How to Make Your Period Suck Less
This post was sponsored by PlaytexĀ® SportĀ® as part of an Influencer Activation for Blog Meets Brand. I received complimentary products to facilitate my review.
In no particular order, I present to you a list of things that cross every girlās mind during her period:
-Whyyyyyy
-My uterus is caving in on itself. Itās gotta be.
-I want peanut butter.
-No I want Cheetos.
-No wait peanut butter.
-Peanut butter AND Cheetos?
-NO THESE ARE MY FAVORITE UNDERWEAR WHYYYY
-Iām scared to laugh.
-Iām scared to sneeze.
-Iām scared to go into Warrior pose.
-Whyyyyyy
I donāt know about you but the ones that top my personal list are the peanut butter/Cheetos one (been there. Itās not as bad as youād think) and the Warrior pose one.
I think we can all agree that periods are certainly not the best part of being a woman,Ā but it happens to all of us and weāve gotten pretty darn good at dealing with it. But even a professional can benefit from a little advice so without further ado, I present to you five ways to make your period suck less.
Exercise
While it can be easy to just lay around and eat Ben & Jerryās straight from the carton during your period, it will actually make you feel better to get up and move! PlaytexĀ® SportĀ® conducted a survey of 500 U.S. women ages 13-24 and found that 75% of young women admit they frequently decide to not play a sport or exercise specifically because theyāre on their period. 75%! 3 out of 4 of us have skipped out on our workout just because weāre on our period. I know I definitely have.
But if youāre feeling up to it, getting your booty off the couch and into some workout clothes will make you feel a lot better. According to WebMD, exercise relieves cramps and other period symptoms because exercise releases beta-endorphins which are basically your bodyās natural pain killers. The best form of exercise for relieving cramps is generally aerobic exercise like running, biking, or swimming ā but anything that gets your heart rate up will help tremendously. Especially for my girls that are active already, this shouldnāt be an issue.
Yoga
But for those of you who totally donāt feel like moving during your period (I feel you), yoga is another great option. You wonāt get quite the heart-pumping beta-endorphins-releasing rush that a more active form of exercise would give but yoga will help stretch out all those tight muscles. A few of my favorite poses when Iām on my period are bow pose, camel pose, and childās pose (pictured below, clockwise from top left). Bow and camel both help stretch out the muscles in the front of the body, especially the hips and abdomen. Admittedly, childās pose might not do much as far as stretching is concerned but it can help loosen a tight back. Mostly I like childās pose because itās an excuse to flop down on my mat and not think about my warring uterus for a minute.
The secret to doing all of this comfortably is finding a tampon, pad, or pantyliner that works well for you. Which brings me to my next pointā¦
Good protection
Having a great tampon, pad, or pantyliner is crucial during your period. My personal favorite, especially when it comes to being active, are the PlaytexĀ® SportĀ® tampons and liners. I have never had an issue with leaking thanks to the 360°⢠design which provides some serious protection. No matter how much I am twisting and turning in yoga (or you knowā¦just laying on my matā¦) I always feel protected. If I want a little extra peace of mind though Iāll just grab the Combo Pack of tampons and Ultra-Thin Pads with Wings. The Ultra-Thins have Qwik-Dryā¢Ā technology that wicks moisture away and keeps you super dry and fresh. And if Iām already sweating everywhere else, Iād prefer thereās not moisture downstairs too (donāt pretend like you donāt agree).
The PlaytexĀ® SportĀ® Pads, Liners, and Combo Packs are available in pretty much any grocery store or drugstore but if you want to try them out for free, check out this link. Yeah, I said free. No catch! Also feel free to visit their Facebook page for more info.
Chocolate
It just wouldnāt be an article about periods without mentioning chocolate. Please donāt settle for Cheetos and peanut butter. I mean, yeah, I know I said it wasnāt that bad but do yourself a favor and invest in some really delicious chocolate. Bonus points if itās dark chocolate because itās good for your heart and stuffā¦.right?
Period tracker app
To keep better track of your periods, a period tracker app can be really helpful. I personally downloaded Spot On and really enjoy it. It is available on AndroidĀ and iPhone. You can set daily reminders to take your birth control, track your mood, body, habits, everything! As you track, Spot On will highlight your stats and you can see how your body behaves throughout your cycle. You know your doctor is going to ask a lot of those kinds of questions next time you see her anyway so you might as well have your answers prepared. Plus itās just a good idea to be in tune with your body so you can pinpoint why your face is breaking out or why youāre suddenly so moody. Pretty snazzy!
As women, we all know that periods generally suck. But you can definitely make it suck less with these tips! What other great tips do you have to make your period suck less? Share them in the comments below and donāt forget to check out this linkĀ to grab some free PlaytexĀ® SportĀ® products!
Resources: WebMD
I used to have horrible periods and I would crave chocolate every single time. Exercise always made me feel better once I forced myself work out.
I am always a sucker for greasy burgers and fries during my period. Working out can be so helpful with helping you to feel better.
I was at the GYN office and one of the nurses told me about this app. I’m going to download it right now!
I love your ideas. I know exercise definitely helps me with cramps.
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing this. Because my period DOES suck.
These are great tips. I always try to incorporate some exercise. It really helps my mood and overall well-being!
I am defiantly on of those people that doesn’t exercise when I have it. I know I should and this post might help me get off that couch and just do it.
These are all great tips on how to make your period suck less, glad you shared these tips!
I coulda used these some years ago
You have listed some awesome tips, but I know what works for me is chocolate, sweet tea and to have a day of watching Netflix movies.
I would agree with your tips especially the exercise. I love to stretch even more during that time of the month-it makes my back feel better!
I will take all of the tips I can get when it comes to my period. I don’t know how much motivation I will have to be active then though.
These are some really good tips for making your period suck less. I used to do a lot of stretching especially when I was in pain because it seemed to help a lot. The dark chocolate was always my favorite during that time of the month too. Thanks for sharing the tips.
Anything to make that time a little more bearable is good by me. I always crave red meat…refilling my iron supply, I guess.
Luckily its been almost 11 months since my period! I am not looking forward to its return in a few months. Hopefully these tips will help so it sucks a little less!
I have some women issues so I only have mine once every 3 months. However it is so unbearable that I am willing to try anything!
Chocolate! That is my go to for a less sucky time of the month!! I should try yoga too!
Oh, this is very interesting. Period is a really tough thing for us, girls.
I just had a baby a month ago and one thing i did not miss while pregnant was my period and i am so not looking forward to it coming back!
I very much agree that periods are something that makes you so uncomfortable every month and these are some great ideas to try out. Regular exercise, daily walking and of-course dark chocolates have done wonders to me!
My periods definitely suck! I have heard somewhere else that exercise can help so I try to exercise while on my period, despite being crampy and cranky. Chocolate can make all things suck less, not just periods. š
Haha Have a baby, no period for 9 months! Then you can breastfeed and not have it again for another 6-9 months! HEHEH All jokes aside, having a period sucks! I found that doing yoga helped me with the cramps! And taking hot shower also helped.
Mine really sucks! I will try all of these tips for some relief.