Every month women experience a myriad of symptoms in their body’s preparation for childbirth; and when conception is a no-go, menstruation ensues.
Unlike the Tampax Pearl commercials, highlighting a tampons ability to alleviate Mother Nature’s gift, many women struggle with more than just discharge. Common maladies include cramps, bloating, irritability, and fatigue.
The best way to fight your monthly curse is by maintaining adequate exercise and a healthy diet. Foods most helpful in avoiding bloating and cramping are free of salt and other added ingredients. Fresh fruits and vegetables, darker and more varied in color, are key to cleaning your digestive tract, thus, lessening bloating. Whole grains and lean proteins help alleviate hunger.
Water is also a universal ally to bloating and cramps- it won’t fix the problem, but it will help your body to. By hydrating, you’re expediting the digestive processes, flushing the body of toxins and feeding the cells in your body that do all of the above.
In addition to a balanced, more hydrated diet, practicing certain exercises can help in menstrual symptoms. Weight and resistance training in areas of typical cramping and discomfort will develop the surrounding muscles and create a pain barrier. Crunches, leg lifts, and lunges are a few examples of useful resistant training.
Maintaining a consistent cardio workout is also important because like water, cardio training expedites bodily functions, thus, decreasing the time it takes for bloating to subside.
Many women would agree dealing with your monthly cycle is another reason to put off healthy choices, but don’t make it yours! A balanced diet and consistent exercise can make the world of a difference. As Tampax would say, “Don’t let Mother Nature get in the way.”