Ellen Barrett and Kate Hanley are the co-authors of the brand new book The 28 Days Lighter Diet: Your Monthly Plan to Lose Weight, End PMS, and Achieve Physical and Emotional Wellness.

The book covers how to sync your diet, exercise, and life to your cycle, so you’re working with your body instead of beating it into submission. The Diva Team had a chance to talk to Ellen and Kate about the writing process and their upcoming Super Summit!

1. Can you share a bit about why you decided to write a book like this?

We noticed an unsettling trend with just about every woman we worked with – they pretty much all had issues with their cycle and also had weight struggles. We also knew from our individual experiences that common woes, such as PMS and extra pounds, are changeable with a few minor adjustments to your diet, fitness routine, and lifestyle. And we wanted women to see that they don’t have to just accept feeling less-than-great–they can use their cycle as a guide for what to do and when.

2. What exactly is the problem with being out of touch with our cycles?

Well, for one, it’s ridiculously unnatural – like being out of touch with the seasons…like driving a convertible in a snowstorm – it’s that ridiculous! Secondly, women miss out when you are out of touch, because the cycle is a perfect GPS system leading us towards optimal wellness. When you aren’t really sure where you are in your cycle, it’s so easy to nudge yourself out of balance. You may go to a spinning class on a day when your energy level is at its lowest, for example, and feel like a failure because you couldn’t keep up. Or go for a run the day before your period, when the uterus is twice its normal weight, and contribute to a misalignment that, over time, can add up to painful periods or even infertility. Or keep yourself booked solid during your pre-menstruation week when what your psyche is really craving some alone time. Meaning, you’ll be way more likely to pick fights or overreact to things that would otherwise not even catch your attention. Life flows (pardon the pun) a lot more easily when you give yourself just what you need just when you need it.

3. Can you share a bit about the Energy Wheel?

The 28 DAYS LIGHTER DIET Energy Wheel is an easy way to track your cycle, monitor your wellbeing, and plan your life. The cycle is a circle–when you get to the end, you immediately start again at the beginning, so our chart isn’t a traditional square calendar – it’s a circle too. As simple as the Energy Wheel is, it’s an extremely powerful tool for helping you really see how you experience your individual cycle and how any changes you make to your routines impact your wellbeing.

4. Who are the Wise Woman, Mother and Vixen and why are they so important?

They are prototypes for who we are energetically during each phase of the cycle. Phase I, Wise Woman, is still and knowing. Phase II , Mother, is all powerful. Phase III, Vixen, is intuitive and daring. They represent all the aspects of being a woman. They mean we don’t have to shut off any part of ourselves, they all have a place at the table. And it also means we don’t have to be all things at once, which is a huge relief!

5. Of the recipes in your book, which is your favorite and why?

Ellen: I’m a breakfast girl (and often have breakfast foods for dinner), so I’d say the “Almost Eggs Florentine”” on page 140.

Kate: I am loving the Escarole and Bean soup! The Energy Balls are a close second, however. Love having something on hand that satisfies a sweet tooth but still delivers a ton of nutrition.

6. What advice would you give to young girls first starting their periods?

1. It’s a blessing, not a curse. 2. Don’t use tampons. 3. Rest on Day 1.

7. What advice would you give to women well into their menstruating years?

1. It’s a blessing, not a curse. 2. Don’t use tampons. 3. Rest on Day 1.

8. What was the most interesting thing you learned about women’s health while researching for the book?

The biggest revelation was about how the birth control pill is way more dangerous than we previously thought yet it continues to be prescribed by doctors like it’s no big deal.

9. Final question… what’s on your playlist?

Ellen: I just downloaded a few songs from Lorde – love her.

Kate: I can’t stop listening to “Happy” by Pharrell, “Walk Us Uptown,” by Elvis Costello and the Roots, and “Holiday” by Madonna. It’s late winter — I need morale boosters!

Ellen Barrett & Kate Hanley

Q & A with Ellen Barrett and Kate Hanley, authors of the 28 Days Lighter Diet

Ellen Barrett is the creator of dozens of best-selling DVD workouts, including Prevention magazine’s bestselling Flat Belly Diet series. The New Haven, Connecticut resident can be seen weekly on FIT TV’s All Star Workouts.

Kate Hanley is a coach, yoga teacher, and health journalist whose work has appeared in Real Simple, Parents, and Yoga Journal. The author of The Anywhere, Anytime Chill Guide, she lives in Providence, Rhode Island.

Ellen and Kate teamed up to write The 28 Days Lighter Diet after one fateful conversation where they realized they had each healed their own PMS and helped countless clients of lose weight and end troublesome symptoms. When they couldn’t find a book in the bookstore to suggest as a guide for other women who wanted to do the same, they decided to write it themselves.