A full-fledged drama movie of reprehensible pain, bloating, cramps, and mood swings plays in our heads once we picture periods. As much truth as it is, we also know that periods are absolutely natural, and their regularity reflects a healthy cycle. At the same time, there are certain things to avoid during periods to make the monthly experience healthier and more conducive.
A painful period is not a rarity. Many women go through harsh menses where they tend to become grumpier and vulnerable with constant aches. The pain can be made bearable if we keep a check on certain activities that we indulge in during the monthlies.
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Foods to Avoid During Periods
Your mood swings and cravings can make you want to eat stuff that might worsen the cramps and make you feel nauseous. During periods you should avoid indulging in your junk food cravings and have some comfort food(e.g., dark chocolate, banana, etc.) that calms your nerves.
Salty Appetite
A high salt intake will land you the worst period you can experience. Salt not only induces more cramps but also causes water retention in your body and hence bloating, making the situation unbearable for you. Therefore it is advisable not to give in to your salt cravings during periods. Instead, you should have a lot of fruits to eat during periods that will keep you hydrated.
Coffee
Caffeine intake is the last thing you should do while you’re menstruating. Your body might wish for a cup of coffee to resort to some comfort, but that’s not exactly what it provides. Caffeine leads to a lot of complexities during periods that include vasoconstriction, blocking of iron absorption, and tender breasts, amongst others. These things add up to your cramps and can cause you insufferable pain.
Alcohol
You’re already on a roller-coaster ride while you’re on the rag. Alcohol will make the ride more suffocating, making you want to puke and hold your head before it blasts. Alcohol is very well known for its power to dehydrate. It will aggravate your cramps and headaches. It is hence a great decision to avoid alcohol while menstruating. Give the party animal in you some rest for a week!
Dairy Products
High in an omega-6 fatty acid called arachidonic acid, dairy products(milk, cheese, cream, etc.) can lead to heightened inflammations. Hence having a generous serving of these products will make your situation more painful. Dairy products are a part of regular diets, so you can’t cut them off your diet completely, but you should try to avoid having a lot of them. Instead, you should keep your body hydrated by drinking plenty of water to ease the cramps.
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Exercises to Avoid During Periods
Skipping your regular workout routine is not at all advisable during menses. It relieves your body from headaches, cramps, and lethargy. But there are certain particular exercises and yoga postures that might end up boosting your torments instead of alleviating them. Hence you should avoid them while menstruating.
Cardio
An intense session of cardio can add up to the discomfort of menses. They stimulate a heavy menstrual flow, making you feel uneasy. In some cases, you might end up feeling nauseous, dizzy, and weak. Cardio also causes a lot of sweat release, cooling off your body but causing water loss, so avoid going for an intense round of cardio during your periods.
Weight Training
Periods make you feel fatigued in general, so weight training will only deteriorate your condition for you. Weight training, be it heavy lifts or pulling/pushing weights, demands a lot of strength from your physical self that a menstruating person is not capable of providing. It’ll only add to your toil, so you better skip these for a week. Instead, try lighter workout routines or aerobic exercises that’ll comfort you.
Yoga Poses to Avoid During Periods
Below are some of the yoga poses to avoid during periods.
Scorpion Pose(Vrischikasana)
Back pains are a common symptom during the initial days of periods. Scorpion pose or Vrischikasana is an advanced yoga posture that unites the efforts from your forearms and back, putting them under a great deal of pressure. During periods when you’re already facing back pain, it is not a great idea to practice the Scorpion pose.
Headstand & Shoulder Stand
Headstand(Sirsasana) and shoulder stand(Salamba Sarvangasana) are two such yoga postures that invert your body, causing disorientation of your uterus and can meddle with your menstrual flow. These asanas have plenty of merits to their names but avoiding them during menses is the safest choice to make.
Locust Pose(Salabhasana)
Locust pose, also known as grasshopper pose, is a yoga posture that includes back-bending. This stresses the lower back and meddles with the uterus’s natural orientation, hence intensifying back pain issues and troubling natural blood flow. This posture contributes fairly to making the spine muscles strong but certainly should not be on your to-do list while menstruating.
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Other Things to Avoid During Periods
There are a lot of DOs and DON’Ts when you’re on the rag. Many of your normal habits can tend to be unhealthy during periods. Hence you keep a note of what you need to avoid during your monthlies so as to avoid any agonizing or unwelcomed consequences.
Skipping Meals
Food is a source of energy. While menstruating, you generally feel fatigued. So naturally, your meals tend to energize you and reduce the pain from cramps and bloating. Skipping your meals during menses will make your body more weak and prone to infections. Hence follow your four-time meal routine properly during periods.
Using the Same Sanitary products Throughout the Day
Sanitation and hygiene should be the top priorities of an individual while menstruating. Using the same sanitary products, be it a sanitary napkin, a tampon, or a menstrual cup, it’ll lead to inflammation, irritation, and infection. These kinds of small issues later pile up to even cause uterine cancer in many women. Therefore these issues should not be neglected. Change your sanitary product every 5-6 hours to maintain a safe, clean and hygienic period.
Having Unprotected Sex
During periods, having unprotected sex makes you prone to sexually transmitted diseases and infections and also causes a possibility of pregnancy. To avoid meeting any unwelcomed outcomes that can trouble you for a long time, it’s always advised to have protected sex.
Waxing / Shaving
While you’re on the rag, your body is delicate. Your skin is most vulnerable during that week, and hence waxing/shaving can add up to your discomfort. You might end up having irritated skin or inflammation and infections. So as to avoid these consequences, you should keep the wax/razor away from you for a week!
As you go through this dramatic experience of your periods, keep in mind to treat your body right. Treat yourself with utmost delicacy and care. Pamper and spoil your body as much as you want to! Remember the things mentioned above to avoid during periods and gift yourself a hassle-free and more safe, clean, and hygienic period this time. Face your monthlies with a pre-planned chart of precautions this time around and make your period more bearable!
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