- July 10, 2018
- Workouts in the gym
- Marina Pislegina
Is it possible to play sports during menstruation? This is a question asked by many girls who do not want to stop training even on critical days. Scientists have now found that playing sports does not harm women at all; moreover, it helps them improve their mood and even their well-being during menstruation. However, you should not get too carried away with physical activity on such days. You will learn more about all this from this article.
A short introduction
So, many representatives of the fair sex are interested in the question of whether training and menstruation are compatible, or is it better to refrain from physical activity on such days? The answer in this case will be ambiguous.
It has always been believed that sports should not be played during menstruation, because the body is already weakened, and the girl may lose consciousness from pain. But now everything has changed significantly. Moreover, even medical experts advise girls to exercise during their periods if they feel well. In this case, it all depends on the characteristics of each girl’s body.
Important
Still, are training and periods compatible? The answer will be positive, but it is best to refrain from strength training. Moreover, you should not pump up your abs or do certain exercises that involve the abdominal muscles. This can increase menstrual pain.
The most important thing I wanted to say here is that menstruation is not a disease, but a natural state of any healthy woman. Therefore, if a girl feels well, then she can go to the gym and continue training.
If your period has not arrived, then you are pregnant.
No, not necessarily. If you are healthy and sexually active, then the likelihood of pregnancy is, of course, very high. But there are other reasons for delay: hormonal imbalances, stress due to travel, time zone changes. There are problems due to lack of nutrients. In excessively thin girls, periods may simply stop.
If your cycle varies from month to month, and you are not 14 years old, you need to go to a gynecologist. We need to look for the reason for such disgrace.
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What it is
Here I would like to say that menstruation implies detachment of the functional layer of the endometrium, accompanied by bleeding. In other words, if a woman does not become pregnant during the ovulation period, then her menstruation begins on time. This process is accompanied by general malaise, pain in the lower abdomen, and the temperature may even rise. Everyone's periods are different. It all depends on the individual characteristics of the woman’s body.
But is it possible to go to the gym during your period? The answer in this case will be positive if the woman’s menstruation does not affect her general condition. If a girl feels unwell and has severe pain in her lower abdomen, legs and lower back tension, then it is best to abstain from physical activity for several days. This is necessary to prevent increased bleeding. This rule must be remembered.
The longer a woman's cycle, the later menopause will occur.
Unfortunately or fortunately, there is no direct relationship.
A woman's menopause occurs when nature intended. This is influenced, firstly, by genetics, and secondly, by environmental factors. Perhaps you live in a metropolis with a so-so environment. Or, conversely, in a small town in a clean region. It also depends on whether the woman has had any abdominal surgery or illness. Whether she gave birth or not. It is generally accepted that a woman’s body produces about 400 fully formed eggs during her life. You can try to count, of course. But the egg does not mature in every cycle. And sometimes two of them ripen at once. Therefore, calculations are useless. Better play sports and come to menopause in good shape.
General points
Is it possible to work out in the gym while on your period? Here it must be said that every woman experiences menstruation differently. Some girls feel only a slight malaise and mild pain in the lower abdomen. For some, these days pass very quickly (in about three days) and are completely painless. And there are categories of women for whom, during menstruation, it is even difficult to get up from the couch for five or seven days.
In such a situation, a girl must decide for herself whether to go to the gym for training or not, based on her own feelings and well-being.
When is it better to abstain from sports?
There are certain restrictions during a woman’s monthly cycle. Why some women should not exercise during menstruation:
- if you feel unwell during training;
- if you experience abdominal pain
- if you have headaches;
- there were serious injuries in the female reproductive system;
- relapses were observed after receiving other injuries;
- there are serious diseases (cyst, endometriosis, fibrosis, uterine prolapse and others);
- hormonal imbalance was detected;
- with heavy bleeding.
Thus, general malaise, the presence of illnesses, injuries and other factors that interfere with sports activities indicate abstinence from training on prescribed days.
