That time of the month...an excuse or legitimate?

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Replies

  • jess135177
    jess135177 Posts: 186 Member
    I agree with everyone that says its just an excuse. Work out and eat like you normally would. Take some Advil if you have cramps. There is no reason to lay on the couch all week eating chocolate covered potato chips. (unless of course it fits in your calorie allowance for the day, then party on!)
  • kittenful
    kittenful Posts: 318 Member
    My ToM isn't too bad. I only take the second day (my heavy flow, super cramping, I hate the world and everything makes me cry day) off to veg out and watch old movies. This is my necessary ritual to sate my angry uterus. The rest of the week I resume as usual. To each their own, you know?
  • Stinkerbelle84
    Stinkerbelle84 Posts: 328
    My strategy is mind over matter. Exercise usually helps. Also, if I think about wanting to eat everything in sight, it is much worse. If I tell myself that it is just another day, the cravings are not nearly as bad. If I crave chocolate, I have a slim fast, lol. Fortunately, I don't have a rough TOM. I feel terrible for those ladies who do.
  • animatorswearbras
    animatorswearbras Posts: 1,001 Member
    OP only you now how you feel, if you can't you can't, if you're in agony then that's a legitimate excuse to take it easy.

    You'll get all spectrum's of fatigue and pain of the PM scale on here, I can cure mine with a couple of over the counter painkillers (and to be fair most of my PMS is crying at dog food commercials if the puppy looks sad and craving chocolate), whilst to some it's so debilitating they've had to have a hysterectomy which just goes to show how legitimate the pain some suffer is.

    I feel you think just because it's a womens issue (and nearly every women menstruates) doesn't make it legitimate, but it's no easier to quantify than asking someone else if you should take it easy if you have a headache and we don't know if it's a skull splitting, nausea inducing, sit in a darkened silent room migraine or a mild throb that will clear after half an asprin. xxxx
  • perseverance14
    perseverance14 Posts: 1,364 Member
    That may or may not be a problem for me much longer, my body is sort of on the fence about it.

    Anyway, unless it is a really "messy" day, even if I feel crappy I exercise anyway, just do as much as you can, even a walk helps.
  • bc2ct
    bc2ct Posts: 222 Member
    Exercise is proven to reduce the less pleasant side-effects of menstruation. I find that active recovery (long, low-HR workouts) helps me get over cramping, nausea, and exhaustion. Usually after some active recouvery I am able to do a more intense workout.
  • NatalieG525
    NatalieG525 Posts: 65 Member
    I suffer with endometriosis, so my periods are extremely painful at times. If one month is particularly painful, I stick more with low impact cardio. The exercise helps relieve some of the pain. So if it is painful, try and do something and make sure you don't eat sugary crap that you may crave. Stay healthy, and push through it :) good luck!
  • aliencheesecake
    aliencheesecake Posts: 569 Member
    I feel like this is entirely dependent on the individual. Some women's pain is relatively minor, then there are other women that are vomiting and practically bedridden every month. Some (like my stepmother) used to get migraines every month with the period. I think whether or not to work out depends on the person, type of workout, and situation. Most of the time, I can work out, but every couple of months or so, I get cramps worse than usual and I don't even bother trying to "push through it."

    ;) IOW, you do you, OP!

    PS, for all the people that think it's an excuse, must be nice to have *kitten* all figured out... Like because it's okay for you, you know how it is for everyone else... smh
  • 40andFindingFitness
    40andFindingFitness Posts: 497 Member
    It may depend on how bad you get them whether it is a true excuse. I have a friend who needs heavy prescriptions during hers.

    I used to feel the same as you; tired, sluggish, and didn't want to do anything during that time. I'm finding that if I take my vitamins (I often forget) and drink double the water while on it, I can exercise through it without much issue. Good luck.
  • wonderwoman325
    wonderwoman325 Posts: 49
    If I'm not curled up in the fetal position and hugging a bowl because I'm puking from the pain, I will do some light exercise and stretching. Also, it's a great time to sit in the chair and work with my free weights.

    Also, water is very important and I try to drink more than usual since I bloat like a rotting corpse. And NEVER weigh myself around that week and a half.

