Latest / Motherhood Alliance Podcast / Cycle Syncing: The Missing Piece in Women’s Wellness w/ Alicia Barkholtz
Transcript
- Britney Suttner: Hi, we are Britt and Dreya from motherhoodalliance.com and we are excited to welcome you to a four episode series with Alicia Barkholtz, a board certified family nurse practitioner who specializes in integrative women's health, thyroid support, bioidentical hormones and medical weight loss. Alicia is passionate about helping women better understand their bodies and she believes healthcare should be personalized because no two women or health journeys are alike. Her journey into integrative medicine began after a close family member experienced a serious illness that traditional medicine could not fully explain. Finding answers through an integrative provider completely changed her perspective on healthcare and inspired the path she's on today. Alicia now works virtually with patients, combining functional and holistic approaches to help women feel their best from the inside out. And outside of her work, she enjoys running, spending time outdoors, baking, and making memories with her husband, daughter, and their spring or spaniel, Kip. Let's get started. Hello everyone. Welcome back. are in episode three with Alicia. Welcome back, Alicia. Alicia Barkholtz: Hello, thank you. Britney Suttner: I'm like a little giddy girl sitting on the edge of my seat right now. I'm so excited for this episode Andrea Renkas: Hahaha! Britney Suttner: because we have had two episodes so far. I know this is a very exciting topic and people are starting to talk about it more, but if you've not listened to our first two episodes, they really helped lay the foundation of things we're going to be talking about in this one. In our first episode, Alicia kind of walked us through women's hormones 101, like what are these supposed to be looking like throughout each season of life? And hint, hint, if you have a young girl in your life, we did spend quite a bit of time talking about that first period and like when it's coming and how to handle it and stuff like that. But in episode two, we talked more about hormone imbalance. So if you're noticing symptoms or other things like what can you do just in your lifestyle even to help make sure that you're maximizing your hormones. Okay, now we're going to talk about cycle syncing and we've had to like hold our tongues in the prior to episodes because there's so much we can dive Andrea Renkas: Okay. Britney Suttner: into in this one. But let's start with a basic definition. We're obviously talking about women's hormones. We've been talking about estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, but how would you actually define cycle syncing? Alicia Barkholtz: I would define cycle syncing as giving your body or adapting your body to where your hormones are at through each phase of the menstrual cycle because it Britney Suttner: Okay. Alicia Barkholtz: changes. So we need to like adjust what we're doing through each hormonal shift. Britney Suttner: And I believe you've had a little bit of a journey when it comes to cycle syncing for yourself. So why don't we start with that? Alicia Barkholtz: Yeah. So, back in like my early twenties and even my late twenties, I was big into running. I ran half marathons, 10 Ks, more 5 Ks than I can count. And with that, like, I just ran all the time. Never thought about, you know, where I was in my menstrual cycle. Like, I can remember having days where I felt like my legs had like 100 pound weights on them. Andrea Renkas: Mm-hmm. Alicia Barkholtz: And I was just like, maybe I didn't sleep well, or maybe it was just a bad day at work, or maybe I just didn't eat great today, whatever. Go to sleep, I'm just gonna do it again tomorrow. And then the next day I'm like, man, I just can't get over this slump. Then eventually it would go away, but never gave my body the rest that it needed. Just train, train, train, train, train all the time, super active. it worked for me for a while. And then fast forward to I got pregnant with my daughter. And obviously that first trimester you try to do as much as you can. But I remember it was in February. It was like one of those like spring teaser days where it's actually kind of nice out, but it's never going to last because it's February and it's Andrea Renkas: Good. Alicia Barkholtz: Wisconsin. And I think I was like 16 or 17 weeks pregnant. I was like, I'm going to go for a run. Like it's super nice outside. Like I'm super excited. I'm going to get outside. I'm to go for a run. And I made it. maybe a quarter of a mile. And I was like, well, I got like terrible cramping and just felt really bad. And I was obviously got very concerned because I was like, now I'm not just caring for myself, but I'm caring for my child. And I would, you know, be devastated if I did something by pushing my body too hard to my daughter. And she always sat very, very low in my pelvic floor. And so it just was very uncomfortable to do any Andrea Renkas: and Alicia Barkholtz: type of running. So that was the first time I was literally forced to listen to my body because I never listened to my body before then. I just pushed it, pushed