My PMOS Diagnosis Changed Everything. Here's How Cycle Syncing Brought Me Back In Tune With My Body

Before I found cycle syncing, I was in that headspace of doing what I thought I should be doing, rather than what actually felt right for my body. I was forcing myself to work out most days and restricting my food intake, then binge eating. I was constantly in fight-or-flight mode without even realising it. At the same time, I had quite a few symptoms I didn't really question. Bloating, skin flare-ups, quite painful cramps, PMS, mood changes and energy that felt really up and down across the month. It felt inconsistent, and I didn't understand why.

I also wasn't in tune with my body at all. I thought being disciplined meant ignoring how I felt and sticking to the plan, rather than adjusting based on what my body actually needed. With food, I was eating "healthy", but it was quite surface level. I wasn't thinking about things like blood sugar, minerals, or how my needs might shift throughout the month.

Looking back, I think the biggest thing was that disconnect. I was doing all the right things on paper, but I didn't feel good in myself, and I didn't have the knowledge to understand what my body was trying to tell me.

Then I was diagnosed with PMOS (previously PCOS), and everything started to shift. I had all the classic symptoms: irregular periods, really long cycles, skin breakouts, hair loss and my mood all over the place. Getting that diagnosis honestly gave me so much clarity. It gave me an explanation, and for the first time I felt like I actually understood what might be going on. That's really where everything started. I began learning more about hormones, about the cycle, and how I could support my body instead of just pushing through.

At the beginning, it wasn't like I suddenly changed everything overnight. It was more subtle than that. I started tracking my cycle properly, noticing patterns in my energy, my mood, how strong I felt, how well I recovered. The first change wasn't physical; it was more that I felt connected and in control.

Within a couple of cycles, I noticed that when I adjusted my workouts or even just gave myself permission to slow down at certain times, everything felt easier. I wasn't fighting my body as much. Then over time, the bigger shifts came. My energy felt more stable, my skin improved, I wasn't as inflamed, and I felt a lot more in control of how I felt day to day.

When I talk about cycle syncing, I'm essentially talking about working with your body instead of expecting it to be the same every single day. A lot of traditional workout plans and nutrition advice don't take into account that women's hormones are constantly changing across the month, and it really does affect everything: energy, metabolism, mood and even how we respond to certain foods.

I also talk a lot about three kinds of intelligence that cycle syncing helps develop. Hormonal intelligence is understanding what's happening in your body: knowing your cycle, your patterns, what's changing. Somatic intelligence is your ability to actually feel your body, so instead of ignoring signals, you're tuned into them. You know when you're tired, when you need to slow down, or when you actually have the energy to push. And energetic intelligence is more about your patterns across the month: when you feel more social, more creative, more inward.

For me, it all links back to stress. Because if you're ignoring all of those things and just pushing through, your body ends up in a constant state of stress, and that's where a lot of issues come from.

I started this journey in 2022 when I was diagnosed with PMOS (previously PCOS), and it has completely changed my mindset towards health and fitness. I feel a lot calmer and a lot more connected to my body. That phrase "listen to your body" used to confuse me, but now it actually makes sense. The biggest shift is knowing when to push and when to pull back. There's still resilience there. I'm not avoiding hard things. But I'm choosing when to lean into that, rather than forcing it all the time or punishing my body when it doesn't respond the way I wanted.

There's so much information out there around fitness and nutrition, but a lot of it is built in a way that doesn't properly take the female body into account. What I've realised is that the female body is incredibly intuitive. It's always giving you signals, whether through your energy, your mood, your cravings or your recovery. But most of us have never been taught how to understand those signals, so we end up ignoring them or working against them.

I want women to feel like they can trust their body again, work with it instead of constantly trying to control it, and actually enjoy looking after themselves. Because when it feels supportive rather than forced, that's when things become consistent without feeling like a constant effort.