Is Your Menstrual Period Trying to Tell You Something?

If your period leaves you feeling exhausted or totally out of sync with your body, Gracie Norton wants you to know you’re not alone. In the latest episode of the Wellness Her Way podcast, Norton explores the menstrual phase and the days leading up to it, sharing the science behind those dreaded PMS symptoms and the habits that helped her achieve a pain-free period.

In the episode, Norton opens up about her personal journey with PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) and hormonal imbalances, and reflects on how she learned to work with her body instead of against it. From nutrition and workout tweaks to a full-on “day one” period survival kit, this episode is packed with advice for anyone looking to better understand their cycle.

Rethinking your relationship with your menstrual cycle

Norton doesn’t just view periods as a monthly inconvenience—she sees them as a vital sign of what’s going on beneath the surface. “Our period really is our fifth vital sign,” she explains, adding that it’s “a very strong indicator of our health as females.” For Norton, this realization came after being diagnosed with PCOS and experiencing months without bleeding or ovulation. “I was basically having all of the premenstrual symptoms, just wasn’t having that release and wasn’t bleeding,” she shares. “It’s such an awful feeling.”

The phases and their connections

Over time, she began to see her cycle as a built-in feedback system for hormone function, mood regulation, stress levels, and gut health. “When my period was irregular, it was just trying to communicate…that there were some things off with my body,” she says. Her PCOS diagnosis forced her to get curious about symptoms instead of brushing them off, leading to the realization that consistent, pain-free periods are actually possible with the right approach.

While most people associate discomfort with the actual days of bleeding, Norton explains that symptoms often begin well before your period even starts. “Mine personally starts to happen the last five to seven days of my luteal phase,” she says. “That week leading up to my first day of bleeding…it really affected my sleep and ability to fall back asleep.” From mood swings and breast tenderness to jawline acne and heightened emotions, the luteal phase can feel like a hormonal rollercoaster because progesterone levels drop right before your period, triggering shifts in serotonin and GABA.

That’s why she stresses the importance of prepping your body ahead of time. “In order to improve my period pain, I really had to start focusing on changing my habits like during the end of my luteal phase and almost prep my body for my period,” she explains. “Because if I waited until, you know, the first day of bleeding, it’s kind of like it’s too late, right?” Her advice? Don’t wait until the cramps hit—start caring for your body before day one.

What to change before your period arrives

So what should you do to ease the discomfort ahead of your period? “The first thing I stopped doing was running as my main form of cardio,” she shares. Instead, she switched to walking—particularly incline walking—and cut back on high-intensity workouts during the luteal phase. “My body needs that nourishment and it’s not going to be responding to stress as well,” she says.

Norton also reduced fasting and caffeine intake, and began honoring her body’s emotional needs by aligning her schedule with her cycle—avoiding big commitments during the luteal phase when energy and emotions tend to dip. “I will literally plan like when I have to travel for, you know, podcast interviews or let’s say it’s like a vacation or something,” she says. Another key shift? Letting go of blame. “The last thing I stopped doing was blaming myself for my symptoms,” she says. “There is science behind why we are feeling a shift in our mood and in our body.” 

Nutrition to support your cycle

Norton discovered that what she ate in the days leading up to and during your period had a major impact on her symptoms, energy levels, digestion, and the way she felt overall. Her go-to meals include complex carbs like sweet potatoes, quinoa, and butternut squash to help stabilize blood sugar. 

She also prioritizes foods rich in magnesium—like dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds, and avocado—to help calm the nervous system and reduce cramping. For iron, she turns to red meat, spinach, lentils, and quinoa, and makes sure to pair them with vitamin C-rich foods like oranges and bell peppers to boost absorption. Hydration is also key, and Norton leans on water-rich foods like watermelon and cucumber, bone broth for gut support, and warm meals, which she says are “more soothing on our stomach.”

Norton’s day-one survival kit

When day one of her period hits, Norton doesn’t leave her comfort to chance. “It’s kind of like your day-one period survival kit,” she says. This includes having groceries and high-protein meals prepped ahead of time. She also makes sure to stock up on non-toxic menstrual products. “You have to make sure that the things you are putting in your vagina on your period or your pad is free of toxins,” she warns, listing brands like Cora and Rael as go-to options.

For physical relief, Norton swears by heating patches, calling them “basically like a warm hug for your ovaries,” and makes time for an “everything shower” to reset and refresh. Other essentials include magnesium for cramp relief, red raspberry leaf tea, the Primally Pure Cycle Soothing Spray, and a short evening walk to promote blood flow. 

Norton’s approach to cycle syncing is ultimately about tuning into your body’s needs and finding sustainable ways to feel better throughout each phase. As she puts it, “These are the nice little things that just make your body feel a little bit more supported and a little bit more comfortable”—and for anyone struggling with painful or irregular periods, that support can be life-changing.

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