A few years ago, I was out on a run with a friend in New York. It was the first perfect day of the year—60 degrees, partly cloudy. The city seemed new again. As we jogged through the West Village, she suddenly came to a stop in front of a store window. “Let’s go in!” she said. I was baffled. But we’re in the middle of the run, I thought. How could we possibly interrupt this?

We spent a minute browsing the store and, guess what, the world didn’t end. I still got my run in. That day, my friend taught me a lesson that I try to remember whenever I’m taking my sport a little too seriously: One of the great joys of running is that you can go anywhere. Why wouldn’t you stop to enjoy all the stores, parks, cafes, and farmer’s markets along the way?

As runners, we care about the sport. We track our mileage, time, and progress—and fret when a goal outstrides us. And, yes, there’s a time and place for this structured take. Maybe we’re training for a marathon or trying to clock a speedy 5K. But as these long, lustrous days of summer roll on, I’m calling for a free-spirited approach to lacing up. What if we used our precious running hours to see our cities, towns, and neighborhoods on foot? What if we acted as a running tourist?

How to Integrate Joy into Your Run

Summer is the perfect season to prioritize fun on your runs, says , a personal trainer and master tread instructor at . “Heat and humidity can add extra stress and fatigue that makes it difficult to achieve pace or mileage goals,” she explains. “The summer is a great time to take some pressure off those running goals and just enjoy the movement.”

Lately, my boyfriend and I have been channeling this joie de running into our weekend mileage by sprinting to the ocean, jumping in, and jogging home. Sure, we’re a little wet on the way back, but who cares? (Need I repeat, it’s summer!) Paris has similar priorities. “I think it’s a great idea to use your runs as a travel tool to a fun destination or to explore a new place,” she says. “For example, there’s an ice cream shop in my town that I used to run to with a friend to enjoy a cone and hang around town for a bit before running back.”

Paris adds that the middle months of the year are also a great time to prioritize destination running—or taking a road trip and hitting the ground to scope out a new spot. “If you’re on vacation, check out some running routes ahead of time to explore the local area or attractions,” she says.” Just make sure you’re wearing the proper sneakers. For example, if you stumble across an unknown trail, you wouldn’t want to be caught wearing road shoes.

Rest Is Always Necessary

As you enjoy your summer of casual running, remember that you still need to rest. “Too much of anything is not good, even if you’re using running as a fun activity,” Paris says. “At the end of the day, it’s still exercise, movement, and exertion.” Balance out your efforts with plenty of stretching.

Move through , such as side lunges, before you take your first step, and static stretches, like a forward fold, as you’re cooling down. “On the days when you’re not running, focus on a restorative or cross-training activity like yoga, pilates, or strength training,” Paris says. “All of those types of exercise will make you stronger and help you recover so that you can truly enjoy your fun runs injury-free.”

I’ve been a runner for eight years now, and I still love every part of it—the manic excitement of race day, jogging the sidewalks of my quiet California neighborhood before the world (or, OK, the West Coast) awakes, and the breathless, post-speed run high. It feels like it will never get old. But, to be honest, I think these wandering summer runs are my favorite. There’s something about them that lets you see your surroundings through fresh eyes. And, in this case, I get to see my own backyard anew.

As I was wrapping up writing this story, I couldn’t help myself. I turned to my boyfriend —who was working just five feet away—and said, “Hey, want to run to Venice and watch the skateboarders on the boardwalk?” Next thing I knew, we were lacing up our sneakers.

5 Ideas for Stops Along Your Next Run

1. Jump into a body of water

Ocean, lake, pond, pool—whatever H2O you have access to, make sure you use it to cool down at least once on today’s run.

2. Go to the farmers’ market for a mid-run baked good

Refuel with a mid-run snack from the farmer’s market. An incredible baker hangs out at my local spot, selling muffins, croissants, and scones. I love to grab one, digest for a few minutes in the sun, and then run home.

3. Browse a new boutique

Let’s put an end to all the running window shopping, OK? I dare you to go in and actually poke around. If you’re stinky, just give everyone a wide berth and (of course) don’t try on any clothes.

