Can women exercise on their period?

 

Going to the gym during a painful period might be a tall order, of course, but there are plenty of other alternatives. A long walk, a gentle swim or some yoga stretches can ease discomfort and help you feel a lot more positive. 

A workout or physical activity will also make you feel better overall, as exercise stimulates endorphin production in your body.



Some myths:

Myth 1: It’s not safe to exercise during your period.

Truth: Providing you don’t overdo it, exercising during your period is not only safe, it’s encouraged by experts.

 

Myth 2: You gain weight just before your period.

Truth: It’s actually just water retention, which disappears by the time your period starts.

 

Myth 3: You burn more calories if you exercise when menstruating.

Truth: Nope. But you do if you exercise in the luteal phase of your cycle, just before your period.

 

How To You Choose Your Workout?


Being realistic and listening to your body goes a long way in helping you decide on whether you want to walk or run a few kilometers. It is also perfectly fine to relax once in a while on the couch, with a hot bag and some TV if the body demands some pampering. The key is to enjoy what you are doing and being guilt-free!

 

What to Avoid?

Exercising during periods should not put extra stress on the body or cause pain. Though not proven, you can avoid doing inverted yoga positions including handstands, shoulder stands, or legs on the wall. These exercises could encourage blood flow to the opposite direction of where it’s supposed to go. Also, avoid strenuous prolonged exercises and stop when you feel too much pain or fatigue.

 

If you enjoy exercising, there is no reason to disrupt your workout routine when on your periods. It doesn’t have to be a high-intensity, hardcore workout – just keep it moving and vary your workouts according to your energy levels. Take some time to recover and finally, honor what you are capable of! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Dispose Sanitary Pads

Image
  Inappropriate disposal of menstrual waste is problematic for several reasons. The first reason arise from the fact that plastic sanitary napkins have replaced cloth napkins to a large extent.  Why should sanitary pads be disposed of properly? Disposing of sanitary napkins can be a difficult job. Not only is there a lack of proper arrangements in public toilets but this is considered a taboo altogether, which is why most women refrain from discussing appropriate ways of disposal. There are few reasons to ensure that used sanitary napkins are discarded properly. On an individual level, soiled sanitary pads can be smelly and attract flies. The exposed blood also becomes a suitable environment for germs. Ways of disposing sanitary pads! 1- At home, let’s make sure that your menstrual waste is not a part of your regular domestic waste. It can be kept separately as a bio/wet waste. Follow the red dot campaign, where you can mark your sanitary waste with a red dot for its easy ide
Read more

Menstrual Hygiene and Waste Disposal

Image
  Menstruation is a normal biological process which maintains the female reproductive cycle. Without this process, there would be no ovulation and hence, no reproduction. Menstruation and menstrual practices still face many social, cultural, and religious restrictions which are a big barrier in the path of menstrual hygiene management.    This topic remains elusive and is even considered taboo in different parts of the world. In developing countries like India, women have to deal with menstruation secretly. It has been found that little, inaccurate, or incomplete knowledge about menstruation is a great hindrance in the path of personal and menstrual hygiene management. Girls and women have very less or no knowledge about reproductive tract infections caused due to ignorance of personal hygiene during menstruation time. In rural areas, women do not have access to sanitary products or they know very little about the types and method of using them or are unable to afford such products d
Read more

To Pad or not to Pad

Image
  Sanitary napkins should not only provide comfort and safety but must enhance woman’s health and lifestyle. During adolescence, nearly 60 percent women did not have any prior knowledge about menstrual periods. In fact, around 38 percent women had first misinterpreted it as an injury or disease. Ever since then there are some areas in India where people shy about talking periods. Women in the reproductive age group ought to be given proper data about period, and they ought to be told about the benefits of utilizing sanitary napkins. Health sector functionaries should play a proactive role in the convey of such information. Chirag Pan, CEO, PAN Healthcare, says, "Menstrual hygiene and wellness have been known issues in the Indian context. While there has been progress in recent years, it is imperative that we leverage our strength in the Indian value-based systems and inculcate the importance of good menstrual hygiene from the onset of puberty itself. Schools can and must pla
Read more