it, pushed it, pushed it, pushed it, figured it would eventually catch up. And so that was the first instance where I was like, yeah, OK, I actually have to OK, I have to back off. So I did. Did a lot of walking, still remained very active through my pregnancy, doing a lot of strength training up until I had my daughter went through a pretty hard labor and delivery. But, you know, still mentally, I was like, OK, I'll give my body some time. I'll give my body the six to eight weeks. I worked out through my whole pregnancy, so I'm going to be able to bounce back super quickly, obviously. Fun fact, it didn't. My postpartum journey was a lot different than I anticipated. I wasn't able to just jump right back in like I thought I was going to. I ended up going to pelvic floor therapy because I was like, okay, this really did a number on my pelvic floor. And really started having to listen to my body and I'd say I was forced, right? Like I was forced to finally be like, okay, like what do you actually need? Because clearly what I'm trying to do and what I'm trying to give you is not working. And I physically couldn't push myself like I could before. Like my body was like at a halt. It's like, you're not doing that anymore. I'm physically not gonna let you do that anymore. So I really like all of a sudden I was like, okay. So I started like doing yoga and in my mind and this is so stupid when I think about it but in my mind back in the day when I was training so hard in my mind a good workout was when you like had a good sweat so I was like yoga like that I don't sweat in yoga I wasn't doing hot yoga but I was like like it's a bunch of stretches and then I started doing it I was like wow like I actually really enjoy this Then I also found Pilates and I was like, again, in my mind, was like, Pilates, like not super big sweat. I was like, wow, this actually hurts a lot more than I thought it would. Like I'm working muscles that Britney Suttner: I'm Alicia Barkholtz: I've never worked in my life. And so I really started listening to my body. And that's when I fell into cycle sinking because then eventually I did get my cycle back and I was like, okay, I just had a much better understanding of my body. And it took the humbling experience of pregnancy. labor and delivery for me to finally like zone in and listen to my body. And then I started to notice the different changes in my cycle. Like, okay, at some point I feel really good and I can go for a run and I feel amazing and I have a lot of energy. And then there's other times where I don't and I'm tired and I just feel really heavy and everything like that. And so then I kind of dove into cycle thinking and I started doing more cycle thinking and I feel amazing and I'm continue to do it for two plus years now. And the crazy thing is like, I haven't gained a ton of weight by not pushing my body, you know, every single day. Like it's crazy once you really start to listen to your body, that you just adapt to it. And I just, have a much better love for my body, I think is a way to put it to a much better understanding for as well. is just been amazing and incredible, but I was really forced to finally listen to my body. But like I said, even just listening to my hormones and where I'm at, like I haven't gained a bunch of weight and I've maintained and it's been great. It's been a wonderful journey. And I'm so passionate about this topic because I think it can touch so many women's lives. Britney Suttner: sure. Andrea Renkas: Thank Britney Suttner: So just to start high level here, when we're talking about cycle syncing, your definition is great of like we're going to be shifting kind of our lifestyle based on where we're on in our cycle. What are kind of the categories we're going to be shifting and what are we talking about? So you've kind of mentioned exercise might be one, probably nutrition, maybe our level of rest. Is intimacy a topic we're going be talking about related to cycle syncing and are there any more? Like what are the categories? Alicia Barkholtz: So the three biggest categories that I focus on a lot is nutrition, exercise, and then kind of like brain function. there's different parts of your cycle where all of a sudden you're going to be like, I can start a new project. Like I have the brain capacity for 10 hours a day. Like I can just go to town. There's going be other times where you're like, yeah, like my brain is kind of a pile of mush. So Andrea Renkas: Mm. Alicia Barkholtz: I think that's super important to talk about. And we definitely can touch on intimacy there are certain parts of the cycle where you're going to have a better experience with intimacy than you are in other parts of the cycle. And I think there's kind of like four categories I would say. So you have your menstruation cycle part of the cycle which is usually about days one through five and that's when you have your period. And then you get your follicular cycle or part of the cycle which is going to be about days seven through 12, 13. Then you have your ovulation cycle, which is about days 14 to 16. And then after that, you get your luteal phase. And the luteal phase can actually kind of be broken up into