Strong Women
Exercise and your period: how to maximise your workout according to your hormones
By Lucy Fry
5 years ago
The relationship between exercise and your menstrual cycle is more important than you think. Here, personal trainer Lucy Fry explains how to adapt your training to match your hormones.
You’re determined to go for a run. You really will today. Then you feel that nagging backache telling you your period is on its way. Though a brisk 30-minute walk or some gentle cycling would probably help your mood, this just isn’t the time to be pushing yourself. The trainers go back under the bed. But in 10 days’ time it will be a different story.
As a personal trainer, I’ve discovered through menstrual bleeding, hot sweats and lots of hormonal tears just how much my menstrual cycle matters. This is something I speak to every female client about; explaining how tracking and respecting their hormones is one of the most important things they can do for their overall fitness.
“Exercising in a way that specifically encourages hormonal balance will improve your mood, reduce PMS, enhance bone, brain and cardiovascular health and make you fitter,” agrees Dr Valeria Acampora from The Marion Gluck Clinic, a specialist hormone centre in London.
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