    Menopause never looked so appealing as when you're shedding your insides.
  • dym123
    dym123 Posts: 1,670 Member
    I'm on board with exercising through TOM. I used to have very painful cramps along with throwing up, but when I started running and working out regularly, I noticed that the cramping became less and less and now no longer exists. Also drink a lot of water to keep bloating down
  • Stripeness
    Stripeness Posts: 511 Member
    I am the same exact way! Its before my period thats worse than my actual period time lol.
    My issue isn't while I'm bleeding- it's the 7-10 days beforehand. I get cranky, emotional, irritable and crave every salty and sweet thing in sight. The moment aunt flo gets here, I'm good. I know this, it's been this way since my teens, and what makes it more bearable is working out. I don't often get cramps, but when I do, exercising is what seems to help most, even more than a heating pad.

    It's the PMS days that are worst for me - not craving sweets, just HUNGRY. Okay, tbh, HANGRY!
    :embarassed:
    And like most others here, exercising seems to be useful on the rare occasion that I have cramps, although if they're really bad, I might do something low impact instead of high.

    And just as a nice "you're not imagining it" note: it's not weird at all to have appetite fluctuations. Not that I cycle my calories, but I do like it when science agrees w/my experience:
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7282607
  • Jerrypeoples
    Jerrypeoples Posts: 1,541 Member
    images_zpsb171705d.jpg
  • lkeverett1
    lkeverett1 Posts: 34 Member
    I've tried it both ways, not exercising and exercising during that TOM and the months that I exercised (even lightly) I could really tell a difference physically and emotionally. Physically the cramps were't that bad, I wasn't as tired, and I didn't eat everything in sight. Emotionally it was better also. The big black cloud wasn't severe (usually I can feel it coming on), and the crying jags weren't as seldom. I do go lighter on the exercise for a couple of days. I find even if I just walk, however slowly I need to, it helps a great deal. Also, I do allow myself a little more chocolate, but only on what I think is the worst day and I divy it out and put the bag away!
  • liesevanlingen
    liesevanlingen Posts: 508 Member
    Every time I have my period, I think, "Can't wait for menopause!" I used to get really sick, as a teenager, vomiting, passing out, migraines, etc. I must add though that after having children, somehow that made things much better. Still feel like cr@p, still get migraines and painful cramps, but the nausea and the fainting doesn't happen anymore. And my chiropractor can put a stop to a raging migraine within about 5 minutes.

    As far as working out goes, it depends.. Not usually the first day, but after that, it's pretty much okay, I just take it a little easier that week. You have to do what works for you.
  • capnrus789
    capnrus789 Posts: 2,736 Member
    Real men don't mind a little (or a lot for them heavy bleeders) blood.
    A little lubricant never hurt anybody.

    Ya'll went there?
    aintskeered_zps7d23e56b.jpg
  • idontcarroll
    idontcarroll Posts: 216 Member
    maxresdefault.jpg

    Walk through mud?
    F _ _ _ through blood?
  • Jerrypeoples
    Jerrypeoples Posts: 1,541 Member
    i changed it...i hate that the site doesnt resize pics automatically
  • 19TaraLynn84
    19TaraLynn84 Posts: 739 Member
    hmmmm.. I didn't know 'that time of the month' was that tiring for women....

    I always thought they should just ' man' up but I guess

    1. women are not men, thus they can't man up

    2. I'm a fool

    You're not a fool. You're just not a woman and have never experienced the living hades that is menstruation. BUT, never underestimate us. We women are tough and can absolutely man up! (You've also never given birth - talk about "manning up"!)

    In response to the OP, whether you can push through it or not is up to the individual. As a teen, I would not have been able to exercise. There were many times my school called my mother to come and get me during my TOM because I'd throw up and get light-headed and/or pass out. Two of these instances actually occured during PE, so come to think of it, moving may have made it worse on me. Anyway, for those women who have it that bad, they absolutely should discuss that with their gyno. Whether it's an excuse or legitimate really can't be answered by anyone other than you.
  • Breylin
    Breylin Posts: 23
    maxresdefault.jpg

    Walk through mud?
    F _ _ _ through blood?


