Menstruation and Exercise – Does It Work Out Menstruating?Bodybuilding is that cycle that can begin to accompany a woman usually from 11 to 12 years old and stays in her life until she is 48 to 52 years old. It happens when there is the scaling of the inner walls of the uterus due to the absence of fertilization.
The endometrium is the inner membrane of the uterus, its surface ruptured and excreted in the shape of a blood fluid. Generally, each menstrual cycle lasts 28 days, with the period of blood excretion occurring from three to seven days, although some women may have different amounts of duration.
And women are well aware that menstruation is not exactly simple. In addition to the bad cramps, it can be accompanied by the so-called Premenstrual Tension, which according to information from the World Health Organization (WHO), affects 90% of women.
PMS symptoms can be both physical and emotional, and may include: anxiety, nervousness, mood swings, headache, fluid retention, breast aches, bloating, tiredness, uncontrollable desire to eat sweet or salty foods, poor concentration, memory lapse, low self-esteem, depression, weight gain, changes in bowel habits, hot flushes, cold sweat, nausea, allergic reactions, acne and respiratory tract infections.
But besides that, have you ever stopped to think of other ways that menstruation and the effects it has on a woman’s life? For example, what is the relationship between exercise and menstrual periods?
Does it work out menstruating?
It cannot be said that it is bad to work out menstruating because the only person who can decide whether to exercise during the menstrual period is the woman in question.
The way each woman feels may vary and each woman may experience different symptoms at different intensities. The best way to ensure that the period does not affect the exercise routine is to listen to what the body says.While on the one hand it is possible to continue training while you are menstruating, for colic sufferers who are feeling quite tired, an alternative is to decrease the intensity of the training and do lighter exercises.
Especially because physical activity can be helpful in improving mood, lessening pain, making a woman feel less lethargic and relieving anxiety, fatigue and headaches.However, if a woman feels very bad and realizes that it is not possible to train, even at less intense rhythms, there is nothing wrong with taking a few days off. She’ll probably know when your body can’t handle training.
So it is better to rest and let your body recover so that you can then come back with full strength and focus to your training rather than forcing and mistreating your own body, at the risk of feeling even worse after training.And in cases where the pain and discomfort are severe, instead of going to the gym, it is essential to seek help from the doctor.
Exercise Tips for the Menstrual Period
It is also important to know that there is no ban – Northwestern University’s gynecologist and obstetrics and gynecology teacher said there is no scientific evidence that a woman cannot train while she is menstruating.
So, knowing that it is not a rule that highlights the fact that it is menstruating to work out, we will now know some types of exercises that can be advantageous during the menstrual period of women who consider themselves fit to exercise.
– Aerobic exercises
Doing 30 minutes of aerobic exercise such as walking can help relieve cramps, bloating, and mood swings. The intensity level of training should be moderate. Remember that physical activity also speeds up blood circulation, which can help ease headaches, another symptom associated with PMS.
– Yoga
Practice breathing and relaxation techniques can help relieve stress and tension and increase blood and oxygen flow throughout the body, which soothes the nervous system. Yoga stretches that trigger the abdomen can still help ease pain in the muscles of the uterus.
On the other hand, exercise physiologist and personal trainer Greg Justice has stated that inverted yoga poses in which the practitioner stands on the shoulders or head should be rejected during the menstrual period.
The explanation is that this can cause so-called vascular congestion in the womb, which results in excessive menstrual flow and consequently increased cramps.
– HIIT
For women who feel able to train, an alternative is Interval High Intensity Training. According to PhD and exercise physiologist Stacy Sims, when the menstrual period begins, estrogen and progesterone levels drop. This makes it easier for you to access energy sources like carbohydrates and glycogen and get more out of HIIT training .
