What’s The Best Time To Workout – Hey! I’m Lauren. And I’m on a hot mission to help you balance your hormones and live your best life.
If you’re a woman in your reproductive years, your body and hormones aren’t the same every day, and so are your workouts.
What’s The Best Time To Workout
Before learning about these hormonal fluctuations, also known as the four phases of the menstrual cycle, I pushed myself through grueling CrossFit workouts and marathon training 5-6 days a week every week.
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Some weeks I felt invincible in my workouts, but in the weeks leading up to and during my period, I was struggling in my workouts, struggling to keep up, and feeling exhausted.
Not only that, but no matter how hard I tried and how little I ate, I really couldn’t pass.
I secretly fit in (not so secretly) or shed a few extra pounds thanks to intense training.
If this sounds all too familiar, or if you’ve ever forced yourself to exercise right before or during your period only to feel defeated, tired, or too hungry (when you’ve dominated the same workout a few weeks earlier!), I know how a woman’s body is receptive to different exercises based on hormonal fluctuations and biochemistry. I thought it would react differently.
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Fortunately, with a few tweaks, you can exercise smarter, not harder, and still get in the best shape of your life. Get all the tips below to work on your period for the benefit of your body, hormones and overall health.
Want more exercise and nutrition tips to support your menstrual cycle leading to hormone balance and a healthier body? Get my guide here.
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Shall we follow? A woman’s body responds to different types of exercise during each stage of the menstrual cycle, so it all depends on the type of exercise you choose to engage in.
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To better understand this, it is important to understand your woman’s biochemistry during menstruation. See below for details!
When you’re on your period, your sex hormones estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone are all at their lowest levels, and along with your energy levels, your body is working hard to shed the lining of your uterus.
Your stress response also increases during this time, and when you exercise vigorously during your period, it puts extra stress on your body, which releases cortisol, which converts stored fat into usable glucose so you have enough energy to produce it. Through your exercise.
This may seem helpful, but it’s actually counterproductive because circulating glucose turns back into fat, especially in the midsection and hips. Instead of burning fat, you get stuck in a cycle of increased fat storage and muscle loss, not to mention depleted energy and increased hunger levels.
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Bottom line, if you want to exercise during your period and actually reap the benefits (i.e. burn fat, build muscle, increase strength, etc.) then it’s important to exercise that doesn’t increase your cortisol production and levels. stress. See below for ideas!
As mentioned above, if you want to exercise during your period, it is essential that you exercise in order to actually get the benefits (burning fat, increasing strength, increasing muscle, increasing mood or energy, etc.). It works to reduce cortisol production instead of adding stress to your body.
Below are some of the best types of recovery workouts to do during your period to help you do just that!
Although I feel like a broken record right now, it’s important to avoid any strenuous exercise that causes excessive cortisol production, which can lead to increased fat storage, muscle loss, fatigue, adrenal dysfunction, bleeding, blood sugar imbalances. blood and wounds. Below are some specific exercises to avoid in the days leading up to and during your period.
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As you can see, period training can have negative effects or many positive side effects. It really depends on the exercise you are doing. Incorporating slow, stress-relieving, low-impact exercises and recovery movements comes with many benefits, such as those listed in the Best Period Workouts section. , including:
Recovery moves, as described in The Best Exercises for Your Period, work to reduce PMS by lowering cortisol levels, increasing feel-good endorphins that block pain receptors, and increasing circulation and blood flow.
Research has shown that exercises such as yin yoga, foam rolling and stretching can reduce menstrual cramps by reducing inflammation and gently contracting and massaging the pelvic muscles.
Below are my top tips for getting the full benefits of period workouts, as well as avoiding any pitfalls that could prevent you from reaching your fitness goals.
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These types of low-impact movements work to tone, stretch, and relax muscles and increase blood flow, which can relieve menstrual pain and menstrual cramps.
I’m particularly obsessed with p.volve’s Cycle Timing Pilates series, which tailors workouts to the four hormonal fluctuations of your menstrual cycle, giving you classes to optimize your body’s strength and power, especially during your period. **You can use my code SOFRESH30 for a free 30 day trial.
Yin yoga, especially when engaged in triangle pose, downward dog and fish pose can help reduce stress and relieve menstrual cramps. You can find tons of free classes on YouTube or access them through an online subscription like Peloton (or just do some poses on your own!)
While running (especially for long periods) can put a lot of stress on your body during your period, hindering your progress, walking at a light to moderate pace counteracts this by lowering stress levels and increasing mood-boosting hormones. spirit, such as serotonin.
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If you can, try to choose an outdoor walk (or a gentle, low-grade hike!), which has the added benefits of helping you set your circadian rhythm, which optimizes sleep, balances blood sugar, reduces appetite, and naturally helps the body. in weight loss.
Increasing your workouts and resting during your period is key to improving your fitness levels, especially since excessive exercise stresses the adrenals and pushes the body into stress-survival and fat-storing mode.
Additionally, alternating your workout with a nap or prioritizing a good night’s sleep can help you lose weight naturally by boosting your metabolism, balancing your blood sugar, and reducing your cravings (especially for carbs or sugar). Truly, if your body is calling for rest or sleep, now is the time to listen, because the rewards are endless.
Keeping your blood sugar balanced is key to supporting your hormones and menstrual cycle as it works to reduce stress in the body. And as you now know low stress = low cortisol levels = low inflammation = increased metabolism, muscle toning and fat burning (yes please!).
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Needless to say, blood sugar balance is important during menstruation, as increased cortisol production can interfere with insulin levels and destabilize blood sugar.
You can help keep your blood sugar under control by eating balanced, nutrient-dense meals and snacks every 3-4 hours during your period. For specific recipes and meal ideas, check out my guide.
High-intensity exercise such as cycling, bootcamp, dance cardio, running, CrossFit, etc. can help you tone, burn fat, and gain more muscle mass when incorporated into the early part of your menstrual cycle (phases follicular and ovulatory, and others). the one below).
But engaging in these types of intense workouts during the latter part of the cycle (luteal and menstrual phase) actually has the opposite effect, creating more stress on the body, which alters fat storage and muscle loss, while depleting the adrenal glands and energy . , leading to hormonal imbalance, missed periods and other negative side effects.
Exercising During Your Period: Benefits And Things To Avoid
So if you want to reap the fitness gains and feel better, it’s best to schedule these workouts early in your cycle and skip them for more low-impact, recovery exercises later in your cycle.
While there are many safe and effective workouts I’ve described that you can participate in during your period, I always encourage you to check with yourself first. If your body craves rest, allow it to, which will only allow you to enter your follicular phase with more energy and stamina to crush those workouts!
Also, remember that if you have a symptomatic period (heavy flow, cramping, period pain, fatigue, mood swings, etc.), these are signs of a hormonal imbalance, and first of all, it will help you work on to solve this. for your betterment. Exercise, energy, performance, periods and general health.
It depends on the type of exercise. Strenuous exercise such as long-distance running, cycling, HIIT, etc. can be done
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