Fitness Life & the Menstural Cycle - Listen to Your Body

As I was working out today, I realized something that might be helpful to a few women who are trying to lose weight. This post is only focused on the women menstrual cycle, so if there are a few men reading this post, please skip ahead to future posts unless you don't mind, then you're free to read this post.

Let me start off by saying that I've always had terrible cramps. When the time of the month comes around, I have the worst pain to the point where advil doesn't help at all. I've tried everything from a spoonful of molasses diluted in warm water to heat pads on my stomach. Nothing really worked. The biggest problem I had with my cramps was when I worked out. Any type of heavy, strenuous exercise caused me to hyperventilate. I don't know why, but it always happened.

With a consistent workout routine, healthy eating, and drinking lots of water, I found that the cramps are almost nonexistent at this point. I no longer have any cramps, and I no longer hyperventilate when I work out. The only problem I have now is the exhaustion. I feel heavier, dizzy, and just tired. Those workout moves seem 10 times harder than before, and I have to pause a lot more often to catch my breath. But if I compare myself to how I used to hyperventilate, this is a pretty big improvement for me. I still workout on my heaviest days, but I take things down a notch. I make sure I'm resting, taking a breather, pausing, and slowly easing back into my workouts.

Regardless of how important exercise is, I want to emphasize that you must take care of your health. Don't feel bad just because you're going slower than before. Don't feel like you have to push yourself to your limit every single time you workout. The only thing that's most important is that you found the motivation to take some time to workout today. However, if you are still feeling excruciating pain due to your cramps, it's ok to take a rest for that day. Listen to what your body wants more than what you think is best. If you're body is tired, give it a rest. If you're having a very hard time breathing while exercising, go for the lower modifications and take things slowly. As long as you're slowly improving little by little, that's all that matters. And of course, stay hydrated and drink more water than before when you're going through your menstrual cycle. Stay strong, and keep up your goals to a  better and healthier tomorrow, ladies! :)