Exercise reduces stress, and stress is something that also amplifies period cramps. Light workout to lessen anxiety tends to alleviate menstrual pain and increased blood flow during the shorter bouts of light aerobic exercise relieve cramping. Painful periods are called dysmenorrhea, and the first two or three days can be the most uncomfortable in the entire month. Study after study demonstrates the light exercise during your periods can decrease cramps. The article sheds light on what exercise you should do when you are on your periods and how beneficial exercise can be.
Exercises you should do on your periods
The first two or three days of your periods are most uncomfortable, especially if you fall into the category of women with a heavy menstrual cycle. Swamp the workout plan with light exercise that does not escalate discomfort level. You can also consider varying the workout and lower the intensity during this week. Focus on the gentle movement that you feel like doing. Many health experts favor the idea of backing off on the power. With that in mind, here is the best workout you can do in your periods.
Light cardio
You can keep the cardiovascular activity slower, keep the heart pumping and maintain the right metabolism but not like the way you do on your regular days. Do not work out on the same level you do. Light cardio, including walking or some bouts of light aerobic exercise, will go a long way in maintaining overall health in your later life.
Yoga and Pilates
Doing yoga and pilates two days leading up to your periods provides you the perfect opportunity to ease the body and reduce symptoms like cramps, muscular fatigue, or soreness. If you feel discomfort performing, give it a break and do your regular workout. If the body is not performing the way it does, ease up on the intensity level, give yourself a break.
Light Strength training
Strength training or power-based activities are best to do in your periods. Some health experts suggest that doing longer flow sessions encompassing strict strength workout and cardio will be a smart move. Era fit personal training is the best place to have bespoke training regardless of your age, health, or athletic goal. The certified trainers keep an eagle eye on how your workout plan should deviate from the usual one and what changes you should make in your diet to ease the cramps.
Make exercise more comfortable
When your period starts, estrogen and progesterone level begin to decline, making women access glycogen more conveniently than they would at other times of the month. The shift in hormone trend makes fuel more accessible and causes you to get more from high-intensity interval training. To cope with pain, you can take over the counter medicine, so you do not allow the pain to sneak up on you. Apart from the pain, if tampons are uncomfortable, consider using the alternatives, pads, period-proof underwear, or menstrual cups to make the exercise more comfortable for you.
Things to avoid while you are on your period
Gentle stretching and balancing are all your body needs during the period; the prolonged or intense workout may put additional stress that will disturb your period’s normal cycle. Therefore before you begin anything, be sure to avoid certain things.
- If you feel you are too exhausted to work out or experience an extreme stress level, immediately stop exercising and take a rest. Listen to your body and ignore everything else. The best bet is to light exercise; however, if you are unable to perform, it is okay. Don’t torture the body in either way.
- Avoid doing inversion-type yoga, where you pull your uterus towards the head. There is no scientific evidence; however, some believe that it makes broad ligaments stretch and compress veins responsible for carrying blood away from the uterus. Keeping this in mind, you can experience heavy bleeding.
- A strenuous or prolonged workout is not something you should do when you are on your periods. Intense or prolonged work out will be too tiring for you. Take some minutes out and perform moderate exercise that reduces the symptoms like pain, cramps, bloating, irritability and fatigue.
Conclusion
It is irrational to think that skipping exercise on your periods will be okay. In fact, the various studies demonstrating exercise during this time will be more beneficial are the proof you never give up on working out. However, it will be fine if you reduce the intensity if you feel fatigued or take more time to recover but do not stop working out altogether. Make sure you always honor yourself what you are capable of. Most women can continue their exercise routine without any amendments, while some may need a bit of change. Cutting back a little bit is okay, yet never consider backing off on the exercises.