I put fresh flowers on my table every month when I start my period. Sometimes they are hastily bought from the grocery store, sometimes thoughtfully gathered from the neighborhood. They are a marker of this time that reminds me my priority is to rest, restore and to cultivate parts of myself that don’t get prioritized 3 out of 4 weeks of the month.
Rest
I used to get really annoyed that I’d ‘have’ to shelf my training program once a month. I hated it. I actually would get mad at my male training partners who could just chug away at their program for infinity. I wanted to be a machine. I wanted endless gains. It wasn’t until I started reading about periodization that I realized men can’t sustain endless progress linear overload, either, and that they have to periodize. Ha, I literally period-ize every month, so I started to see this as an advantage. I have this cool built in routine every month. I started leaning into the rest- eating surplus nourishing foods, enjoying breath work and walks with friends and ground movement on the sunny carpet in my living room. I started looking forward to this time instead of dreading losing my gains. And in fact, I started to see an increase in gains. According to my WHOOP data, I’d see an 11-20% positive impact on my recovery every month during menstruation. That is significant!
Reflect
Stepping out of a training mindset is healthy for me. I tend to want to grind and finish my program at all costs. Honoring being a cyclical being has required me to tune in more into myself. Am I escaping emotions unhealthily? Am I shunning social interaction? Am I being a present parent? Am I growing in my relationship with my spouse? This monthly time is a good time to assess and re calibrate. I often make extra space for journaling, quiet reflection and prayer. It is a time of resetting and renewing.
Cultivate
I have really enjoyed leaning into aspects of my feminine self during my period. I tend to operate in a pretty masculine energy most of the month. During my period, I try to be more in touch with my femme side. I go on walks with my mom. I take extra time dressing my body and caring for myself. I beautify my home. I make things with my hands.
The bouquet on my table reminds me to mark this special time. It reminds me of the paradigm shift I’ve made where i used to see my period and this resting time as a burden. I now see it as a gift, and as a time to honor with this simple ritual.
