To get a better workout, women are syncing their menstrual cycles to their fitness routines

Ashley Sondergaard has been cycle syncing for about six years. It started when she was preparing for a second pregnancy. But it's evolved into a lifestyle. She aligns her exercise plan to her menstrual cycle to maximize her workouts.

Sondergaard — a longtime Twin Cities yoga teacher, self-care coach and host of the "Yoga Magic" podcast — has come to appreciate how much she's learned from paying attention to her cycle.

"It's like the body literally speaking to me," she said. "I realized I was able to preserve my energy more and actually enjoy the experience of my cycle."

Monitoring her body allows her to mentally prepare for intense workouts and recovery times and helps her understand why exercise may feel more rewarding on a certain day.

"It is mostly changing and refocusing how you work, eat and move during each phase of your menstrual cycle," said Dr. Cassie Wilder, founder of Minneapolis Integrative Medicine Center.

Cycle syncing doesn't help regulate a cycle or treat PMS symptoms, said Wilder.

"The way I like to focus and frame this is just optimizing who you are and how you feel throughout the month, based on where you are in the different phases," said Wilder. "I honestly think that any age group and menstruating person can really benefit from this."

Most people who practice cycle syncing start by tracking their energy levels and mood every day for a couple of months. Then, they note how those patterns overlap with the four cycle phases: menstruation, the follicular phase, ovulation and the luteal phase. Typically, those who menstruate find that they have more energy during the follicular phase and ovulation.

Sondergaard has noticed that she often has low energy when she's menstruating. That's when she honors her body by doing gentle yoga or low-resistance training. When she moves into the follicular phase (when a menstruating woman's eggs mature), her energy levels tend to pick up, and so does the intensity of her workouts. During the luteal phase (when the lining of the uterus is thickening), she shifts back to doing lower-impact exercise classes and recovery-based movement like walking and yoga.

The buzz about cycles

Allison Mosso isn't surprised that cycle syncing has gained traction recently. Books like "ROAR" by Stacy Sims and national influencers like Alisa Vitti, founder of FLO Living, have popularized the practice. The term "cycle-syncing workouts" has 80.5 million views on TikTok alone.

"The [wellness] industry as a whole is really good at tackling trends and optimizing on them," Mosso said. "So I just think because of the influx and people being more interested in hormones, there is increased buzz about cycle syncing."

But Mosso, a Twin Cities nutrition counselor, personal trainer and wellness speaker, cautions that syncing isn't a one-practice-fits-all. It should be based on your experiences and feelings.

"Look at it from an individual perspective versus looking at somebody on Pinterest who posts blanket statements on what you should be doing for exercise and what you should be eating," she said. "There is no 'should' that has an evidence-based approach," she said.

And while she thinks that the practice might benefit many women, she stops short of instructing her clients in how to cycle sync.

"I'm all for people listening to their bodies and doing what's best for them, but I think there just needs to be more research before we go out and give advice," she said.

Starting the conversation

Jillian Tholen, registered dietitian with a specialization in sports dietetics, ran competitively in high school and college. Her period was infrequent and irregular due to too much intense training and improper nutrition.

Now, Tholen feels passionately that young athletes should talk about their periods and recognize when their cycles are irregular.

"Nobody told me that it was not OK to not get my period or that there could be long-term health implications," she said. "This area of menstrual health and talking about the menstrual cycle just as a normal thing became something that I not only worked with a lot but also really started to feel strongly about — just making it more talked about."

In a culture that celebrates go-go, high-strung, efficient adults, it can be hard to take a break without feeling guilty. Wilder has observed that those who cycle sync are more aware of when they should slow down and may feel more comfortable doing so.

"They can realize that they aren't robots, and that they're not super-humans," she said. "At each phase of your cycle, your hormones change, which kind of orchestrates you feeling different ways."

Sondergaard, for one, finds the practice of cycle syncing to be liberating.

"To have permission to say, 'You can take a break' because that's what your body is telling you," she said. "I think they feel that freedom, that permission and that feeling seen when you listen to what your body is telling you."

Mary Ellen Ritter is a University of Minnesota student on assignment with the Star Tribune.