4. Run to a local landmark that you’ve never visited (until now)

Maybe you’ve lived in your city for years, but still haven’t visited the most famous landmark. Take this opportunity to run there, explore, then head home.

5. Catch your breath in your favorite park

Parks are essential to the “run, lounge, repeat” lifecycle I love. Find a greenspace near you and make your way there on foot. Once there, lay down, people watch, or read a book on your phone.

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You may think having flexible hamstrings is a badge of honor for outdoor athletes. And while you’re not exactly wrong (Don’t we all follow at least one yoga influencer ?), not everyone needs to have Cirque du Soleil-level stretching abilities to succeed at their sport. However, if you’re starting to experience pain in your lower back, knees, and hips, experts say that it may be time to give the back of your legs a little extra love.

Your hamstrings are complex: They’re comprised of , stretching from your lower knee to your hip. “The hamstrings’ main function is to bend the knee and extend the hip, which is key for various everyday activities such as walking, running, and jumping,” says Alo Moves trainer in Los Angeles. In other words, these mega-muscles support all of those triathlons, marathons, and hikes. And when they get stiff, all your everyday tasks—from walking to bending over—may become more difficult.

If you favor explosive workouts, such as high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and sprinting, you’re likely familiar with hamstring pain. Injuries to the back of the leg are and are . However, focusing on hamstring mobility and flexibility can keep these pesky injuries away and allow you to move through your day, and your go-to workouts, without pain.

If you’re not sure about the state of your hamstrings, worry not. Below, Chandler offers a few clear giveaways that it’s time to pay more attention to these muscles.

3 Signs That Your Hamstrings Need Some Additional Support

You’re Experiencing Lower Back Tightness and/or Pain

In some ways, the human body is like a house of cards: Pull out the jack of hearts or the two of spades, and suddenly, the whole structure topples. While the anatomical equivalent isn’t quite that dramatic, muscle tightness in one area of the body can lead to overcompensation in other parts. For example, Chandler says that inflexible hamstrings can to take on extra work as you walk, sit, and go about your day. “The tighter the hamstrings, the more they pull on your sitting bones, tilting your pelvis backward,” he says. “This has a negative effect on the alignment of your spine.” Over time, this results in lower back pain.

Your Knee Hurts

Since your hamstring’s three muscles extend all the way to your lower knee, you may experience some pain in that joint due to a lack of flexibility. When those bands of tissue are tight, it to straighten and bend. Your knee may respond by pulling on that hamstring, which can lead to a slew of injuries, . If everyday movement makes your knee(s) ache, your hamstrings are practically begging to be stretched.

Your Hips Feel Tight and Cranky

That tilt in your pelvis doesn’t just affect your lower back. The imbalance can also contribute to stiffness in the hips, as they overcompensate for your rigid hamstrings by supporting your lumbar spine.

How to Work on Your Hamstring Flexibility

Here’s the good news: Stretching your hamstrings is an easy practice to incorporate into your day. Waiting for your microwave burrito to be ready? Drop into a quick forward fold and pet your cat until the timer goes off. Meeting your running buddy at the park? Place one foot up on a bench and reach for your toes.

If you want to take a more intentional approach to your routine, Chandler says you only need three stretches and five minutes a day. Even if you consider yourself completely inflexible, these movements will offer you some much-needed benefits.

Towel Hamstring Stretch

“This is great for clients who may not have the best mobility and struggle to reach toward their toes,” Chandler says.

Sit on the ground with your legs extended in front of you. Wrap a towel, yoga strap, or even a sweatshirt around one foot and gently pull it back towards you, creating a stretch in your hamstring. Hold for 30 seconds and switch to the other leg.

Simple Hamstring Stretch

Sit down on the floor. Extend both legs in front of you. Lengthen your spine, straighten your arms, and reach forward as far as you can without bending your knees. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.

