How to Show Up In Your Fitness Journey During "That" Time of the Month
- Taylor Rogan
- May 19, 2020
- 4 min read
Okay I had to put a longer post together about this because it is FASCINATING. I am always shocked at how little I (and a lot of women) know about their own bodies. In the spirit of showing up daily in your health and fitness journey, I was thinking about what the most difficult time is to SHOW UP. Besides those days that are just flat our crazy busy and we have everyone needing a piece of our time, the days when we are menstruating can be downright MISERABLE. So how can we make it more tolerable? Let's read below about how diet and exercise at different parts of the month can make it a little easier on your body.
Menstruation: (days 1-5, bleeding phase)
Hormone levels drop. A lack of iron can affect our energy levels and increase cravings
What to eat:
Balance blood sugar levels by eating “a combination of protein, good fats and complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, legumes and vegetables” at this time of the month. If you suffer with cramps, avoid “gas producing” foods, such as raw foods and sugary processed foods
Nuts and seeds contain magnesium, which is known as a muscle relaxant, and may help alleviate some of the cramps and discomfort
Caffeine is a natural diuretic which dehydrates the body, it's recommended to swap caffeinated drinks with herbal teas
A lack of iron can make us feel fatigued and low in energy, so "eating iron rich foods such as red meat, green veg, lentils and seeds can support iron production"
How to exercise: Listen to your body!
Light cardio, shorter stints of aerobic exercise and swimming or yoga are all good options at this point.
Light weight-lifting: Oestrogen levels are at their lowest during your period which can make some women feel stronger when strength training
Follicular Phase (Days 1-14)
Hormone levels begin to rise in anticipation for ovulation during the follicular phase, which comes in the middle of a cycle. This is usually a 'feel-good' time of the cycle
What to eat:
Probiotic rich food (fermented foods, such as kimchi, yogurt and kombucha)
Omega three fats (oily fish, nuts and seeds) and a range of colored vegetables to support the liver detoxification pathways.
Bitter greens, such as rocket, help promote the production of digestive juice and enzymes
How to exercise:
Strength training during this period may result in higher increases in muscle strength, compared with other times of the month.
Women are three to six times more likely than men to suffer musculoskeletal injuries in the follicular phase leading up to ovulation. This is believed to be due to lower rates of tendon collagen synthesis following exercise.
Longer warm-up exercises and not over stretching can help minimize this risk at this time of the month.
Ovulation (day 14)
Oestrogen levels reach a peak, leading to a rise in luteinising hormone (LH) which results in the release of a mature egg
What to eat:
Great time to get lots of colorful salads and smoothies
Vitamin B, and whole grains, such as brown rice can help support energy production
How to exercise:
This is a good time to push yourself physically and enjoy the additional endurance that often characterizes this time.
Progesterone remains low, meaning that the body’s overall pain tolerance increases. Now is a good opportunity to strive for a personal best and focus on total body strength training.
Luteal Phase (days 14-28)
Comes after you release an egg and before your period starts.
It’s at this time that we often suffer from pre-menstrual symptoms, such as acne, cravings, bloating and breast tenderness.
What to eat:
Cortisol causes food cravings, especially cravings for sweet foods. Food cravings can also be due to mood swings
Avoiding sugar rich and processed foods at this time, as these can stimulate sugar cravings.
Limit salty foods as salt can retain water, thus adding to the bloating feeling
Fibre is a great way to give a sense of feeling full and can help reduce cravings. Fibre rich food include fruit and vegetables and whole grains.
Certain teas can help with bloating, such as fennel and turmeric
Eat foods high in 'essential fats', such as oily fish, nuts, seeds, olive oil, avocado and olives.
How to exercise:
Body temperature rises. Progesterone in the body also increases. For this reason, it’s important to stay hydrated and keep cool when exercising.
Researchers at female health app Clue note that you might not have as much endurance during this time and may struggle to hit previously achieved goals, which can be frustrating.
During the days leading up to your period, activities that relax your body, such as yoga or Pilates may help relieve symptoms such as cramps and muscle fatigue.
Water retention is common prior to menstruation, so it’s worth remembering that changes to body mass may impact performance, especially in sports where weight is important, such as weight lifting and distance running.
Okay okay so all of that information is FABULOUS if you aren’t on the pill, right? But if you are, your pill is tricking your body into thinking that it is pregnant and it isn't going through those normal phases.
So let’s start here: Did you know that when you get your period on the pill, its actually called “withdrawal bleeding”?
Did you know that you do not ovulate when you are on the pill?
In an effort to start understanding more about my body, I’m going to start using this app called “Clue”. If on birth control, your fertile window will not be displayed because that would be your ovulation stage and that is what you DO NOT have when you are on birth control. However, with this app, it allows you to input information about how you take the pill, symptoms you are experiencing, when you had withdrawal bleeding etc. If you are looking for a way to learn more about how your body reacts to the food you are eating, the exercise you are getting, and the hormones you are taking, Clue app may be a great place to start to get more int touch with your...dare I say...feminine side? LOL.
All in all, what I realized from this research was that I, and I think a lot of women in general, do not really know that much about our bodies! Could you even name all of the female organs if given a picture? I don’t think I could! But, in this effort, hand and hand with diet and exercise I am going to start paying more attention to MYSELF and MY body to understand the best fuel that I can put into it to get the best possible performance out of my life. Will you join me?
All of the information above was from these links!
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