Navigating Hormones and Birth Control Through Training
By Josie Fouts
Not only is the bicycle a great exercise machine for the body, but it also trains the mind. Riding requires my full, undivided attention, and understanding how all bicycle components work together to maintain forward motion is the ultimate life lesson.
With only 18 months of training on a bike under my belt, I've already learned more about myself, my strengths and weaknesses, than I had in the previous 18 years of formal education.
My name is Josie Fouts, and I am a scientist by trade. I am also deep in the process of discovering the human body's capabilities as I train as an elite para cyclist.
With my eyes set on the Tokyo 2021 Paralympics, I've been exploring every detail of my physical abilities and questioning how to get the best performance from my body, including questions about the effects of birth control on athletic performance.
From Researcher to Athlete
Thanks to my scientific background, I can comprehend complex research and turn it into a competitive edge on the bike and in training. I can study detailed physiological research to better understand myself and my performance.
However, some things are not well understood or are difficult to interpret. Jargon can be confusing, health providers may approach questions from different perspectives, and the practical message can easily get lost in translation.
For example, much of the historical sports science literature has been based on male test subjects. Research involving women has often been more limited, and hormonal variation can add another layer of complexity.
The way I see it, understanding the menstrual cycle is just one piece of the puzzle, one cog in the cassette. Ignoring its importance when looking at a person as a whole is like riding an 11-speed bike but only shifting the front derailleur.
Learning to Listen to My Body
Understanding how the systems of the human body work together was the finish line for my formal education. At the same time, it became the starting point of my Paralympic journey.
Translating my knowledge into action has been like bridging a gap on the bike without knowing how far the lead group is ahead.
As part of that process, I decided that changing how I used hormonal birth control was the right choice for me and my training. I was also curious about how long it might take for my natural cycle to settle afterward.
Research can be difficult to apply to one individual, especially when so many personal factors are involved. This was one of the first times the bicycle taught me about mental balance, and the way I see it, training as an elite para cyclist is transforming me from researcher into test subject.
Training Smarter, Not Harder
Today, I continue to strive for the Tokyo Paralympics, and the bicycle continues to teach me life lessons I would have never learned in school.
As riding a bicycle philosophically proves, life is about balance. Intense days are balanced with rest days. High-energy days are balanced with low-energy days. The mind is balanced with the body.
Some days my head is daydreaming of medals while my body is asking for extra time off the bike because I'm relatively new to endurance training. Sometimes they're aligned.
The way I see it, I can override my body's signals with my mind's idealized picture of myself, essentially pumping the brakes while pedaling at the same time, or I can roll with the ebb and flow.
I choose the latter. I use my head to train smarter, not harder, balancing life both on and off the bike.
