Exercise when you have your period

MrsR0SE

Bump for later !

str0nger

When your period causes such severe pain that it feels like you are giving birth to a 10 lb baby....and on top of that, you're having an anxiety attack for an hour, it's not something you can just suck up.

Yes it is easy to suck it up. Been there done that. Every time you skip a workout then you dont want it that badly. Ever been on your period and squat 500lbs along with having the worst cramps ever?
Mind over matter.

JadeRabbit08

So I’ve been going to the gym quite religiously except when I have my period. During three weeks I build a rhythm and by the third week I feel great and then that one week it’s surprising that I can even get out of bed. The week after I find it really hard to restart exercising again, especially after a week of uncontrollable binge eating. I hurt all week and my only consolation is yummy treats.
Does anyone have ways to deal with it?

I wont tell you to suck it up. I use to have period pain so bad it would make me throw up. A few times when I dragged myself out people said I was white as a piece of paper and asked if they should call an ambulance I looked so bad. Go to the doc. Period pain is called that for a reason but to be bedridden for a week is not normal. Get checked out there may be something that needs fixing. You may have Endometriosis or a number of other problems causing the acute pain.

Try cocoa nibs leading up and during your period. Its what chocolate is made from. You wont get a sugar hit from it but you will get alot of great benefits. Dont bother with chocolate get the real deal you dont need alot of this to reap the benefits.

Heres an extract from a site that sells them -

Health Benefits

Energy Boost: Cocoa nibs contain a substance called theobromine, a central nervous system stimulant that has a similar, though less powerful, stimulating effect as caffeine. It may give you a healthy energy boost if you're feeling low during the day.

Mood Elevators: Cocoa contains tryptophan, an essential amino acid required for the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Enhanced serotonin levels can quell anxiety and enhance mood. Eating cocoa also helps to release endorphins, the body’s natural opiates. Endorphins are what give runners that natural high. Eating cocoa can have a similar effect and may explain why some people become self proclaimed chocoholics.

PMS Symptoms: Magnesium deficiency is known to aggravate the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. Forty percent of women admit to chocolate cravings. This may be the body’s attempt to obtain sufficient magnesium levels. Since cocoa nibs are a natural snack without added sugar, they may be a healthier way to satisfy monthly chocolate cravings.

Appetite Control: Coco contains chromium an important mineral for stabilizing blood sugar and reducing appetite.

Improve Circulation: Cocoa is a great source of flavanols, powerful antioxidants that play an important role in circulation. Flavanols help to prevent clogged arteries by helping to stop fatty acids from oxidizing in the bloodstream. Flavanols also help make blood platelets less sticky, which reduces the risk of blood clots, heart attacks and strokes.

Improve Cholesterol Levels. Cocoa contains healthy monounsaturated fats. The same fats found in olive oil. These healthy fats have been shown to raise good cholesterol (HDL) levels

Janerf1

I'm not too bad with Period Pains but on occasion I do get really painful cramps, I always go to the gym, even if I can't manage a run or something a brisk walk on the treadmill makes me feel loads better. I remember at school our PE teacher always used to make us exercise when we were trying to get out of it with Period Pains. Her explanation was it helps to relax the muscles that are cramping. Shame she wasn't lying really :-)

If you can't manage much even a walk should help!

Meggles63

Like Nike says, "just do it," for crying out loud! 99% of us don't have medical issues with our periods. We're not invalids.

BellydanceBliss

I did for the first time ever last month and bellydancing at that lol. Afterwards i crawled up into a fetal position under my electric blanket. lol As a whole it helped me not crave and eat any foods bad for me, and made the whole experience less well unpleasant. Pay attention to your body...start small maybe just some walking...The other thing is i run very low in iron protein and potassium during this time so i try to double up on it. You might try the same according to what your body is missing.

Beezil

I am really not trying to be mean but suck it up and go to the gym. We are women in the 21st century and we aren't sent to the red tent. It's just a little annoyance once a month. It will actually help you feel better.

Well, for some of us it's the worst pain you can experience (other than childbirth). I would say take some ibuprofen (I take 800-1000 mg - its a prescription) and try to do something. Even a little bit of a walk will help.

I'm not doubting anyone's pain. I personally have all my cramps in my back and it feels like my spine is going to snap in half, just like when I was in labor. But as soon as I get my body moving with some vigorous exercise, it relieves the pain.

This!

nixnax

For me personally the first day is the worst and i normally allow myself to mooch around on that day as it is painful and it bloats me out massively.

but by day 2 I find that I want to go out and do a run or go to the gym and I generally work harder. Maybe it's PMS but it works for me.

Wendy19872012

I am really not trying to be mean but suck it up and go to the gym. We are women in the 21st century and we aren't sent to the red tent. It's just a little annoyance once a month. It will actually help you feel better.

I agree suck it up!!! go gym and do it u will find it more of a struggle but once u get in to it will be ok.
and exercise can actually help the pain .

kimmianne89

I am really not trying to be mean but suck it up and go to the gym. We are women in the 21st century and we aren't sent to the red tent. It's just a little annoyance once a month. It will actually help you feel better.

