Hypothalamic Amenorrhea: What I’m Doing Differently + Strategies for Athletes
After I got my period back in early September, I had another basically normal cycle of 33 days which is a major win! 🥳
This month’s cycle looks to be a bit wonkier / longer, so I’m working on making some adjustments. It can take some time for your hormones to normalize (even with adequate rest + nutrition), so I’m working on continuing to improve things and not ramp up my exercise too soon! (More on that below).
The couple of years prior to my period going MIA for 9 months, my cycle was already getting a bit irregular. *Shocking news.*
I would stop running for a few weeks, I would ovulate / my period would come back, and then I would go right back to my running.
And then *shockingly* my period wouldn’t come back again until I’d repeat the process. 🤦♀️
THIS TIME, I have learned from my mistakes and am doing things differently.
I’ve gained some needed weight, am at a healthier place hormonally and in general, and am committed to taking the slow and steady approach.
(Side note: the slow and steady approach IS the “fast” approach. It’s the actually productive and working-the-process approach.)
In today’s post, I’m sharing practical and mindset tips on what I’m doing differently this time around when it comes to my slow and steady approach.
I’m also sharing strategies for runners and athletes when it comes to fueling + training properly for healthy hormones! 💪
Hypothalamic Amenorrhea: What I’m Doing Differently + Strategies for Athletes
What I’m Doing Differently
I love running and being active. I miss running a lot when I’ve needed to take a break. It’s hard to not want to dive right back in the second I get my period back!!
THAT BEING SAID, catering to these feelings is the exact approach that has kept me stuck and in “time to get my period back again” mode. 😑
When the body reaches a point where it isn’t ovulating, that means it has been under significant stress for quite some time. It’s great to get your period back, but the body is still in a hypersensitive state.
Trust is still being rebuilt and your body is still repairing and restoring.
If you jump right back into training before your body has built the trust and safety it needs to continue to ovulate regularly, the same thing will happen — your body will perceive that it isn’t safe to reproduce (whether or not that is of interest to you) and will shut off ovulation again. 🙅♀️
This time around I’m working on GRADUALLY getting back into training.
In addition to building trust and safety, getting back into training gradually is also important because you need to make sure you are adjusting your eating / intake appropriately to account for said training.
This works best when done incrementally over time.
You need time to make minor tweaks to your training, while adjusting intake, to make sure your cycle is staying healthy and regular.
When bumps in the road occur (such as a month with a longer cycle), you can then back off a bit and make necessary adjustments — instead of diving right in and losing your period again entirely.
After the win of your first recovery cycle, it’s normal for the body to take some time to start cycling normally and regularly again (assuming adequate intake + rest). As mentioned, it’s still healing and building resiliency after that first cycle.
Therefore, I’m working on letting my CYCLE PARAMETERS guide my training, instead of my desire to get back into training how I want asap.
In other words, following objective reality versus my immediate feelings. 💫
Over the past couple of months, I’ve worked up to 2-3 miles of running a few times a week. I’ll head out for an hour and do a couple of miles of running followed by walking.
I’m working to make sure I’m increasing my food intake appropriately to accommodate for these increases in training.
I’m also working on monitoring my cycle length and basal body temperature, and keeping my emotions in check so that I don’t start ramping things up before my body is ready and adequately nourished!! 😑
🌟 Reminders to self:
- This gradual approach IS the fast approach. There are no short-cuts.
- Taking a gradual approach is what will allow me to get back to my training how I’d like, without moving backward again.
- There is no rush. It’s great that I’m able to be more active now and I can enjoy the process!
Healthy Hormone Strategies for Athletes
If you are an active woman, it’s especially important to be on top of your nutrition game in order to maintain or improve your hormonal health. Exercise is by nature a stressor on the body, even when it might be something we genuinely enjoy or find to be a mental stress reliever.
I think we can often underestimate the amount of calories we burn through being active, in addition to burning more at rest with increased muscle mass. It might take a LOT more food than you think to nourish your body properly!
✨ Some nutrition + training tips to consider as an active woman: ✨
EAT OFTEN
- Eat a meal or snack every 2-4 hours.
