Struggling to Maintain a Fitness Routine with PMS?

Posted in Health, PMS, Quick Tips, Wellbeing, youtube by HappyMonth

If you are a lover of health, fitness and exercise like me, then you know how difficult it can be to maintain your level of activity during your PMS Phase.

I have just created the below video, which details a technique that I use to stay active throughout the whole month.

Please take a look and feel free to subscribe to the YouTube channel 😊

28Jun2014

Adapt your Fitness Plan to your Menstrual Cycle

Posted in Health by HappyMonth

If you are a fitness fan like me….then you will be very familiar with how PMS can make you feel when you are trying to exercise!
I tend to describe this feeling as “training in toffee”, where every movement feels like your whole body is stuck in a river of toffee, making any form of exercise exhausting and not that enjoyable!

The main reason for this sensation is the Hormone “Estrogen”, which tends to increase during the last two weeks of your Menstrual cycle and this rapid rise in the Hormone can make you feel sluggish, tired and lethargic… meaning you may feel more motivated to sit in front of the sofa rather than to attempt any kind of sit-up!

But there is a workaround!!…………….I suggest adapting your fitness plan to your Menstrual cycle, which will allow you to keep fit and energised throughout the whole month rather than just for the first two weeks.

Regular exercise has been proven in a number of studies to reduce stress levels, as when we exercise our Happy Hormone “Serotonin” increases and this Hormone controls areas such as our mood, social behavior and temperature regulation, which are all areas that need a positive boost during the last few days of our Menstrual cycle…

So by sticking to your fitness plan or even starting a new one, you can combat the emotional imbalances PMS causes and start a real energised step to reducing your PMS symptoms!

Below is an example of how you can plan your exercise for the whole month, picking high energy sports at the start and moving to more low impact options towards the end of the month:

Example Fitness Plan

Days 1-14 of a typical 28 day cycle
(Classed as the Follicular Phase of the Menstrual Cycle)
Plan to take part in exercises that include anything that is fast paced or intensive such as running, sprinting, interval/circuit training, martial arts or Zumba.

Days 15-28
(Classed as the Luteal Phase)
Plan to take part in exercises that include anything that is low impact for example yoga, a slow jog, swimming, cycling or dancing round your living room!

By adapting your fitness plan to your monthly cycle as suggested above, you will notice a reduction in your PMS symptoms, mainly because of all that Happy Hormone being produced…..but remember:

“PMS requires ABM (Action Before Motivation)”

So if you are suffering with PMS, really push yourself to start exercising! I guarantee, if you do and even if it’s just dancing around your living room, you will feel so much better and very glad that you did it!

Happy Training 🙂

30Dec2013

New year resolutions to reduce your PMS Symptoms

Posted in Health, Nutrition Advice, PMS, PMS Symptoms, Quick Tips, Wellbeing by HappyMonth

So Christmas is over and New Years Eve will soon be upon us….. this means that it is the time of year when we all start to think about the things we would like to do or achieve in the new year.

So I thought I would list my top 10 resolutions needed to combat PMS:

During the last 10 days of your menstrual cycle you may notice your energy levels dropping, which can lead to irritability and low moods…. So this year commit to adding additional whole grain carbohydrate foods into your shopping basket that can be used to help sustain your energy levels during this time e.g. Baked potato’s, nuts, bananas, wholewheat pasta and brown bread.
Caffeine is known to increase anxiety and irritability, so combine this with PMS and it can be a dangerous combination… So this year commit to reducing your caffeine intake to a maximum of two cups of Coffee/Tea a day during the last 10 days of your menstrual cycle.
Commit to positively changing your thought patterns e.g. “expect a happy month and you will”.
Commit to talking honestly and openly to your partner, close family and friends about how you are feeling during the month.
Commit to making time for yourself during the day, this could be in the form of meditation, reading, listening to music or any other enjoyable activity, even if it is just 10 minutes a day!
Commit to providing yourself with compassion on those difficult days, remembering to talk to yourself as if you were talking to your best friend, providing yourself with words that comfort and support you.
Having a bad day? is everyone annoying you? then commit to Journaling…
Grab a note book, a pen and then just write…write down everything that is on your mind, ignore grammar and punctuation, just let your pen do the talking!….
Once done, tear the paper up and throw in a bin, I guarantee any problems will reduce in size and you will feel mentally lighter.
This technique is great for gaining insight into your current behaviors and moods.
Commit to letting yourself relax during the last 10 days of your menstrual cycle without feeling guilty.
Commit to adding a star to your wall or pocket calendar every month, indicating when you are expecting your PMS symptoms to start, this will allow you to be mindful of your thoughts and actions during this time and will also benefit the people you live with, as they will have a better understanding of whats happening.
Of course number 10 could only be:
Commit to following the Happy Month Blog, a sure-fire way to reduce / cure PMS for good!

I hope you find the above list of resolutions helpful…….but, remember, to achieve a goal takes more than just a decision, it requires constant small steps and commitment to achieve the desired result!

Happy New Year!

Chrissie
Happy Month.