These past two weeks for me have been BLAH…
—> scale has stayed between 156-157lbs despite my best efforts
—> energy has been LOW and motivation lacking
—> I’ve just been tired and really not into it
—> body has been more sore after lifts than usual, not recovering as good as I am used to
SO…during my weekly pow wow check in with my Coach @janellefitmarks , she asked me what phase of my cycle I was in and then the LIGHT BULB 💡 WENT OFF!
Geesh, I can’t believe as a Coach myself I didn’t think about this all being tied back to my hormonal state!
WELP, she hit the nail 🔨 in the head 🧠. I was smack dab in the Luteal Phase and I had the classic symptoms.
So the next time you are moving and grooving 💃🏽🕺🏾along in your food 🍱 and fitness 🏋🏽♀️ journey, feeling great, motivated getting it in and checking ✅ off all th boxes 📦 and then BAM – you start catching all the feels, use this handy reference chart to see where you fall so that you can pivot if necessary!
Quick take aways:
Follicular phase: Days 1-14
-Focus on performance & train hard
-Increased endurance & power output
-Body uses carbs like a rock star!
Ovulation: Day 14
-Strongest physically here
-But prone to injury so focus on form
-Sugar & carb cravings high
-Keep protein intake high here
Luteal: Days 15-28
-Hardest on women
-Tired, irritable, low energy all over
-Extreme sugar & carb cravings
-Focus on lighter training & active recovery
-Body is primed to burn the most fat
-Body is at its lowest for processing sugar and carbs here
-Tend to experience the most water retention here
-Hunger and carb cravings at their highest point, while body is at its lowest point to use these nutrients efficiently.
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