By Femi Paseda
Menstruation is a part of who we are as women; it is not a taboo topic, and we should be proud to talk about it whenever we need to. Talking about menstruation, womanhood, and fitness, in this week’s edition of Iya magazine health and fitness, we will be taking a look at everything you need to know about exercising during your period.
You’ll find everything you need to know about your menstrual cycle, the benefits of exercising on your period, and some of the things you might and might not need to modify in your workout routines.
Should You Exercise During Your Period?
We all have different experiences when it comes to our periods, and sometimes, what we face in a new month might differ from what we experienced in the previous month. This is why the question of whether or not you should workout during your period should depend on how you feel. It will not make any sense to exercise while you’re in a lot of pain from menstrual cramps. So, if you feel up to it, then you can exercise.
Do I need to modify my workout routines when I’m on my period?
Now that we understand whether we need to workout or not during our periods, the next thing women always want to understand is whether or not they need to lighten their workout routines during their periods.
When you’re on your period, you’re going to experience some hormonal changes at some other time, you might experience lower blood pressure, and this might make you feel a lot weaker when exercising.
Whenever you feel this way, it is okay to lower the intensity of your workouts. This allows you to remain fit enough and still remain healthy enough to go through your activities for the day. If you do not feel up to it, then do not workout at all.
Benefits of Exercising When You are on Your Period
Exercising while on your period can seem like a lot of work, but there are a lot of benefits to it. The benefits of these workouts differ with different women, and while you might experience one benefit, you might not experience the other. Here are some of the benefits of exercising on your period:
- Exercising can help reduce mild cramping: for some women, exercising can help relieve minor menstrual cramps. It acts as a natural painkiller reducing the amount of pain you feel when it’s that time of the month.
- Exercising improves your mood: women are most of the time cranky and out of reach during their periods but exercising improves blood circulation, and this reduces headaches, cramps, and other factors that cause mood swings.
- Exercising improves your strength levels: when on your period, you have fewer female hormones in your body, and this allows you to exercise and gain more strength. This is great for your fitness levels as well as your overall core strength,
As we said earlier, menstruating is a major and undeniable part of womanhood, and there is no shame in understanding what works and what does not when it comes to exercising. In this article, we have been able to cover the things you need to know about exercising during your period, which will definitely help you improve and achieve your fitness goals. Until next time, remain healthy and remain fit.
