Stomach cramps, stomach upset – loose bowels, sickness, and retching, cerebral pain, bloating, emotional episodes, fatigue, and much more. We as women tend to go through a lot in just a matter of 5 to 8 days.
Getting your periods can be a wreck, particularly when you are having difficult cramps and a painful cycle during that time of the month. All we want to do is, simply lay down on your bed with a boiling water bag and let the murder scene continue down there.
But do you know, exercise during periods is a solution to all your PMS’ing problems. Also, exercise during periods can help ease your troubling pain during this time.
Our activity level is low, yet workouts are by far the best thing you must try to do because there are so many routines you can perform like, Yoga which helps, reducing stress, improves flexibility, and strengthens your vaginal muscles.
Should I Exercise During My Period?
Well, there are numerous misleading information and myths about performing exercise during periods, however, much authentic research has demonstrated and proven the fact, how beneficial is for your physical, mental, and spiritual self to perform exercise during periods.
But rather than any misleading fact, we would suggest, YES you can exercise during periods without any doubt. If you feel stable and your cramps are moderate to negligible, then there is no reason to quit working out for the day.
A light low impact workout routine will never give you any harm, rather it will aid in lowering your physical pains and make you feel more stable mentally. This way you will feel fewer mood swings blasts and junk food cravings.
However, if you feel super tired and exhausted, the cramps are being cruel and way too severe just take a day off from any type of movement, focus on meditation, some deep breathing exercises, and minimal pelvis and upper body stretching.
What You Must Eat (and Avoid) During Periods?
Nutrition and Exercise during periods is a very crucial aspect of a women’s life. Sadly, not many women tend to focus on any of these two major elements.
The majority of women experience ‘pre-menstrual syndrome’ or PMS. As a result, most of the women either just binge eat based on their PMS’ing phase and others are way too exhausted to even get out from their bed.
Well, that’s what we call it – HORMONES!!
As your hormones go through this regular cycle, serotonin (a chemical engaged with prosperity) levels can vary as well, adding to the ordinary emotional episodes and expanded cravings that can happen just before and throughout your period.
The vital suggestion for food varieties to eat during your period is that you ought to pick a lot of products from the soil instead of the packet, like, whole grains, and excellent lean sources of protein.
Avoid eating artificial ingredients and fast food varieties including cakes, desserts, sugar, soda, or packet foods.
Picking food varieties that are wealthy in vitamins, minerals, macro, micronutrients, and have a high fiber substance will assist you with feeling your best as of now, soothing your digestive system, and replacing any nutrients lost from menstrual bleeding.
Don’t skip meals, while you may not feel like it, but attempt to eat consistently to keep your energy step up. Avoiding meals can leave you feeling nauseous, irritated, or tired.
Must Eat – Fish, Eggs, Tofu, Chicken Breast, Oats, Quinoa, Lentils, Broccoli, Spinach, Kale, Yogurt, Banana, Chamomile Tea, Organic Jaggery (1-inch piece), Dark Chocolate (1-inch piece).
Avoid – Excess Caffeine, Sugar, Salt, or Processed Food.
The most important last tip is to ensure you drink sufficient water! Consuming enough liquids and remaining hydrated can assist with limiting some of the uncomfortable symptoms you may experience.
5 Must-Try Exercises During Periods!
1. Brisk Walking
Strolling out is incredible for some reason. First off, it has been found to assist with cardiovascular issues and general wellbeing if you embrace only 60 minutes of walking each day you can burn on an average 250 to 350 calories.
But how does this find a way into helping period pains? As indicated by one scientific investigation, a group undertaking aerobic exercise found an improvement in PMS symptoms, cramps, and anxiety.
2. Yogi Stretching
You can focus more on lower-intensity exercises like yoga, mobility stretch, or delicate and therapeutic activities like meditation. Delicate extending or stretching can help work with some solid development and lessen those lower back pains and cramping.
Perform menstrual stretches like – Child’s Pose, Cat & Cow Stretch, Cobra Stretch, Fish Pose, or a series of Surya Namaskar.
3. Pilates Stretching
If you feel issues around the core and lower back, Pilates is a good choice to ease such pain and strengthen your core muscles. Mat Pilates, can be gentler on your core and lower back.
Perform movements like – Boat Pose Holds, Leg Circle, Knee into Chest Strech, Side Hip Dip Planks, Slow Motion Mountain Climbers, Slow Motion Plank Jacks, are some blood rushing, low to moderate-intensity, rejuvenating workouts routines from mat pilates.
4. Swimming
Now, this might be quite weird but yes, Swimming aids in lowering pain and cramps as well. A dive into cold freshwater will take away all worries from your body in just 30 minutes.
Swimming can help facilitate the physical and mental manifestations of PMS, including uneasiness, wretchedness, strain, mindset changes, powerless coordination, migraine, sleepiness, torment, bosom delicacy, and spasms. It is one of the gentlest, and relaxing workouts you can perform, added to this, swimming also helps you to burn calories.
5. Low Impact Strength Training
Ok, so now if you are approaching the last few days of your cycle, you can get back to some low-impact resistance training routines.
Strength training is an excellent way to feel your endorphins rushing and leave behind the PMS’ing way back.
Diminishing the volume of the working set and intensity is an extraordinary method to adjust your strength training routine, this can help you in the best possible way with reliable results. So, in case, you’re accustomed to doing three sets of everything while resistance training, choose two sets or just simply go with lighter weights.
Benefits of Performing Exercise During Periods
1. If you constantly get PMS’ing panic attacks, then eating right and moving around gently will suppress your anxiety issues and help to lift your mood.
2. Light workout routines act as natural painkillers. Thus, in case you’re encountering spasms or lower back torment because of your period, exercise can give help with discomfort to ease such painful side effects.
3. It’s normal to feel low on energy. Even though working out also consumes energy, it likewise supports energy levels by gushing endorphins after a good workout.
Activities to stay away from during periods
Activities during your periods shouldn’t put extra weight on your body as this can meddle with your periods. In this way, there are sure things that you ought to stay away from during your periods –
- Stay away from exhausting activities.
- Inversion practice in yoga is not suggested.
- Stay away from workout routines for a delayed time frame.
- Try not to drive your body forcefully to work out. Tune into your inner voice.
Motivation to Exercise During Periods
If you tend to ditch the gym often during that time of the month, here’s something you must read for pure motivation: A lady named Kiran Gandhi made news for running the London Marathon during her period—without a tampon.
She did it to bring issues to light for ladies who need admittance to female consideration items and crossed the end goal with blood-doused leggings.
Officially Gandhi was completing 26.2 miles in London for the charity Breast Cancer Care, which she and her friends raised more than $6,000 to support. Because of the cause, she wanted to make it through the marathon.
Despite some pain and discomfort, the whole marathon experience was one of empowerment for Gandhi. She finished in 4:49:11.
“I ran with blood dripping down my legs for sisters who don’t have access to tampons and sisters who, despite cramping and pain, hide it away and pretend like it doesn’t exist,” Gandhi wrote on her blog.
“Men and women alike, they get it,” Gandhi told Cosmopolitan.
The Bottom Line
Every woman goes through a very different intensity of the menstruation cycle and therefore, the final decision is going to come down to how YOU feel when you have your period.
The best way to decide if you should exercise during your period is by listening to your body. If you feel super energetic even on day one of your cycle, you can continue high-intensity training.
But, if you don’t feel your best, there is no need to jump, push, lunge or squat. Take it easy and just relax with minimal movements like brisk walking, yoga, stretching, and meditation.
