2. Cardio is the right move.
If you’re looking to calm symptoms, your best bet is to hop on the treadmill, rather than strength training. Research shows a direct connection between aerobic activity and the severity of PMS symptoms. In other words, when you increase aerobic exercise, PMS symptoms decrease. However, when researchers analyzed the same hypothesis with anaerobic power—like strength training—they found no significant correlation between the two.
According to experts, this occurs because your body temperature lowers when you’re on your period, thanks to a drop in hormones. By increasing the amount of time it would take to tire yourself out, those sprints are going to feel easy breezy.
3. The risk of injury is low.
While researchers have found that women are more likely to suffer an injury during certain stages of their cycle, the risk increases during days 9 to 14 of a 28-day cycle (the first day of your period is considered day one of your menstrual cycle). In other words, after your monthly visitor. Those same findings also indicate that neuromuscular training can cut that risk in half. Scientists suggest this happens because there’s a difference in the way a woman’s knees move during menstruation compared to ovulation.
In short, fear not the gym ladies – go all in!