LADIES: Do you workout on your period?

xmarykaterose
xmarykaterose Posts: 82 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Sorry for the TMI guys. But girls, do you work out on your period? I feel like its kind of crazy to forgo 4-5 days of working out because of cramps and the obvious other problems (LOL) but I can't help it. I love working out but for those few days, I'm not in the mood and I just feel like a dying slug hahaha.

Any thoughts?? I usually go on long walks during my those days but thats about it...
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Replies

  • hellsbells3272
    hellsbells3272 Posts: 128 Member
    I do. I do every type of exercise except for water exercise so I have to miss aqua zumba (boohoo) and if its a particularly bad one (which I am prone to) I can miss 2 weeks of aqua zumba :cry:

    My other workouts make me feel great whatever day of the month it is :)
  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
    Yes, I have no reason not to.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    I am not a hardcore super exerciser type anyway. But yes I still do normal daily activity such as long walks, couple hours of deep-cleaning my house, or some relatively easy hiking. However I don't go hard on the bike trails when I am cramping. To me that would just be stupid.
  • DirrtyH
    DirrtyH Posts: 664 Member
    Yes. But I'm lucky, my TOM is short and I barely notice it, so there's no reason not to. If i felt like crap the whole time, I might not.
  • Sarah4fitness
    Sarah4fitness Posts: 437 Member
    Not an excuse.
  • knitapeace
    knitapeace Posts: 1,013 Member
    Exercise helps to alleviate the dying slug feelings. Endorphins, baby.
  • blancablanca
    blancablanca Posts: 13
    Yes, why not? If your stomach or something its on too much pain, just take some rest, a pill and then you can do whatever you want! You may feel more tired but thats normal!
  • ChristinWrites
    ChristinWrites Posts: 119 Member
    During those times, exercise has even more benefits. It combats the sluggishness and if you drink enough water when you exercise it helps with the whole water retention and other "puffiness" issues too.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Why would you not?
  • Sovi_
    Sovi_ Posts: 575 Member
    No....I lay in bed all day. I do not move anything.
  • xmarykaterose
    xmarykaterose Posts: 82 Member
    The thing is - I would love to work out with just typical cramps. But not to make excuse but I have craaaazy bad pelvic and back pain that makes even sitting down hard. Looks like it might be a good idea to push past that though? :-)
  • sarainiowa
    sarainiowa Posts: 287 Member
    Yes. It actually helps cramps and all the other symptoms. Somewhere I read that women burn more calories when working out at TOM.
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,589 MFP Moderator
    I do but I don't get any real symptoms from mine. Everyone is different so you just have to decide for yourself. Many ladies find that light exercise actually helps with cramps and the bloating feeling.
  • weather_nerd
    weather_nerd Posts: 93
    When I was working out consistently, yes.

    I found that even some light exercises helped with cramps. The more I exercised, the less I had those cramps each month anyways :)
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I wait until my Advil have kicked in and yep. But my period is 300X better now that I've lost weight, I hardly even need it anymore.

    The whole 'endorphins will help' thing has always been BS as far as I'm concerned though, but I think my endorphins are broken.
  • laurelthistle
    laurelthistle Posts: 145 Member
    I do all the same exercising I do any other time. Even though I feel icky, I think the exercise helps me feel less bloated and crampy after I'm done.
  • gonabfit
    gonabfit Posts: 711 Member
    I have horrible cramps and bleeding but YES I workout. I find if I work out before it comes it will make the cramps a little less painful, but ultimately I just feel better when I exercise.

    I may skip a day if I become anemic... but generally I still workout. I just skip the yoga and do spin bike or run.
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,589 MFP Moderator
    The thing is - I would love to work out with just typical cramps. But not to make excuse but I have craaaazy bad pelvic and back pain that makes even sitting down hard. Looks like it might be a good idea to push past that though? :-)

    You can experiment and see what works and what does not, but you just have to do whats right for you :)
  • aquarabbit
    aquarabbit Posts: 1,622 Member
    It may take an extra cup of coffee, but I sure do. And I've yet to regret it.
  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
    Heck yes I do! I find that my cramps are way less intense when I work out vs. when I don't work out.
  • Flab2fitfi
    Flab2fitfi Posts: 1,349 Member
    Yes I do. I just take a couple of painkillers and do my normal thing which normally run. I dread to think how my family would cope if they had to deal with me with both pmt and not running,
  • eganita
    eganita Posts: 501 Member
    I don't change anything about my workout during that time.. though I also don't have any severe symptoms like cramping.
  • Mischievous_Rascal
    Mischievous_Rascal Posts: 1,791 Member
    For sure. It makes me feel WAY better!
  • _Josee_
    _Josee_ Posts: 625 Member
    Not an excuse.

    ^^^^^^ Yep!
  • zombilishious
    zombilishious Posts: 1,250 Member
    Every month...unless it's a scheduled rest day...it shortens the number of days Aunt Flo stays around to bother me...
  • hbrittingham
    hbrittingham Posts: 2,518 Member
    It may be beneficial to some women, but there are many others who suffer from fibroids, endometriosis or PCOS who actually do suffer incredible pain, heavy bleeding and digestive upset along with migraines and incredible fatigue. Exercise doesn't relieve those symptoms.

    I've had surgery for my endometriosis, so my periods aren't usually as bad as they used to be, but occasionally I have a horrible period where my all of my internal organs along with my uterus feel like they are on fire and being ripped out all at the same time. Those months I skip a day or two. Some months, I have hardly a cramp. Those months, I don't miss a workout.
  • summertime_girl
    summertime_girl Posts: 3,945 Member
    For some reason, posts like this cause irrational irritation. Of course I work out! I do absolutely everything that I do when I don't have it. Unless there was some sort of medical contraindication (and I do recognize that some people have legitimate health issues during their period), why on earth wouldn't you?

    I hate when women act like a little blood is something to take to their beds for. God, it's a period, not a death sentence! You're going to have roughly 400 periods in your lifetime. Figure something out. Gah.
  • BeanQueen3000
    BeanQueen3000 Posts: 161
    I do, but I have two enormous middle fingers for anyone who says "exercise helps with cramps!"

    They lie like dogs.

    Exercise during shark week has (so far) meant extra showers and maybe a slightly longer rest time. Though it hasn't occurred to me to try it yet, i'd imagine a heating pad on the lap post-workout would be pretty nice. I get terrible, curl-in-a-ball cramps for 3-4 days and there's a pretty strong hormonal/crazy component to it too, but until my doc and I can figure out how to help alleviate those symptoms I kinda feel like it's important not to let them interrupt me when I'm on a good roll.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    yes. most women should, and in most cases exercising makes cramps less bad.

    there are some exceptions, it really depends how badly you suffer in TOM... stuff like endometriosis can make exercise at that time virtually impossible.... though if you have that level of pain you should see a doctor as it can be a sign of a medical issue and there could be some treatment for it (not always, but if you haven't seen a doc you won't know, and never let a doc tell you that severe amounts of pain in TOM is normal. Cramping is normal, crippling pain that makes it impossible to function isn't)
  • krawhitham
    krawhitham Posts: 831 Member
    This month I skipped a day. Some months I skip two days. Just depends on how I'm feeling. I don't need to work out every day to lose weight, since I stay within my calories even on days I have my period.

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