Usually, the time when women feel the greatest is during ovulation. Hormones are at their peak, changing our voices, making our skin glow and transforming us into the best possible mate. This is a time of peak femininity as well. We are soft, social, passive and nurturing.
Ovulation is also a time of high performance. If there is a list of things to get done, we usually don't want to follow it. Boxing us into strict rules is not attractive during ovulation as we tend to ride on instinct and filling the needs of others. We will walk around the workplace or house picking up slack and talking with our teammates.
Let’s talk a bit about how to maximize this time. The ovulation phase is an easy gift to take advantage of - there are so many benefits right now!
Lean towards high performance
If some projects need extra time, this is the time to do it. We need a bit less sleep during this phase compared to menses and pre menstruation. Don’t be afraid to miss an hour or two of sleep to work or partake in joyful activities. The stretch will be worth it and you will not feel the lack of sleep as much.
This is also a great time to get creative and make things. You will love getting lost in the act of creating things, whether it's baking cookies or putting the final touches on a painting or digital ad. Anything that gets you in a soft flow is perfect during ovulation. Use your intuition to guide you during this phase. We are expressive and need to put our talents to good use.
Get lots of meal prepping done
Since we love to nurture and get caught in creative flow, this is a great time to meal prep and plan for the upcoming weeks where you will want to do way less. Pre chop some vegetables and throw them in the freezer. Put together a soup packet of lentils and spices in a ziploc bag. Set a reminder in your phone to take out the meat from the freezer so your are not scrambling in your menu planning next week. Take steps now and save yourself a lot of heartache. Think of it as nurturing your future self.
Eat to support liver
Since this is a time of high hormones and we want to make sure we are taking steps to clear excess estrogen from our system. If you are someone who experiences PMS related migraines then this is the step for you. High fiber foods are our friends right now. Opt toward cruciferous vegetables, potatoes and fruit are all packed with fiber and help the liver do its job of cleansing and cleaning.
Get some Vitamin D & Zinc
Vitamin D works wonders to support our immune system - something we will need for the upcoming pre menstrual phase. Vitamin D has been shown to reduces severity of symptoms of PMS, like depression and fatigue. You can eat more sources of Vitamine D in mushrooms, salmon, sardines, milk, eggs and cod liver oil supplements or your can get more sun.
Another mineral that will help and support ovulation is zinc. This is a go to supplement and eating strategy for women suffering from period issues. Red meat, pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds, egg yolks, ginger, seafood, oysters and dairy are good sources of zinc. Increasing your intake of this mineral will promote healthy ovulation and progesterone levels.
Include max effort lifts and sprints
The high performance isn’t limited to just operating from our hearts and intuition, it is also physical. During this time we have the highest sheer muscular force generation capacity, meaning we can lift more giving the same amount of effort. Lean in on lifting heavy.
Hit your 5x5 and 5x2 with increased enthusiasm. You will be racking up PR’s and feeling good about it. Sprints and mid distance sprints are other great workouts you can add in to your programming right now. Be sure to group your high technique and high risk training at the beginning of your session, rather than the end. We don’t want to be doing anything too risky under fatigue. Save agility training for another phase.
Go the extra mile
I follow a pretty fixed lifting program and adjust it to my cycles on my own. During ovulation, I always reach or PR’s but I also add accessory work. This is a great time to add in the extra ab sessions or cardio. Ovulation has us feeling our best to it is wise to take advantage of this time. Lean in, do a 10-20% more and figure out how to have fun doing it.