Ladies - How do you exercise during that time of the month?

don't fret about what everybody else is up to.
figure out what works for you.

This. Some people find exercise makes them better. Some people worse. Some people find a certain type of exercise works better others can just stick with the same. There's no right answer.

For me I'm quite lucky. Nothing too severe just tiredness and general lethargy. So generally I keep it the same except I usually skip swimming (which I generally do daily) for a day or two, especially in winter. For some reason during those first couple of days of my period I seem much more sensitive to the cold and getting in a pool at 6:30am which isn't overly warm is really unappealing. Normally it takes me about 15 laps before I stop feeling unpleasantly cold - when I have my period I sometimes finish the whole 60 laps and still feel chilled.

But it depends on the month.

don't fret about what everybody else is up to.
figure out what works for you.

This. Some people find exercise makes them better. Some people worse. Some people find a certain type of exercise works better others can just stick with the same. There's no right answer.

For me I'm quite lucky. Nothing too severe just tiredness and general lethargy. So generally I keep it the same except I usually skip swimming (which I generally do daily) for a day or two, especially in winter. For some reason during those first couple of days of my period I seem much more sensitive to the cold and getting in a pool at 6:30am which isn't overly warm is really unappealing. Normally it takes me about 15 laps before I stop feeling unpleasantly cold - when I have my period I sometimes finish the whole 60 laps and still feel chilled.

But it depends on the month.

I find working out makes my flow heavier (i'm on meds for heavy flow too. we're talking tsunami), makes my back ache worse and exhausts me. plus I've found i'm far more likely to injure myself.

the world doesn't end if I skip it. I don't suddenly balloon 20 pounds and lose all my stamina. after my period i'm still the same relatively healthy person I was before my period.

I don't see why some people feel the need to make others feel like they're quitters or failures or letting themselves down just because they do things differently.

I get it all. The mind numbing pain, the cravings, the crying...all of it. I do find that going to the gym & taking out my period pain/anger out on the elliptical helps, a LOT. I use the 5 days (that's how long it usually lasts for me) as a huge motivation for me to make an extra push to lose weight. It generally works too. I'll usually lose a pound or two on my period. It's the craving sweets right before that's the harder part. But that's where discipline comes in.

I think it helps to get a bit of exercise even if you can't do too much.

Recumbent bike, if needed you can put heat on your bike while you ride for the back pain...but you aren't putting unnecessary pressure on anything that already hurts. I have permanent back pain due to 4 bulging disks in my back, when things are good, I'm on the treadmill, when I'm in pain, recumbent bike.

don't fret about what everybody else is up to.
figure out what works for you.

This. Some people find exercise makes them better. Some people worse. Some people find a certain type of exercise works better others can just stick with the same. There's no right answer.

For me I'm quite lucky. Nothing too severe just tiredness and general lethargy. So generally I keep it the same except I usually skip swimming (which I generally do daily) for a day or two, especially in winter. For some reason during those first couple of days of my period I seem much more sensitive to the cold and getting in a pool at 6:30am which isn't overly warm is really unappealing. Normally it takes me about 15 laps before I stop feeling unpleasantly cold - when I have my period I sometimes finish the whole 60 laps and still feel chilled.

But it depends on the month.

I find working out makes my flow heavier (i'm on meds for heavy flow too. we're talking tsunami), makes my back ache worse and exhausts me. plus I've found i'm far more likely to injure myself.

the world doesn't end if I skip it. I don't suddenly balloon 20 pounds and lose all my stamina. after my period i'm still the same relatively healthy person I was before my period.

I don't see why some people feel the need to make others feel like they're quitters or failures or letting themselves down just because they do things differently.

You seem to be taking other people's words of encouragement to the OP as offensive towards you. It's cool if you don't like/want/can workout during your period. No one will fault you, or even really care. Just don't get on here and start spewing negativity. No one wants to hear that. The OP was asking what to do and how to control her situation...which probably means she doesn't want to sit around and veg out. So unless you can help the situation, and give some advice or encouragement, silence yourself.

Because exercise helps relieve PMS symptoms. Especially cramps.

Unless I have a migraine I continue to keep to my routine. However, I also try not to be too hard on myself if during that time I dont run as fast as I normally would or need to take a few more breaks for water. The most important thing for me is getting out there and doing it. I do find that while getting motivated during that time is difficult, I almost always feel better once I get my workout in. As for the food that's a hard one for me because I end up craving a lot of sweets during that time. Lately I have been snacking on grapes to help.

I am/was the same way, but I am definitely one who has found working out through the cramps has made them generally more bearable. Cravings I give in to a bit, sometimes I can balance them out in my day, not always, but then we move forward. But as others have said, you just have to find out what works for you, whether or not that is exercising, or moving about, or just lounging until they are over and going back to your routine afterwards.

don't fret about what everybody else is up to.
figure out what works for you.

This. Some people find exercise makes them better. Some people worse. Some people find a certain type of exercise works better others can just stick with the same. There's no right answer.

For me I'm quite lucky. Nothing too severe just tiredness and general lethargy. So generally I keep it the same except I usually skip swimming (which I generally do daily) for a day or two, especially in winter. For some reason during those first couple of days of my period I seem much more sensitive to the cold and getting in a pool at 6:30am which isn't overly warm is really unappealing. Normally it takes me about 15 laps before I stop feeling unpleasantly cold - when I have my period I sometimes finish the whole 60 laps and still feel chilled.

But it depends on the month.

I find working out makes my flow heavier (i'm on meds for heavy flow too. we're talking tsunami), makes my back ache worse and exhausts me. plus I've found i'm far more likely to injure myself.

the world doesn't end if I skip it. I don't suddenly balloon 20 pounds and lose all my stamina. after my period i'm still the same relatively healthy person I was before my period.

I don't see why some people feel the need to make others feel like they're quitters or failures or letting themselves down just because they do things differently.

You seem to be taking other people's words of encouragement to the OP as offensive towards you. It's cool if you don't like/want/can workout during your period. No one will fault you, or even really care. Just don't get on here and start spewing negativity. No one wants to hear that. The OP was asking what to do and how to control her situation...which probably means she doesn't want to sit around and veg out. So unless you can help the situation, and give some advice or encouragement, silence yourself.

no, i'm taking some of these words exactly as they're typed. blanket statements help nobody.
the op asked what others do, but that doesn't mean she's up to doing the same (or not up to doing the same). she could be feeling guilty about not working out when she's feeling dire, or she could just be feeling a bit grotty and wondering if others get through it. plus, this thread will be opened by other women with similar questions.

it's great to encourage, as long as it's done by using encouraging terms. if it's done with undertones of guilt tripping and failure labels then it's unhealthy. they are spewing negativity under a guise of positivity. aren't we already made to feel guilty enough? I consider my counterpoint to be encouraging and helpful... women don't need to beat themselves up over this stuff.

so I won't be silencing myself on this issue. she needs to do what is right for her. feel free not to read my expressions of free speech if they offend you.