Working Out around your Period

That time of the month where your fatigue levels go up, your motivation plummets, cravings go up and the idea of working out for some is completely a no go 

But can exercise help our menstrual symptoms?

How can we approach working out around this time to ensure we don’t over do stress on our bodies?

Progesterone and estrogen levels are at the lowest during our cycle which means we feel sluggish, tired and pretty unmotivated. All women’s hormone levels fluctuate at different times. Some may feel like they were hit by a bus the week before their actual cycle begins and some may feel it during the first couple days etc. Everyone is different so getting to know YOUR body is key to knowing how to adapt your routine to ensure it works best for YOU 

Scientific studies have shown that exercising during your cycle can actually decrease the most common complaints like energy fatigue and cramping. 

When you exercise your brain releases endorphins which results in that happy/high energy feeling after a workout, but those endorphins also block pain receptors in your brain helping to stop pain signals from your cramps. Essentially, endorphins are a natural painkiller. 

Some people experience more strength and power during their cycle and may want to tap into the added strength to up their muscle building sessions over this time. Others feel extremely weak and couldn't possibly attempt a heavy workout. Again its about getting to know your cycle and how YOUR body feels so you can adapt accordingly 

Get more sleep when possible

Once you know when that fatigue hits you the most you should look at trying to get more sleep. I am not talking about hours of extra sleep but even 20mins of additional time in bed can do wonders for your energy levels throughout the day. 

Try to avoid increasing caffeine levels to combat energy levels as that will actually work against you - caffeine can remain in your system up to 8hours after consumption so that afternoon coffee can effectively disturb your sleep that night meaning you get up more tired and needing more coffee which starts a cycle of self sabotage when it comes to actually getting a good sleep. A hot peppermint tea is a great substitute for that afternoon coffee and the peppermint is a natural soother for cramps. 

Try taking a magnesium supplement 

Not only does magnesium help us experience a deeper sleep it also helps support the nervous system, reducing feelings of anxiety, stress and irritability  - common feelings during our periods. 

Exercise accordingly

As advised above exercise can be one of the best ways to help our cramps and our moods but you need to ensure you are exercising in a way that can benefit your body, not add more stress. 

So you may want to reduce the weight and increase rep count. You might want to reduce the intensity of your workouts and add some yoga to move your body in a softer way

You may want to reduce your weight sessions and add in more walking etc 

Whatever feels COMFORTABLE to your body. I would recommend continuing exercise at some level and where possible keeping some form of resistance training in your routine

Exercise can help reduce cravings

As our hormones fluctuate our bodies can crave certain foods to provide comfort. This is a natural human reaction to being in discomfort. Think back across your life, when you were a child and hurt yourself you would be comforted with a treat of some sort, when you went through a breakup ice cream was the go to, whenever you have a bad day chocolate or wine is usually the go to. We have conditioned ourselves to turn to food when we experience discomfort on any level so its natural for our bodies to crave food during our cycle. The endorphins released during workouts can reduce those cues in our brains telling us to go get chocolate. Working out also naturally keeps people on track to their goals as it naturally allows them to feel good, feel like they are in control and not want to sabotage their workout effort.