Inspired by fellow HerCampus writer Catherine Ku’s article “Campus Fitness,” I decided to stop being lazy and start getting active. However, because I haven’t exercised since before Thanksgiving, this will be a hard commitment to keep. But with some willpower, some friendly support, and a couple handfuls of ibuprofen, I’m going to make it. And like any Princeton student, I’m going to be doing some research along the way to help fellow couch potatoes get off their butts and into a gym. The goal? Six weeks, three workouts a week, thirty minutes for each workout. It may not sound like much, but trust me, this will be quite the challenge.
3.9.11
I guess it was inevitable that sometime in my six-week challenge I would get my period. Before I took on this challenge, I always used my period to take a week off from exercising. I figured that if I exercised on my period, without the proper pain medication, I would have such massive cramps that I would be hugging a hot water bottle in the fetal position for a long, long time. In high school, the girls on my cross-country team, at least the ones who weren’t crazy about running, always used their period to get out of practice. My male coach would get so flustered at the mention of “female problems” that he would immediately grant the afflicted girl’s every wish. I would have used this ploy to get out of a workout every month, but I was so embarrassed at letting my coach know it was my time of the month that my throat would seize up every time I tried to tell him. In the end, even if I wasn’t cramping, I would take a few capsules of Midol for preventative measures and hope for the best.
Once I got to college, I no longer had to ask for permission to not exercise. And since I was never happy with the idea of taking ibuprofen every time I wanted to exercise on my period (I prefer taking medicine to treat existing pain, not for prevention purposes), I chose to loaf around, rather than self-medicate. And then came along this awful challenge.
I had no Advil or Tylenol in my room and I wasn’t about to run out to the University Store to buy some, so I readied my hot water bottle for the aftermath. I told myself that if I started feeling any cramping or discomfort, I could take it easy, or even stop altogether. And then I was off to the gym with some tampons in my bag and a feeling of dread in my heart.
After five minutes on the treadmill, I was surprised to find no cramping sensation at all. I continued the work-out just as I would on a normal day. In fact, I went faster than I usually did. Now, this wasn’t BECAUSE I was on my period, but I was still excited by the prospect that my period was not the powerful force I thought it was. It might control the clothes I wear and the mood I’m in, but damnit, my period will not control how hard I exercise.
How to make exercising during your period a possibility:
Although I personally don’t get crippling cramps during my period, I still do get some terrible ones. I also feel bloated, cranky, and completely drained of energy. All these elements seem to combine into a huge reason not to exercise. However, while it may seem counterintuitive, exercising will actually put you in a better mood, re-energize your body (see last week’s article), and even reduce cramping and bloating. The reason exercise reduces cramps is because it gets the oxygen in your blood flowing, and releases some pain-killing hormones in your brain. Bloating is reduced because you sweat out all the water you’re retaining. How crazy is that!
At the same time, if you feel like your uterus is punching itself over and over again and your stomach looks like an inflated balloon, there’s not going to be much motivation to exercise. In order to make sure that you actually feel normal enough to exercise, take a look at the following tips:
· Don’t drink caffeine—it’ll make your cramps worse
· Take vitamin supplements—Vitamin E, thiamine and Omega-3 supplements may reduce menstrual cramps, while zinc and calcium have been found to reduce cramps and bloating
· Drink plenty of water
· Heat the area with a hot water bottle to reduce cramping
· Do some yoga beforehand
· Avoid putting too much pressure on your back (like standing for too long)
· Drink pineapple juice or eat pineapples—the fruit contains an enzyme called bromelain that relaxes muscles
· Avoid drinking or eating anything too cold
· Reduce your sugar and salt intake
· Take ibuprofen
And when you are exercising, it is probably the most comfortable to use a tampon or a menstrual cup. However, I’ve also exercised with pads, and although I can feel them, they don’t really get in my way.
Most importantly, listen to your body. If it’s telling you to ease up on the work-out, do what it says. Even just taking a walk counts as exercising AND will reduce your menstrual symptoms.
So don’t let your period ruin your work-out.