A cup of novelty

Audio: Medium

For most of us, sport is part of our daily routine. A diet without a little movement does not always give the desired results, there must be a balance between the two, and because a woman goes through several stages in a single month, every month, today I would like to touch on this topic: it is good or not to do sports during menstruation?

For the vast majority of women in the world, menstruation is that unlucky week of every month and nothing more. What I would like more women to know is that we must know our body very well and based on what it can and cannot do, guide our projects in such a way that we can be successful at any time.

First of all, I would like more and more women not to shy away from opening this topic, whether in society, at work, or online. From my point of view as a woman open to evolution and learning, this topic should not be taboo.
Secondly, I would like to emphasize the fact that during this period the energy and hormonal level is divided into two phases: the follicular phase and the luteal phase. Knowing this important aspect, we can “calculate” our effectiveness either at work or as an athlete. Which means that these two halves feature distinctly different hormone levels, with lower levels during the follicular phase and higher levels during the luteal phase.

The follicular phase

This period or the first days of menstruation is the most demanding for the body, in the sense that it will consume a lot of carbohydrates that it collected between the two months. If you are an athlete or just enjoy exercise, then now is the time to work for that enviable body. It is very important to keep our body hydrated, but it is not necessary to flood it.
Also during this period, you should insist on iron: red meat, grains, and a lot of fish or seafood (the omega-3 fatty acids will help fight increased inflammation).

The luteal phase

In this second phase, everything must be taken more lightly: it is not a good time to insist on physical exercises; now is very good to listen to our body, to hydrate it very well. If in the first phase, I said that the body will consume a large part of the accumulated carbohydrates, now is the period in which the lost amount is restored, so you don’t have to be afraid if you start eating more than before. Our bodies use up 5-10% more calories during this premenstrual phase.

In this direction and in the sense of breaking this taboo, more athletes did their research and became increasingly vocal, promoting the idea of ​​sports in the first menstrual days, and here I refer to athletes such as beach volleyball player Alix Klineman, April Ross or the gymnast Danusia Francis.

One thing that I would like to see happen all over the world, as it happens in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Zambia, would be to grant sick leave days, at least in cases of severe pain, but we will see what the future holds.

I wish to find you in a number at least as large as the previous article in the comments section with opinions and suggestions about this topic and about this article. I hope this information helps you and we will meet again next week on Sunday at 2 pm Helsinki time.

DEEA OLIVIA

Sources: HealthPartners, NBCSports. Photo sources: Pinterest