This week’s podcast, time for a mojo injection episode 119 (tune in here) is CRAM PACKED with tips. My guest is Sam Heaney. Sam is an Intuitive Coach who helps women live in flow by connecting more to their feminine energy through the menstrual cycle. Through her own personal journey of feeling so disconnected from her body for many years, being diagnosed with a hormonal imbalance and then able to heal deeply physically and emotionally, she is now so passionate about helping other women do the same.
There are so many ways we can connect to our bodies to allow us to heal deeply. As women, slowing down and connecting to our feminine energy through our natural cycle is a great start. It can be easy to let our masculine energy, such as striving and hard work, take over us. We are all different and have both feminine and masculine energy within us. The structure of the masculine energy ensures that things get done – exercise, goals, getting up and dressed. The feminine energy is about being more present in the moment and slowing down. We talk a lot about our natural cycle, the first half of our cycle is the day after our bleed to the first day of ovulation, where we are in our masculine energy which involves a rise in energy up into our ovulation. After this, we go into our feminine energy. This can be a triggering time for women as we can get sucked into being ‘go, go go’. This is often when we can feel agitated as we have the inner frustration of being busy, when our body’s natural flow is crying out for us to slow down. We are designed to go through a flow and tap into both the feminine and masculine energy. This can take practise to allow ourselves to slow down a bit, be more in the body and perhaps ask for more support. We can ask for support from others and also spiritual support through prayer/and or meditation.
Within our cycle, we naturally have a rise in energy at the end of our period (Spring) which is great for planting seeds (ideas) and then when we are fertile this energy peaks (Summer) which is a great time of doing and taking action. Then comes Autumn which is a great time for wrapping everything up and reflecting on what worked well and what didn’t. This is also a good time to have a bit of a clear out around the house and perhaps start preparing for the Winter season, doing some food prep can be useful to allow more rest during the ‘Winter bleed’. Winter is a great time to rest, connect into the body and eliminate lots of distractions such as social media. During our bleed, we are much more intuitive, so it is a great time for journaling and setting intentions for the next peak of energy. I love the symbolism behind this, looking at each month as a new chance to be reborn. In Winter we can let go of what isn’t serving us, each and every month of our cycle. When we are feeling agitated, it can be our body’s way of telling us to slow down and tune in to what it really needs. That could mean sleeping more, less caffeine, a change in diet. When we tune into this, we can take the pressure off the Autumn and Winter seasons and avoid that feeling of burnout. Whilst this may be hard if your job is often high pressure or you are raising young kids, the awareness of our cycle can allow us to make small changes, perhaps take a longer lunch break, enjoy more baths, book a massage (when we are allowed), take more time to read and meditate. If possible, try and plan more meetings in the Spring and Summer weeks of the month. A little forward planning can really help.
We talk a lot about nutrition on the podcast and great foods for different seasons in our cycle. Sam kindly shared her suggestions with me.
Winter (During your bleed).
Grains – Buckwheat, Wild rice.
Vegetables – Beetroot, Kale, Kelp, Kombu, Mushrooms, Wakame, Water Chestnuts.
Fruits – Watermelon, Blueberry, Blackberry, Grapes, Cranberries.
Beans – Adzuki, Kidney.
Nuts – Chestnuts.
Meat – Duck, Pork.
Seafood – Catfish, Crab, Mussels, Oysters, Sardines, Lobster, Scallops, Squid.
Other – Decaf coffee, Miso, Tamari.
For sugar cravings – Root vegetables, stewed apples and cinnamon, nut butter, dates and dark chocolate are good.
Sam recommends Halo chocolate bars, which have no refined sugar in them. You can get it in Sainsburys, which I tried this week. It is around £3 a bar but tastes great. Deliciously Ella also has some coming out (Sam informs me her app is great to use).
Spring (Masculine Energy starts to rise on the way to ovulation).
Grains – Rye, Oats, Wheat.
Vegetables – Broccoli, Carrots, Courgette, Peas, Rhubarb, Spring Beans, Artichoke.
Fruits – Pomegranate, Avocado, Grapefruit, Lemon, Lime, Orange, Plum, Sour Cherry.
Beans – Butter Beans, Green Lentils, Split Pea, Black-eyed beans.
Nuts – Cashew Nuts, Brazil nuts.
Meat – Chicken, Eggs.
Seafood – Soft shell Crab, Trout.
Other – Sauerkraut, Pickles, Olives, Nut Butter, Vinegar.
Summer (Time to get things done).
Grains – Corn, Quina.
Vegetables – Asparagus, Aubergine, Red Pepper, Brussel Sprout, Chives, Dandelion, Okra, Spinach, Spring Onion.
Fruits – Tomatoes, Raspberry, Strawberry, Coconut, Apricot, Fig.
Beans – Red lentils.
Nuts – Pistachio, Pecan, Almond.
Meat – Lamb.
Seafood – Shrimp, Tuna, Salmon.
Other – Alcohol (moderate),Chocolate, Turmeric, Coffee.
Autumn (Time to wrap things up and reflect)
Grains – Millet, Brown Rice.
Vegetables – Cauliflower, Cabbage, Celery, Cucumber, Garlic, Ginger, Leek, Parsnip, Onion, Pumpkin, Squash, Sweet Potato, Watercress.
Beans – Chickpeas, Cannellini.
Fruits – Date, Apple, Peach, Raisin.
Nuts – Pine Nut, Walnut.
Meat – Beef, Turkey.
Seafood – Cod, Halibut.
Other – Spirulina, Mint, Peppermint.
We also spoke about Seed Cycling. During the first half of cycle (first day of bleed until first day of ovulation) have 1 tbsp of pumpkin seeds and flaxseeds
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Jojo Fraser is an award winning author, coach, podcaster and motivational/TEDX speaker. She has been a mental health researcher for the past 7 years and helps to empower, motivate and uplift the leaders she works with. She is known for her straight talking and bold approach. Her mission is simple – to normalise what many see as ‘the hard’ conversations and in breaking the stigma, save many lives.
She is a regular speaker on BBC Radio, a keen foodie, lover of trail running, wild swimming, spa days and she loves to sing. Jojo writes about all things mindfulness, relationships, positive psychology and lifestyle.
Tune into her daily stories on Instagram @jojofrasermojo and Facebook @jojofrasermojo.
You can purchase her first book here.
