lunae collective

📣 FREE CYCLICAL WORKOUTS FEB 14-28 📣

I’m taking a little poetic license with this quote from because it describes what female fitness should look like.

🌀No (wo)man ever steps in the same river twice for it is not the same river and (s)he is not the same (wo)man.

You are the woman and your workouts are the river. You are NOT the same from one week to the next and your workouts shouldn’t be either.

If you’ve been burned by exercise before and you’re ready to heal your relationship with working out, this upgrade is for you. Here’s what you’ll get:

⭐️ A menstrual cycle-informed roadmap of exercise that will help you look forward to workouts because they don’t stress you out.

⭐️ Daily video and email check-ins with easy wins to build muscle memory and sustainable workout habits that keep you showing up consistently.

⭐️ 30-minute daily workout videos that are designed with your cycle in mind to help you avoid burnout, stubborn weight gain, and fatigue.

⭐️ A full calendar of 20+ workouts that is yours to keep.​ These workouts use minimal equipment (dumbbells only) and can be done from home or gym!​

⭐️ ​All you have to do is show up for 30 minutes a day!

🎉 We start FEBRUARY 14! 💬Comment UPGRADE and I’ll send you think link to sign up!
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“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?” —Marianne Williamson

International Women's Day celebrates the accomplishments, resilience, and strength of women around the world and throughout history.

I hope that you find time today (and every day) to honor your own resilience and strength. Step into what makes you feel “powerful beyond measure” and when your dreams are so big that they scare you, continue asking yourself, “why not?”

My dream was made possible by women just like YOU. On I invite you to celebrate yourself and your menstrual cycle with movement designed for women ⬇️

⭐️ Get your first month FREE when you sign up for a free trial of lunae’s monthly membership with 200+ cycle-informed workouts including strength, yoga, and pilates.

⭐️ Get 50% OFF any program in The Balanced Body collection where you’ll find a complete guide to cyclical fitness in a 12-week scalable workout program that mirrors your hormones for better results.

➡️ Use offer code WOMENSDAY50 ❤️ links in bio

The Balanced Body Collection is officially open! 🎉This comprehensive course and workout program will serve you wherever you land on the continuum of body literacy and cyclical fitness.

Here’s what’s inside…

The Balanced Body COURSE
+ Beautifully designed and expertly curated lessons that cover hormones, stress, immune function, and mapping your cyclical rhythm.
+ Learn the key principles of strength training and how to optimize them for your female physiology with a roadmap in each phase.
+ Get to know how your stress response works for exercise that won’t stress you out.
+ Discover a better way to fuel your active metabolism for weight loss and improved body composition that won’t disrupt your hormones.
+ Get clear on what drives you and start building powerful goals for a lasting relationship with fitness that you enjoy.

The Balanced Body WORKOUTS
+ Over 60 scalable strength, yoga, and conditioning workouts that support the energetics in each phase of your cycle.
+ A structured 12-week calendar that lets you choose your training frequency and flow.
+ Movement tutorials, workout logs, and detailed breakdowns support you every step of the way.
+ Put your body wisdom into practice with movement you look forward to.

The Balanced Body DELUXE *best value
+ Lifetime access to the Balanced Body course and workouts above.
+ Save $100 when you purchase them together!
+ Get the Balanced Body Map journal for FREE for a limited time.

🔗 Click the link in bio to learn more.

In case you missed it, there’s still time to get in on VIP savings for the entire Balanced Body collection. Leave me a note in the comments and I’ll send you the details! 📩

Let’s do this!! XO

When asked in a recent podcast about lower intensity workouts during the luteal phase responded with another mic-drop moment saying that: “low strain is not a female tax.”

She explains that lower strain i.e. reducing workout intensity during the luteal phase is about how your body responds to stress, how you absorb the training, and how well you recover.

It’s not a levy placed on women that inhibits training consistency or fitness goals. Instead, lower strain helps you maximize the potential benefits of exercise.

The luteal phase is tricky because it has 3 distinct hormone states and each one invites a different approach for optimum performance/recovery.

This month’s release in the lunae roadmap takes a closer look at each hormone state and how to work out in the luteal phase.

⭐️ Early Luteal (3–5 days): mini low-hormone reset following ovulation

There is a slight dip in hormones during the time it takes a ruptured follicle to transform into the corpus luteum and secrete progesterone.

➡️ There isn’t a hard stop after ovulation for high-intensity workouts. There are a few days of peak performance that help you make the most of the early luteal phase.

⭐️ Mid Luteal (5–7 days): rising hormones bring marked changes in performance & metabolism

Around a week after ovulation, high hormones bring a slight decline in performance. Additionally, a higher metabolic rate burns more calories overall and you have less reserve for exercise without an upgrade in nutrition.

➡️ All signs point to lower intensity efforts. Decrease your load while increasing reps to stay in the endurance zone and leverage your slower, fat-burning metabolic pathway.

⭐️ Late Luteal (3-5 days): rapid hormone decline w/ increased inflammation & mood shifts

The late luteal phase is often marked by a turbulent hormonal landscape. In addition to entering a pro-inflammatory state, the dramatic decline in estrogen affects serotonin production, cognitive ability, and energy levels while decreasing progesterone can impact sleep and increase anxiety.

➡️ Use movement as an antidote to stress with gentle and calming practices that soothe your nervous system & reduce symptoms.

This month’s workout release is now on YouTube! (🔗in bio) This cyclical starter series marks a return to the beginner's mind, a Zen Buddhist concept that invites us to stay curious and continuously evolve.

These workouts are for beginners and masters alike because no matter where you land on the fitness spectrum, returning to the basics is a valuable practice. It helps you avoid a common misstep of mastery where the more you know, the more likely you are to close your mind to further learning.

“In the beginner's mind, there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind, there are few.” — Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Buddhist

The beginner’s mind allows you to experience novelty in the familiar and move beyond existing thresholds. This can help break through plateaus if you’ve been at it for a while or set strong foundations if you’re just getting started.

⭐️LET GO OF ASSUMPTIONS. Be willing to show up exactly as you are on any given day. Just because it felt right last week or last cycle, doesn’t mean it has to today. Let your body inform your workouts.

➡️ This is a tenet of cyclical fitness because our physiology (and therefore performance) is influenced by hormones.

⭐️ STAY CURIOUS. You may have achieved expert status in basic movements like squats or deadlifts, but when was the last time you adjusted your position or paid attention to how you’re loading your feet? Give yourself room to refine each exercise and experience something new.

➡️ This happened to me recently when I realized (after 10+ years!) that my feet felt too wide during squats. A minor adjustment in my stance alleviated the subtle hip strain that I hadn’t even noticed was there. Such a simple change unlocked new depths of movement and allowed me to make progress with heavier weight!

⭐️REFRAME BEGINNER. Remember, beginner doesn’t mean easy. In fact, when you can recruit your muscles to do more in simple exercises, you might find that new challenges become available!

➡️ A beginner's mind allows you to integrate movement patterns more deeply as your mechanics improve.

Refresh the fundamentals & let your body be moved—join me on YouTube!

Hey movers! It's been a while, but I'm back on instagram for a hot minute with some exciting news…

The lunae collective membership is moving to YouTube! 🎥

As a female business owner, my mission centers around elevating exercise with deeply-connected practices that honor your hormones and mirror your energetic flow.

The decision to change platforms makes these practices even more accessible and supports lunae’s growing library as we’re quickly outgrowning our current home.

With the switch to YouTube, lunae still brings you all the cycle-informed workouts you love—strength training, yoga, pilates, and more—with a few upgrades that come with this top streaming platform:

✅ Faster load times & better video quality
✅ Access to workouts via mobile app & smart TVs
✅ Lower pricing at $4.99/month!!

➡️ It’s easy to sign up and you can test drive tons of free workouts any time—check out the link in bio!

Happy summer solstice movers! ☀️

As a special gift to celebrate this energetic season, you can now download the first month of my cyclical strength & yoga program—The Balanced Body—for FREE! 😎

If you’re ready to put cyclical fitness theory into practice, check out a full month of phasic workouts and rest-day sessions in this complete guide/workout calendar. 🗓

DM “summer” to for your FREE download 📩

Happy summer solstice movers! ☀️

As a special gift to celebrate this energetic season, you can now download the first month of my cyclical strength & yoga program—The Balanced Body—for FREE! 😎

If you’re ready to put cyclical fitness into practice, check out a full month of phasic workouts and rest-day sessions in this complete guide/workout calendar. 🗓

DM “summer” to for your FREE download 📩

This month in the lunae roadmap is all about the menstrual phase with a full lineup of new practices to meet you wherever you are on the period symptom scale.

You can flow your own way with everything from slow strength training to deeply nourishing rest-day sessions.

One of my favorites from this latest release is a restorative yoga practice for the days when you need a little soul soothing during your period.

Join me on YouTube for 30 minutes of gentle, restorative postures to help soothe period symptoms before an extended 10-minute savasana in legs up the wall. 🔗 link in bio

I invite you to reframe the heaviness that sometimes accompanies menstruation as a deeply introspective time that welcomes the quiet calm of practice. This is the essence of self-care during the menstrual phase.

Sending all my love from day one of a new cycle. ❤️

P.S. If you need more movement support during flow days, check out the FREE 7-day workout plan for your period in my bio or get access to 250+ practices by starting your 14-day trial!

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I am a strong believer in storytelling & I’m sharing this update to inspire self-advocacy and body literacy as practices of self-love and hope.

If you missed the previous posts, here’s a quick overview:

◖ I had gestational diabetes in 2 closely spaced pregnancies that I managed with diet & exercise.
◖ When symptoms returned 2 years postpartum, a metabolic panel revealed prediabetes.
◖ I was prescribed metformin as a lifelong intervention, but I elected to use a continuous glucose monitor before taking it.
◖ This pointed to a cyclical pattern in my symptoms & I opted out of meds in favor of a phasic protocol to stabilize glucose.

The above protocol (🔗 in bio) reversed my prediabetes diagnosis, but I still had extreme glucose excursions & symptoms of insulin resistance.

I pursued follow-up conversations with 2 more doctors wherein the solutions were either “exercise more & eat fewer carbs” or “take medication” and they were offered with little regard for my concerns.

This was disappointing, albeit unsurprising, in a world where women are often encouraged to defer to authority, particularly in the medical setting.

I felt like giving up, but pressed on with more questions until finally, in the office of a third doctor, someone actually listened to my story. I was brought to tears when, with kindness in her voice, she replied plainly, “this doesn’t add up.”

Under her expert care, another series of tests revealed latent autoimmune diabetes (LADA). All it took was a little compassion & curiosity to finally understand what was going on.

The result was a growing trust in my intuition.

I was hopeful that with a correct diagnosis, I might pursue preventative measures covered by insurance to delay insulin intervention. Instead, I learned that I am not covered until my condition gets much worse.

Though I remain disappointed in our broken system, I am confident in body literacy as means for women to take agency over their health.

These embodied practices of awareness and self-care go beyond just the menstrual cycle and help us map the entire inner landscape with lived experience as our true north.

The Balanced Body opens in just two weeks! This is an integrated strength and yoga program designed for real women with real, cyclical bodies.

You deserve to take the upgrade when it comes to exercise and the truth is movement can (and should) feel good.

This is why I created The Balanced Body to help you get the results you’ve been working so hard for without the stress and setbacks that often come with conventional training.

The Balanced Body is a practical guide to cyclical fitness that brings you both theory and practice to tap into your body’s wisdom.

the THEORY
◖ In a self-paced course with step-by-step guidance on building a sustainable movement practice that is optimized for your changing hormones.

◖ Here, you’ll learn what every woman should know about her cycle and build a solid foundation in movement mechanics, strength training, and embodied exercise.
◖ You’ll also learn how to leverage your female metabolism for weight loss and fuel workouts for better body composition.

the PRACTICE
◖ This 12-week program looks more like a mini membership with 60+ guided workout videos, movement tutorials, workout logs, and tracking worksheets.

