Ladies. We all know what’s it like to have a certain visitor come once a month, and have to make her feel extremely comfortable and welcomed for the next 5-7 days. It can be very exhausting, uncomfortable for us, and of course unwanted the majority of the time that she is here.
But, it’s a part of life and it’s something that we as women unfortunately have to deal with monthly. I’m talking about our periods, and how once a month dear sweet Mother Nature comes to visit with no promises of not making the next couple of days a living hell for us. Ladies you know exactly what I’m talking about. It can be hard living our best life when we are on our period.
There are so many things to take into consideration about what we can and cannot do or even wear when this time of the month comes. We even struggle with engaging in activities that are comfortable on our bodies but also helpful for the various symptoms of PMS.
And don’t even get me started on the fatigue! Fatigue is such a major factor for us when we are on our periods, and ultimately it motivates us to want to literally do nothing the entire time we are on our period! I get it ladies trust me I do. However, if there is anything that I have learned over the recent years about how to have a better period experience, it’s that there are specific things you should do to help make this time of the month a much more comfortable experience for yourself.
I promise these activities and tips are completely life changing for your period experience, and will ultimately help you have a more positive period experience. So, let’s get into it.
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Watch your diet
Hands up if you completely lose an appetite when your period comes around. Since you can’t see me, I’ll just let you know that my hand skyrocketed to the sky instantly! Whenever Mother Nature comes to pay me a visit, I never have an appetite. For the longest time I thought it was just me, that no other woman experienced this what-so-ever, and that my lost of an appetite had something to do with my overall period experience.
Turns out I was right and wrong about these assumptions. I was wrong in believing that I was the only woman who was experiencing this, but right in believing that it had something to do with my overall period experience. It was because I was allowing my lack of having an appetite be the reason that I choose not to eat while on my period. Digging a little deeper into this behavior I discovered some very important things.
My lack of appetite wasn’t necessarily the result of me not eating, it was the result of me eating the wrong foods when on my period. Look, we all get our period cravings and if we’re being honest, they’re not always the healthiest choices. I’m just like most women when my period comes around. I want all the salts, sweets, junk food, and pretty much anything that is not healthy for me during this time of the month.
However, indulging in this type of food does nothing good for us. It drains us of energy, and promotes us feeling even more fatigue than what we usually feel. While it may satisfy our period cravings, ultimately it ends us making us feel sick because we are not properly nourishing our bodies. So, what foods should we be eating when on our periods? Well, I have a few options that may be helpful.
I have found that eating lots of fruits and vegetables while on your period to be very helpful. Fruits can help with your sugar cravings, and vegetables can help with your iron levels so that you avoid feelings fatigue, body pains, and dizziness. These foods help you stay hydrated, provide you with more energy, and can even help with relieving yourself of cramps.
The best part is that it helps to suppress your appetite without leaving you feeling starved or engaging in overeating. When you drink plenty of water as well, the amazing benefits of eating these foods are amplified. Of course, there are always options to satisfy those period cravings. If you’re going to reach for anything sweet, the popular option seems to be dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is rich in magnesium which is very helpful for reducing symptoms of PMS.
Be mindful of your period products
To be honest, it wasn’t until this past year when I realized how much of an impact your period products can have on your overall period experience. I want to start off by saying whether your wear tampons, pads, period panties, or use period cups, there is no right or wrong product to use during this time.
However, this is why it’s so important to know your body, know what patterns happen while on your period, and know what products are most comfortable and helpful for you.
For the longest the only period product I ever used were pads. My mother introduced them to me when I was younger, tampons never felt comfortable to me, and I wasn’t aware of period panties or cups for the majority of my life. Once I discovered these new products and gave them a tests drive, my period experience changed completely. I personally have found the period panties and cup to allow me to have a more enjoyable period experience, than pervious products that I have used.
All this to say that if you find you are doing all the necessary things while on your period to have the most enjoyable experience possible, you may need to take a look at the products that you are using. From a personal perspective, period panties and cups are more comfortable and flexible in how you navigate your period. I have found that exercising, sleeping, relaxing, and even being out and about is a much more enjoyable experience with these products.
With pads I was always adjusting them, depending on the activity that I was doing, to make them comfortable. Sleeping in pads were very uncomfortable especially because I felt like I had to stay in one position for the entire night, and when I would have a heavy flow it was always a pain making sure I had the right pad to match my flow for the day (and sometimes even the hour). Period panties and cups have completely changed these experiences for me.
