How can movement help with period pain?
Exercise has so many health benefits and research has shown that doing the right exercises before and during your period can actually help relieve period pain that most of us are familiar with. But we need to be careful with what exercises we choose to soothe the pain.
However, it is important to understand before digging into how to soothe your pain, that your period shouldn’t hurt a lot and if you get severe pain it is often a sign that something is not in balance such as your hormones, you might have inflammation or even poor blood circulation.
But if you experience this, the good news is that the right movements can help you through the pain. For example pilates, yoga, stretching, and walking are movements that are great to improve your well-being during your periods. It is just important to listen to the body and nurture it well with the right movements, good nutrition, sleep, and lower stress levels.
Why are pilates and yoga good for soothing period pain?
Lowers inflammation in the body
Inflammation in the body is one of the main reasons why we experience period pain (medical term is primary Dysmenorrhea). Period pain can be caused by an increased number of chemicals in the body called prostaglandins which causes cramping in the uterus. It can also cause pain in the lower pelvis, back, and thighs and even cause headaches and feeling of nausea.
It has been shown that with the right gentle exercise such as pilates and yoga, you can lower the prostaglandins in the body which will therefore help reduce inflammation. “Researchers also attempt to determine the effect of various forms of exercise on reducing dysmenorrhea symptoms. The effectiveness of a special developed comprehensive program consisting of stretching exercises, pelvic floor muscle exercises, jogging, and short relaxation was proved.”
It lowers your stress levels
High levels of stress during your period can actually increase your period cramps. Therefore finding ways to release stress out of the body before or during your period can be super beneficial. Finding grounding rituals is so helpful during this time so make sure you make time for breathwork, meditation, pilates and yoga to release that stress out of your system.
It increases your blood flow
Exercising does increase blood flow and therefore staying active can really help with this part. But since you want to move gently during this time choosing a soft movement and not putting too much stress on the body, doing pilates and yoga is a great alternative.
What classes do we recommend?
Our wide selection of classes holds various categories that can truly help you during your menstrual phase and we highly recommend that you take the time to do some of those classes during your period to soothe the pain and feel better in your body.
Evening yoga flow is perfect to do after a long day to soothe any pain you might have experienced during the day. It will set the tone for a good night's sleep and help you feel better in your body.
The abdominal release is a great class during period pain. It will gently help you relieve pain and bloating happening in the abdomen and leave you feeling more at ease and pain-free.
Starting your day with the soft pilates class will definitely help you feel better throughout your day. Not only will it help relieve pain but also boost your energy and improve your mood before you enter the day fully.
Letting go of stress is your go-to class when you feel too stressed and need some help to release that feeling from your system. Deep breaths and soft movements do the trick here and will really help you feel amazing afterward.
Now, having these tips we highly recommend that you start experimenting during your next period what you find works for you and what helps you ease the pain. You deserve to feel good during this phase as well so make sure you find your ways to go through this phase with less pain and more calmness.
I'm Sara, the founder of Withsara. I have been a fitness group instructor, Barre teacher and Yoga teacher for over 10 years. I am also a certified Nutritional Health Coach from IIN in New York, USA.
After giving birth to my two beautiful daughters, I have had to build up my body twice after my pregnancies. With my experience, I have created a workout that is a great combination of low impact, functional movement, pilates, barre, and yoga. It builds up deep core strength, creates sustainable and lasting change, relieves physical tension and mental stress, and gives you an overall healthier and happier body.
