Exercise is well evidenced for its benefit to many different women’s health conditions and for promoting fertility, but are you choosing the correct type and timing?
Understanding the different types of exercise that suit different women and when to use them comes from Chinese medicine understanding that there is no one-size-fits-all for anything in health or treatment. So let’s look at two valuable but different types of exercise so you know when to use them.
Restorative and regenerative exercise
As we move through the menstrual cycle (or any cycles for that matter), there are ebbs and flows. For example, during the day we are naturally active which is supported by being inactive overnight. Similarly during the seasons our activity changes; winter is a time to turn quietly inward and regenerate in support of the outward summer endurance and activity.
In a normal menstrual cycle, these ebbs and flows exist also. The bleeding and post bleed time is the lul, the time for moving quietly and slowly, and a time to use the more restorative and regenerative exercise.
Using gentle exercise during cycle week one and two can help nourish the body and support physiological processes for the regeneration of blood and hormone levels that would be naturally depleted. The aim at this time is to reduce stress hormone production, a bi-product of heavy workouts. The relationship between stressful exercise and hormone production would primarily be via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axes, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axes, both heavily influential in reproductive wellbeing and negatively affected by stressors.
During the follicular phase (week one and two), look for an exercise that is ‘nourishing’.
Try Hatha or Yin yoga, walking slowly and gently in nature, tai qi or qi gong, gardening, playing with your children or pets, perhaps some slow breaststroke at your local pool.
Cathartic and releasing exercise
As the hormones increase our energy levels increase, and with them, we become more able to withstand physical (and emotional) stressors. We become full of energy, feel strong, and can tolerate heavier, harder work. This is our ovulation to pre-menstrual weeks, and we may find that tendencies toward stuck energy may more easily arise over this time causing tension and other annoying issues during this phase. Generally, a good aerobic sweat out will help work this out. This is the time to enjoy jogging, gym, surfing, F45, cross-fit, weights, cycling long-distance, climbing mountains, and the faster vinyasa yoga.
Second to this is factoring in what body type you are and matching that with the cycle phase. Different body types require taking the balance idea even further.
For women who tend to be underweight or lose weight readily, and who find they are easily fatigued, and that this fatigue might aggravate sleeping issues or cause appetite loss, it is ideal to dole yourself up a good deal more restorative and regenerative exercise; perhaps for longer than just over the follicular phase. You could even cut out cathartic and releasing activity completely over the worst of the winter months.
As for women who are prone to weight gain and heaviness in the body, strong appetites, strong moods, loud voices and don’t find they fatigue too easily. Starting cathartic and releasing exercise earlier to just before the ovulation phase may be helpful to keep the natural abundance of energy circulating.
It may be best to get a proper diagnosis of your energy systems with a registered acupuncturist to fully know when your body is needing what type of movement.
However, one great way to understand your body needs is to check with yourself after your workouts. Did your workout give you more or less energy? Did it give you sore knees or back? Do your workouts cause you diarrhea? If you have more energy, and no pain or other problems, then it was probably the right type.
If you have less energy after a workout, and other issues pop up, either you did too much or the wrong type. If initially, you felt better then later you felt very tired, perhaps it’s still not the right type. Again, chat with us…
To get further help with a course of acupuncture treatment for your women’s health, natural fertility, or assisted fertility care, book online today.
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