Female

Your menstrual cycle has four phases: menstrual, follicular, ovulatory and luteal. Shifting hormone levels across those phases can change your energy, mood, appetite, sleep and how you recover from training.

Tracking your cycle for a few months helps you notice your own patterns, so you can plan harder training for days you feel strongest and give yourself more grace when you need it.

Speak to your GP if your periods are very heavy, very painful, irregular, or stop for three months or more when you’re not pregnant.

If you’re planning a pregnancy, the NHS recommends taking a 400 microgram folic acid supplement every day from before you conceive until 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Eating well, staying active, keeping alcohol low, not smoking and looking after your sleep and stress all support preconception health, for both partners.

See your GP if you haven’t conceived after a year of trying, or sooner if you’re 36 or over or have a known condition that may affect fertility.

Staying active in pregnancy is generally encouraged, but check with your midwife or GP first and adapt as your body changes.

After birth, your recovery comes first. Your 6 to 8 week postnatal check is a good time to talk about returning to exercise. Start gently, rebuild your pelvic floor and core, and build up gradually.

Leaking, heaviness, pain or a gap in your tummy muscles that isn’t improving are worth raising with your GP or a women’s health physiotherapist.

Menopause usually happens between 45 and 55, with perimenopause often starting several years before. Hot flushes, poor sleep, low mood, brain fog and joint aches are common.

Strength training, enough protein, good sleep and managing stress can make a real difference to how you feel and to your long-term health.

There are effective treatments, including HRT. Talk to your GP about your symptoms and options.

Women lose bone and muscle faster after menopause, so building strength earlier matters. UK guidelines recommend muscle-strengthening activity on at least two days a week, alongside regular movement.

Calcium-rich foods and vitamin D support bone health. The NHS advises everyone to consider a 10 microgram vitamin D supplement during autumn and winter.

Heart health matters too: move daily, eat plenty of fibre, keep blood pressure in check and know your family history.

Your worth isn’t measured by a number on the scales. Caring for your body is an act of stewardship, not punishment.

Focus on what your body can do: getting stronger, feeling more energised, sleeping better. Celebrate those wins.

If your relationship with food or your body feels difficult, you don’t have to face it alone. Speak to your GP, or contact Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity.