Did you know your hormones can greatly affect how you work out and what you need from your diet? Pip Taylor, sports dietitian, explains how you can adjust things to maximise results.
Much like the historical exclusion of women from medical clinical trials—female hormones create “too many variables”, researchers have said in the past—training and nutritional advice for health and performance have, for a long time, been a ‘one size fits all’ approach.
But progress is beginning to be made, examining how hormones and menstrual function can influence female athletic performance and weight.
“It would be rare now to find an elite level female training program or professional team that isn’t having open conversations around the importance of periods and tracking monthly cycles as another data metric to help guide performance plans,” explains sports dietitian and expert for sports supplement brand PILLAR Performance, Pip Taylor.
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“From the onset of puberty, females have a hormone cycle that changes how we react to training, nutrition, and alters our body’s requirements in strong ways. While men have relatively stable hormones all month, for women, at certain times hormones are high and the effects strong, and at others, they are nearly non-existent.”
The menstrual cycle is a great way to monitor health throughout our reproductive years, she says, so “embrace your period” and start tracking it if you haven’t done so already.
Indeed, periods can tell us a lot about our health—for example, a heavy flow may indicate something like pelvic inflammatory disease. Couple that with fatigue and it could mean you’re anemic.
“Your period can be used as a decent indicator of energy availability, if you’re eating enough to support growth, health and performance; for bone health; cognitive, endocrine, and reproductive function,” says Taylor.
“These monthly hormonal fluctuations require shifts in nutrition and training for optimal results.”
How your body’s needs change throughout your cycle
Hydration needs are higher in the second half of the month, and attention should be paid to upping fuelling with carbs around training sessions.
High intensity workouts and strength are best planned for the first half of the month when hormones are low, with steady-state to recovery/mobility taking priority in the back half of the month.
Nutrition can ease symptoms of PMS, with magnesium, zinc and fish oil all effective anti-cramping aids taken in the week before a period.
Menopause
Menopause is a major hormonal shift, aside from pregnancy (which should be discussed with your doctor).
“Periods cease, but other biological processes change. Physiological changes include a loss in bone density and lean muscle mass, and an increase in body fat – especially belly fat,” explains Taylor.
“A decline in estrogen also slows metabolism and blunts satiety signals. In other words – we get fatter, weaker, don’t sleep as well, and have bones that are more brittle. Sounds amazing, right?”
The fitter you are when you reach this time, she adds, “the better placed you are to handle the changes, along with some nutrition tweaks.” It’s never too late to start, though.
How to adjust your regime to menopause
Strength training will help preserve lean muscle mass and bone strength. Throw in some HIIT (in favour of longer steady-state exercise) to reduce visceral fat. The bonus is that the physical training will also help promote better sleep quality.
Get plenty of recovery to lower stress/cortisol levels. If circulating cortisol is high, then body fat will tend to rise and sleep quality decline.
Up your protein. Then up it again. Protein should be spread out throughout the day (at every meal and snack), in larger amounts than most people get, and added around workouts in addition.
A general anti-inflammatory diet – that focuses on whole grains, fresh fruits, and vegetables and includes fish or fish oil will help ease symptoms of menopause and support mood and cognitive function.
Make sure you are getting enough calcium and Vitamin D. You might need to supplement to ensure you’re getting enough of these important micronutrients.
Pip Taylor is a sports dietitian and expert for PILLAR Performance.
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