It's common knowledge that exercise is good for you. But even if you're an active person, you may not realize how important your menstrual cycle can be to your workout routine. In fact, understanding how your body works during menstruation—and adjusting your workouts accordingly—can help make all the difference between feeling great and feeling awful, not just during your period but also all month long (and maybe even year-round).
Exercise Can Help Relieve PMS Symptoms
Exercise can help relieve symptoms of PMS.
Exercise can help relieve stress and anxiety.
Exercise can help relieve pain.
Exercise can help to manage your weight.
Exercise can help improve your mood.
Exercising regularly may also make it easier for you to fall asleep and stay asleep at night, which is critical in easing the symptoms of PMS that often persist into the evening hours after work or school has ended, like fatigue, irritability, headache (especially jaw pain), breast tenderness (breast sensitivity), bloating and increased abdominal size/distention (swelling).
Don't Cut Carbs or Calories
Consider not cutting carbs or calories
It's not recommended to cut carbs or calories. If you are cutting carbs, then your body will switch over to burning protein for energy, which can lead to muscle loss and even an increase in your risk of osteoporosis. If you are cutting calories, this may result in your body thinking it's going into starvation mode and storing fat instead of burning it off.
Women should consider upping their carbohydrate intake during certain times during their cycle: when they have a lot of muscle mass and want it repaired more quickly; when they are experiencing intense stress; or when they experience intense physical activity after menstruation ends (this happens if you're training for a marathon).
Consider Adding Healthy Fats and Protein to Your Diet During PMS
During PMS, you may experience mood swings, irritability and other symptoms that can make exercise difficult. To stay on track with your training plan, consider adding healthy fats and protein to your diet during this time. These nutrients are excellent sources of energy for the body and assist in stabilizing blood sugar levels. They also help reduce cravings by satisfying your hunger longer than foods high in carbohydrates or sugars do.
Don't Skip the Workout, or Work Too Hard
Don't skip the workout.
Don't work too hard.
Don't over-train (this is a real thing). If you do too much exercise, your body will break down and stop working correctly because it's trying to protect itself from injury or illness by shutting down certain systems that aren't needed at that moment (think of it like a fire drill in your house where you unplug all the electronics so they don't get fried). Similarly, when you're training too much and taxing your body beyond its limits, those systems are more likely to break down such as muscle tissue becomes weaker and more prone to injury while energy stores are depleted leading to fatigue and decreased motivation for even getting out of bed in the morning! So instead of working really hard during each session and then taking days off between workouts because "you need rest," shoot for doing one intense workout per week with easy days in between them so that recovery time isn't sacrificed just because someone told me so on Instagram once.
Women exercising with an understanding of the menstrual cycle can see better results.
The menstrual cycle is important to note because it affects every woman differently. Women who are just beginning to exercise should take advantage of the menstrual cycle and plan their workouts around it.
It’s also important to understand that women should pay attention to what their bodies are telling them when exercising, especially if they have a tendency towards overtraining. Your body will let you know if you need a break from exercising or not by feeling tired and experiencing other symptoms such as bloating, headaches and cramps.
You should also be careful not to overtrain during your period because this can cause injury or affect your performance in other areas of life like work or school where concentration is needed as well.
Conclusion
Keeping these tips in mind can help women exercise with a better understanding of their menstrual cycles. It may take some trial and error to find the best workout schedule for you, but once you do, it can help relieve PMS symptoms while also giving you more energy throughout the month.
Fun Fact
Don't Google 'fun facts about the Menstrual Cycle'
References
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6878471/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7825535/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26558833/
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