The Sneaky Ways Your Menstrual Cycle Is Affecting Your Workouts

Consider your cycle

As if periods needed to have an even greater impact in women’s lives, your menstrual cycle can change your mood, energy level, and physical performance. That means sometimes you might wake up too sluggish to get to the gym or make it through your last set of squats, and other times you’ll jump out of bed with tons of energy, ready to hit the trails or take a body-blasting HIIT class, with all its health benefits.

Although you can’t prevent these highs and lows, you can use the knowledge of what’s going on during your menstrual cycle to your advantage when meeting your health goals.

“From a scientific standpoint, a healthy female can get a great workout at any time during her menstrual cycle,” says Nita Landry, MD, (“Dr. Nita”), board-certified ob/gyn and frequent co-host on The Doctors. “However, from a practical standpoint, menstrual cramps and vaginal bleeding can leave some women feeling blah. And while each person will respond differently to the hormonal changes associated with her menstrual cycle, once you understand how your body typically behaves during your monthly cycle, you can create your optimal workout schedule.”

Your menstrual cycle starts on the first day of your menstrual period and ends the day before the next period begins. Your menstrual cycle—and its impact on your workouts—can be broken down into three phases.

from Reader's Digest http://ift.tt/2xHQlU2