How To Balance Your Hormones and Hack Your Cycle with Alisa Vitti

We hear so many questions from our community about hormone health, cycle synching, and all things women’s wellness. Our go-to expert on all this is Alisa Vitti, founder of Flo Living and the queen of hormone hacking. 

One of our biggest takeaways from our conversations with Alisa: how to sync with our infradian clock (aka or ‘second clock’). 

It’s so easy to solely focus on our circadian rhythm. We think about things like getting blue light glasses, waking up with the sunrise, and sleeping well, but as women, our infradian clock is just as important.

What is the infradian clock?

The infradian rhythm of women’s cycles are 28 days. It’s made up of four phases: follicular, ovulation, luteal, and menstrual. We love Alisa’s mnemonic for how to care for yourself during each phase — she calls them POWR phases.

During the follicular phase, your body will want to prepare. During ovulation, you’ll be opening up, socializing, and communicating. During the luteal phase, you’ll be really focused on working. And in the menstrual phase, you’re resting, recovering, and restoring.

What does it look like when you’re working against your infradian clock?

It can look like being overwhelmed, low energy, feeling bloated or having stubborn weight, literally any PMS symptom (the imbalance between estrogen and progesterone creates those symptoms), or even chronic colds. 

So what should you do to support yourself during each phase? 

This is the best part: Alisa said you can start making changes anytime, anywhere in your cycle. The first part is self-care — eating, exercising, and organizing your schedule. Once you get that down, you can take it into relationships, career, friendships, sex life, and motherhood.

Alisa’s best tip: know where you are in your cycle and start with food or fitness. 

• In the first half of your cycle: It’s best to have lighter foods and do HIIT and cardio workouts. We have a slower metabolism in the first half, and the exercise kicks off more muscle gain and energizes us. 
• In the second half of our cycle: We need more calories because we have a faster metabolism, and we need to actually work out less because HIIT will turn on muscle wasting and fat storage. This is the time for gentle yoga flows and walks. 

It’s really about connecting with yourself, understanding your body, and giving it what it needs! 

Want more from Alisa? Listen to our episodes: 

Biohacking Your Hormones with Alisa Vitti 

Birth Control, Hormone Health + How to Cycle Sync Your Your Life For Optimal Health with Alisa Vitti of Flo Living

Remember: this post is for informational purposes only and may not be the best fit for you and your personal situation. It shall not be construed as medical advice. The information and education provided here is not intended or implied to supplement or replace professional medical treatment, advice, and/or diagnosis. Always check with your own physician or medical professional before trying or implementing any information read here.