Standing Forward Fold

Come to a standing position. Bring your feet shoulder-width apart or as wide as feels appropriate for your body. Hinge at your hips and reach for your toes, maintaining a slight bend at your knees if necessary. Aim to have your chest rest on the tops of your thighs. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds.

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There’s a scene in The Wizard of Oz where Dorothy doesn’t know the way to the Emerald City. After the Oz residents sing an eerie, haunting tune, she follows the yellow brick road and—with the help of a few friends—finds the wizard. For those of us with sleep issues, this story may sound familiar. Every night can feel like a Judy Garland-esque adventure. Which “brick road,” or, OK, sleep strategy, will deliver you to dreamland the quickest?

Some people prefer sleep meditations, while others turn to ocean waves, stories, or . But if you rely on podcasts or audiobooks to fall asleep, you may wonder if that practice is expert-approved. What content is best? How long should you listen for? Should you really be throwing on Crime Junkies or the latest from Stephen King before calling it a night?

“Having a distraction to help calm your brain so that you’re not focusing on thoughts, worries, and to-do lists can be really helpful, and actually allow you to fall asleep more quickly,” says certified pediatric and adult sleep consultant , who adds that a quiet mind is an essential part of falling asleep.

Throwing on a podcast or audiobook when you’re tossing and turning is completely fine, Murray says. Just remember that the content does matter. Some listening materials leave you feeling serene and detached from your worries—and these are the ones you want to cling to. “What’s most important is finding something that’s actually calming and not very suspenseful or disturbing,” she says. “If it’s very suspenseful, then you’re going to want to stay awake and listen.” So, yes, that leaves true crime and politics out of your nighttime routine.

Once you’ve found the listening experience that’s calming (and, OK, a little boring) enough to shepherd you into a good night’s rest, Murray recommends setting a timer for the podcast or audiobook to automatically shut off. Apps like and offer this feature, and Murray says it’s absolutely essential. You don’t want to be sound asleep and suddenly woken up by a podcast host’s laugh, says Murray. This can insight a fight or flight response that will wake you up and potentially bar you from falling back asleep.

Alternative Soundscapes to Help You Fall Asleep

While relying on podcasts and audiobooks to relax at night isn’t necessarily a “bad” thing, that strategy isn’t Murray’s first recommendation. Sleep meditations allow you to connect with your breath, which , or your “rest and digest” state. Murray suggests , but , , and also have similar content.

Sound machines also offer a soothing effect. “I would recommend finding a sound that is at a lower frequency, such as pink or brown noise,” she says. While you may love listening to white noise during your workdays, it’s not the best aid to your sleep. White noise has a high frequency that stimulates, rather than calms, your brain, Murray says. Additionally, nature sounds, such as waves or rain may also . If you always sleep better outside, consider bringing those forest noises into your bedroom. Or at least recreating them through your phone speakers.

Consider which midnight soundtrack makes the most sense for you—and press play. With a little bit of planning, you’ll be following that yellow brick road in no time. And with any luck, the route will be less harrowing for you than it was for Dorothy.

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I’m lying in bed underneath my gravity blanket. I’m cozy, warm, safe, and relaxed. Yet, when I shut my eyes, the never-ending thoughts begin. A whirl of Taylor Swift lyrics intermingle with work worries and regrets. To-do lists begin forming and car-cleaner jingles I’ve never managed to scrub from my mind run on a loop. This is my insomnia, and I’ve been living with it for as long as I can remember.

According to The Cleveland Clinic, about . However, not all of us share the same struggle. Some of us have trouble with the initial effort of falling asleep, while others wake up in the middle of the night—or hours before their alarms sound. During the day, this lack of shut-eye may cause moodiness, foggy thoughts, and feelings of fatigue. If you have any experience with chronic or acute insomnia, you may be reading along thinking, check, check, and check. (Sigh.)

It’s common for everyday stresses to mount an attack on the mind late at night, , a sleep researcher, says. “During the day, we have all these sensory inputs that distract us from whatever we ruminate about,” she says. “So when we lie in bed, and we don’t have any sensory inputs to distract us, it’s a prime time for other things to come back.”