Lol oh dear. If only it was just a little annoyance!
When I have my period, its 2 weeks of pain in my stomach and back, dizzy, feeling like I want to throw up etc (but I do have pcos so this might be the main problem)

I tend to stick to walking my dog, attempting to keep busy but with work and that its difficult as I get so tired but with food i tend to say I can have 1 bad thing that day, It can be big or it can be tiny but only one thing. That way I still feel in control of what i'm eating so when i feel better i haven't got to 'get back into it'

Kristinemomof3

I have not read all of the responses, but yes, I do work out and one thing that has helped me over the years is using a menstrual cup for my monthly. You can't feel it and it's like I'm noy even on my period. If you do a search, it will tell you about them.

do you mean something like the Diva cup? My sister uses something like that but I'm scared to stick something like that in me hehe so I stick with the more old way of TOM maintenance. -.- maybe someday I'll try it, it seems more economical and ecofriendly as well but hehe just scary to get in there ~_~

Yep, I use a Moon cup. On my heavy day (usually just 1 day) I empty it about 2 times, other than that I just empty it when I shower and before bed. I do have light cramping, but no "yuck" to deal with when I go to the bathroom. I've used one for about 14 years. Saved so much money. If you learn to use it correctly tampons will feel dry and uncomfortable.

amymckmuffin

Iv had bad periods since my first, always EXTREMLY painful lol. I have a prescription for pain med for my back at the moment that hels and i take 2 panadol and 2 nurofen aswell. The problem i have is that i get it sometimes for 3 weeks at a time, others a day or 2.
Exercising during that time is always better, even if its just a 10 min walk down the road, it gets everything pumping better and i find it helps with some of the pain.

Boshnivay

YES yes yes. I feel the same way. you build up for three weeks and then you know you have to just not go. i get so tired and i just feel cruddy. i do however, want to get going again once i have been not going for a week. I don't know how to help you though, the only idea that i have is "skipping" my period by immediately taking my next birth control package after all the active ones... but i am by no means a doctor so you don't have to listen to that advice.

tinamatteson

Exercise sounds like the most unappealing thing in the world when you're suffering from debilitating cramps, but it's actually the best pain reliever I've found. You probably will be too dizzy, nauseated, and faint to do a normal workout, but taking a walk or doing light housecleaning does wonders. Just keep reminding yourself that the sooner you start moving the sooner you'll feel better.

I totally agree! Just do something, maybe not your normal workout, but something light to keep yourself moving. I also have terrible cramps and take prescription strength Ibuprofen and I also use a ThermaCare abdominal heat wrap - they are WONDERFUL. You can get them in your drugstore in the hot/cold pain relief section.

demitraknows

I have the same problem but what helps me is that when I know its around that time I take zinc and B-12 and that gives me the energy to overcome the first three days. Spinning class relieves my cramping and actually drinking hot green tea does the trick after I finish the workout. Hope this helps I have endured stage 4 endometriosis.

Ebwash89

So I’ve been going to the gym quite religiously except when I have my period. During three weeks I build a rhythm and by the third week I feel great and then that one week it’s surprising that I can even get out of bed. The week after I find it really hard to restart exercising again, especially after a week of uncontrollable binge eating. I hurt all week and my only consolation is yummy treats.
Does anyone have ways to deal with it?

I know exactly how you feel! I'm always exhausted the week of my period! Like I'm talking about exhausted to the point where I'll get a full nights sleep and be falling asleep during the day. I could sleep all day during TOM.

Italianyc84

I tend to skip working out the first day of my period, because that's when my cramp tend to be the worst, and I feel very lethargic, etc. But, I don't go home and down a pint of ice cream either. I watch my diet very carefully that day and drinks loads of water. But, I'm back at it the next day.

Inlet

I am really not trying to be mean but suck it up and go to the gym. We are women in the 21st century and we aren't sent to the red tent. It's just a little annoyance once a month. It will actually help you feel better.

I agree suck it up!!! go gym and do it u will find it more of a struggle but once u get in to it will be ok.
and exercise can actually help the pain .

What if I told you that it has hit me WHILE I was at the gym, walking on a treadmill? :-p I barely made it to the locker room before I had to start crawling.
Or during a championship basketball game in high school while I was point guard?
During adolescence I would attempt to knock myself out.
Exercise only applies to moderate cramping, and for me, second day cramping. For the sake of us few who are legitimately in h---, please understand. (In case you happen to see one of us in a locker room, or by the side of the road after collapsing during a bike ride) One day I might need your help, as much as I wish I could handle it on my own.
My gynecologist, BTW, concluded that I produce too much of the hormone that induces cramping. She believes my body actually thinks I'm giving birth, in a way. Her only solution was birth control or take prescription strength ibuprofen daily. Neither of which, I was willing to risk. I had exploratory surgery to check for endometriosis during an appendectomy. I don't have it.
I'm not offended, I just want people to be aware of this nasty form of cramping that some women face.


I'd also add that it has usually been a really humiliating, vulnerable, and sometimes dangerous experience. I can't even predict the days it happens and there is a less than twenty minute window of time during which taking the meds will even be effective at mitigating the worst of it.

Inlet

P.s.
Tips I have found...
Ibuprofen stops your body from producing the "cramping" hormone. I can't remember the name. It is also anti inflammatory. If I was suffering from cramps, as soon as I felt them coming on, I took ibuprofen with some bread/crackers/gentle food. Also, I took two Drammamine tablets, (that is one dose) (it is an over the counter anti nausea med) and a dose of magnesium citrate (I take Natural Vitality brand "Calm"). Because I have a mild allergic reaction to ibuprofen, I also took benedryl.
The drammamine, for some reason was phenomenally helpful. And the benedryl relaxed my muscles somewhat.

If all these still did not work, (they usually didn't) I added Aleve and vitamin B and folic acid to minimize the possible side effects of so many NSAIDs. Follow with full sugar sodas, like root beer or coke if you still have trouble keeping it down.

I am not a doctor, but I will stress again that drammamine, benedryl, and ibuprofen together are a pretty effective combination for most of my friends.