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Search Results for: menstrual

December 1, 2022 By Mitali Ambekar 9 Comments

Should Women Workout During Their Menstrual Cycle?

Should Women Workout During Their Menstrual Cycle?Should women workout during their menstrual cycle? It’s a question asked by most women who have either started working out, have been in sports or trekking, etc. How can a woman or girl stop working out for a span of 4-6 days, especially the ones who are active? There could be varied opinions on the same.

How Does Working Out During A Menstrual Cycle Help? 

If we put in a little logic, it does show us that a workout during their menstrual cycle would help women feel better. How is that? In general, when anyone works out, the body tends to release endorphins, the feel-good hormone and makes one feel good and happy. In the case of women, this is especially true, when the other hormones are already making her feel irritated, low on energy and weak during her periods.

Another positive is better circulation and higher metabolism – both of which will make sure that all the processes in the body are working well, thereby also making the woman’s uterine muscles relax, which otherwise are constricted during periods and can be a major cause for cramps. Better circulation can even help in relieving headaches and other small aches, which otherwise happen with iron deficiency during this phase.

Should Women Workout During Their Menstrual Cycle?Having said this, the intensity of workouts should not be very high, it should be low to moderate. Before starting off, you may not feel like doing so but, as you start with a light warm-up such as a slow walk, followed by some stretching, it will make you feel better and thus, take the workout forward slowly and steadily. In fact, light stretching will even help you get rid of congestion in the pelvic area.

When You Should Avoid Working Out

Women, who suffer severe pain and more bleeding should avoid it, as exercise can make them feel weaker and can make it very painful. Again the question pops up, why and how?

During periods, the woman’s Uterus and the veins inside are a little sensitive. Any pressure on it, be it in the form of exercise or any other activity, can cause more pain. Women who already encounter a lot of pain should avoid taking the risk of working out and should rest for 2-3 days and then get back to their routine. Failing to do so can cause more weakness with loss of blood due to excessive bleeding.

Albeit, you can do some light walks, stretching, or yoga. You can try swimming too as it equally helps in feeling fresh, light and helps easing off the pain. As a precautionary step, always remember to eat something before the workouts to get the dash of energy you need to workout.

We hope this article helps you! For more articles on Women’s Health, check out Healthy Reads. You can also download the GOQii App to keep a track of your menstrual cycle or speak to an expert by subscribing for GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

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March 11, 2022 By Soni Thakur Leave a Comment

Menstrual Cramps & Ways To Combat It

menstrual crampsMenstrual cramps are also called as Dysmenorrhea, like its name says ‘dys’ meaning difficult, ‘meno’ meaning month and ‘rrhea’ meaning flow i.e. difficult or painful monthly flow, and often a nightmare for most women. Its usual onset occurs around the time that menstruation begins. The pain is usually in the pelvis or lower abdomen.

Apart from this, there are certain other manifestations which women put up with during menstruation:

  • Nausea
  • Acidity
  • Acne
  • Bloating
  • Dizziness
  • Mood swings

Why Do We Get Menstrual Cramps?

Menstrual cramps are caused by an excess of “prostaglandins” hormones that are released from the endometrium (inner lining) of the uterus as it prepares to shed off. This is a necessary part of the process but in excess, it causes pain. If the uterus contracts strongly, blood flow is reduced and the supply of oxygen to the uterus muscle tissue decreases, causing severe pain.

Why Do Some Women Experience More Cramps Than Others?

This could be possibly due to inflammation. As a more inflamed tissue tends to produce more prostaglandins, it causes more severe pain. Other factors that contribute to menstrual cramps include:

  • Poor eating habits
  • Not having adequate amount of potassium and magnesium in diet
  • Lack of Exercise
  • Smoking
  • Drinking Alcohol

How Do You Combat It?

Women have to go through a lot in general, so there is no chance these creepy cramps would spare us but we know how to fight it! So, let’s find out some easy and effective ways to combat menstrual cramps.

