Most of the women in my practice are successful and ambitious career women, which is truly inspiring. Yet they present to me with a host of physical symptoms which are impacting their quality of life: heavy and painful periods, digestive distress, problems getting and staying pregnant, debilitating PMS every month, skin issues…the list goes on. I can certainly relate, as I experienced many of these symptoms myself when working in the videogames and film industry. I remember having days when I just couldn’t face going to work and doing presentations and meetings all day…but not going was obviously not an option. It was only when I began studying how the body works and delving into hormonal health that I realised that the modern idea of the workday may actually be working against our female physiology.
You see, the “standard” modern workday — 9 to 5, five days a week — was actually designed by men and for men, because it aligns beautifully with male physiology which resets every 24 hours. But women? We run on an entirely different rhythm — a 28-ish day cycle that flows through four distinct hormonal phases. And that difference matters — a lot.
Female physiology is not linear; it’s cyclical. Because we are governed by our menstrual cycle (which used to be in line with the moon cycles), no two days are the same for women in a month. The menstrual cycle is divided into phases and hormones are in constant ebb and flow during that time, impacting our energy levels and our moods. Here’s a brief breakdown, which you may identify with:
- Menstruation (Day 1-5 of our cycle) – our energy dips and we may feel like resting more.
- Follicular phase ( Days 6-14) – estrogen rises during this time, we may feel more energetic, motivated and outgoing.
- Ovulation (Days 15-17) – testosterone surges during this time, making us ready for action and feeling confident and ready to mingle (wink wink).
- Luteal phase (Days 18-28) – progesterone, our hormone of zen, should dominate during this time. Progesterone is calming and sedating, which makes us more introverted and shifting our focus more into detailed-oriented work. (If there are hormonal imbalances, often this may also become a time of irritability and anxiety!).
So as women, we are different every day of the month, and it can be challenging to perform tasks with the same intensity day in and day out.
Now men, on the other hand, follow a 24 hour circadian rhythm, which follows the sun. Their testosterone peaks in the morning (if you know, you know), giving them energy and motivation to slay the day, and then gradually declines throughout the day, resetting overnight. That’s why the 9-5 work day of ‘get up, grind, rest, repeat’ works well for men but may lead to burnout in women.
When we push ourselves to perform in this linear fashion, ignoring the natural ebbs and flows of our cycles, stress hormones like cortisol come into play to give us the energy to do this, and over time this can suppress the production of progesterone (our hormone of zen) and upregulate testosterone (the hormone of action) to help the body adapt to our ‘go, go, go’ lifestyle. And that’s where we start to see symptoms such as:
- Acne or unwanted hair growth
- Cycle irregularities or PMS symptoms
- Weight gain around the middle
- Mood swings
- Sleep issues
- Fatigue and ultimately burnout
‘But Linda’ – I hear you say – ‘I love my job and don’t want to quit. How do I align my female physiology in a male constructed workplace?’ I’m glad you asked! You don’t have to quit your job if you love it, there are some simple shifts that you can take to alight with you cycle even in a 9-5 world.
- Create awareness
If you don’t track your cycle, start. Become aware of where you are in your cycle and notice what your energy levels, moods and work abilities are during each phase. This will help you create small shifts to bring more balance into your life.
2. Sync tasks to your phases. For example:
- Aim to rest as much as possible whilst menstruating. Focus on lighter workloads where possible. Avoid late nights and too many social events, and spend this time reflecting and setting intentions for the next cycle.
- Use your follicular phase for starting new projects or brainstorming. This is a great time for socialising too! As this is a high energy phase, you may also want to challenge yourself at the gym.
- During ovulation, schedule presentations, interviews, collaborations. Get out and strut your stuff!
- In your luteal phase, wrap up any details, organise, edit and complete tasks. Adjust your exercise accordingly.
3. If this sounds impossible right now, start with micro-shifts.
If your work schedule is rigid and it’s not possible to sync tasks to your phases, then create pockets of time during your luteal and menstrual phase to send a message of safety to your body. Taking 30 seconds to re-orient yourself during the day, or taking some deep breaths, shifts us from ‘fight or flight’ to ‘rest and digest’ and helps create a sense of safety which is imperative for female physiology. Can you take a walk during your lunchbreak? Can you listen to your body when it’s asking you to rest rather than hitting the gym after a long day’s work?
If you are finding yourself in a constant state of overwork and overwhelm, with periods of burnout (e.g. getting sick as soon as you go on holiday) you may also want to consider reframing your idea of productivity. Whether we are male of female, periods of rest are essential for optimal productivity; we cannot be producing all. the. time. Nature has seasonality, and as humans we need to embrace this as well.
“To work without change or rest all year would have seemed unusual to most of our ancestors. Seasonality was deeply integrated into the human experience.” ― Cal Newport, Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout
So here’s to us, leaning into our unique female physiology rather than fighting against it, and harnessing the power of our cycle to live our best lives!
If you feel like you could use some bespoke advice on how to eat and live in a way that honours your unique female physiology, I would love to chat with you! Click here to book a discovery call and let’s see how eating in a way that supports your physiology will help you flourish.
Further reading:
Miranda Gray – The Optimised Woman
Alissa Vitti – In the FLO: Unlock Your Hormonal Advantage and Revolutionize Your Life
Cal Newport – Slow Productivity