Also, many doctors advise girls from 10 to 17 years old not to train excessively or completely abandon this activity for a while due to the incomplete development of the female reproductive system and the elimination of possible consequences from health procedures. They should limit themselves to minimal exercise, such as walking, morning exercises, and light cardio. Many gynecologists do not recommend swimming for the sole reason that it is undesirable for girls under 18 to use tampons, and there is no other way to swim in the pool.
A small characteristic
For certain reasons, people of the older generation believe that training and menstruation are two incompatible concepts. Previously, young girls not only did not go to school on critical days, but many of them were even given three days off in order to get into their usual shape.
However, the previous rules no longer apply. Moreover, scientists have found that playing sports in the gym promotes a faster outflow of blood during menstruation; it does not stagnate in the woman’s pelvic organs, and therefore there is no severe pain. Therefore, girls who are constantly involved in fitness should not stop training even on critical days. Moreover, if the latter feel more or less normal during menstruation.
What sports activities are beneficial?
Exercising during menstruation can alleviate this condition. Of course, not all types of exercise will have a positive effect on the body.
What exercises can you do during menstruation:
- walking;
- easy running;
- yoga;
- water aerobics.
Exercising during menstruation can alleviate this condition.
Nuances
I would also like to say a few words about when training and menstruation are not compatible with each other. This happens if a woman feels cramping pain in the lower abdomen, and at the same time it constantly intensifies with any movement. In such a situation, you should not go to extremes and it is necessary to reschedule classes for several days until the girl’s condition improves.
However, even in this case, you should not spend the entire day in bed in a supine position. Many gynecologists say that to reduce and even relieve pain, you need to move more and take walks in the fresh air. This will help lift a woman's mood during menstruation.
If the pain seems unbearable to a woman, then you can take a painkiller. But this is done only in the most extreme cases.
If a woman’s health is normal and nothing hurts, then she needs to pack her bag with her gym uniform and go to training. But it’s not worth overexerting too much. This must be remembered.
What to pay attention to
Exercising in the gym during menstruation is not prohibited and is even useful, especially if the woman feels well. But it is necessary to reduce physical activity.
It is worth paying special attention to the following points during training during menstruation:
- if you have painful menstruation, you should avoid abdominal exercises, squats, and deadlifts (otherwise this may increase bleeding);
- On critical days, it is best to work out on a treadmill or jump rope - this increases the outflow of blood and avoids its accumulation;
- you need to reduce the intensity of the workout, instead of doing two approaches, do only one;
- you can do Pilates or yoga;
- After training you need to relax and unwind.
Following such simple rules will help a woman not to stop exercising even on critical days, but will make them less painful.
FAQ
So, is it possible to go to the gym during your period so as not to miss workouts? The answer to this question will be ambiguous. As stated earlier, training during menstruation promotes a faster flow of menstrual blood and does not allow it to accumulate. This helps reduce pain in women on such days. But you shouldn’t work out hard on exercise machines or do abdominal exercises during this period of time.
Is it possible to go to the gym during menstruation if menstruation is quite painful? If a girl feels severe pain in the lower abdomen and has difficulty moving even within her own home, then she should refrain from physical activity until the end of her critical days. Otherwise, you can only increase the bleeding and even lose consciousness and end up in the hospital.
Whether to go to the gym or not directly depends on the health status of the woman herself. If she doesn’t have any pain, then she may well continue to train the muscles of her body during this period of time. Here you need to take into account the individual characteristics of each girl’s body.
Helpful advice
You can go to the gym during your period, but you should reduce the force load on your abdominal muscles several times. This will help avoid excessive bleeding.
During her period, a woman is recommended to do upper body training (for example, dumbbell presses, lateral raises). Abdominal exercises should be avoided.
In general, on such days the most useful physical activities can be:
- yoga;
- breathing practices;
- long walks in the fresh air (of course, when it’s not hot outside).
You need to eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, and refrain from consuming caffeine, because it increases pain during menstruation.
