The Wellness Scoop - The Extra Scoop: Cycle Tracking & Mood

Episode Date: March 13, 2025

Ever feel like your emotions are on a rollercoaster throughout the month? You’re not imagining it. Your menstrual cycle plays a major role in how you feel, both physically and mentally. In this episode, we explore the connection between your cycle and your mood and share practical ways to feel more balanced. We’re joined by Maisie Hill, author of Period Power and Perimenopause Power, a leading voice in menstrual health and empowerment. Maisie is passionate about helping people understand their cycles, harness their hormones, and take control of their well-being. With her no-nonsense approach, she shares how to work with your cycle, not against it, so you can feel your best every day of the month. In This Episode, We Cover: How your cycle influences energy, anxiety, and mood swings Holistic approaches to feeling more balanced, from nutrition to lifestyle and stress management The benefits of cycle tracking and how understanding your patterns can help you navigate life with more ease Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Exactly, it's all quick, practical, evidence-based advice to fit into your busy lives. So this is the Extra Scoop. Let's get started. I think we'd all agree that getting to know your body and understanding yourself a little bit more can be genuinely one of the most empowering things that you can do in life. So in this 15-minute conversation, we are gonna focus on that.

We're gonna be diving into how understanding your menstrual cycle and the way it affects your energy, mood and wellbeing can really help you ride life's natural ups and downs with so much more ease. We're going to be chatting about what body literacy really means, simple ways to manage your cycle and why tracking it can actually be such a game changer. So this is all about learning to work with your body, not against it, everything that we believe so strongly on, on the wellness scoop. Yeah, 100%. Now, I'm really excited to talk to Maisie today on, I think how understanding the different phases of your menstrual cycle can help women develop a deeper connection

with their bodies. And ultimately, I'm going to try and spin it because I think we all know how hard it can be around different times of the month. I mean, I know I feel it, but how can this menstrual cycle make us feel more empowered instead? I love that you've started with something positive because although we always want to be considering any challenges that someone has with the menstrual cycle, it's really important to highlight the positive aspects of it. So I'm just gonna start off by saying a broad caveat. Anything I say about the cycle, if it doesn't reflect your personal experience of the cycle,

that doesn't mean your experience is wrong. It just means this is a 15 minute recording and we're gonna be speaking quite broadly. So, you know, the cycle is this, it's this internal rhythm that we have that affects everything in our lives. When you understand the specific phases of the cycle and especially how they influence your mood, your energy, your behavior, then that gives you such a practical way of using it in your life.

As we mentioned, that is just considering the things that are challenging for you, but it's really looking at the positives that come with it in terms of like, when do you feel most upbeat? When do you feel most like yourself, like the best version of you? And that's going to vary greatly depending on your individual experience. But when we look at the different phases of the cycle, initially around the time that your period starts, hormone levels are really quite low. And then from day three to day six, we start to have estrogen coming in. And estrogen generally has a very positive effect on mood. It has a relationship with serotonin. We see this increase in mood positivity

and also energy. What women often say to me is they go from wanting to just hang out at home to suddenly being interested in the world again and emerging from that somehow. Estrogen in the run-up to ovulation is increasing. Then we have the appearance of testosterone in the days before ovulation. That's like the double whammy. This is where we can not just feel really confident and really positive about things, but because of testosterone, we're also maybe more likely to take a risk on something and have the courage to really go for something. This is where I really love to do something that maybe the rest of my cycle I'd be a bit hesitant to.

It's not to say that I wouldn't do it or I couldn't do it, but maybe I'd need to be a bit more considered in my approach, a bit more prepared. Whereas in the run-up to ovulation, I'm just like, stick me anywhere, I'll do it. I'll just go for it. It's a really good opportunity to do something that puts you out in the world. We can really take advantage of that, whether it's meetings, your dating life, just saying yes to things that ordinarily you'd be maybe a bit more wary or scared of. But then, of course, we need to consider what happens in the cycle

after that and that you might start regretting your choices, simply because your hormone picture has changed, not because you made the wrong decision. It's really interesting. When I first read your book, Period Power, gosh, quite a few years ago now, it was the first time I'd really, really examined just how much our hormones can change

and how much that impacts us. And I think it's a very interesting conversation because I remember growing up, people, boys at school would often kind of tease the girls and say, you're grumpy because you're on your period. And we have obviously as a society said, no women can do anything. We're obviously completely equal.

We shouldn't say things like that now. But actually, whilst let's not tease 13 year old girls who are very sensitive in this way, that's obviously not a brilliant thing to do. I do think there is something in that and I will notice it sometimes when I become really emotional and my husband will say, are you getting your period? And he's really genuinely now trying to be supportive, not derogatory of saying, just take a second and check yourself.

Are you actually really, really upset about that? Has this comment, this moment, this meeting actually upset you that much or are you actually really, really upset about that? Has this comment, this moment, this meeting actually upset you that much? Or are you actually just feeling really, really sensitive today because you're in a moment where actually you are just a lot more sensitive and so you're taking more personally or are more bothered by something that normally might just kind of rub off?