It goes beyond the ghosts of stressors past appearing in the night. Spencer says it’s also common for memories (positive or negative) to bubble up since the brain uses your time in bed to . “That’s why, if you wake up—particularly in the middle of the night—you may have many memories flooding you,” she says. “Things that make you wonder, why am I suddenly worried about that thing?”

What Happens When You Can’t Fall Asleep

The initial effort of falling asleep has always been my Achilles’ heel. I’ve taken nightly for years, but it doesn’t always keep the trolling thoughts at bay. I still have to supplement the sleep aid with tricks like counting sheep, recalling intricate book plots, and making myself name as many Greek gods as possible.

Spencer tells me this is common. Everyone with sleep troubles uses these strategies to break themselves from spiraling thoughts. These tools change and evolve over time, and you may find yourself having to cycle through multiple distractions to lure your mind away from the worry-memory-worry-memory loop.

But what happens when all your sleep strategies fail you? Recently, every single one of my usual tricks stopped working. The midnight hours stretched out before me, as I stared at the back of my eyelids and worried that I hadn’t filed my taxes correctly. (I had.) That I was behind on my goals. (Seems dramatic at age 27.) That our new kittens were eating my AirPods. (Okay, this one’s legit.)

I devised a plan of attack: I decided to borrow a strategy from my childhood and tell myself stories before bed. Since my parents no longer live with me, and I’ve regrettably misplaced my copy of Blueberries for Sal, it was on me to come up with bedtime tales. Silly and romantic narratives that would make the literary snob roll their eyes, as well as imagined trips to dreamy locations.

The Stories Inside My Head—and Why They Work

Over the last few months, I’ve dreamed up fan fiction about young adult books I read years ago and run marathons through Venice in my mind. I’ve imagined returning to Chapel Pond, a pristine body of water I visited in upstate New York several years ago. The stories are never quite the same and are mostly forgotten by morning, but for now, they’re helping me relax into sleep in about 20 minutes time when it would normally take me hours to shut my brain off.

When I tell Spencer all this, she shares that while she doesn’t tell herself stories at night, she does return to the calming image of water running over the rocks on a lake in Michigan where her family sometimes vacations. If stories aren’t your jam, she adds, you can rely on your own memory for comfort and sleepiness. Just think of a time or place where you felt calm and recreate it in your mind. What does it look like? How does it smell? What can you hear?

Everyone’s approach to insomnia will look a little different, but according to Spencer, the most important thing is having an approach. Having a plan will help save you from feeling powerless when it’s 3 a.m. and your mind has switched over to doomsday prepper mode. So, preferably during the day, have a chat with yourself. Jot down what you’re going to do if you can’t sleep tonight—and remind yourself that it’s all going to be okay.

Here’s the thing, though: We all know that the sleep strategies that work for us now won’t work forever (sigh). So as you’re on the never-ending journey of lulling yourself to sleep, Spencer says to stick with the basics. Dim the lights for half an hour to an hour before your bedtime to , avoid sipping coffee too late in the day, and make sure to squeeze in some movement so your body feels tired and ready for rest.

I wish I could end this article with a declarative “the end,” but the tales I spin at night rarely reach a conclusion. For now, it’s all about the “once upon a times” for me. If you’re looking for new ways to ensnare your mind in sleep, you’re very welcome to join the midnight story club.

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There’s nothing quite like digging into a stack of pancakes or a breakfast burrito after a hard workout. Whether you’re training for that upcoming half marathon or hitting the pickleball court with friends, you’re probably used to craving a big, post-shower meal. But if you find yourself rifling through the fridge even more on your rest days, you may be a little confused as to what’s spiking your appetite.

Rest-day hunger is completely normal, says , a registered dietitian who works with a range of athletes. “It’s important to remember that what you eat on rest days will fuel your next workout and training day,” she says. Having your fill of nutrient-dense foods , protects your bones, promotes cognition, and . “These bodily systems are at work whether you’re in the gym or resting at home and need to be nourished appropriately,” she says.