  1. Putting a heating pad on your belly or lower back.
  2. Rubbing Lavender oil on your belly helps relieve period pain.
  3. Ginger tea: Boil a piece of ginger in 250 ml water, simmer for 4-5 minutes and drink whenever required.
  4. Carom seeds: Having 1 tbsp. of carom seeds by boiling them in a glass of water may ease menstrual cramps.
  5. Eat potassium and magnesium rich foods like Bananas, oranges, grapefruit, raisins, dates, mushrooms, cucumbers, potatoes, sweet potatoes and dark chocolate (70% or more), nuts, legumes, tofu ,seeds, wholegrains ,green leafy vegetables respectively.
  6. Use yoga: Some simple yoga poses to try out are Head to Knee forward bend, bound angle pose, Child’s pose and inverted leg pose.
  7. Listen to good music that changes your mood or take a walk in nature or talk to your friends and family members. This will keep you engaged and diverted so you may not feel too much pain.

So, let’s try out these simple and effective ways to fight menstrual cramps and ease those difficult days! We hope this article helps you. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below. For more tips, check out Healthy Reads or you can get these home remedies and more directly from a GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

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June 14, 2017 By Dr. Viral Thakkar 15 Comments

Menstrual Pain: Every Woman’s Nightmare No more!!

woman-with-hot-water-bottle

I know of many women, especially adolescents who don’t like ‘being a woman’ because of the pain during menstruation. If you are one of those or you know of such women, this article is to stop by.

Primary dysmenorrhea (menstrual pain) is a normal process of menstruation. It affects girls during adolescence and eases as they mature. It may be painful but is not harmful.

Prostaglandins (hormones that make your uterus contract during menstruation and childbirth) causes the pain. Its pain probably results from contractions of your uterus that occur when the blood supply to its lining (endometrium) is reduced. (But hey! It is a part of you and it is important, so blame it, but accept it and get on with it).

menstrual cramps Image 1

Other factors include- a uterus that tilts backward instead of forward, lack of exercise, psychological or social stress, smoking, drinking alcohol or being overweight.

Secondary dysmenorrhea is generally related to some kind of gynecological disorder. It is most likely to affect women during adulthood.

Causes

  1. Fibroids that develop within the uterine wall or are attached to it cause inflammation leading to pain.
  2. Adenomyosis – the tissue that lines the uterus (called the endometrium) begins to grow within its muscular walls. This makes the uterine walls grow thicker. It may lead to heavy or longer-than-usual menstrual bleeding, as well as pain during menstrual cycle or intercourse.
  3. A sexually transmitted infection.
  4. Endometriosis – fragments of the endometrial lining that are found on other pelvic organs.
  5. Pelvic inflammatory disease, which is primarily an infection of the fallopian tubes, but can also affect the ovaries, uterus, and cervix. It is caused primarily by sexually transmitted infections that spread up from the opening of the uterus to these organs.
  6. An ovarian cyst or tumoris a sac filled with fluid that forms on or inside of an ovary causes pain.
  7. The use of an intrauterine device (IUD), a birth control method leads to painful menstruation which decreases overtime.

‘Pain’ is the body telling us that something is not right. So listen to what your body is telling you. While you must seek medical advice for secondary dysmenorrhea, do consider the following as well.

Be comfortable with your body. The negative messaging at times can become a part of the sub-conscious mind which rejects the female body. So anything which reminds the body of being a ‘woman’ will hurt.

Have a balanced diet. Ensure your diet includes foods rich in Vitamin B12, D, omega-3 fatty acids and calcium. As an extra tip, ginger is a wonder herb that can effectively ease menstrual cramps as it lowers the levels of pain-causing prostaglandins.

A hot water bag relaxes the contracting muscles in your uterus.

Make sure your hemoglobin level is within the normal range by including iron rich foods along with foods high in Vitamin C in your everyday diet.

An orgasm can help relieve all kinds of pains. Before an orgasm, the uterus is more relaxed, and during climax, blood flow increases, helping to relieve the cramps. The endorphins released after sex will make you feel better instantly.

Eat 2tbs of flaxseeds every day during periods reduces prostaglandin levels in the body.

Keep yourself hydrated during your period (and otherwise too!).

Exercise increases the blood flow which will calm the pain naturally.

Be happy and you will feel your body responding better and dealing better with pain during your period.

