Fitrwoman is a company that conducts leading research into how the menstrual cycle can affect athletes. In 2016 the Fitrwoman app was launched - the first app ever released that helps athletes log symptoms, track their periods and adjust their nutrition and training schedules accordingly.
The company was founded by research scientist Dr Georgie Bruinvels and since it's development, Fitrwoman has made quite an impact on elite female sports. Fitrwoman now have partnerships with the US national soccer team, Chelsea FC, and numerous other elite teams in American and the UK.
The partnership formed between Fitrwoman and Chelsea Women's team made headlines when it was announced at the start of 2020. Since then the club has incorporated Fitrwoman's values and training advice into their squad.
Esther Goldsmith, the Fitrwoman physiologist that features in my documentary, explains in further detail how Fitrwoman work to get the best out of the Chelsea squad:
Can anyone use Fitrwoman?
Yes! The app itself is free to download and use. This is all part of encouraging women and girls to begin to understand the way that their period cycle affects how their body is feeling.
The app tells you the likely symptoms you experience at certain stages of your cycle, i.e. when your body is least efficient at recovery, needs a greater amount of sleep, or may be more fatigued.
There is a coaching edition available for managers or coaching staff that would like to use Fitrwoman as a tool to help their team/sports persons train with their menstrual cycles in consideration. The price is a manageable amount.
Can this be used to prevent injury?
In some ways, yes. If you are logging symptoms, and are aware of the way the changing levels of hormones is affecting your body - then you're less likely to 'over do it' or push your body too far.
The app helps you monitor when recovery will be easier, and periods where your body may struggle. Say you choose to reduce your load in the gym during this period, you're less likely to put strain on your muscles/ligaments.
When considering an injury as serious as an ACL tear, or knee cartilage damage - the app doesn't delve in to such specific areas. But by looking after your body more, it's bound to have a positive impact on weak areas.
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