LADIES: your period and working out?

You didn't say if you work out at home or the gym. If its usually at the gym, try putting your favorite motivational music on at home and see if it makes you want to move. You could do your workout, or just dance around the house, where you can look and feel as gross and be as grumpy as you want and not worry. The exercise and good music might even make you feel better. Good Luck! Feel Better!

this last month I worked out for the first time on my period, and it actually helped me feel a lot better. Even just a walk or something to get you moving might help!

^^This definitely helps me. I pop a couple of Advil to dull the pain and then start with a walk. If I'm feeling up to it, i turn it into a light jog. Yoga is good, too. I always feel better after than when I start.

Unless I am feeling bad to the point that I can't be at work, can't play with my kid, etc, then yeah, I do my workouts as planned. If you're an athlete/team member, you can't pick & choose the dates that you train/compete; you can't tell your teammates, "no guys, today I'm not gonna train with you, I'm not gonna be there to support you and spot you & get your back because I really just feel like taking a nap & eating junk food." Obviously if you are truly in pain, truly sick, truly CAN'T do it, then that is one thing, but in that case you better be going to the doctor.

When I switched BC one time, the 1st month was HORRIBLE - I mean I remember being at my desk at work, head on my desk, eyes shut & teeth grinding together, and trying to figure out how to tactfully tell my boss I need to leave (without actually explaining the particulars of the situation - let's face it, that's TMI for a lot of people) and wondering if my doctor could work me in for the day without an advance appointment. If I'm feeling THAT bad, then no I'm not going to the gym. If I'm sick to the point that I have to tell my daughter that she's going to stay with her Nana & Grandpa so that I can sleep & take some meds & I'm worried that I'm contagious and I don't want to get HER sick too, then no, I'm not going to the gym. Otherwise? Maybe reduce volume/intensity or something, dial it back a notch or 2 cause you can't be 100% all of the time, but for the most part it's "suck it up, buttercup" (to be clear, that's me telling that to myself, NOT me trying to being mean to the OP) and "practice like you play" blah blah blah

But that's just my $0.02...as an aside, if you're regular enough that you know your exact start date & when it's the worst etc, why not just arrange your workout schedule (assuming you don't have team responsibilities or anything like that where it's not your choice) so that your "off" days or recovery/light days are your TOM and therefore whether or not you go to the gym is pretty much a non-issue? Just make it less complicated overall?

Save your period days for yoga and stretching

I behave while on my period almost exactly as I would when not.

I have incredibly debilitating periods. Been back and forth between doctors and hospitals for years but apparently there is nothing wrong with me - that's just how mine are. Mine leave me bedridden, rolling around on the floor in agony, crying, clutching my stomach and vomiting. I skip LIFE around those days, so to hell with the goddamned gym.

I have incredibly debilitating periods. Been back and forth between doctors and hospitals for years but apparently there is nothing wrong with me - that's just how mine are. Mine leave me bedridden, rolling around on the floor in agony, crying, clutching my stomach and vomiting. I skip LIFE around those days, so to hell with the goddamned gym.

Please go see a gynecologist if you haven't already, preferably a female doctor who has experience in treating endometriosis and similar pelvic disorders. What you're going through is not even remotely normal and you deserve to be treated properly. My sister has endo, and I probably do too (it's often hereditary). It took almost 3 years for them to take my sister seriously. I was tentatively diagnosed at my first appointment (the only official way to diagnose endo is surgery). Over 5 million women in the US alone have endo, and that's not including all of the women who have been misdiagnosed. There are plenty of other disorders that can cause severe pelvic pain, too. Please please don't give up and accept that this is just "how your periods are." Find a doctor who will take you seriously.

I have incredibly debilitating periods. Been back and forth between doctors and hospitals for years but apparently there is nothing wrong with me - that's just how mine are. Mine leave me bedridden, rolling around on the floor in agony, crying, clutching my stomach and vomiting. I skip LIFE around those days, so to hell with the goddamned gym.

Please go see a gynecologist if you haven't already, preferably a female doctor who has experience in treating endometriosis and similar pelvic disorders. What you're going through is not even remotely normal and you deserve to be treated properly. My sister has endo, and I probably do too (it's often hereditary). It took almost 3 years for them to take my sister seriously. I was tentatively diagnosed at my first appointment (the only official way to diagnose endo is surgery). Over 5 million women in the US alone have endo, and that's not including all of the women who have been misdiagnosed. There are plenty of other disorders that can cause severe pelvic pain, too. Please please don't give up and accept that this is just "how your periods are." Find a doctor who will take you seriously.

Second this. I had drop-you-to-your-knees cramps 10-12 years back... Accepted them as "within the range of normal" and went on with things... I was very fortunate that it was only fibroid tumors, something I found out just last year. Those original fibroids were calcified and I was full of newer ones - so much so that they bulged in an unusual place and I was thought to have an abdominal hernia for a couple of years. Had I let it go on longer than I did, I would have had to have open surgery to remove them. "Female problems" don't improve with age.

Re the original question: I found exercise to be good for cramps, but only for cramps. Without a uterus, I no longer have bleeding or cramping. But I still have monthly cycles because I kept my ovaries, and that includes one or two days of headaches, weakness, dizziness, and nausea that make a serious workout pretty unthinkable. On those days, I have no qualms about calling an impromptu rest day. I'll walk if I feel up to it, but that's about it. Bottom line: Do what feels right for you.

Hi all,
I have my period today (ugh) and I have ZERO motivation to work out. I feel like **** and I can't imagine doing anything other than leaving work and going home to sleep and read. I know this is bad but I'm in pain. Normally id have no problem giving myself one day off, but I was on vacation all of last week and I ate crap and didn't work out almost at all. I don't know what to do. Usually my period leaves me like this for 2-3 days. Also, I will mention that every food makes me want to throw up on my period, so I don't really eat much at all. I need help ladies. What would you/do you/ have you done with dilemmas like this?

Thanks

I would always listen to your body first. There is no point in passing out at the gym due to lack of energy and no food. Like, you said, Its just 2-3 days a month. Try and work these around as your rest days during this time. Everyones cycle is different with different extremes. I personally have it easy, and it never hinders my workouts. But my sister has a tough cycle. So I can understand the struggle.

I have pcos. I'm going to workout regardless, because if I'm using it as an excuse that makes men believe they can use it as an excuse to look down on me, or say I'm "delicate". **** ain't happening. As far as period cramps are concerned, I fake it until I make it. I'm not hurting if I'm to tired to think about it.