Let’s talk hormones. We all have them and we’re all influenced by them throughout our lives. For men, hormone levels stay fairly steady after adolescence. For women, hormones fluctuate cyclically, causing a constant shifting that affects everyone differently. If you add up all the menstrual cycles throughout the average woman’s life, it adds up to more than 9 years! That is a very long time for women who suffer premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and approximately 75 percent of women do!
What can be done to help treat PMS? Surprise…exercise! Though it isn’t the only fix, exercise has been shown to dramatically reduce the symptoms of PMS. Studies have shown that exercise reduces physical pain, increases concentration, lifts mood, and lessens erratic behavior. Whatever type of exercise you fancy, experts recommend elevating your heart rate to at least 60-65% of your maximum for 60 minutes. Sometimes a lifestyle change to include regular exercise can even eradicate the need for medication to treat symptoms of PMS.
Next time you feel the onset of PMS, get active! Do an activity that you enjoy and that gets your heart rate up. As always, listen to your body, rest when needed, but don’t be afraid to break a sweat.
Thank you Dr. John Ratey for writing Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. This gem of a book helps to shed so much insight into even MORE benefits of exercise than has been documented previously.
Hyatt Training is a collective of certified, enthusiastic and innovative personal trainers in Portland, Oregon. Our core values are the heart, soul and guiding principals for every decision day in and day out. Staying true to a steady set of values ensures our clients receive consistent results for their entire personal training experience. Belief in education for our clients, ourselves and the community at large is a huge part of who we are. So we’re super book nerds!!
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