Does Menstruation Change A Woman's Metabolism?

Welcome to the positive corner of the internet. Every weekday, we make sense of the confusing world of wellness by analyzing the headlines, simplifying the latest research, and offering quick tips designed to make you healthier in less than 5 minutes. If you were forwarded this message, you can get the free daily email here.

Today’s Health Upgrade

• Number you won’t forget

• Does menstruation change a woman’s metabolism?

• Weekly wisdom

• Inspiration of the week

• Instant health boost

Longevity
Number You Won’t Forget: 82 percent

Nearly every week, we share how strength is one of the best forms of health insurance. It also might be the best way to prolong life and prevent premature death.

Research suggests that resistance training at least twice per week reduces mortality risk by up to 40 percent. 

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. 

A 30-year study found that you’re also 82 percent less likely to die from cardiovascular disease and 65 percent less likely to die from cancer. 

While there are no guarantees in life, there are good bets. And the best bet — more than any supplement, cleanse, or pill — is exercising each week and keeping your body strong. The pump protects!

Health
Does Menstruation Change A Woman’s Metabolism?

As research finally starts to focus on more diverse participants and topics, women are finally getting more answers to changes they’ve experienced but have been unable to quantify.

New research suggests that the hormones controlling hunger and fullness fluctuate during the menstrual cycle. And metabolism changes too — but not as dramatically as some might suspect.

In the latest study, scientists analyzed differences between women who take hormonal contraceptives and those who don't. They tested hormones in the follicular (beginning of the cycle) and luteal phase (after ovulation). Women who were on contraceptives were tested both on cycle (taking pills) and off (during placebo days).

The researchers found that metabolism increases by about 50 calories per day during the luteal phase. This increase could be due to the rise in progesterone, which may enhance metabolic rate and energy expenditure. But there weren’t other metabolic changes during other times in the cycle. 

Women using hormonal contraceptives did not show significant fluctuations in their energy expenditure between the active and inactive phases. This suggests hormonal contraceptives may stabilize metabolic rates by blunting the natural hormonal variations.

In women not taking contraceptives, insulin and leptin (the hormones involved in appetite regulation) are higher during the luteal phase. This might contribute to changes in appetite or food intake. But this change didn’t occur with the women using contraceptives. 

However, other research has found that water retention and body weight fluctuations increase the most later in a cycle. 

So if you feel like you’re holding more water or heavier, that’s because progesterone levels increase. This triggers a domino effect where another hormone (aldosterone) becomes more active and causes your kidneys to hold onto more sodium, increasing water retention and changing body weight — but that does not mean you’re actually gaining body fat. The good news is that these changes appear to return to normal after a temporary fluctuation.

Weekly Wisdom

Inspiration of The Week

Can one workout change your life? Maybe more than you think. 

Every week, we’re blown away by the amazing community and stories in The Pump app. We provide the tools, from workouts and nutrition to habit-building and expert guidance. However, it’s the action that makes amazing transformations possible. This week, we celebrate Vishnu, who has turned around his life in just 105 days. 

Remember, we all have the strength to lift up the world. Never doubt how one action could trigger a domino effect that dramatically changes your life. 

If you want to see if The Pump can help you, give our 7-day trial a try. And remember, if you sign up for an annual membership, you’ll receive a $100 gift card to Momentous and a free copy of The Pump Diet ($19.99 value).

Instant Health Boost
When The Motivation Fades…Watch Reruns?

We typically don’t recommend being distracted by your phone during workouts for anything other than listening to music or tracking your program, but there are exceptions to every rule.

If you’re feeling your motivation slip, streaming your favorite show on Netflix or YouTube might help. 

Research suggests watching a rerun of your favorite show may help increase motivation and drive and jumpstart more action. 

And the reason is likely not what you expect.

All motivation comes from the same part of the brain, so every decision you make — from what you want to wear for the day to having the energy to head to the gym — comes from the same reserve. At some point, your willpower runs on empty. That’s why we recommend relying on habits instead of motivation.

And that’s where a little bit of entertainment might help. The scientists believe that watching something you love is like finding a little extra fuel to add to your willpower reserve. 

But don’t just settle for any old show.

Watching something you love and have seen before appears more restorative. According to the researchers, watching something you don’t love or a new episode of a show you love doesn’t provide the same benefits as rewatching something you’ve seen before that you loved. This might explain why shows like Friends or The Office run forever in syndication. 

The researchers believe reruns boost mental by creating feelings of connection to something familiar, similar to the mental boost people experience when surrounded by people they know. So, if you can find a training partner, you’ll likely experience the same (or better) benefit.

And that’s it for this week. Thank you for being a part of the positive corner of the internet, and we hope you have a fantastic weekend!

-Arnold, Adam, and Daniel

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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger​

Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell