Diary of an academic mum

Dr Breanne Kunstler (BBiomedSci, BHealthSci, MPhysio, PhD). Physiotherapist, behaviour change scientist and run coach. This is written for the female recreational athlete not taking hormonal contraception and not currently pregnant or breastfeeding. Why do I track my menstrual cycle? As a 30-something year old woman, I have paid close attention to my menstrual cycle for several years. I mainly did this because I wanted to start a family, but now it’s because I know that I feel better and worse when I run depending on the time of the month. It turns out there’s a scientific explanation for this! Menstrual cycle 101 You need to know a couple of things before I begin this post. Week 1 of the 4-week menstrual cycle (typically it’s 4, but it can vary) is when you have your period (“monthly bleed”) and hormone (oestrogen and progesterone) levels are low. Oestrogen levels peak before ovulation, or release of an egg, which happens about 2 weeks after the beginning of your monthly ble...

Dr Breanne Kunstler (BBiomedSci, BHealthSci, MPhysio, PhD).  Physiotherapist, behaviour change scientist and run coach. "That's not a fun run, that's a shit run!" is what I told my dietician when she asked how I feel when I run on a carb-restricted diet. This was just after I told her that I am training to achieve a sub-90min half marathon, and about 6 months after I walked into her office asking for help to prevent the worsening of disordered eating behaviours. I came a long way in 2020. I not only re-gained 20% of my pre-baby weight, and almost 100% of my self respect, but I also came a long way in my recovery from a 10 year battle with a disordered eating. I have made significant improvements in my mental and physical health while learning more about myself than I could ever imagine.  How has my running changed? I always identified as a long distance endurance runner. I defined that as a being a 'plodder', where I'd just plod along until I happened to c...