Days 5-8
These past few days, I have been traveling; Travel has been looking different for me since I started to understand and value my cycle. Additionally, since I committed to running a half marathon. Instead of overeating and consuming alcohol, I am enjoying exploring new places with walks and runs and delicious, nutritious meals. Every day since I have arrived in London, I have walked over 20,000 steps.
On Friday before heading out for the day, I got in a quick 1.5 mile run followed by a quick pilates workout. I am still in my luteal phase, so I am not overdoing it with the intensity. I really love pilates in the luteal phase because it is low-intensity and manages symptoms like bloating, stress and muscle soreness. I also made sure to grab a fresh squeezed juice with beets, ginger, lemon and orange while out and about. Ginger’s anti-inflammatory properties and beet’s ability to boost energy and increase blood flow made this a perfect luteal phase elixer.
While in my luteal phase, I am looking to balance run days, walks days and pilates-esque movement. So, on Saturday, I was just focused on getting my steps in. I made sure all my meals were fueled with protein, fresh vegetates and complex carbohydrates.
Sunday morning started with a quick bowl of cereal and a 3 mile run through Hyde Park. When traveling, quick and easy options like cereal are much better than running on an empty stomach. The luteal phase is characterized by low energy, so carbs are necessary to fuel a run. I kept the pace steady and not too fast. I made sure to do a proper dynamic warmup before and cool-down stretch after. The body needs to be looked after in the luteal phase, especially when doing excessive movement.
Today I got a delicious breakfast to start my morning- poached eggs on sourdough with avocado and a strawberry matcha. Perfect fuel to get me through a day of lots of walking and playing tennis. I really enjoy doing things like tennis on the days I am not running. I made sure to keep it light and listen to my body, as my body needed to recover, especially as I am getting deeper into this phase and nearing the menstrual cycle.
