Exercise and the holy red cycle

With only my own exercise journal and menstrual cycle record to back me up, I believe that one thing the fitness industry is not tapping into is how we work out when our lady machinery is going through the 28 day motions. Womankind, what do you the think about that? Not that I am encouraging any kind of exploitative movement, heightened consideration would be ample.

I did a 2 hour workout the day before starting my cycle this June. It was a beautiful, epic workout with deep emotional portents. And the blood that followed that very next day was raspberry bright and I feel that the endorphins I released as I lunged, squatted, burpeed and launched myself around my gym room really had made a brilliant difference to my menstrual emotional wellbeing. A brutal bash at the gym the day before my period starts brings many wonderful feelings to the table that would otherwise be completely awol. I felt great, invincible and super charged. Menstruation is a cleanse, a renewal and a new beginning, it’s like a new day for my reproductive system, a cause for celebration and something that I always look forward to as my bloated paunch deflates like a burst balloon. Yet, during five months of strength training (with a good representation of women at each class) only once was the Crimson J*had mentioned. I found that odd. My body, “the hand grenade”, detonates every 26 – 28 days yet this awesome energy was never once tapped into. I’ve internet surfed a little into what the best exercise is depending on where you are in your cycle but this information was super vague. So, the best thing you can do is to keep track of what your ovaries are up to along with your exercise journal. This makes profound sense if you want to feel super awesome most of the time.

 

Om Namah Shivaya – a review of ‘Radical Self Love’ by Gala Darling

This book was my go-to bed-time story for a good while, sipping each page like a warm cup of magical mayan cocoa. Darling’s words are medicinal, vibrant and sequinned; they play through each page like deep diving dolphins searching your inner world for Atlantis-lost and forgotten treasures. I finished ‘Radical Self Love’ at the end of a day-long tattoo session, Darling’s cheerleading words held my held whilst my decade old self-inflicted scars were being covered in glorious turquoise and blue japanese waves. Old war wounds were camouflaged and lessons in paying respect to the importance of luscious strong self esteem were learned.
I wish I had this book when I was a teenager or that Darling was my English Lit teacher and I was handed Francesca Lia Block assignments instead of Sylvia Plath. I am grateful that Darling released this book into the wider universe and that it’s working cosmic magic through so many damaged and tangled ties to fear and self-loathing. This is practical advice and the perfect zest to add to your life if you have forgotten how important self-esteem and self-respect are. Life is brilliant and so is ‘Radical Self Love.’

Radical Self Love

Gala’s TED talk