{"id":2633,"date":"2019-10-24T04:31:50","date_gmt":"2019-10-24T04:31:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.nootheme.com\/fitsica\/?p=2633"},"modified":"2019-10-24T04:31:53","modified_gmt":"2019-10-24T04:31:53","slug":"the-facts-exercise-during-your-period","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.nootheme.com\/fitsica\/the-facts-exercise-during-your-period\/","title":{"rendered":"The Facts: Exercise During Your Period"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>As a women\u2019s only trainer, one question I get asked a LOT is whether you can exercise during your period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I love that women feel like this is something they can ask questions about and discuss openly.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Talking about the menstrual cycle and things like\u00a0menstrual cramps\u00a0is really important as it\u2019s an everyday reality for ALL women! While menstruation has been a taboo topic in the past, I believe women should be educated about what to do when you have your period \u2014 and then we can make informed decisions about our health and fitness based on the best available information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ShouldIExercise\">Should I exercise during my period?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The first thing to understand about periods is that every woman has a different experience. It might even be different from month to month!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You CAN exercise if you feel up to it. If your symptoms are minimal, you may feel like training as normal, and there\u2019s no reason to stop training if that\u2019s the case.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have really heavy periods, menstrual cramps or feel\u00a0bloated, exercise may be uncomfortable or unrealistic for a few days. When I have my period, I usually have a couple of days when I feel unwell. I won\u2019t train for those days, and I rest until I feel better!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The decision is going to come down to how YOU feel when you have your period.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, if you experience changes to your period symptoms or have severe cramping, you should see your doctor who will be able to advise you if there are any health issues you need to address.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ModifyWorkouts\">Should I modify workouts during my period?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you feel up to exercising during your period, it\u2019s possible that you might feel like you\u2019re not training at full capacity.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s completely normal!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hormonal changes during menstruation could be one reason you might not feel at your best. Some women may also experience lower blood pressure when training.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The best way to tackle this is to lower the intensity of your training. Try using lighter weights or reducing your perceived exertion for each exercise.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, if you start to feel really fatigued, you should stop your workout and return to exercise when you feel stronger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ExercisesToTry\">Some exercises you can try during your period<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There are ways you can stay active if you don\u2019t want to do a high-intensity workout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You could try doing one of the BBG or BBG Stronger recovery workouts in the SWEAT app.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It might also be a good day to do a\u00a0LISS workout\u00a0(low-intensity steady state) rather than resistance training.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If I don\u2019t feel like training when I have my period, I\u2019ll often find other ways to be productive \u2014 I\u2019ll\u00a0clean my sneakers, cook or\u00a0wash my workout gear. I might also use the time to take a\u00a0rest day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"BenefitsOfExercise\">Benefits of exercise during your period<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For some women, exercise during periods may help to alleviate mild cramping, as their endorphins \u2014&nbsp;which are a natural painkiller \u2014 get a boost from working out.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the best way to decide if you should exercise during your period is by\u00a0listening to your body.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you decide not to work out during your period, there are still things you can do to improve your periods.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your diet may also help to improve your symptoms. Some of the\u00a0best foods to eat during your period\u00a0include: spinach, broccoli, salmon, dark chocolate, wholegrains, bananas and eggs.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Exercise during the rest of your menstrual cycle \u2014&nbsp;the days you DON\u2019T have your period \u2014 may actually help to reduce symptoms associated with your period.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is because exercise may boost your sense of wellbeing and help reduce\u00a0hormonal fluctuations\u00a0when your period arrives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"FindWhatWorks\">Find out what works for you and your period<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking after your menstrual health isn\u2019t just about your period. There are lots of things you can do for your health throughout your whole cycle, including exercise and\u00a0making sure you\u2019re getting enough iron in your diet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, don\u2019t feel pressured to exercise or get upset if you have to rest when you have your period \u2014&nbsp;it\u2019s totally normal!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s all about paying attention to how you feel, and making sure you\u2019re doing what is right for YOU!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As a women\u2019s only trainer, one question I get asked a LOT is whether you can exercise during your period.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":92,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[42],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.nootheme.com\/fitsica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2633"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.nootheme.com\/fitsica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.nootheme.com\/fitsica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.nootheme.com\/fitsica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.nootheme.com\/fitsica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2633"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wp.nootheme.com\/fitsica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2633\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.nootheme.com\/fitsica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.nootheme.com\/fitsica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.nootheme.com\/fitsica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.nootheme.com\/fitsica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}