EXERCISING DURING PERIODS: BENEFITS, THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND OR AVOID
I have been asked many times by female trainees if they can work out during periods. Many myths are prevailing in society regarding the menstruation cycle.
There are many points one can consider in this scenario.
First of all, LEARN TO UNDERSTAND YOUR BODY, once you learn yo understand your body’s language you can decide what to do and what not to. There is NO HARM in exercising during these days. Women need to understand their bodies, and do what their body is allowing to perform.
Woman can do ALL SORTS OF ACTIVITIES; the only suggestion is to listen to your body. If you have any discomfort, you can take break and give your body some rest. There are hardly any limitations to exercise in periods. In fact, it has more benefits than disadvantages.
BENEFITS OF EXERCISE DURING PERIODS
If your body is allowing you to move, there are many benefits of doing exercise in periods. One can feel relief in
- Pain- its a very common issue in females, feeling abdominal pain, pain in legs and back is a common symptom.
- Cramps- one can feel cramps during periods in lower abdomen, the intensity of getting cramps decreases with exercise.
- Bloating- feeling boated is also gets relieved when body remains active.
- Depression- exercising produces feel good hormones in body, therefore one feels less depressed when with the help of exercises.
- Mood swings – hormonal ups and downs during date can fluctuate mood, working out aids in uplifting mood as well.
- Irritability- one can feel irritated during menstruation, due to all the discomfort.
- Fatigue- feeling low is also common in as body is under stress, however exercise can be refreshing.
Also, general fitness is crucial for health and can reduce the risk of serious medical issues such as heart attack, stroke, arthritis, osteoporosis, and diabetes. Working out 3-4 times a week and 30 minutes a day is enough to maintain physical fitness.
The fact is that, exercise increases the production of endorphins (feel-good hormones) and reduce anxiety, depression, and pain. It helps in improving your mood too. You can do all sort of exercises, like aerobics, Zumba, strength training, Yoga, cardio, dance, running, etc.
It is said that one should avoid performing heavy weight training or hard exercises, however, these are ALL MYTHS. Its your mind and body, listen to it and then do the action.
Many females are not comfortable in performing strenuous exercises, they can do LIGHT WEIGHT LIFTING as it is a low impact workout, they can avoid heavy jumping or very hard abdominal exercises.
SWIMMING can be a very relaxing activity in those days, just use a tampon or a menstruation cup and you are all set to swim. It calms the body and releases stress.
There are also some women who are totally comfortable in performing any activity, so its basically your body which guides you.
If your body is fine and is ready to move, you can perform any exercise.
Let us take an example of the Olympic players or any sports person(female) who is having her periods and she has to perform for the country, state, zone, school or University. They also perform their routine; they have no choice of not being active and delaying the performance. It is as normal as a regular day of the month, so leave this myth aside and learn to understand the body signals.
Lastly, if you feel any unusual fatigue, nausea, or increase in pain or discomfort, stop what you are doing and take rest. If this continues, stop completely. JUST LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.
Few things one can keep in mind are; KEEP CHECK ON YOUR HYGIENE, KEEP YOURSELF HYDRATED, DO NOT WORKOUT ON AN EMPTY STOMACH, DO NOT OVER STRAIN YOURSELF.
If you are someone’s husband, boyfriend, father, brother or son…all ladies go through this tough times in their life, they all need little care and love, so take care of your ladies. Though they are strong but they seek your love and attention.
HAVE A HAPPY PERIOD.