As we know, health looks different for everyone. Today’s topic is inspired by a WGPPM session at BDC last year titled “Your Health, Your Way: Personalizing Wellness for Women.” In this session, our speakers encouraged women, girls, and people with the potential to menstruate to build a health and wellness system that suits their specific needs. I’ll be sharing some of the key takeaways from that session in this post.
Makenzie Sledd, a physical therapist, kicked off the session to discuss how to personalize movement to you and your own needs. She began by explaining how much energy you’re willing to spend on physical movement will naturally fluctuate week by week due to the ebbs and flows of hormone levels. Towards the end of your period week as well as the week after your period, you tend to have the most energy due to slow rise of estrogen levels. Starting a movement log and a menstrual symptoms log (one that logs the entire month and not just the period week) could help you clearly see your spikes and dips in energy levels, allowing you to create a personalized movement plan that is aligned with your own energy and hormone levels. As for how you move, there are so many different ways to get your body active and moving! What works for one person may not work for the next person. So take some time to explore what works for your body and leaves you feeling the most energized.
Beth Helmold, a registered dietician, then took over to talk through personalizing nutrition to you and your needs. Beth reemphasized the importance of balancing your hormone levels, as much as possible, to keep your body healthy and happy. To do this, she first explained what a crucial role sleep plays in regulating our hormones. And I know we’ve heard time and time again what a toll stress can take on our bodies, but did you know it also affects hormone production? Getting better sleep and reducing stress, where possible, can play a big part in rebalancing your hormone levels. As for nutrition, Beth advocated for incorporating more baseline essential nutrients into the food you eat, such as Omega-3s, Omega-6s, antioxidant rich fruits/vegetables, fiber, and foods rich in various vitamins, but especially magnesium. Intake of these nutrients help our bodies feel more energized, promote metabolism, and help with hormone regulation. But as for how you go about incorporating those nutrients into your diet, that is up to you! Similar to movement, no singular nutrition plan works for everyone, so feel free to tailor your foods to you and get creative with how to fit those nutrients into your foods.
Overall, the goal is to feel more empowered to center yourself in your health and wellness goals. Every body is different and not every trendy fitness plan or diet will work for you, and that’s okay! Your body is uniquely yours and it has its own personal needs because “health” is not one-size-fits-all. So I encourage everyone to carve out some time this summer to figure out what wellness looks like for you and ultimately, how your body thrives and stays happy.