And that has actually been incredibly empowering, sometimes where you feel you've lost that get up and go, or you feel really emotional, or you start crying about things, and you worry, is there something wrong with me? Have I changed? Why am I not myself? And I think one of the things we've talked about so much on this show, as we've started to bring it together, is just normalizing the fact that we're often

all asking ourselves, what's normal? Am I normal? Is my body normal? Is my mind normal? And actually just having much more honest conversations for that quest of empowerment and self-compassion through that understanding. And I know you talk a lot about body literacy. And so I was curious within that, what does it mean to actually listen to your body? And then how can that knowledge actually transform the way that we as women are really navigating our day-to-day lives? Yeah, I mean, first of all, I think you raise a really important point with that, like, how do we name and appreciate our own experience of the cycle and that we do experience shifts in how we feel along with the ebb and flow of the various hormones,

whilst also not kind of being really shitty feminists and being like, oh, we're unreliable and we're like roller coasters and all that negative programming that we've all received explicitly or implicitly. And I think the way I think about that is regardless of whether we're male, female, non-binary, and whatever our hormones are up to, we are all influenced by hormones. We don't have that kind of narrative about our sleep and wake cycles. Often what we're describing that happens over the course of a menstrual cycle, whether it's 28 days or whatever length your cycle is. For me, it's really just a larger period of time of the same events that happen over the course of 24 hours, which

men, people without ovaries and in uteruses experience in that when we wake up in the morning, some of us are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to go. A lot of people need some caffeine and the walk to work to start feeling alert. That's the same as the time when you're menstruating or coming out of your period. Run up to lunchtime, we're maybe feeling like a period of focused activity, quite up for it. Then it's lunch, then we have a bit of a dip afterwards, just like we often do after ovulation. And then there's this time towards the rest of the day where we're maybe less energetic or more inclined to do things that are familiar or pleasurable to us. That's the same as the menstrual cycle, but because that's something that men experience, we don't

frame that in a negative way. This really comes into then our understanding of body literacy, which is really just you knowing your body, getting to know your internal rhythms. The good news is we're all used to doing that over the course of the day. If I asked either of you or anyone listening, what's a typical day like to you? How do you feel? We all kind of know we have a sense of what that would be like for us. And so that is a form of body literacy, just as is getting to know the menstrual cycle, getting to know the signs and symptoms of any issues that you have, challenges at particular moments, and also, as we said, the points that feel really great to you when you can kind of really make use of how great you feel.

But as you started to speak about that, so much of this is about understanding the impact of our physiology on how we feel and on our behavior and having compassion and understanding for that. Just seeing it as more of a straightforward thing rather than forming this whole narrative about ourselves, which again we are conditioned to do, in that, oh, I'm a terrible person because of this or I'm just really sensitive or I'm too much of this. We just have all these very self-critical, judgmental, shame-producing narratives. If we understand our hormones, if we understand the cycle, stress responses, etc., then it takes away so much of that and then we can actually focus on the

things that are going to be useful to us. Thank you. I think everything you've just said, it really is such a good grounding reminder for us because we're not taught this, you know, as we grow older only in my 30s have I started to think or even recognise what's going on in my cycle. There was not a word of it in my 20s as a teen and I think for women everywhere it is empowering to learn and if I could in a dream world I would schedule all of my work around the time of my period I mean that would just be wonderful but are there any holistic approaches that you'd recommend for managing those physical and emotional changes because goodness me I mean as you described earlier I am definitely not my best form of myself the week before my period, then on my period.

And I started labeling myself, like you just mentioned before, oh, I'm just anxious this week, oh, I'm anxious. And it started to catch on with my husband because he'd be like, oh, I think it's just your anxiety. I was like, actually, no, it's my cycle.

And then the worst response you can sometimes get is, but this is always happening. I'm like, I know, because it happens every two to three weeks. So what holistic things can you advise our listeners to put into place? Yeah, well, I think it's good news. Some people can get overwhelmed by it.

Is there are so many avenues into improving your experience of your cycle, whether it's pain, whether it's mood changes, or what we could call premenstrual exacerbation of any other health issues that you have that maybe get intensified in that premenstrual phase. There's lots of opportunities into this. Some people can, I think, in that excitement and urge to understand themselves and to implement changes can actually end up with a very long list that's quite perfectionist in terms of

what they must do in order to feel better. So I just want to say, you know, some softness and some kindness around that is really useful. So, when we're thinking about hormonal and cycle health, of course we can be thinking about sleep, diet, movement, and there's going to be so many variables there. But I really love to just think about everything else that's going on in your life, because I think about the cycle in terms of, well, the cycle influences everything that's going on in your life, right? Because I think about the cycle in terms of, well, the cycle influences everything that's going on

in our life one way or the other, and everything that's going on in our life also then influences the menstrual cycle. And this is where people can get overwhelmed and think, God, I've got to have this 20 prong approach to improving things. So what feels easy to you? What feels doable in this moment?