I share this story with you because I never knew how important of a role your period products have in your period experience. Taking a step back and really paying attention to this helped me not only be brave enough to try something new, but also gave me the confidence in trusting that sometimes you have to switch it up in order to have a more positive period experience.
With the products I use now I never worry about adjusting, remaining in one position, or avoid doing certain activities because I never have to think about keeping my products in place anymore. Instead, I’m able to just simply live my life while on my period, and know in full confidence that I won’t be uncomfortable (except for the cramps), and I don’t have to worry about leaks of any kind.
Plus, a major bonus is that these products are more eco-friendly which personally has always been a period goal of mines for years. It’s a win-win situation, but ultimately you have to trust your body to know what products work best for you and which ones you can let go. Discover that and then adjust accordingly.
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Exercise, exercise, exercise
So important and I understand that at times this is the last thing anyone wants to do. However, as someone who has experienced both, exercising and refusing to exercise while on your period, I can tell you with full confidence that it’s so much more rewarding to exercise while on your period. I know that between the cramps and fatigue there is nothing more you’d rather do than to be in bed all day, curled up in the fetal position, sleeping or watching Netflix.
I’m not telling you that you can’t do this, because trust and believe I most certainly do! What I am telling you is that in addition to this, also exercise for anywhere from 15-30 minutes a day.
These do not have to be super crazy exercises that are going to make you sweat and walk away feeling sore. These can very well be super low intensity exercises that are simply helping you move your body. Exercises that I highly recommend engaging in while on your period are walking, yoga, and Pilates.
Walking while on your period is a low intensity workout that is very helpful for cramps. Walking will also help you fight fatigue and manage your mood swings. Yoga while on your period can help with any kind of bodily pains. I mainly practice yoga to help with my cramps, but this is also a great exercise for back pains, leg cramps, and even vaginal un-comfortability. Another bonus is that it also helps with managing your moods and can be a rewarding form of meditation.
Finally, Pilates is great for warming up your muscles and keeping them strong and active during your period. A lot of benefits that I have personally experienced from this exercise is very closely related to those of engaging in yoga. However, because Pilates tends to be a full body workout, I personally have found that it’s a great helper for fighting fatigue. With Pilates you are engaging all your muscles, flexing your brain, and leaving very little room to be lazy.
Get plenty of rest
Sleep is so important while on your period.
Naturally we feel more fatigue when we are on our periods, so getting some sleep shouldn’t be a problem. Sometimes it is due to the cramps and constantly feeling like your body is over-heating, which makes it hard to get comfortable. However, when you can adjust your sleeping environment to make it more comfortable for you, then take that opportunity to sleep like a baby!
Ladies, you know that there is nothing more satisfying than getting as much rest as you can while on your period.
Plenty of rest while on your period will not only help improve your mood, but it’s also great for recharging your body. As mentioned, sleeping on your period at times can be very uncomfortable. Somethings that I have found to make sleeping more comfortable is exercising during the day, drinking plenty of water, and either sleeping with a heating pad to help with cramps, or the air conditioner on to help regulate your body temperature.
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Share your personal experience
Lastly, share your experience with other women. I know we live in a world that is slowly normalizing the conversation around periods, but don’t wait for the world to catch up before you normalize the conversation for yourself. I decided to make this post and share some helpful tips with you because I know a lot of women who struggle with having a better period experience.
Having a monthly period is a part of women’s health, so it’s so important that we know as much as we possibly can about this time of the month, in order to know what can make this experience better for all of us. Periods are normal and we can’t avoid them entirely no matter how hard we try. So, get comfortable with sharing your period experience with other women, all the good and all the bad.
Society has taught us that’s it so taboo to openly talk about our period experiences. I’m telling you to remove this word around this topic from your discussions. The most important thing I have ever done to help myself come to the conclusion that these tips work best for me and my period experience, is openly discussing with other women my personal struggles with having an enjoyable period experience.
Doing so helped me discover these activities, discover and test drive new products, and ultimately create a routine for myself to have a better period experience. Sharing your story can do the same not only for yourself, but other women as well.
So ladies, what tips do you have for a more positive period experience?
-Xo
Kimora