Pregnancy tests are not wrong
They are wrong.
Firstly, because many women violate the instructions. Some people are panicking and can't wait until morning to use their morning urine. Well, someone keeps the test in their urine for too long to see the two coveted stripes. But it also happens that all the conditions are met, but the test is still wrong. Therefore, in order to confirm or refute the test results, many people buy two tests from different manufacturers at once. The test may also show two lines if your human chorionic gonadotropin levels are elevated. It is also referred to as hCG or hCG. Its level usually increases during pregnancy, and tests react precisely to the increased level of hCG. But sometimes it is high for other reasons. For example, due to cysts or tumors in the ovaries, due to urinary tract infections and some kidney diseases.
If the test, and then a repeat test, showed two stripes, and then the usual menstruation came, you need to go to the gynecologist. Perhaps there is some kind of disease of the internal organs. Or perhaps you had an early miscarriage.
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Recommendations
Can I go to the gym while on my period? As stated earlier, the answer to this question will be ambiguous. On the one hand, you can go to training, but you need to avoid increased physical activity. But according to some doctors, women with health problems should avoid training on such days. This applies to those girls who have been diagnosed with various gynecological diseases.
Therefore, before visiting the gym during your period, you need to visit a gynecologist and get advice from him regarding physical activity during your period.
In addition, women need to reduce their salt intake during this period of time. Because during menstruation, salt already accumulates in the body, and if it is consumed heavily, it will linger for some time and cause swelling.
How do hormones affect training?
Menstruation is a process regulated by sex hormones. In order for menstruation to begin, the level of estrogen and progesterone in a woman’s body must decrease sharply. 1-2 days before the start of menstruation and in its first days, the level of estrogen in the blood is at a minimum. Namely, they are responsible for the blood supply to tissues, regulate the pain threshold and metabolism, and also contribute to a good mood and high motivation, including for sports.
Photo: istockphoto.com
Estrogen makes working out much more satisfying and produces better results. Therefore, from the point of view of the state of the body during menstruation, the effectiveness of exercise may decrease somewhat. On the other hand, the level of the hormone testosterone during this period is slightly higher, which means that the strength characteristics of the muscles increase. Therefore, strength training during menstruation may be more effective.
More
So, here I would like to say that every girl and woman feels completely differently during menstruation. Some ladies can be very irritable, while others, on the contrary, are very quiet and calm.
In pursuit of a beautiful figure, many women train their buttocks every day, not sparing themselves, but during menstruation it is better to refrain from serious physical activity.
In order to significantly reduce pain during menstrual periods, you need to exercise more often in the gym on a machine such as a bicycle. This helps improve blood circulation in the pelvic organs and therefore avoid intolerable, painful periods.
Bottom line
Here again I would like to emphasize that menstruation in a woman is not a disease, but a normal physiological phenomenon that does not require specific treatment. Yes, many girls need rest during their periods due to severe pain. However, this does not mean that you need to lie in bed throughout your period and take pills. If possible, you need to move more, because physical activity during menstruation not only improves the flow of menstrual blood, but also helps get rid of pain and bad mood.
What kind of workout should you do during menstruation?
Moderate aerobic exercise is best for the menstrual period. For example, walking, light jogging or yoga and Pilates classes. In general, physical activity activates blood circulation, reduces painful spasms, improves the functioning of the digestive tract and contributes to more comfortable well-being during menstrual bleeding.
Photo: istockphoto.com
In addition, physical exercise stimulates the body’s production of joy hormones – endorphins, which means it helps lift your mood. However, on days of heavy discharge, it is necessary to exclude exercises associated with an increase in intra-abdominal pressure (to strengthen the abdominal press, leg press, etc.). The fact is that this can provoke a reverse flow of blood and endometrial tissue particles from the uterine cavity into the fallopian tubes and through them - into the abdominal cavity. That is, the risk of developing endometriosis increases in women who are prone to this disease due to genetic characteristics.
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