two phases. But those are kind of the four that I use when I talk about tychal syncing and what's going on and kind of what to do to help best support your body through each of those four phases. Britney Suttner: Okay, well let's jump into that. So going through each phase, Alicia Barkholtz: Thank Britney Suttner: what should we be doing with those three categories in each one? Alicia Barkholtz: Yeah, so menstruation. So days one through five at that point, you're going to want to just be a little bit more relaxed, doing more yoga, maybe even some Pilates, just giving your body rest and relaxation and reset. So mentally to like not starting any big projects, if you can help it. Obviously, I know that there are certain, the whole world doesn't revolve around our menstrual cycle. Unfortunately, it should, but I know that it doesn't. So, but if you can at that point, just really kind of just giving your body a rest and reset. Like that's essentially what your body is doing. Our hormones are at their lowest point at that point. Towards the end of menstruation, you might start to notice a little bit more energy at that point. Go ahead, like introduce a little bit higher level activity if you want to. In that part, foods that are important are more like warm foods. So like soups and... really just nutrient dense foods is super important kind of during that menstruation phase. Then we move into the follicular phase. So at this point, what our hormones are doing is they're starting to rise. So our estrogen and our testosterone are starting to rise. So both of those giving us a little bit more energy, a little bit more drive. So at this point, from a exercise standpoint, starting to introduce a little bit more higher intensity workouts. You might feel comfortable to start going for a run here and there, starting to lift a little bit heavier. From a mental standpoint, you're going to have a little bit more mental clarity and a little bit more energy and things like that to do things. From a nutrition standpoint, really giving yourself some healthy carbs. like sweet potatoes are good during that time. Nuts and seeds are good during that time. Focusing on even like digestion. So leafy greens and stuff like that. Then you get to ovulation and I'll back up with the intimacy thing. Obviously during your period, you're not really gonna have much of a sex drive. Everything's kind of low. During follicular phase with that testosterone increase, yeah, you're probably gonna have a little bit more of a sex drive, have more energy to be able to have intimacy and things like that. Ovulation, estrogen and testosterone have peaked. This is where HIIT workouts are great. You're gonna notice that you have the energy to power through a super intense workout. Again, mental clarity at this point is going to be pretty much the highest. So, you know, getting new projects done, starting new ideas, things like that, like the juices are just going to be flowing naturally. And then from an intimacy standpoint, this is where you're going to have the highest sex drive because testosterone is at its highest. And so this is the point where you're probably going to enjoy it the most from a hormonal standpoint. And then we start to see the decline of estrogen and testosterone after ovulation as we kind of move into the luteal phase. You're still probably going to have some energy at this point. It's the best time to kind of wrap up any projects that cause a lot of brain power, kind of, you know, close them in, start focusing on more going into those nutrient dense foods. So again, like nuts and seeds are a big one. Dark chocolate is a big one. So what's super interesting is a lot of times women crave chocolate during kind of their luteal phase, which is before their period. And that's because your body is craving magnesium, which is crazy because dark chocolate is full of magnesium. So that's one way your body is like, okay, I need some more magnesium to help me kind of roll into this next phase. And so I just always find that so. interesting and justifiable for why you actually crave chocolate during that point. But you're starting to kind of, you're from an exercise standpoint, starting to decrease things. So more lower intensity, we're kind of starting to give our body some rest and relax. And then when I say the luteal phase can be split, Um, days like 16 through 20 to 21 is kind of where you're still have some energy. And then usually the week before your period is 21 through 28 is where we really start to notice more fatigue. So at that point into do sing yoga Pilates, if you feel like it really just kind of honing in on that rest and relaxation again, mentally kind of giving your brain a break and then enjoy the chocolate as you move into that point. Um, but It's crazy once you really start to see what the hormones are doing and how it correlates with your energy levels. It truly is just an amazing phenomenon and I just love it. Britney Suttner: I think you hit it on the head though, at the beginning when you were like, if only the world revolves around our cycles. And honestly, if only all Alicia Barkholtz: Yeah. Britney Suttner: of our, all of us women were like synced