It’s not a surprise to anyone that your period can make you feel awful, it has the power to make you want to curl up into bed and eat all of the chocolate you find, all while crying over cute puppies. Despite this, you should try to get up and stay active as exercising on your period has so many benefits.
Exercise has both physical and mental benefits, which don’t just stop working because your period started. According to Healthline, progesterone and oestrogen hormones are at their lowest during this phase of your cycle, which can in turn make you feel tired and less energetic. But that doesn’t mean not exercising will help you save any energy.
Doing some light exercises and workouts can have a series of benefits, one of which is decreasing your premenstrual symptoms (PMS). Fatigue and mood swings are something a lot of women experience before and during their period can be lessened by regular exercise of about 30 minutes a day.
Exercising can also tap into your endorphins. These are the hormones in your brain that can boost your mood and make you feel better by giving you a workout “high”. According to Brandon Marcello, Ph.D, endorphins are a natural painkiller, so as they release during a workout you might feel some relief from uncomfortable cramps, headaches, or back pains.
Exercise gets your body moving, which in turn gets your blood circulation going. This can also help to ease menstrual cramps or painful periods known as dysmenorrhea. Exercising is often used to alleviate stress anxiety, which is connected to decreasing the severity of your cramps.
According to Ruby Cup, workouts can help naturally regulate your periods. If you often have irregular periods or its overdue, exercise can help get your cycle back on track. Getting up and active leading up to your period, paired with a healthy diet, supports a regular diet.
Now that you know life on your period can be made that bit easier by being active, you’re probably wondering what the best exercises to do are! Since this is an uncomfortable and tiring time, it is essential to do some gentle, low-intensity workouts.
Light walking or cardio
This can be as simple as popping your earphones in and taking a nice walk or jog around the park, getting some fresh air while you get your daily exercise in. You could alternatively go onto YouTube and follow an easy 10-minute cardio workout.
Doing this bit of exercise will give you more energy and boost your mood, leaving you content with yourself for completing a workout!
If you’re feeling brave, sex can also be considered as light cardio and can relieve period cramps. According to Healthline, when you orgasm the muscles of your uterus contract and release, giving you some relief from menstrual cramps.
Yoga
Restorative yoga is a great way to both relax and ease cramps. It consists of a slow, gentle practice to help reduce stress and improve your health. You can use props to help get into positions to allow you to remain in a state of relaxation.
During restorative yoga, you practice deep breathing and calming postures that encourage your heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, and emotions to slow down. Yoga classes can also be found on YouTube, including this great 20-minute video by Yoga with Bird https://youtu.be/WrhRWx-8bt0
Home workouts
You might not be in the mood of getting ready to go to the gym, but there are an abundance of tutorials on YouTube and various apps you can use to do a short workout or two at home. As long as you ensure it isn’t too intense, any exercises such as Zumba or a low-intensity interval training session will help you to release endorphins and ease any discomfort or bad moods.
If you normally exercise, there’s no reason to stop once your period starts however it is important not to overwork yourself as your energy levels are naturally low. Don’t force yourself to get up and do a workout, if you’re feeling a bit low or even bored there’s no harm in going on a nice walk to stay active and healthy!