IS YOUR PERIOD TRYING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR WORKOUT HABITS?
As a woman, having your period has never been that appealing. It’s really more of a hassle and nuisance rather than deemed as something beautiful. I mean, who wants to deal with pads, cups, or tampons EVERY. SINGLE. MONTH.
But what if I told you that your cycle is actually a pretty damn cool thing. Trust me, I used to not think such crazy thoughts…but the more you learn about the ins and outs of a menstrual cycle, the more you see how amazing it is that our bodies do this and what it is trying to tell you when something isn’t quite “right”.
Not having a cycle all together can lead to more serious issues such as osteoporosis and even cancer. I will dive deeper into this subject but for now we will get to the point of exercise.
What is a normal period?
A normal menstrual cycle includes the following:
24-35 days
Ovulation that occurs between day 10-23
Changes in cervical mucus (from dry, to liquid egg whites, to creamy, to dry)
Bleeding for 3-7 days
3-4 tampons used each day for 4-5 days
No pain or very mild cramping prior to beginning of period
There are variations to this and these are RANGES. But I do feel like most of us learned in our 6th grade sex ed class that a period was 28 days long and you ovulate on day 15. That’s about the extent of it…or at least how mine was.
We are all built a little differently, but it’s important to look at YOUR normal. Are you cycles consistently changing from 28 days to 40 days? That would be something to look into. But if you range from 28-31 days, then you’re most likely just fine
So how does exercise affect my cycle?
There are SO many factors that could affect a normal cycle, but for this blog’s purpose, we are going to focus on exercise specifically.
We all have different workout styles, which means we all have a different tolerance.
If you are a triathlete but your cycles are as listed above, then you most likely are just fine! But if you’re running those marathons and your periods are no where to be seen or are 50-60 days long? There might be something to that excessive long distance that is causing your cycles to be out of whack.
This isn’t to say you can’t do those types of exercises, but you need to look into it and make sure you are fueling your body adequately so your body know’s it’s safe!
Here are some signs based off your cycle that could mean your exercise isn’t serving you:
Delayed ovulation
Scant/light periods
Excessive fatigue
Missed Periods
Luteal phase that is 10 days or less
Pre-menstural bleeding
You could have 1 or all of these. And I want to reiterate, these are just possible signs that exercise is causing period complications. There are. a lot of other factors that should be looked at!
The more complicated aspect of this is the hormone changes that are happening. Too little or too much estrogen, for example, can have a large impact on when we ovulate and how heavy our periods are. Estrogen can be directly affected by certain exercises, depending on how your body metabolizes it. But this is another topic for another day.
So what is the best exercise to do?
It depends! There is no one right answer. Your body will keep the score and tell you if it is too much. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. More is not always better. Here. are some guidelines to consider for a healthy lifestyle:
30 Minutes a day of moderate physical activity
1 hour 3x/week of moderate physical activity
1-2 High Intensity exercises per week
These are just examples. You don’t need to work out for a hour every single day in order to be”healthy”. And let your body tell you how it’s doing. The point is, move your body in. away that feels good and empowers you rather than moving to punish yourself.
Let me know if you have any questions!