up together, it would be a lot easier for men to Alicia Barkholtz: Thanks. Britney Suttner: understand our crazy selves, but okay, how do you actually apply this in life? And a couple of examples that as you were talking about it, that I can't help but think about, it's like, let's say that you are still a runner or you have a fitness goal and you're like, I've been training for this. XYZ this I'd really love to do this it's near my house on this date. You look at your app and it's like, crap, that's not a great time in my cycle. do you just not sign up for it then? so that's one example. Another one you were saying is during ovulation, that's when you have a lot more mental clarity, great time to start a project. And it's like five days later, start wrapping up your projects. Well, what the heck. So how do you actually, Andrea Renkas: You Britney Suttner: Put this into your life. Alicia Barkholtz: Right in a perfect world this would all make sense and we would all just be able to flow the way that it's supposed to. In regards to the exercise and I think that's great because obviously yeah big events and runs are not gonna fall in the best time of the month and I think just going in with that expectation and listening to your body so knowing okay if I'm in my luteal phase I still want to do this mentally probably not gonna perform as as good as I want right so I might not be able to get the time that I want and that's okay because I don't have the hormones behind me to push me to do that. And then after really being like, okay, I'm really going to give my body a break after this because I know that I don't have the hormones behind me to really like power through this. So I definitely don't think it's something that you can't do, but just really listening to your body and training up to it. Okay. So, you know, the event lands on day 22 of your cycle. So we know that day is 14, 15 and 16. Like I'm going to train. That's going to be like my last big push of training. Like I am going to run the 26 miles because I know I can. And then it might not follow the training schedule perfectly, but okay. The next couple of days, I'm going to give my body a break. I'm going to let it kind of refuel, recharge. And then I'm going to go out that day and you know, do what I'm going to do. Or maybe you do yoga the day before instead of, know a lot of schedules have you like do a small run. the day before to kind of warm up, but maybe you do yoga instead to still loosen up the muscles, but not really push because you don't have all of that energy behind you. So really just kind of listening to your body and figuring out how you can have the greatest amount of energy on that day. And then listening to your body after because your recovery time probably going to be a little bit longer than if you were doing this during your follicular ovulatory phase where your body is going to be able to jump back a little bit quicker because it has the hormones behind it. So think that's super important. So definitely don't, you know, halt your life around cycle thinking, but you can definitely still adapt and just having the right expectations of, okay, like this is where I'm at. This is what my body is giving me. So now I just have to adjust that appropriately. and I think that kind of goes the same with, you know, the, the mental capacity for projects too, with being in like that follicular and ambulatory phase. Like I'm going to try to get as much done as I possibly can. And then maybe If you're like a really good planner, you plan some of the easier tasks for like that next week. So you try to do some of the hardest tasks in the beginning. And it's not that obviously you're still going to have mental clarity, right? It's not like your brain completely goes to mush, but like it might just be a little bit harder to like think about what you're trying to do and stuff like that. So just kind of planning ahead and be like, okay, like I'm going to try to get this really hard part of this done. And then the next week I'm going to just try to do things that might be a little bit easier mentally. knowing that I don't have those hormones behind me as much during that time. Britney Suttner: That's yeah, that's really helpful. When it comes to the nutrition side, how do you help this not feel like another chore? Because, you know, for women, we already struggle with meal planning and like staying on top of the food because these darn families of ours want to eat every single day. And so this just is never ending. Well, now all of a sudden it's like, I should really be eating, you know, sweet potatoes and broccoli and sprouts and this and these five days and this and this and this. So like, you've been doing this for a couple of years. How do you make this nutrition piece easier to grasp? Alicia Barkholtz: Yeah, so I'm going to be 100 % honest, the nutrition part is probably the one I fail at the most when it comes to like doing cycle syncing exercise. I've got it down to a science. I can read my body. I know what it wants. know what it wants to do. Nutrition is hard and I also have a toddler at home. So that is the whole hurdle in itself, you know, foods and things like that. So