- The body perceives lack of energy (aka food aka calories) as a stressor, which raises cortisol. Women’s bodies and hormones are particularly sensitive, making it especially important to be eating regularly. When we eat regularly, the message to our body is that things are safe, we have enough energy, we aren’t in starvation mode. It’s okay to ovulate!
- Read more on the benefits of eating regularly here!
- Before your training session, it’s important to have something to eat. Again, we want the body to sense that energy is available, especially before and after a training session that is an energy-expending event for the body.
- Before-workout snack ideas include: a homemade energy ball or two, toast w/ peanut butter, or dates w/ almond butter.
- Think carbohydrate (quick energy) with some fat and/or protein.
- Before-workout snack ideas include: a homemade energy ball or two, toast w/ peanut butter, or dates w/ almond butter.
- It’s also important to refuel with a balanced meal after your training session.
- If you are training especially hard or long (such as running for over an hour), it’s important to also fuel during your training session. 🚴♀️
EAT FIRST THING IN THE MORNING
- PLEASE do not delay eating when you wake up. This goes for any woman, athlete or not!
- When we wake up, our cortisol naturally rises. Cortisol will rise even more if you don’t eat something, because the body perceives this as a stressor.
- Increased cortisol = increased stress = decreased likelihood of healthy hormones
- I recommend eating within 30 mins of waking up. Ideally, this is a solid, balanced breakfast. However, if you’re like me and greatly prefer to train early in the morning, then I recommend eating a solid snack and then refueling with a hearty breakfast soon after your exercise.
🌟 For more strategies to get your period back, check out my comprehensive guide to HA recovery.
EAT BALANCED MEALS
- Make sure you are eating enough fat, protein, and carbohydrate. They are all important for healthy + regular cycles!
- For women who are active, I recommend at least 1.6 g protein / kg of body weight each day.
- Animal protein sources are going to be vastly more nutrient-dense and supportive of hormonal health. 🍳🥓🍗
- I recommend being very generous with your healthy fat intake.
- Dietary fat is essential for hormonal health production. It is so, so good for you for so many reasons!! PLZ do not eat low-fat products.
- Some of my favorite fat sources to eat and/or recommend include: fattier meats + fish, egg yolks, tallow, ghee, grass-fed butter, full-fat dairy, coconut milk or yogurt, nuts + seeds, dark chocolate, avocado, and olive / avocado / coconut oil. 🥑🥥
- Hearty carbohydrate sources include foods like potatoes, quinoa, rice, and oats. If your body doesn’t tolerate grains, consider complex carb alternatives like chickpea pasta + rice.
- Example balanced meals:
- Chicken thighs + baked sweet potato w/ butter + sautéed green beans in olive oil + side salad w/ dressing
- Large veggie salad w/ avocado + pistachios + salmon + dressing, side of chips or pretzels
- Overnight oats (made w/ full-fat milk + dairy) w/ lots of peanut butter + drizzle of maple + blueberries
INCORPORATE ENOUGH REST
- If you are constantly training hard, the body doesn’t have enough time to rest and recover.
- Rest isn’t “just rest.” It’s an active and essential process where your body is incorporating the gains of your training!
- Rest is also a time for your body to calm down more, experience less stress physically, and divert more energy to improving and optimizing your hormones further. 👌
- Rest can (and definitely should) look like including at least one rest day a week.
- It also should look like incorporating various training intensities throughout the week and even year.
✨ What other questions do you have when it comes to fueling properly for your activity?? Share any questions in the comments! ✨
My fueling tips for athletes, along with taking the slow and steady approach — following the objective reality of how my hormones are doing and backing off / adjusting as needed — is the foundation of what I’m doing to continue maintaining and improving my hormonal health going forward.
Having a healthy and regular cycle is SO, SO important for us as women. It affects brain health, muscle health, digestive health, bone health, and more.
If you want to be running or active for the long-run (no pun intended), it’s VITAL that you pay attention to your hormonal health.
I know for me, I want to be active (in different ways) as long as I’m here on this earth! That goal starts with staying healthy and making sure my hormones are in a good place. 💫
November 12, 2025
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