That said, understanding why your stomach grumbles more than usual on rest days may help you fuel correctly so that tomorrow’s run, hike, or climbing adventure is even better.

5 Reasons Why You May be Hungrier on Rest Days

1. Your metabolism is working overtime to help you recover from yesterday’s workout

If you challenged yourself to a strenuous workout yesterday, chances are that your body just needs a minute to catch up. “On training days, an athlete typically expends more energy through physical activity,” McIntyre says. “On rest days, however, they due to the body’s need to repair and rebuild muscle tissue, which can increase hunger levels.”

2. You have more free time

“Athletes are often used to following a strict routine on training days, including structured meal and snack times,” McIntyre says. “On rest days, they may be less active and have more free time, which can disrupt their routine and lead to more frequent snacking or eating larger meals.”

3. You’re not hydrating enough

It’s easy to remember to chug a glass of water after a grueling ride. It’s a bit harder to do the same when you’re just, say, chilling on the couch. “Athletes may become dehydrated on rest days, if they’re not as vigilant about drinking enough water as they are on training days,” McIntyre explains. Thirst cues can be mistaken for hunger cues, so make sure you’re drinking plenty of H2O while you snack.

4. Your body is compensating for insufficient nutrition on other days

Under-fueling on your training days may cause your body to crave more food when you hit the brakes. “It’s important for athletes to listen to their bodies and fuel appropriately on both training and rest days.,” McIntyre says. “This may involve adjusting their calorie intake and meal timing to meet their changing energy needs.”

5. You’re noticing your hunger more

“Increased hunger on rest days may not be increased at all, but rather more notable and possibly uncomfortable if you’ve suffered from disordered eating or eating disorders in the past,” McIntyre says. If you’re feeling any guilt about filling your plate on your day off, it’s important to remember that you don’t need to “earn” food. Instead, focus on nourishment and replenishment. Feeling negative emotions around eating or that you need to exercise to “earn” food

“Fueling the body for work, play, and rest are all equally important, and if an athlete feels a regular tendency to restrict, speaking with a registered dietitian and mental health clinician should be the next step to gain clarity and support,” she adds.

How to Fuel Properly on Rest Days

You can trust that your body will tell you what it needs on those recovery days. However, for some additional guidance, keep these nutritional principles in mind.

1. Prioritize high-protein foods

Protein helps you build muscle and may help from all those push-ups and burpess. McIntyre advises her clients to reach for foods such as eggs, dairy, nuts and seeds, fish, tofu, and tempeh. “Most adult athletes and highly active individuals need 0.5 to 1.0 grams of protein per pound of body weight,” she explains. For example, someone who weighs 150 pounds needs at least 75 grams of protein per day.

2. Bring on the carbs

You may think of carbs as crucial for a quick source of energy while working out, but they’re also important for your recovery. McIntyre says complex carbs like peas, lentils, and whole grains , a major energy source for the human body. “Simple carbohydrates that are easily broken down and used for energy are great pre-workout, or even mid-endurance workout, for a quick and efficient energy source,” she says.“However, on rest days, complex carbohydrates with fiber will contribute to getting and staying full,” she says.

3. Don’t miss out on the fruits and vegetables

You’ve been hearing it as a child and it’s still true: You need to eat your fruits and vegetables. Berries, bananas, and other fruits contain vitamins and minerals that . They also contain fiber, which will help you feel satisfied on your recovery days.

4. Add fats to your plate

“Healthy fats , as well as a number of other bodily processes,” McIntyre says. Avocados, butter, and fish are ideal additions to any recovery meal.

5. Skip low-calorie and diet foods

If you find yourself constantly reaching for diet snacks or low-calorie meals on your rest days, consider why. “Thanks to diet culture, many people think low-calorie and light foods are the healthiest choices, especially when trying to get or stay physically fit,” McIntyre says. However, relying on only vegetables and rice cakes will leave your switch on ‘hungry’ instead of filling you up,” she says.

Pile your plate high with McIntyre’s suggestions, whether that’s a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or fish tacos with avocado. With the proper fuel, you’ll be primed and ready to train again tomorrow–and the day after that.