I do meal, like I do my grocery shopping every Sunday. And so I do try to like meal prep like, okay. You it's not going to be perfect, but I'm going to throw a sweet potato in here one day. And even if my husband's not a big sweet potato person, I make him regular potatoes. I make myself sweet potatoes. So I don't live by it, right? But I have learned what my body likes and what it doesn't. And I've learned that in that follicular failure, sweet potatoes do really give me energy and lasting energy. And I've also noticed in my menstrual phase, like I actually crave more red meat and I never was someone who really thought much about that. cause my husband is someone he could live off of steak and potatoes every day. Like if he was single, that's what he would eat is steak and potatoes. So I always am like, okay, like during this week, like I'm going to let him cook a steak because I know that my body needs more iron. And so I really just kind of try to just be really gracious and just meal prep. And like I said, even if it's some things that it's just me doing, it might like I might not have my whole supper based around where I'm at in my cycle. But then for lunch, I'm trying to add in a little bit more of the sprouts or the nuts and seeds, or that's what I'm having for a snack. So I don't follow it to a T by any means, but just try each day to have like a little piece of it, you know, throughout my day. I don't stress about it because I don't want to have that added stress. And it would just be way too hard to be like, okay, these five days, this is what we're eating and you have to eat it. That's just not realistic. Britney Suttner: Yeah, but Andrea Renkas: Yeah. Britney Suttner: you did mention how you've kind of noticed over time things that are working Alicia Barkholtz: Mm-hmm. Britney Suttner: for you. So I do feel like if somebody's just stepping into this journey, like journaling what, you know, especially maybe not every single thing they're eating unless that's something they want to do. But more so on this day of my cycle, I ate this and I like, I ate this meal and it helped me feel like I felt really good from eating that meal. And so just kind of journaling their experience as they're going so they can start to see patterns. What other, what are some resources that maybe you have utilized or read in the past that you're a fan of? Alicia Barkholtz: Yeah, so I love actually have it right next to me. It's called Do Less and it's by Kate Northrup. is a really good it it focuses on cycle syncing. So it focuses on the different cycles the body, but it really focuses on energy and brain capacity. And in here, like she tells you to rest during certain types of the cycle and things like that. And I think as moms and as women, like we need to be told that. because your health gets put on the back burner, right? Like everything gets put on the back burner as a mom. So it's really important to when you read this and she's telling you like, this is what is happening, like give your body some grace. I think it's just really good validation that yeah, like I feel really tired and that's okay because I am at this point of my cycle. But I really, really enjoyed it and had a lot of good information. It even kind of incorporates the moon phases and stuff like that in there too, which is kind of cool. Something I haven't gotten super big into, but it was something cool just to kind of read about Britney Suttner: Do you have any, any other resources off the top of your head, but especially when it does come to the nutrition of like in this phase these are some really good things to incorporate in this phase. Like, do you have like a chart or anything like that, that people could just reference where they're trying to incorporate these itty bitty tidbits? Alicia Barkholtz: I don't have one off the top of my head, but have actually put together a handout of meant like everything we talked about. So exercise, mentality, and then nutrition standpoint. So I would be happy to give that to you and you can have that available for everybody. Britney Suttner: Yeah, that'd be great. We'll put that in the show notes. Okay. So just kind of finish out this episode. Alicia Barkholtz: you Britney Suttner: You've been doing this for a couple of years. So like, what is one simple shift that women should start with? That's going to kind of give them their biggest bang for their buck. Alicia Barkholtz: So one, would say be gracious with yourself, right? Like this is not something that you have to dive head first into. And I think that I would focus on what do you feel is the biggest issue. So do you notice like, are you a man who exercises a lot and you notice like, okay, like there are sometimes I feel really good and sometimes I don't, then I would really focus on that exercise part of it. And just like one step, like just keeping track of, okay, I had a lot of energy. and now I don't. So how can I shift If you're a mom who just feels like I just don't know what I'm doing from a nutrition standpoint, like I just eat my leftover, my kids leftover foods and things like that, like what is one thing you could add in per week? Like what is one thing you could add