Working Out On Your Period: Ways to Workout When Your Period Knocks You Out

This post is for all the ladies who get knocked down once a month when their monthlies come to say hello. It's hard enough to get a consistent work out routine in with all the struggles of mom life and then there's one more thing to get in the way.

As far as I know, there's two types of women. Those who get super hungry on their periods and those who don't want to eat at all. I'm the former. Which means that I would need to eat three times as much as normal to intake all the calories my body needs to work out. (At least that's what it feels like) Not to mention staying hydrated on top of that. And for those of you who don't get hungry, you have to force yourselves to eat because it's not good to work out without replacing some of that fuel.

Well, it's no surprise that a woman might just decide to give up for a week. And we haven't even talked about hormonal feelings and cramps. Nope, we'll just put a pin in the entire exercise plan and come back to it at a later date.

AND THAT IS OKAY! It's perfectly okay to decide to take a week off your exercise routine so that you can recover to fight again another day. However, if you have already been struggling to exercise and know that a set back like this can mean that you find yourself falling out of your routine entirely, it might be best to keep the routine, but fill it with something a little less challenging.

Personally, I have fallen out of perfectly good starts at exercise routines multiple times due to mother nature, and have gotten stuck in the start and re-start cycle more times that I would like to admit. However, there are ways we can keep working out on our period that allow us to continue pushing forward on our fitness journeys.

Stretching

Hopefully, you ladies are stretching before and after your normal work out routines already. But even if you aren't, stretching is a great way to take time out to care for your body.

Menstrual cycles can cause stiffness in the muscles, so this week is a perfect opportunity to provide yourself with some extra stretching relaxation.

I like doing a full body stretch routine while adding a little extra focus on the core and back. My goal is to alleviate all aches and pains, but those especially around the source.

Kegels

Once a woman has a baby it's a constant battle to maintain those core muscles again. Kegels are a great exercise no matter what stage of womanhood you are in. Having a strong pelvic floor is important and has many great benefits.

One such benefit is the potential to reduce menstrual cramp pain and inflammation. So, if you don't have the energy to hit the gym, this is the perfect time to do some simple and easy kegel exercises.

To perform a kegel, find a comfortable position sitting, standing, or lying down. What you want to do is squeeze the way you would if you were trying to hold your pee from escaping. Hold the squeeze for about 5 seconds and then relax and repeat.

If this is your first time doing these I suggest lying down with your knees bent and placing your hands on your lower abdomen just below your hip bones and feel for your muscles contracting. You should feel the deep muscles on each side flexing as you squeeze. You may have to press down a bit in order to feel them.

Walking

Walking is a great way to maintain your body's muscle tone while staying lightly active. It also activates the core so you don't have to feel bad about skipping your mommy tummy routine.

Even if you don't have access to a treadmill and the weather outside is not in your favor, there are some YouTube videos that you can follow along with that help you walk indoors.

Conclusion

These suggestions are meant to help you ladies when your period keeps you from being able to hit it hard at the gym or at home with weights. You can always continue a full workout routine while on your period, but every now and then we don't have the energy and that's okay.

Remember that doing something is better than doing nothing. Every little bit helps. And taking the time out to do some of these light exercises will help you maintain your normal routine when you are able to return.