How to Make Your Period Suck Less

This post was sponsored by Playtex® Sport® 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 girl’s mind during her period:

-Whyyyyyy

-My uterus is caving in on itself. It’s 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

-I’m scared to laugh.

-I’m scared to sneeze.

-I’m scared to go into Warrior pose.

-Whyyyyyy

I don’t know about you but the ones that top my personal list are the peanut butter/Cheetos one (been there. It’s not as bad as you’d think) and the Warrior pose one.

I think we can all agree that periods are certainly not the best part of being a woman, but it happens to all of us and we’ve 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 & Jerry’s straight from the carton during your period, it will actually make you feel better to get up and move! Playtex® Sport® 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 they’re on their period. 75%!

3 out of 4 of us have skipped out on our workout just because we’re on our period. I know I definitely have.

But if you’re 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 body’s natural pain killers.

The best form of exercise for relieving cramps is generally aerobic exercise like running, biking, or swimming — but anything that gets your heart rate up will help tremendously. Especially for my girls that are active already, this shouldn’t be an issue.

Yoga

But for those of you who totally don’t feel like moving during your period (I feel you), yoga is another great option. You won’t 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 I’m on my period are bow pose, camel pose, and child’s 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, child’s pose might not do much as far as stretching is concerned but it can help loosen a tight back. Mostly I like child’s pose because it’s 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 point…

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 Playtex® Sport® 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 know…just laying on my mat…) I always feel protected.

If I want a little extra peace of mind though I’ll just grab the Combo Pack of tampons and Ultra-Thin Pads with Wings. The Ultra-Thins have Qwik-Dry™ technology that wicks moisture away and keeps you super dry and fresh. And if I’m already sweating everywhere else, I’d prefer there’s not moisture downstairs too (don’t pretend like you don’t agree).

The Playtex® Sport® 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 wouldn’t be an article about periods without mentioning chocolate. Please don’t settle for Cheetos and peanut butter. I mean, yeah, I know I said it wasn’t that bad but do yourself a favor and invest in some really delicious chocolate. Bonus points if it’s dark chocolate because it’s good for your heart and stuff….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 Android 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 it’s just a good idea to be in tune with your body so you can pinpoint why your face is breaking out or why you’re 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 don’t forget to check out this link to grab some free Playtex® Sport® products!

Resources: WebMD