You may have heard before that in order to get your period back with Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (aka a missing period due to under eating, overexercise and/or STRESS)...you need to exercise less.
With my clients, I actually recommend taking a FULL exercise break.
I believe this to be proven by the data we have on women who lose their periods due to HA, and the BEST path to regaining optimal hormonal health + become truly healthy and fit.
I took a 3 month exercise break back in 2018, and have walked hundreds of clients through this process.
I break down the what, how and why behind exercise breaks in this episode.
An exercise break = Temporarily stopping all structured exercise and only doing low-intensity exercise IF truly desired in the moment.
Taking an exercise break helps you get your period back by:
Reducing cortisol (not suppressing the hypothalamus)
Creating the proper calorie surplus to increase estrogen, leptin and insulin (sends signals to the hypothalamus: “we are fed”)
🤓 Evidence to back this up:
According to the research conducted by Dr. Nicola Rinaldi (author of the book No Period Now What), women who…
Decreased intensity of exercise from a score of 7 to 3.5
Reduced their time spent exercising to 3 hours per week at a lower intensity
Immediately reduced exercise vs gradually reduced exercise
…were most likely to regain their cycles.
Other reasons an exercise break is helpful (especially for those who are also struggling with binge eating and constant food thoughts):
Removes the hunger suppression effect that exercise can have, preventing extreme hunger and binge eating episodes later on
Decreases the feeling of never satisfied, and feeling uncomfortably full by the time you’re done eating
Improves digestion by getting out of “fight or flight” and into “rest and digest”
Disconnects exercise as a crutch to allow yourself to eat, or be okay with your body image - so you can have a TRULY joyful, empowering, non-stressful relationship with it
What reincorporating exercise after a break looks like:
Waiting till 3, consecutive cycles (“recovery periods”)
Reintegrating slow and steady
Increasing to the amount/intensity you desire over time
I go into loooots more detail and nuance in this episode - so give it a listen if you want to learn more!
Click here to learn more about my coaching programs + free resources: bit.ly/elenakwebsite
Contact me:
DM me on Instagram @elenakunickird
Email me at elena@elenakunicki.com
Resources for this episode:
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/target-heart-rates (low intensity heart rate zones)
No Period Now What Book (Page 158)
https://elenakunicki.libsyn.com/the-cause-of-your-missingirregular-period-how-to-get-it-back-qa-with-elena (What is HA)
https://elenakunicki.libsyn.com/returning-to-the-gym-after-an-exercise-break (Returning to exercise after a break)