Embrace Equity, Embrace Your Cycle

It's International Women's Day! This year's theme is Embrace Equity. And yes, women are equal, but absolutely not identical to men. We embrace equality among us, but we also embrace our own unique cycle, which is entirely ours. Belgian actress and Guud fan Lynn Van Royen shares her experiences of her cycle below. And we can only say, yes woman!

In touch with my body and my femininity

When Lynn stopped taking the pill, she felt a world of difference. Her natural cycle returned to normal, and she truly reconnected with her body.

I now know how my cycle progresses and I can feel the different phases approaching. I can now assess them and read myself in a way I couldn't before. I'm 33 now, and only now am I truly getting to know myself. I had already analyzed my thoughts and emotions, but not yet connected to my body, femininity, and cycle—I had lost that. I'm so happy that this movement has emerged. Let's try to spread it to more people, including men !

Watch Lynn's video below:

Want to get in touch with your cycle like Lynn?

Whether you've just started menstruating, are 20, 30, or 40, it's never too late to get to know your cycle. Lynn is now truly confident in listening to her body, and that's much easier with a natural cycle, without artificial hormones. But even with artificial hormones, you can learn to listen to what your body needs and live cyclically according to the four phases.

So wherever you are on your journey, you can always live in cycles. Are you on the pill and want to stop, like Lynn? We've written a blog post about how to make going off the pill as smooth as possible: Stopping the pill .

But, uh, what is cyclical living anyway?

Cyclic living, or living according to your cycle, primarily means listening carefully to your body and giving it what it needs. You tailor your activities to what your body demands. You can apply this to all aspects of your life, including your social life, work, bedtime, and even your exercise routine or diet!

This way of life can reduce complaints:

• Constant stress
• An overworked feeling
• PMS complaints
• Heavy periods
• Negative feelings

Morgane is the co-founder of Guud and plans her life around her cycle. It might sound excessive, but she considers the different phases of her cycle in everything she does. It works very well for her and many other women. She often gets questions about it, so she wrote a comprehensive blog post about it. Read the blog here and get inspired: Living according to your cycle .

The male versus female cycle

A word about embracing equality. So we are equal, but far from identical to men. One of the biggest differences between men and women is their hormonal cycle. Women have a cycle that lasts about a month. Men have a 24-hour cycle.

Men produce testosterone while they sleep. This hormone promotes vitality, desire, self-confidence, and muscle growth. Testosterone levels rise and peak around eight in the morning. From that point on, they drop again. This happens every 24 hours.

A good night's sleep helps produce testosterone, so a good night's sleep is naturally important for men. Men don't even notice the nighttime hormone production – they simply sleep soundly while their body does its work. Read more about it in our dedicated blog post about the male cycle .

Embrace equity embrace your cycle

And back to the embrace, we're happy to join in! Will you join us?

Tell us how you embrace that most special part of yourself, your own unique cycle? Let us know on Instagram or Facebook .

The Guud team is here to give you some inspiration!

Morgane : " I'm so grateful that charting my cycle helped me conceive naturally. I have to admit, though, that now that I'm pregnant, I miss living according to the four seasons of my cycle. Living according to my cycle brings me peace because I can make better decisions about nutrition, exercise, and work schedules. "

AG : " Like most menstruators, I grew up with limited knowledge about my cycle. I saw it as a burden I had to endure every month. But now that I embrace my cycle, I can view it positively and acknowledge my privilege. I have access to knowledge about my cycle and can choose from a variety of period products. Most importantly, I have access to period products at all. Addressing period poverty is crucial to achieving period equality, and using our privilege to do so is a superpower we possess. "

Uwe : " On the last days of my period, my winter, I feel my body awakening from hibernation, as if it can gently touch the fresh, yet warm, spring breeze with its fingertips. The moment I feel my cycle restarting comes in two phases for me. My period heralds the first step, but the transition from bleeding to the follicular phase is always humbling and hopeful. I'm really looking forward to the rest of my cycle. "

Miranda : " The spring phase of my cycle is my favorite. My skin is glowing, and I feel positive, confident, and social—literally the best version of myself. I try to embrace the other phases, too, even when I'm not as energetic. I try to remember that my body is doing something amazing, and if I'm grumpy or my workout didn't go as planned, I try to remember that it will pass. It helps me be kinder to myself ."

Sherita : "I love to embrace ovulation. I feel it almost every month, and I think it's so special! While I'm just going about my daily life, my body is working incredibly hard to mature and release another egg. I feel so special and loved that my body manages to do it every cycle. "

Here's to a strong woman... May we know them, may we be them, may we raise them! Do you have more questions about living according to your cycle? Chat with us . We're here for you.