    I love the direction this thread has taken XD

    I think cardio is a little too intense for me, atleast for right now because I am not used to an exercise routine. I will do yoga, stretches and do weights..As for the eating, I've found a few different snacks that take my pain (hunger) away....pickles are my salty crunchy go to snack now!
  • Jerrypeoples
    Jerrypeoples Posts: 1,541 Member
    images_zpsb171705d.jpg

    this is the phrase that is on that picture (again, too big to display)
  • sabinecbauer
    sabinecbauer Posts: 250 Member
    If your cramping is really severe, there's one way of dealing with it (though your grandma will object :wink: ): get your nose pierced. Seriously. When done on the left nostril, the piercing sits on an Ayurvedic pressure point and will relieve menstrual cramps (and labor pains, BTW).
  • antxoable
    antxoable Posts: 86 Member
    I don't have crimps i just can't stop eating but hey! then i go down few more calls next week.
  • FitFabFlirty92
    FitFabFlirty92 Posts: 384 Member
    The people who are going to tell you "just push through it" probably don't have cramps as bad as yours. I get what you're saying because I've had cramps so bad I couldn't move or speak. And talking to your doctor doesn't usually help, either -- I don't have PCOS or any other disorder, I just have really bad periods and have to suffer through them. If you really truly can't make it through a workout, don't. Or find something a little easier to do, like yoga, and do it for a shorter period of time. As for food, I know it's hard, but try to eat as you would if your appetite wasn't double. Or snack on lower calorie foods like fruit and fill up on that. :) Sorry you're having such a rough time.
  • nikkylyn
    nikkylyn Posts: 325 Member
    My PMS symptoms before I started exercising and after are way different. I found that if I am exercising regularly my cramps are minimal if at all. The few times I fell off the exercise wagon I got massive cramping and just really bad cravings. Sometimes its what keeps me motivated I love that my TOM is actually not that bad since working out. :)

    Stick with it and very much try to not give into all of your cravings. I think for most women with a healthy diet and exercise the cramping symptoms are reduced or disappear all together.

    If you are in pain take a break but maybe at least try to walk or stay slightly active and keep at it.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    OP only you now how you feel, if you can't you can't, if you're in agony then that's a legitimate excuse to take it easy.

    You'll get all spectrum's of fatigue and pain of the PM scale on here, I can cure mine with a couple of over the counter painkillers (and to be fair most of my PMS is crying at dog food commercials if the puppy looks sad and craving chocolate), whilst to some it's so debilitating they've had to have a hysterectomy which just goes to show how legitimate the pain some suffer is.

    I feel you think just because it's a womens issue (and nearly every women menstruates) doesn't make it legitimate, but it's no easier to quantify than asking someone else if you should take it easy if you have a headache and we don't know if it's a skull splitting, nausea inducing, sit in a darkened silent room migraine or a mild throb that will clear after half an asprin. xxxx

    Preach!

    My answer: OH HELL NO. I have cysts and bad endometriosis and I'd rather get 20 tattoos at once (my ankle-bone tattoo was a breeze). My pain is comparable to when I woke up during TMJ surgery. This is with Rx pain meds, btw. It's absolutely unbearable.

    My doc and I are trying to get the dam*ed thing to just stop again, but my new Metformin must have interfered with my period-stopping meds and I had it last month. I end up doped up on meds, tethered to a heating pad, and Lamaze breathing for 48 hours. Not cool.
  • Sunitagt
    Sunitagt Posts: 486 Member
    As many people have said, I feel better cramps wise when I get my exercise in either way. My cramps were awful until I started exercising regularly and now I have found them to be a lot better.

    Another contributing factor might be that I also started using a lunette cup instead of pads/tampons so I never worry about leakage, but it also seems to relieve a lot of my cramps throughout my period. Since I started using both regular exercise and the cup around the same time, I can't tell you which one it is that worked, but I will continue doing both now.
  • MakePeasNotWar
    MakePeasNotWar Posts: 1,329 Member
    I avoid exertion during the two days before and the first day of my period. If I do any kind of cardio or more than light resistance training my cramps go from about a 4 on a scale of 1-10 to somewhere approaching infinity. Like that full body sweat, shaky, why-can't-I-just-hurry-up-and-die pain. There is absolutely no way I am going to risk that just to get a couple of extra workouts in.

    (Edited for iPhone fat finger typos)
  • kaotik26
    kaotik26 Posts: 590 Member
    I still make myself workout because I think it actually helps. As far as food goes I cut myself a little slack because I think my body needs a little extra during the roughest part of that week.
  • vienna_h
    vienna_h Posts: 428 Member
    continuous birth control - take the pills without stopping for the unnecessary withdrawl bleeding - no more periods.

    ETA: I have terrible endometriosis and had cysts, I am no stranger to pain. continuous bcp (now I'm on the mirena IUD though) is the only way I could control the pain. but before that, easy, mild exercises helped a bit, but mostly just had to suffer through it and try not to cry too much.

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