Days 1 -10: The Power Phase

At the beginning of your menstrual cycle your major sex hormones - estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone - are at their lowest levels. Within a few days after your cycle has started, your hypothalamus, the part of your brain responsible for coordinating hormone production, begins to send signals to coordinate the hormones needed for your ovaries to release an egg. This signal causes estrogen to slowly build until it reaches its peak somewhere mid-ovulation (around day 13).

As your estrogen builds, you will notice several things happen to you physically and mentally. First, estrogen contributes to the production of collagen, which keeps your skin looking fabulous. This boost in collagen also makes your bones strong and ligaments more elastic, making you less injury prone, especially when pushing your workouts to new levels. At menopause estrogen drops, and that's when we start to see the dreaded wrinkles and we become more prone to injury. 

Estrogen also puts you in a good mood, gives you clarity of thought, enhances your communication skills, and makes you feel more optimistic about life. How? Estrogen is a precursor to serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline - the neurotransmitters that keep you calm, happy, and feeling satisfied. Estrogen also calms the fear centres of the your brain. As your estrogen is building in this part of your menstrual cycle, you may find yourself with a better outlook on life and with the ability to handle stressful events with more ease. For example, a breakup with a significant other may be more emotionally challenging for you if it happens when estrogen is low. That's how impactful these hormones can be!

Ideal Emotional State:

You should be feeling emotionally stable during this time, have more energy and feel less hungry. It’s a great time to “level-up” your overnight fasting from 12 hours to 16. This will fire up your fat-burning cells and help you lose that midsection weight. 

Ideal Nutrition:

Rising estrogen levels during this time of your cycle require a diet low in carbohydrates, and high in "good" fats. A high carbohydrate diet during this time will increase insulin and will not only create a deficiency in progesterone, but long term can also lead to excess androgens. Your classic PCOS scenario.