Fitness During That Time of The Month

Illustrated by Jacqueline Davis Moranti 

That dreaded week has emerged upon you. You switch things around to prepare yourself, like the clothes you’ll wear, even down to the  makeup you’ll  wear  too. No, I’m not talking about meeting your SO’s parents,  its  your  menstrual  cycle! 

The major nuisance of your menstrual cycle is the  PMS.  The  symptoms  of PMS vary by each person. One woman’s abs may continue to stay on “fleek” while another woman’s just gets bloated during that particular week. In conjunction with the bloating, like clock work, is water retention, massive cravings, irritability and stranger energy levels. It’s annoying yet I know that after a week everything will be back to normal.

PMS can weaken your performance at the gym or during any training session, and if you are like me (a gym rat) then you would do anything to minimize the affects it can have on you. Being perceptive of all the changes happening in your body you can diminish the negative affects. I’m not going to let a simple act of nature stop me from reaching my goal. Here are some of my tips to use that I use to conquer my menstrual week. 

11)   Understanding your cravings. Most women notice an increase in appetite during this time, if you’re not careful then you might consume more calories than you planned to. By keeping track of what you’re eating the through out this week, you’ll be more aware and avoid undoing your weight loss efforts.

22)   Stay hydrated.  Drink more water than you are used to. Water will help beat the bloat in this week. Most women gain an extra couple of pounds of water weight during their cycle.

33)   Do your cardio. Intense work outs will feel uncomfortable during your cycle because of the high body temperature. Fortunately, your tolerance for pain will be higher than usual, which means achieving new personal bests! Also, all the water weight will make you work harder.

These are the tips I keep in mind whenever my cycle strikes, each month.  By keeping my goal in mind, I can stop my period from disturbing my fitness progress.