THAT TIME OF THE MONTH, PART 1
Men, read this too: help out the women in your life!
Are you captivated by the thought of never having your period again, or greatly lessening the frequency? I think we've all heard about the girl who is 22 years old and hasn't had her period since she was 17, via manipulating her contraceptive ring1. Sounds awesome-no cramps, no homicidal/suicidal mood swings, no ickiness.... truly great.
However.....
There is a lot wrong with this picture. A healthy woman's body is designed to get a menstrual cycle every month (except while pregnant and breast-feeding). It's a symptom of health. It means everything is ticking along quite nicely. However, other symptoms of a healthy body's menstrual cycle are NO cramps or mood swings. If you are experiencing unpleasant cycles, have a highly irregular cycle, or tend to skip altogether, that means there is something out of line in your general health. Almost always it's coming from poor nutrition and lifestyle habits.
Back when I was teaching spinning (aerobics on indoor bikes) for 4 hours a week, spinning on my own for an additional 3, working out with weights 3x a week, going to school full-time while working 3 jobs and living alone, all the while fueled by 1500 calories a day, my period stopped. I knew I wasn't pregnant. I also knew that, well, that it's not good to skip, that something else must be seriously wrong. I was not a trainer at the time, nor certified as a nutrition & lifestyle coach- I didn't know nearly what I know now. I went to a doctor. Once we ruled out various cancers and disorders, she was puzzled. I 'looked' healthy-slender and all that. I then explained my workouts and stress levels to her- I vaguely recalled that stress can mess with your cycle so I figured since I was Queen of Stress that must be it. The doctor agreed. I eased up on my workouts and tried to go to bed earlier. Voila- I started my period the next month.
I know now that cutting calories and dieting not only doesn't work, it's also dangerous. I know the meaning of 'over-exercising' and that cardio doesn't work for weight loss and can also be dangerous. I know how to keep my stress levels down. I know how to eat properly for my body's metabolic type. I drink nearly 100 oz of water daily. I also take my cycles as a sign that my body is functioning properly (not that I love my cycle!).
If you have unpleasant menstrual cycles, work on increasing your general health. You probably know some of the basics and don't follow them for one lazy reason or another.
- Avoid sugar (soda, dessert, coffee drinks)
- Avoid processed grains (bread, pasta, cereal, pastries)
- Drink water
- Eat meat
- Exercise (emphasize funtional weight training)
- Get some sleep (8-10 hours)
- A pill or medication is not going to fix the fact that you are unhealthy, it's just going to mask the symptoms. That's like a diabetic shooting up with insulin to justify soda, or someone getting a gastric bypass and still eating McDonald's every day. Having PMS should not automatically mean it's time to reach for more Midal (which your liver really doesn't need).
"If you don't take the time to be healthy, you better take the time to be ill!" ~(unknown) Duke of Earl
1 www.chiacgotribune.com