to your grocery list to be like, okay, I know that this week I am in my menstrual phase. Like I am going to incorporate this two days this week. and just see how you feel. So just taking super small steps. And I think it really just comes down to like listening to your body because everybody's different. Everybody's journey is different. So just kind of figuring out where you feel that you're at the weakest point and then kind of focus on that and just make very small changes. And even with the exercise too, it's mental game. Like you have to, if you are someone who has worked out so hard every day, like mentally it is hard. I mean, I struggled with it. Like I said, my body just finally was like, I'm just not keeping up with what you want to do. Andrea Renkas: Hmm. Alicia Barkholtz: But like mentally, I was like, huh, man, like that didn't feel like a very good workout. So I didn't do yoga five days in a row right away. I did it one day and then I still pushed my body and I paid for it. And then I was like, OK, the yoga day actually felt good. So then I incorporated it two days. And then like eventually I kind of got into a rhythm where I'm like, OK, now I know what my body wants. And like my brain caught up to. So I think just being Britney Suttner: Mm-hmm. Alicia Barkholtz: very, very slow. Like don't jump into this, because you're probably not gonna be successful. So just take it one day at a time. Like just change one thing for one week. Like one day, one thing nutritionally or exercise, just one thing for that one week and see how you do. Britney Suttner: Yeah. And there is one population I don't want to forget about. It's the women who are currently struggling with a period that is not regular. So Alicia Barkholtz: Mm-hmm. Britney Suttner: obviously the first step would be heading back to our prior episode and hearing about what do you do when, when your hormones are maybe a little bit imbalanced and you're not having a regular period. So for those women, would it really be just like, Cycle syncing is really hard to apply until they have something regular to apply it to. And it's more of just like figuring that out first and then getting into cycle syncing or what can they do? Can they do anything related to cycle syncing if they're not regular? Alicia Barkholtz: I think they definitely can because even if you're irregular, you're still having some sort of hormonal shifts throughout the month, whether your luteal phase is a little bit longer, but you're still having some sort of hormonal shifts throughout the month. So really just listening to your body and being like, okay, I'm super tired right now. So I'm going to assume that I'm kind of in like that latter half. So I'm going to focus more on the yoga, Pilates, you know, that type of thing. And then, you know, the days that you do have energy, like take advantage of that. and be like, okay, like I'm probably more in that follicular phase. So I'm going to incorporate these types of things. So it's really just a matter of listening to your body. Because like I said, even with your regular cycles, you're still going to have some highs and lows. So really just, you know, pouncing on those highs and doing as much as you can, and then respecting those lows and, you know, giving your body the rest and relaxation that it needs. Britney Suttner: Thanks. I mean, everybody needs Andrea Renkas: Hmm. Britney Suttner: hope, right? Everybody needs tips no matter where they're at. And we're not all perfect and ideal on where we need to be physically. So thanks for including them. We are going to include in the show notes, um, a link to Alicia's booking page, cause she does offer a free 15 minute discovery call. So if cycle thinking is something you're just like, you know, I just want to talk to her about it. Go ahead and get in contact with her. As well as I know Alicia, are active, you have an active Facebook page. We'll link that in the show notes as well. are, are cycles thinking something you're commonly posting about? Like what would they find on that page? Alicia Barkholtz: It's coming up. I actually have a post coming up very soon about cycle syncing where I'm also going to include like that handout that I talked about that I have made as an option if people want that. And then honestly on the Facebook page, it talks about everything. It talks about hormones. I'm also really big into thyroid health, which is a whole nother podcast series. But that is something else that I'm really passionate about. So really just everything woman based you're going to find on my Facebook page. Britney Suttner: Great. Awesome. Well, we have one Andrea Renkas: Thanks. Britney Suttner: more episode to pick your brain and we're going to be switching topics just a little bit, but we're going to be talking about GLP-1s. I think a lot of people in the holistic world are a little Alicia Barkholtz: No. Britney Suttner: bit skeptical. So I'm excited for you to help us feel a little bit more comfortable with what's actually going on with that and give us some facts instead of just hearing all these myths and, you know, GLP-1 commercials every time you turn the TV on. So we have one more great episode coming up.