Training During Menstruation – Can You Exercise?
The topic of menstruation should not be a matter of taboo, because in the end, to paraphrase the words of the ancient writer Terentius – nothing human should be alien to us.
However, probably many women will agree with me that the so-called “Period” is still a shameful thing as if it were meant to be some flaw, something that makes the feminine gender “inferior.”
Such social ostracism of menstruation makes women afraid to ask, and there are undoubtedly many questions related to this physiological phenomenon.
I am convinced that the minds of most women who care about physical activity, at least once flashed the thought: “can you exercise during menstruation?”, “Is training during the period healthy?”, “How to exercise when I have a period?”.
Although I have never experienced this phenomenon on my skin, the observations collected during personal training with clients and reading the available literature made me want to share my knowledge with women. with doubts.
It’s good to know how to exercise not aggravate the unpleasant symptoms associated with menstrual bleeding.
The Influence of Menstruation on the Body
To get a good understanding of the training issues during a “period” one has to start by looking at the phenomena.
Although menstruation is not a pleasant period and is full of many inconveniences, its occurrence proves that the body is working correctly. Amenorrhea can be one of the first symptoms of a body malfunction.
It often results from an improper diet, a large share of highly processed products, stimulants, and maintaining a drastically low calorie (which is a scourge among slimming women, e.g., 1000 kcal diet, etc.).
Living under stress, constant rush and lack of time to rest is the domain of modern times – they can cause or worsen women’s health problems.
As a rule, physical activity improves health, but intense strength training can delay the onset of menstruation. The natural physiological processes that cause amenorrhea are menstruation and pregnancy.
During this time, a woman may lose 20-100 ml of blood. Many women of the fair sex experience nausea, vomiting, general weakness, headaches, and abdominal pain.
Young girls may interpret these symptoms as a disease, so it is so important to educate teenagers and explain that they are natural physiological processes.
These ailments can significantly hinder everyday functioning and lead to absenteeism from school or work. If you experience painful menstruation, it is worth contacting your doctor, who will show you possible ways to ease your period.
Menstruation is the final stage in which the unfertilized egg is expelled along with the fluffed lining of the womb. If a cell has been fertilized, menstruation will not occur, so pregnancy is the most common reason for stopping the cycle.
This condition continues until menopause – it is a natural process that most often occurs around the age of 50 of a mature woman.
The functioning of a woman’s body is closely related to the hormonal balance and changes occurring in it. They affect well-being and the ability to conceive [1].
Training During Menstruation – What for?
Regular exercise in sports is the best way to stay healthy for many years. It cannot be forgotten even during menstruation. It turns out that exercise can even be helpful during this period, as it is an unpleasant ailment.
Many women during menstruation have periods of increased desire for food (the desire for sweet food, for example, is entirely normal and eating 1-2 cubes of chocolate will not be a sin.
Most often, they decide on quick snacks and desserts. This is a simple step to excess energy and, consequently, weight gain (if, of course, too much has been eaten). An additional dose of exercise, such as training, will help keep your caloric budget in check.
There is a widespread belief that training during menstruation is inadvisable. However, it should be remembered that menstruation is a natural physiological process, not a disease.
In most cases, there is no reason to give up exercise altogether. Hormonal fluctuations negatively affect the functioning of many ladies.
Bad mood, weakness, and nervousness could suggest that it is better to give up training. Still, on the other hand, exercise raises the level of endorphins (happiness hormones), and their increased secretion is already observed during exercise.
Abdominal pain is also a common symptom resulting from uterine contractions and hormonal changes. Proper training helps to relax tense muscles and distract us from pain.
Is Training During Menstruation for Everyone?
Training during menstruation has many advantages, but you should know that it is not for every woman. Units that go through menstruation gently do not have heavy bleeding and pain, making it challenging to move around; they are fortunate.
In this case, physical activity is advisable, and the lack of it is most often the result of an easy excuse. If you cannot independently plan your training during women’s days, take advantage of a free consultation with a personal trainer who will skillfully guide your practice and help improve your health.
Unfortunately, not all women are so lucky. If you are one of the people who have a menstrual period in a complicated way, training during this time may be difficult. Profuse bleeding, high-intensity pain, weakness and fainting are indications for consultation with a gynecologist.
After conducting a detailed interview, the doctor will decide on further proceedings and the possible implementation of treatment. Until the situation normalizes, it is recommended to stop intense effort and limit walking movement.
Not all menstruation is the same. The fact that most periods are gentle does not mean that you also need to train if you experience intense discomfort one time.
Remember that physical activity should improve your health, not worsen it, so sometimes it’s better to take a few days off than to have harmful consequences.
You know your body best and can be intuitive to your behavior. If you feel that you can do the exercises, do them, and if you feel terrible – rest.
Training During Menstruation – How To Exercise?
Women professionally involved in sports, who anticipate that their menstruation will fall during important professions, often decide to interfere with the endocrine system with drugs.
This allows you to stop unfavorable ailments and concentrate 100% on the upcoming competition. If you are not a professional athlete and recreating your menstrual training, it is high time to learn it properly.
First of all, the intensity should be adapted to the current well-being of the woman. Do not assume breaking your personal best, improving your skills, and competing with other people during your period.
Training during this time should be treated as a unit that maintains exercise capacity and prevents stagnation. An increased need for energy accompanies menstruation, so do not exercise on an empty stomach.
This can lead to weakness and even loss of consciousness. Choose a wholesome meal that will provide you with nutrients, vitamins, minerals and energy for your entire exercise.
High temperatures exacerbate unpleasant ailments, so try to exercise in air-conditioned rooms or shaded places outdoors. Avoid strenuous exertion and stick to individual exercise rather than team games that increase competition and encourage heavy loads.
Physical exercises such as:
- Walk
- Running
- Yoga
- A walk-run
- Gentle strength exercises
- Training using your body weight
Summary
Menstruation is a fixed point in every woman’s life. Many women wonder if training during menstruation is safe. For most people, there are no contraindications to eliminating physical activity.
It must not be forgotten that the female days of each female representative of the fair sex look different. Therefore any discontinuation of exercise should be caused based on poor well-being.
Intense symptoms should be consulted with a gynecologist who will decide on the possible implementation of treatment to reduce unpleasant symptoms. Low/moderate-intensity exercise is recommended, such as walking, slow running, stretching, medical training, and yoga.
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