Yoga Postures to relieve menstrual pain

One Legged PigeonPose stretches the entire lower part of the body, stimulates the abdominal organs.

menstrual cramps- yoga pose 1

Matsyasana (Fish pose) is a back-bend that stretches and stimulates the belly muscles.

menstrual cramps- yoga pose 2

JanuShirasana (One-legged Forward bend) massages the abdominal organs.

menstrual cramps-yoga pose 3

Dhanurasana (Bow pose) strengthens the abdominal muscles and stimulates the reproductive organs.

Menstrual cramps-Yoga pose 4

Bhujangasana (Cobra pose) stretches and tones the abdomen.

Menstrual Cramps-Yoga pose 5

Ustrasana (Camel pose) stretches and opens the front of the body.

menstrual cramps-yoga pose 6

 

Yoga is one of the means to reach your goal of painless menstruation. Don’t forget to respect your body and give it time to overcome the pain.

 

October 31, 2022 By Shagufta Raza 1 Comment

5 Alarming Effects of Overtraining & How To Manage Them

overtrainingOvertraining, in essence, is performing excessive training which your body is unable to recover from – both in and outside the gym. The less severe versions of overtraining may take you a week to recover from. While most fitness experts will tell you that overtraining is worse than undertraining, some people still choose to push themselves which result in alarming physical and psychological effects. 

Signs That You’re Overtraining 

Can you tell the difference between giving it your all and pushing yourself too hard? Here are some signs, symptoms and effects of overtraining you need to watch out for. 

  1. Increased Heart Rate: Check for the elevated resting heart rate. A healthy resting heart rate range is 60-100bpm (beats per minute) and usually, the fitter you are, the lower your resting heart rate will be. If you’re overtraining, you may notice your resting heart rate will be 10-15 bpm higher than usual.
  2. 2. The Gaining or Losing Dilemma: This issue can be extremely problematic for people who gain weight unintentionally. The unexpected weight gain can lead to excessive workouts. The hormonal and inflammatory effects of overtraining can lead the body to lower thyroid function, crank out stress hormones, ramp up inflammatory cytokines, and create an overall environment that favours fat storage.
  3. Muscle Soreness: This is common when you exercise regularly. However, if you’re experiencing soreness for longer than 72hrs, you need a break as this could be a sign of overtraining. If you are aiming to build muscle, recovery is equally important. If your muscles aren’t recovering, it will have a negative impact on muscle gains and can also lead to muscle loss.
  4. Sleep Quality & Insomnia: Generally after a good workout at the gym, you may feel exhausted and fall asleep in no time. But you may notice that even after you have hit the gym and you are exhausted, you are still struggling to fall asleep. This can be linked to an overload on the hormonal and nervous system.
  5. Injuries: If you’re always getting injured or soreness which isn’t healing, then this could mean your body can’t cope with the pressure. Give it a break and take it slow. It’s absolutely vital to rest so that your body regains its strength.

The other signs and effects of overtraining may also include nausea, decreased appetite, allergic reactions, head colds/persistent upper respiratory tract infections, changes in menstrual patterns, decreased coordination and loss of strength. 

How Can You Manage It Effectively? 

Now that you’re aware of the effects, let’s take a look at how you can manage and take possible precautions! 

  • When you are weight training, ensure that you don’t exceed more than 45-75 minutes.
  • The right nutrition is the key to recovery. Make sure you plan your meals to ensure you’re refuelling effectively and getting the right amount of nutrients in your diet with your Pre and Post workout meals. You may require expert advice on this. You can subscribe to GOQii to get personalized advice from a coach and an expert. 
  • Quality Sleep: Physical recovery happens between 10pm to 2am. So getting in some early nights in will aid your recovery.
  • Heart rate devices are a great tool to measure recovery rates. Try these awesome GOQii Trackers. 
  • Plan Regular Rest Days: An excessively sore or weak muscle should be given adequate rest. A good rule of thumb is to wait for 48 hours before working the same muscle group. If that muscle group is still sore, you may need to wait even longer – sometimes up to 5 days.
  • Avoid eating late, sugary foods (or other stimulants). Follow a healthy diet and plan regular rest days until you’re back into a regular sleeping pattern.

 We hope this article helps you overcome all the hurdles to your training. Remember that giving it your best is okay but never overdo it. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below. 

For more articles on training or for some effective and easy home workouts, check out Healthy Reads. To get into a proper training routine and not over-train, speak to an expert by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

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