This post: 28 app (paid + free versions) review, and three good reasons why every woman should be tracking her monthly cycle.
When I began tracking my cycles in my early 20s, nobody I personally knew was doing it.
I’ve lived long enough (42 years) to witness modern womanhood circling back to what used to be viewed as “old ways.” I couldn’t be more proud of today’s younger women, nor more hopeful for my daughters’ generation! They are entering womanhood much more informed + equipped than women in my generation, or my mother’s, ever did.
But there is still much to learn, much to add to today’s narrative on womanhood. Because learning how to track your cycle is a rite of passage every woman deserves to experience.
I’m here to tell you three reasons why you should start tracking your cycles if you’re not already doing it – and a tool that will help you do it effectively + completely free.
A peek at what you’ll find in this article:
- 3 Good Reasons To Track Your Monthly Cycle
- The 28 App (an Honest Review)
- Using the 28 App for NFP (Natural Family Planning)
- A Word About Birth Control
3 Good Reasons To Track Your Monthly Cycle
I believe every woman (from mid-teens through all the fertile years) should be tracking her monthly cycle. Here’s why:
- It’s an education on the power of the female body.
As women, our bodies are beyond incredible. We are beautiful, powerful, delicate, predictable, and delightfully surprising – every single day of the month! For too long, it’s been the American norm to leave knowledge up to “the experts,” and simply do as they say. I see younger Millenials + older GenZs changing this narrative (+ I am totally cheering them on!). You don’t have to be a doctor or an “expert” to be informed about your own body – you just have to be willing to learn. Knowledge is power, ladies. If today’s women want to truly live “empowered,” then I say let’s start with getting informed about how our bodies work + what they need.
- Fertility awareness. If you’re married or planning to get married soon, this is a really big “why.” Especially if you plan to take a more natural approach to family planning (i.e., not take birth control). I have resources about Natural Family Planning (NFP) + birth control later in this article, so keep reading! But let me tell you – fertility awareness has come a long way since I first began “charting” my cycles in the early 2000s. If fertility awareness is something you want to learn about, I encourage you to buy the book, Taking Charge of Your Fertility, download the 28 app, and start tracking!
- For optimal health. Tracking your cycles is really all about taking responsibility for your own reproductive health. It’s about learning how to work + eat + exercise + live in stride with the ebb + flo of your womanhood. That’s easier to do when you’re informed + aware of what should be happening every month. Over the years, tracking my cycle has helped me recognize when my hormones were imbalanced, know when my body needed support, and when to seek help in addressing underlying issues. Bottom line: good stewardship of our amazing bodies is a pretty motivating “why!”
The 28 App (an Honest Review)
So let’s talk about the 28 app.
What is it? The 28 app is a wellness app for + by women, “designed by supermodel trainers and medical experts.” (Quotation taken from 28.co).
What is does. The method behind the 28 app is brilliant: it’s a cycle-based fitness, wellness, + nutrition program. The app not only tracks your monthly cycle, but provides a daily recipe + nutrition tips, a daily full-length workout video, and daily health insights – all based upon whatever phase/day of your cycle you’re currently on.
It’s FREE. Downloading + using the 28 app is completely FREE. All the daily tracking services I mentioned above come with the free version of the app. The 28 app is pretty new, so I’m predicting the full version won’t remain free forever. But right now it is!
The Premium Version. There is a premium version of the app available. You can try a complimentary trial of the premium version for three days, then it’s $89.99 per year. The perks? Unlimited recipes + unlimited grocery lists for each week, plus complete access to the app’s workout library.
My Experience With The 28 App
I first read about the app in Evie Magazine. I had been previously using another cycle tracking app (+ paying for it), so it was a pretty easy decision to make the switch. I’ve been using the free version of the 28 app for two months now + am beyond pleased with it.
My favorite feature of the program is the cycle-based workout video that’s provided each day. This has totally changed how I exercise! I used to either push through my PMS, cramps, + all the other fun stuff during my period; or just give up, and not exercise at all until my period was over. Since the 28 app suggests cycle-based workouts, I discovered that yoga + gentle stretching makes a world of difference in how I feel when I’m on my period. During other phases of my cycle (I learned that there are four phases), my body is ready for intense workouts – like running, kickboxing, or HIIT workouts.
Using the 28 App for NFP
If you’re wanting to track your cycle for NFP, the 28 app can definitely help. You’ll also need a few other tools, however.
- To get started, read the articles here on the blog: “A Beginner’s Guide To Natural Family Planning” and “Wacky Hormones, Natural Family Planning, and Fertility.”
- I highly recommend the book, Taking Charge of Your Fertility, by Dr. Toni Weschler. This is a must-have resource for any woman who wants to learn about her body’s natural cycles.
- Download the 28 app. It’s available for both Android + iPhone devices, and there’s tons of information online at 28.co. Don’t forget, using the 28 app is completely free!
- If you’re super serious about going the natural route with NFP, consider investing in the LadyComp fertility tracker. Full disclosure: this tool is a pretty big ticket item. Although I researched the LadyComp extensively in my 20s, I never could afford to purchase one when we were planning our family. However, I’m fairly confident that this tool would have made NFP a lot more simple!
- Birth control is most often recommended to younger women as a cycle stabilizer. If your periods are irregular or severe, I encourage you to take a look at the natural hormone support by Femmenssence. My homeopath recommended this product to me, and I’ve seen it do wonders for my monthly cycles + my teenage daughter’s, as well. I take the MacaLife (perimenopausal support)+ my daughter takes the MacaHarmony (for younger women). Tracking your cycles is so much easier when your hormones are in sync!
A Word About Birth Control
I won’t lie: making the decision to go off birth control as a young wife was one of the scariest things I ever did.
Now that I’m in my early 40s, I can look back + say that going off The Pill was one of the best decisions I made for my reproductive health. However, I didn’t make a decision about birth control lightly, and neither should you.
If you’re looking for facts + information about reproductive health + birth control, below is some reading I highly recommend. All of the articles are sourced from EvieMagazine.com – one of the foremost voices today on modern femininity.
- 6 Reasons an Entire Generation of Women Is On Birth Control
- 6 Myths We’ve Been Told About the Birth Control Pill
- 9 Major Dangers We Now Know About Birth Control That Our Moms Were Never Taught
- Nurse Practitioner Explains How the Birth Control Pill Causes “Chronic Health Issues” for Many Women
- 13 Reasons Why You Should Quit Hormonal Birth Control
- The Birth Control Mini Pill Could Increase Your Risk for Breast Cancer, According To New Study
- Our 9 Favorite Experts to Follow on Instagram for Female Health and Fertility Info
- Your Beginner’s Guide to the Fertility Awareness Method
- Everything You Need To Know About Cervical Mucus, a Biomarker of Your Fertility
- The Female Fertility Clock: What We Should Know About Our Bodies
- Why Fertility Awareness is the Most Empowering Form of Birth Control
- 8 Things You’ll Learn About Your Body Through Fertility Awareness That Aren’t Just Birth Control
Never forget that knowledge is power.
As women living in a modern culture, we have access to information + tools like no previous generation ever has. Let’s use them wisely! Let’s live informed!
If you’re looking for more healthy lifestyle inspo, check out my series “Healthy Habits for Women” here on the blog. (You can subscribe to get weekly health tips delivered to your email – plus a free, printable habit tracker.)
Read the series: “Healthy Habits for Women”
For weekly tips: Opt in to emails
Let Me Know
Do you track your monthly cycles?
Have you ever heard of “fertility awareness” or the 28 app?
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
