Women’s Health Series: Training & Your Menstrual Cycle
Let’s talk about movement
Exercising during your menstrual cycle can be beneficial for both physical and mental health. However, the type and intensity of exercise may need to be adjusted depending on the phase of the cycle and individual symptoms.
Did you know you have four phases or seasons in your cycle, where your hormone levels fluctuate, therefore your body requires shifts in your nutritional requirements, your desire to exercise can change and your need to rest may increase?
One of my biggest pieces of advice to all my female clients is to become more educated and super intuitive with their bodies natural rhythms, to get to know their mensural cycles.
1. Menstrual Phase (Days 1-5)
Symptoms: Fatigue, cramps, bloating, hormonal changes effecting mood, appetite, sleep ect. (Any symptoms that are extreme or debilitating are NOT normal and should be addressed with your health care practitioner).
Exercise Recommendations: During this time, light to moderate exercise is usually recommended. Activities like walking, stretching, yoga, or gentle Pilates can help reduce cramps, improve mood, and promote relaxation and circulation. If you're feeling up to it, light cardio like cycling or swimming can be good too.
Benefits: Exercise can increase blood flow, which may reduce cramps, stagnation or clotting. It also releases endorphins, helping to combat changes to mood or physical discomfort.
2. Follicular Phase (Days 6-14)
Symptoms: Generally, energy levels start increasing as estrogen levels rise.
Exercise Recommendations: This is usually the best time for high-intensity workouts. You may feel stronger and more energetic. Engage in strength training, HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training), running, or other intense cardio workouts.
Benefits: Higher estrogen levels improve muscle recovery, strength, and endurance, making it a great time for challenging physical activities.
3. Ovulation Phase (Around Day 14)
Symptoms: You may feel a peak in energy, but some may experience slight discomfort or mild cramping.
Exercise Recommendations: You’re likely to have high energy, making it a good time for high-intensity activities. Listen to your body; if you feel discomfort, opt for moderate-intensity workouts.
Benefits: It’s an ideal time to push yourself in terms of strength and cardio. Your body is typically at its physical peak.
4. Luteal Phase (Days 15-28)
Symptoms: As progesterone levels rise, you may feel more sluggish, and PMS symptoms like bloating, fatigue, and mood swings may start.
Exercise Recommendations: You might want to slow down a bit. Try moderate activities like cycling, swimming, walking, or yoga. Avoid overexerting yourself, as the body’s ability to recover can be slower during this phase.
Benefits: Gentle exercises can help reduce bloating and stabilise your mood.
General Tips:
🌿 Listen to Your Body: Every person is different. If you’re feeling overly tired or unwell, rest or choose a more relaxing form of exercise.
🌿 Hydration: Stay hydrated, especially during the menstrual phase to help alleviate symptoms like bloating and fatigue.
🌿 Rest is Okay: Don’t feel guilty about taking extra rest days, especially during the menstrual or luteal phases.
🌿 Change is good: Adapting exercise routines to the natural rhythms of the menstrual cycle can help you stay active while respecting your body’s changing needs.
🌿 Nutrition is key: fuelling your body according to the vitamins, minerals, nutrient content that it needs for your hormones to function properly and effectively will provide
🌿 Think of your mensural cycle as your bodies ‘report card’ from the month prior - our cycles are a direct reflection of the stress we’ve been under, how we’ve fuelled our bodies, if we’ve prioritised enough rest and sleep, how we’re impacting by our external world and the state of our internal environment.