◖ Follow a monthly calendar with strength training and yoga sessions that are programmed on purpose to serve your unique balanced body.

◖ You’ll get a detailed breakdown of each workout so you can use them at home with minimal equipment or take them to your gym.

🔗 Head on over to the link in bio to get on the mailing list and receive VIP pricing and other exclusive offers when this program opens on FEB 14!!!

📩 DM me or add your questions in the comments—I love hearing from you!

In part 3 of this series on blood sugar & your cycle, we’re diving into stress.

While reviewing data from our CGMs in each phase, there were expected cyclical fluctuations in food-related glucose patterns e.g. lower carb tolerance in the luteal phase was reflected in higher post-meal values.

What was unexpected—but not surprising—was the correlation between non-food glucose spikes and stress.

Let’s start with a primer on the stress response…

Your nervous system responds to stressors by releasing cortisol. This brings survival systems online. As a result, blood glucose levels rise making energy available to address an immediate threat with physical activity e.g. fighting or fleeing.

With modern stressors, physical activity isn’t typically necessary and as a result blood glucose stays elevated without an energy demand to counter the spike.

The first step in reducing stress is to identify your body’s signals. When you become aware of stress as it is happening, you can then arm yourself with tools to release energy and calm the nervous system. We’ve identified a few of these in-the-moment tools for addressing stressful situations.

◖ The 90-second rule. When a stressful emotion is triggered by something external, the body undergoes a 90-second chemical process in response. After the initial 90 seconds, it requires conscious thought to stay in the emotion.

➡️ When possible, allow 90-seconds for a stressful emotion to be metabolized so you can make a conscious choice about your response.

◖ Energy release. When stressed, your body is energized for movement. In the absence of movement, the energy has nowhere to go.

➡️ Give elevated energy an exit strategy through movement, sound, or muscle activation. Squat in place, scream into a pillow, let out a lion’s breath, go for a walk, squeeze your fists, do some jumping jacks.

◖ Expand your exhale. When you inhale, your heart rate increases. When you exhale it slows down. Lengthening exhales relative inhales can activate the parasympathetic nervous system and help calm you down.

➡️ Inhale deeply for 4 counts, exhale deeply for 8 counts. For a stress-relieving bonus, let out “OM” as you do.

Our previous post highlighted how unstable blood sugar can worsen PMS & disrupt the production of s*x hormones, especially in the luteal phase.

When blood sugar is unreliable, the resulting cortisol spikes can trigger inflammation, cravings & fatigue.

𝗦𝗼 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵-𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗠𝗦?

We collected data using continuous glucose monitors throughout our cycles to test the effectiveness of the interventions below. The result was a significant reduction in fasting and post-meal readings with less extreme spikes/dips.

𝗣𝗿𝗲-𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸 apple cider vinegar (ACV) or fiber to slow the release of glucose. 1 tbsp ACV or 1 tsp psyllium husk in 8 oz of water, 20 min before meals & at bedtime.

𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀. Your body prefers sourcing energy from fatty acids in this phase. Consider exchanging (not eliminating) carbs for more protein & healthy fats.

𝗡𝗼 𝗻𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗯𝘀. Pair carbs w/ a protein or fat to lighten the glycemic load & reduce spikes.

𝗦𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 slows the release of glucose & normalize post-meal spikes. First fiber (veggies) → then protein/fat → finish w/ carbs.

𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘂𝗽. In addition to anti-inflammatory properties, turmeric has been shown to reduce blood glucose levels. *add black pepper for bioavailability

𝗟𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴. Allow 3-4 hours b/w meals to give blood sugar a chance to ‘reset’ & don’t forget to add calories to each meal to meet higher baseline energy demand in the luteal phase.

𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀. 15 min of low-intensity movement in the hour after meals reduces blood sugar spikes by creating a glucose demand.

𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆. Gradually decrease intensity after ovulation with lowest exertion during the last week of your cycle. Work out closer to midday to reduce the cumulative effect of cortisol in the AM.

𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀. This one is so important that we’re devoting an entire post to it in part 3!

Up next ➡️ stress & your blood sugar!

🎉 It’s here!