Just start with something that is straightforward. To everyone listening, I would just say, well, when you think about your cycle, what is challenging to you? Can you come up with something that you could implement today that would make a difference? You don't even need to speak to a nutritionist or an acupuncturist or a GP about these things. All of those things are wonderful, by the way. Most of us can identify with, well, actually, when my period's due, parenting can get a bit overwhelming and I'm really sensitive to the noises in my home. So an opportunity to have some time by myself would

actually really feel great. So it doesn't have to be this overcomplicated health plan. It can just be you thinking, well, actually, for instance, when progesterone is peaking in the luteal phase, so that's usually around five to seven days before your period is due. Progesterone really supports sleep. I always say capitalize on that. That's when you can fall asleep quicker, have deeper sleep, better quality, and length of sleep. Maybe that's not the night to be planning a big night out or to be working late. Why not just capitalize on that and then that's going to support you in that pre-menstrual phase? There's all sorts of ways into this. What I would say though is especially when we're talking about that pre-menstrual phase and we're talking about

things like frustration and irritability and anger and rage is that we have definitely been conditioned to think that those things are stuff that we need to manage and reduce. And yes, I think that there's a place for that. But what if we actually addressed what those things are about, what they are highlighting to us, and actually use them to do something about it? All the magnesium in the world, as much as I love it, isn't going to have an impact on things like the mental load and all the unpaid labor that we are used to doing. If you're feeling anger then, well, what does that anger want you to do?

What does it want you to change? And actually having that conversation with yourself and with any other appropriate people to actually change the thing that you're fed up with cycle after cycle after cycle because that then has an impact on your reproductive health and on your hormones. What I loved that you said there, which is I think something that we talk about a lot, is this move away from quick fixes. I think in the wellness and health culture that we all live in, especially one that's very much dictated by kind of clickbait headlines and social algorithms, there's a lot of take, in this case, magnesium, it will make you

sleep and all the rest of it, or take X supplement and it will change this. And I know for me, I've certainly been guilty, you know, last year when we were doing the acquisition process for Delicious Cielo and it was so stressful and we basically felt that we lived in a tumble dryer for like six months and I hadn't slept in ages and I saw on Instagram talking about ashwagandha and how that helps stress. And I bought it thinking that having no childcare, working 18 or 19 hours a day, having this extraordinary uncertainty

and all of this change in my life, that I could take two pills of ashwagandha each day and it would change everything. Now I know there's some interesting research behind it and I'm not doing any of it down, but I just love this point that like, if what you're really feeling overwhelmed by is actually how much you're juggling.

Taking magnesium isn't going to magically make that disappear as opposed to using those moments where those emotions are heightened to actually look at why am I feeling it to such an extent. And I think this idea of bringing softness, as you said, and compassion into it. And just accepting that also, I think one of the things you've really raised that I've taken from this is that nobody feels 100%, 100% of the time. And this weird preconditioning that we all seem to have to think that we're not normal because we're tired today, we're not normal because we're bloated today, or we're not normal because we're grumpy today.

Everyone does that. It's a human emotion. And as we know, obviously, that then can ebb and flow though more during your cycle. And I know since we first spoke, Maisie, I've actually started tracking my cycle. And not like really forensically, I just do it on my phone, on the app, on iPhone. It's so straightforward. But I do notice sometimes I'm like, gosh, why am I so grumpy or why am I so sensitive? I will open it and then say, oh, yeah, my period is due in five days.

Okay, cool. And I'll be just so much nicer to myself and not define myself as like, now I'm just a grumpy person as opposed to like, yeah, I'm probably gonna be a little bit miserable for the next couple of days and can kind of just ride with it more easily versus seeing it as this defined state.

And I guess there's a kind of closing idea on that. What would you leave people as a kind of a real why in terms of why looking at your cycle and tracking it can be such a powerful tool? Oh my gosh, okay, I'll try and be brief. But you fundamentally, it's you getting to know yourself in the most amazing of ways. You will get to know the dates when your period is due, that's useful to anyone. And you start to notice patterns, right? And that can be patterns of things that are quite predictable, like feeling a certain

way on a certain day, having a symptom on a certain day, but also when those patterns are shifting with things that are improving, things that are worsening. And I love everyone to really see their cycle tracking information as data. It is the most amazing data that you can use in into things like avoiding pregnancy or trying to conceive, noticing other changes in your health as well, and the kind of relationship between any chronic conditions that you have, any digestive issues, et cetera, because they can all be really impacted by the cycle as well. And so it's just this amazing source of information that you can use in really powerful ways.

Oh, Maisie, honestly, it's been so helpful. And a quick little disclaimer, anybody listening, don't go and take a load of magnesium, it will give you, it's a laxative, it acts as a laxative. And people don't know, and they take high doses and then they get diarrhea. So I would listen to what Maisie said, and let's all try and figure out ourselves. Maisie, thank you so much for coming on The Wellness Scoop.

Thanks for having me. It's been an absolute delight. Thank you guys so much for listening to us on The Extra Scoop. We are a community based podcast. We want this to be helpful for you. So any requests, we want to hear it. Absolutely. Let us know which experts that you want on the Extra Scoop and we will see you on Monday. Can't wait!