a call for you to see where your social constructs could be negatively impacting your health. Find ways that are within your means to respect the ebb & flow of your hormonal cycle. Make unapologetic cuts to the cross-fit cult you joined. If you don’t want a smoothie for breakfast, make 3 eggs with some sourdough instead. If a friend asks you to go out the day your period is due, suggest a relaxing movie night instead or reschedule for your follicular phase.
It’s time to take control of your health!
Whether you’re avoiding another debilitating period, or you’re avoiding health concerns in the future, see my services page to book a health coaching session, OR an initial consultation if your health concerns are more serious.
In the next post, I’ll write about one of the largest disrupters of the infradian cycle women face today. Women should be empowered to make informed decisions about their health and understand ‘alternative’ approaches to exercise, nutrition, birth control, beauty, and more.
Healing is available to you & for you,
Bee Westwood, MScN