You’ve been asking…and the cycle tracker + fitness journal + embodiment guide is ready to facilitate your cyclical awakening. 💕

and have joined forces to bring you The Balanced Body Map—a 90-day guided deep dive into cyclical awareness, movement, and self-care.

As you fill these pages, you’ll start to align with the woman you are building while honoring where you are today.

This makes the perfect gift for any woman in your life (including yourself), especially for those wanting to take the first step towards cyclical self-care.

The Balanced Body Map is also a perfect complement to The Keeping Balance Method and your lunae collective membership.

Choose from multiple options that are compatible with all devices and printers.

🌱 eco-friendly fillable version for online use
✍️printable booklet version to put pen to paper

Early bird pricing is ON NOW! Click the link in our bios and get the journal delivered to your inbox in seconds! 🤩

It’s lunae’s birthday month and as a thank you for supporting our first trip around the sun, this month’s release of 8 phasic movement practices can be accessed for free in September.

🔗 Check out the first link in bio!

In this series, you’ll find a sample of the lunae roadmap of cyclical exercise. Give the membership a test drive with no strings attached!

➡️ Members, stay tuned to your inbox for some extra special offers and giveaways this month!
➡️ Not a member yet? Here’s a quick overview to make the lunae movement practices work for you!

✨ Each video includes a brief intro to highlight the phasic rhythm and how the workout supports your cyclical physiology.

✨ Where appropriate, you’ll also find a movement tutorial outlining the workout structure with detailed form cues and mechanics.

✨ I encourage you to check out the intro and tutorial in advance of your sweat session so you can maximize the time you’ve dedicated to exercise! The workouts are typically shorter than the actual video length. 😉

✨ Most videos include a warm-up and cool-down to bookend each workout. For stand alone workouts, a link to these complementary elements is provided as appropriate. If you’re warming up or cooling down on your own, skip ahead using the times

✨ Timestamps are included in the description of each video so you can skip ahead as needed!

I enter this month with absolute awe and gratitude for the incredible women I’ve had the privilege of working with so far. It’s an exciting time to be alive when so many powerful voices are speaking up and sharing their stories. ❤️ I am here for it fully and I’m honored you are too.

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🚨 September Giveaways 🚨 When you sign up for a free trial in September, you’ll be grandmothered in at the existing rate of $9 monthly | $96 yearly for the lifetime of your membership AND you’ll be entered to win some extra special giveaways to support a more peaceful period ➡️ More details coming via email when you sign up!

If you’re already a member—THANK YOU for being here. Your membership pricing will stay the same for life. 😘 Plus, when you refer a friend to a monthly trial in September, you will both be entered into the giveaway. Just ask them to include your name when they sign up!

Let’s celebrate each cycle and move by the moon. And don’t forget, you can access the September workout release for free this month via the link in bio! 🔗

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A little member love 🤍 Thank you for sharing your words and for letting your body be moved.
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Ready to get sustainably strong AND keep your hormones happy?

This series guides you through a full cycle of strength workouts that implement the progressive overload principle as appropriate for each cycle phase.

Following the energetic arc of your cycle, you’ll find 2 upper body and 2 lower body workouts in each phase that build incrementally from one week to the next.

Each week’s workouts will deliver a challenge that feels just right and as you continue building your strength practice, this series can be repeated for multiple cycles.

This collection is extra special because it includes a ⭐️ 𝟯𝟬-𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 ⭐️ featuring:

◽️ A comprehensive guide on the progressive overload principle and how to get the most out of this series for better (not faster) results.

◽️ A detailed calendar linking you to a specific strength workout on each day of the month along with select workouts for your period, recovery, and PMS support.

◽️ A workout log that breaks down each practice, gives you space to track and reflect on your progress, and offers cyclical inspiration along the way.

I know that you will feel a difference when the series is over—this one has been transformative for my own practice and I am so excited to share it with you!

Members ➡️ You’ll find the workout journal for download in the resources tab below each workout or at the bottom of the collection view. 🤍

Not ready for a membership? ➡️ This series and many others are now available for one-time purchase starting at $24!

🔗 link in bio

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