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You’ve heard it before, and you’ll hear it again: Stretching is essential for a well-rounded workout routine, especially if you ask a lot of your body. But if you’ve been doing the same cool-down routine since high school track, trainers say you may have hit a plateau— especially when it comes to your hips.

“Stretching and mobility are key to and the effectiveness of your workout,” says , founder of the Pilates streaming service . If you’re neglecting the and flexibility of your hips, you may not be able to perform hip-reliant movements, such as squats. “When we’re limited in movement, our body figures out how to compensate for that limitation, which ultimately can lead to further problems due to this incorrect use or overuse of muscles and joints,” says , a strength and mobility coach and .

And hear this: your lackluster hip stretching and mobility routine affects more than just that critical joint. It also may tweak your back. For example, sitting for hours at a time can shorten your hip flexors and weaken your hip muscles, explains Donohoe. Eventually, this combination may cause your back to overcompensate and become injured. However, with the proper recovery regimen, you can counteract the effects of all that driving and desk work.

So, how do you know when it’s time to switch things up? Below, Donohoe and O’Carroll run through two key indicators that your hips are in need of some additional attention—and offer their advice on how to give them just that.

2 Signs Your Hips Need Additional Support

You Feel Core Workouts in Your Hips Instead of Your Abs

According to O’Carroll, this is a common sign that your recovery routine is becoming lackluster. If you’re feeling those crunches in your hip flexors instead of your abdomen, it may indicate that your hips are weak—and in need of some additional care. In this case, O’Carroll recommends focusing on building flexibility and mobility with (placing your feet on blocks when necessary), a butterfly stretch, and . By improving mobility, you can make sure you’re turning on those abdominal muscles during your workout, she says.

You Can’t Go Below 90 Degrees in a Squat

If you once could go below 90 degrees in a squat but now find it difficult, that could be another signal that you may need to revamp your stretching routine, O’Carroll says. Having difficulty squatting usually starts with inflexible hips. “Flexibility allows us to maximize our range of motion, for instance, allowing us to get deeper in a squat,” she says. The same logic goes for other workout moves. For example, if you notice that you can no longer lunge forward or backward, it may be due to a lack of mobility in your hips.

How to Strengthen Your Hips Through Flexibility and Mobility

It’s not just you and your hips. Donohoe says most of us could benefit from giving a bit more attention to these critical joints—especially if you’re not moving much during the day. “Your hips are the junction between your upper and lower body,” he says. “We’ve heard that ‘the hips don’t lie,’ and it’s true.”

He recommends committing to a daily 10-minute routine that focuses on mobility and flexibility exercises, such as kneeling lunges, a figure four stretch, and . Here’s how to practice them.

Half Kneeling Lunge for Hip Flexors

Performing this stretch will help open up your quadriceps, hip flexors, and psoas, Donohoe says. While in , maintain an upright posture. Engage your core and gently rotate the pelvis up towards your belly button to effectively engage the stretch.

Seated Figure Four Stretch

Sit upright on a bench or chair and cross one leg on top of the other, resting your ankle on the thigh of the supporting leg. Your legs should create a “figure 4” shape. Maintain a tall posture with an engaged core. To increase the stretch in your glute and piriformis, gently hinge your upper body forward.

Seated 90/90 Stretch

While in a seated position on the floor, gently rotate one hip externally and the other hip internally, creating a 90-degree angle with each leg. Hold for 10 to 15 seconds and switch to the other side.

These types of stretches will allow your hips to move in multiple directions—a key sign of joint strength. Plus, suggests that focusing on increasing joint mobility is a critical aspect of injury prevention and reduction, he says.

However, if you find that your best attempts at building mobility and flexibility aren’t cutting it, consult a professional, like a doctor or a physical therapist. They’ll be able to help you build the best regimen for your body’s needs so that you can focus on chasing waterfalls, climbing mountains, and running trails.

