The four Winds of Womanhood

The Four Winds of Womanhood

Women have been going through cycles for as long as we have been around. Yet, women tend to work and do things like men. We are not small men. We are powerful women who should be harnessing our power each month. Moving along as men do is detrimental to our very being! Let me explain.

Men have a circadian rhythm. They reset every 24 hours. They are pretty much the same day in and day out. The alarm rings and they are off. Then it's repeat, repeat, repeat.

 We have a circadian rhythm as well, but we also have what I call The Four Winds of Womanhood that we go through every 28 days. If we harness the foods and activities that are best in each phase then we can really take the bull by the horns and get stuff done way better than we have been. Here is a simplified version of our 28 day Four Winds of Womanhood.

First Wind: Is called Follicular. It starts on the first day after your menstrual cycle ends. It Lasts 7-10 days. This is like your Spring wind. You are quiet at first and ramp up after a few days in. This is your beginning. A time to start new projects. Get things going. Hit the cardio hard and all those things you want and need to get done as you have the energy for it.

Second Wind: Is called Ovulatory. It lasts 3-4 days. This would be your Summer wind. You are communicative and social. Time to be getting those dinners with friends or meetings done and having a nice time with others. You can still hit the cardio good here as well. Keep up with all the things that need your energy high.

Third Wind: Is called Luteal and last about 10-14 days. You are in your Fall Wind. This is work time. It's time to be really productive and finish those projects, tie up the loose ends because pretty soon you will be into your menstrual cycle. This will be the time you are turning into yourself more and not so social. Time to do some resistance and flexibility training, and recovery. Slow down on the hot to do list and chill.

Fourth Wind: Is your Menstrual. It last about 3-7 days. This is your Winter Wind. A time to rest and reflect. No heavy workouts or running around in this stage. If you are doing to much in this phase you will just stress your body. Your stress hormone cortisol will rise and will store fat.

This is a snippet of the Four Winds. There are foods that you can eat in the different phases that will benefits you in those phases. That is for another post. If you start to harness the power in your 28 day cycle you will be better equipped to get the job done and have energy to spare. You will also save yourself aggravation, high stress and sleepless nights when you pay attention to how your body works.

If you are already in Menopause, meaning you have had no cycles for 12 months, you can still use this. Your body is still producing hormones, just not like it used to from your ovaries. Start the cycle on the new moon and count the days approximately for each of the Four Wind phases. 

Have you heard of this concept before? It is not spoken about in the OB/GYN circles that I have seen. Are you struggling with your energy, stress or cycles? Send me an email, let's talk about it.

Love and Light,
Wendy