what happens in the body during each cycle phase? a lot - that's for sure. let's start from the beginning:
you can look at the female cycle from two different perspectives:
the ovarian cycle has two phases. it starts with the follicular phase and ends with the luteal phase. they are split in two by ovulation. in the ovarian cycle, ovulation is not a phase, rather than "a happening" :-).
the uterine cycle has 4 phases: menstruation, follicular phase, ovulation phase and luteal phase. this is the cycle most of us know.
we are focussing on the uterine cycle here (the one with the 4 stages).
like the ocean, our hormones fluctuate and have low and high tides.
menstruation
during menstruation, part of the uterine lining is shed. the hormones slowly rise from their lowest - especially FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone). this phase usually lasts between 3 and 7 days. during menstruation, we are already in the follicular phase. some women feel strong and full of energy. however, most women tend to feel more introverted, have less energy and some experience cramps (which makes sense, as the uterus has to use its muscles to get rid of the uterine lining). people with endo can have really heavy pain, because inflammation is at its highest.
follicular phase
in the follicular phase, the FSH continues to rise, together with the famous hormone estrogen. this hormone helps building up muscles faster. estrogen has a similar effect on women as testosterone does on men. however...
ovulation phase
...women also have testosterone. it has its peak together with estrogen when ovulation takes place (when the egg leaves the follical behind and enters the fallopian tube). at this stage, women are at their peak. many are at their most sociable, energetic and passionate. women tend to have their best coordination and agility in this phase, too. let's be honest: it's the best phase. not to mention the way we feel: sexy, confident and ready to ... reproduct ;-) it makes sense, as this is the only time a month a woman can get pregnant.
luteal phase
this is the longest of the 4 stages. it starts right after ovulation, when progesterone, as another dominant female hormone, enters the stage. it raises, while estrogen decreases. but after a couple of days, estrogen raises once more, just to decrease again - now together with progesterone. these two hormones need to be in perfect harmony to make us feel our best. if they're not, pms (pre-menstrual syndrome) hits us hard, right before menstruation. because if those two hormones sink too fast and not in tune, the whole "peak and ready to take on the world"-feeling is kind of pulled away at once, and we feel the absolute opposite.
further, in this phase our body temperature increases. thus, we need more fuel (aka energy, aka food). they say, during this time, women burn 100-300kcal more each day, because of that. so, please nurish yourself enough, when your body tells you so.
also, the blood plasma volume (the amount of liquid in our blood) decreases and like that, the blood gets thicker. meaning, there is less blood pumped into the blood circulation. this also makes movement a bit harder for some.
like the ocean, our hormones fluctuate and have low and high tides. if we take this into consideration for our training, we can profit so much and it will make us feel more energized, motivated and understanding.
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