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Life rarely goes as planned—and your workouts are no exception. Whether a day of poor weather spurs you to hit the treadmill instead of the open road, or a bout of illness makes you opt for a restorative yoga class over a challenging lifting session, you have to roll with the punches. And recently, people have started syncing their exercise routines to a different piece of personal data: their menstrual cycles.

The of cycle syncing, or adjusting how you eat and exercise based on the phases of your menstrual cycle, was introduced by integrative nutritionist . More recently, it gained traction on TikTok as a method for optimizing your training. Users when they scheduled trying workouts during ovulation and restorative-based movements when menstruation began.

But how important is it to match your effort to your body’s ever-fluctuating hormone cycles? Does this mean opting out of a trail race or a once-in-a-lifetime backpacking trip just because your period started?

A Quick Refresher on the Menstrual Cycle

Your menstrual cycle has four phases, says , program director of the Gynecologic Health and Disease Branch at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Those phases are menstruation, the follicular phase, ovulation, and the luteal phase.

The day your period begins is the first day of menstruation—and the start of a new cycle. Once “that time of the month” ends, your body moves into the follicular (preparing the egg for ovulation) phase, which happens about . The process concludes with the luteal phase, where a new egg begins the journey to your uterus.

The entire process typically lasts between However, those with conditions such as endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and thyroid disorders may experience that make it more difficult to track particular phases.

The Potential Benefits of Cycle Syncing

In order to practice cycle syncing, you need to understand how your hormones fluctuate throughout the month. For example, on the first day of your period—the beginning of your cycle—you start to experience a gradual increase in estrogen, that are key to your reproductive system, Tingen says.

Your estrogen levels peak right before ovulation, she says. Afterwards, you start to have a larger increase in , which becomes the dominant hormone until menstruation begins again.

The science behind the cycle syncing trend is still in the early stages—and more studies need to be done in order to evaluate the effectiveness of this approach. However, some research suggests that these changing hormone levels may make you more or less primed for rigorous, high-intensity exercise.

For example, a 2020 meta-analysis of past research on this topic found that exercise performance may diminish—albeit slightly—during the follicular phase, when estrogen and progesterone levels are low and your body is preparing for ovulation. However, it’s worth noting, as the study authors do, that when it comes to cycle syncing, this type of variation may only be applicable to athletes competing at the elite level.

Estrogen is a key component. A 2019 review article published in Frontier in Physiology cited the hormone’s ability to . However, the same research highlights how estrogen also decreases the stiffness of ligaments and connective tissue, making athletes more susceptible to injury. Progesterone counteracts the effects of estrogen, serving as a

What Does This Mean for You, Your Cycle, and Your Workouts?

Although cycle syncing doesn’t have much evidence on its side yet, there’s no harm in giving it a try if you want to work out with a little more intention, says Menstrual cycles are unique, highly-individual experiences. While one person may feel run-down and fatigued during their period, another may not. Giving it a shot is the only way to know which camp you’re in.

If you’re interested in trying cycle syncing, Tingen says you should track your body’s hormonal fluctuations for a few months (Remember that some period-tracking apps ) If you do that for three cycles, then you have a baseline for understanding how menstruation affects you and your training, Tingen explains.

Take notes on how you feel as the month continues. How did your energy shift? What types of movement felt great? Which ones felt “bleh”? Over time, you’ll glean a broader understanding of your body’s cycles—and that self-knowledge may just take your workouts to the next level.

Tingen says cycle syncing should never be about telling yourself that you “can’t” do something like a big hike or a long bike ride. Instead, it can give you important information about how to best support yourself during more demanding efforts. For example, Tingen says research shows that heavy periods may lead to low iron levels, which may cause you to . If you have strenuous workouts planned for that time period, you may want to consider eating high-iron foods like red meat, egg yolks, and leafy greens.

For some people, cycle syncing may be a helpful tool when it comes to performance; for others, it may not feel necessary.

“The culture is changing so much,” Tingen says. “Periods and menstruation used to be something taboo that we weren’t able to talk about, and now it’s something that I want women to feel empowered to know about themselves.”

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