Compassion, Personalisation, & Cycles: Exercise Through the Female Lens

Your fitness journey isn’t just about workouts—it’s about understanding your body, working with its natural rhythms, and finding an approach that fits your life. Women’s experiences with exercise are shaped by everything from hormonal shifts to personal expectations and family commitments, making a one-size-fits-all plan unrealistic. By tuning into your menstrual cycle, personalising your routine, and practising self-compassion, you can build a sustainable fitness habit that feels good both physically and mentally.

Working With Your Menstrual Cycle

If you’ve ever felt unstoppable one week and exhausted the next, you’re not imagining it. Your menstrual cycle affects energy levels, strength, and recovery. The first half of your cycle (follicular phase) is often when you feel most energetic, making it a great time for higher-intensity workouts. As you move into the luteal phase, you might notice more fatigue, muscle soreness, or reduced motivation—this is normal.

Instead of pushing through exhaustion, adapting your workouts to these shifts can help you stay consistent without burnout. Tracking how you feel throughout your cycle can give you insights into when to push harder and when to focus on lower-intensity movement or rest.

Personalising Your Approach to Fitness

Many fitness plans are built around male physiology and don’t account for the reality of women’s lives. Between work, caregiving, and other responsibilities, squeezing in structured exercise can feel impossible. That’s why flexibility matters—whether it’s shorter workouts, movement that fits into your day, or shifting your routine based on how you feel. Finding movement that works for you rather than forcing yourself into a rigid plan is key to staying consistent in the long run.

Self-Compassion and Sustainable Fitness

So many women feel guilty when they can’t stick to a perfect workout schedule. But fitness isn’t about perfection—it’s about progress. Self-compassion means recognising that some weeks will look different from others, and that’s okay. Reframing goals to optimise for increased endurance or strength and supporting movement on days when your motivation and energy are lower will challenge your goals so they help you to move in a way that feels good for your body and mind, without pressure or guilt.

Finding What Works for You

Exercise should fit you, not the other way around. Understanding your cycle, personalising your approach, and practising self-compassion can help you build a routine that feels sustainable and enjoyable.

If you're struggling with consistency or finding a plan that works for your body, working with a personal trainer who understands these factors can help. A good PT will adapt your training to fit your life, not force you into a one-size-fits-all plan. If barriers like time, energy, or past fitness experiences have held you back, a wellness coach can support you in creating a plan that feels achievable.

How To Start Making a Change

Find a physical trainer who support your personal needs.

How Coaching Could Support You

Wellness and resilience coaching gives you the time and space to reflect on your experience and identify what you want, what you need, and what is holding you back. You will experience both an explorative and a practical strategies-building aspect, which will help you discover a path to becoming happier and healthier.

Find out more about coaching with me here.

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Resources

· The Female Body Bible: The Sunday Times bestselling guide to women's health and fitness - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Female-Body-Bible-Revolution-Fitness/dp/1787636194

· Adult exercisers’ attitudes toward female and male personal fitness trainers: Influence of gender, age, and exercise experience - https://thesportjournal.org/article/adult-exercisers-attitudes-toward-female-and-male-personal-fitness-trainers-influence-of-gender-age-and-exercise-experience/

· Barriers and facilitators to physical activity for young adult women: a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative literature - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9972741/

· Coaching Women Female Physiology and Considerations for Coaching Practice - https://womeninsport.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Physiology-and-considerations-for-female-athletes.pdf

· Does gender affect pulmonary function and exercise capacity? - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16406740/

· Factors influencing adherence to regular exercise in middle-aged women: a qualitative study to inform clinical practice - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3975263/

· Factors influencing regular exercise in young women: a survey study assessing the preferences and motivators for aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercise - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11837932/

· Imagery Matters: The Role of Fitness Influencers in the Reproduction of Socio-Cultural Gender Norms - https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/11628/1/11628%20Mills%20et%20al%20(2022)%20Imagery-Matters-The-Role-of-Fitness-Influencers-in-the-Reproduction-of-Socio-Cultural-Gender-Norms-SEMOJ-8-188.pdf

· Physiological and nutritional aspects of post-exercise recovery: specific recommendations for female athletes - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21923203/

· Physiological differences between genders. Implications for sports conditioning - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3529284/

· Psychosocial Variables Related to Why Women are Less Active than Men and Related Health Implications - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4933535/

· Sport, exercise and the menstrual cycle: where is the research? - https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/51/6/487

Work–Family Conflict in Coaching I: A Top-Down Perspective - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279572546_Work-Family_Conflict_in_Coaching_I_A_Top-Down_Perspective