A Woman's Dilemma

Peace. There is so much controversy attached to being a woman. The God told me recently the only reason he didn’t want to have girls (I only want to have girls and NO boys!!!!) is because it is so difficult in this world to be a girl. And he is not lying. This controversy extends to the exercise arena as well. I am still within my childbearing years. That mean I host company monthly. The question that has always been floating through my mind is whether I should be exercising during my cycle. Traditionally… and I am going back to the last century and beyond… the answer has been no. women are so fragile that we shouldn’t be exercising at all. But we know that woman can and do compete athletically. Taoism and Ayurveda say no to exercise during your period. That is the time a woman is most vulnerable outside of pregnancy. Also both modalities teach that there is a time and place for everything. But Western doctrine says go ahead and exercise to the fullest extent. Actually western doctrine says we absolutely MUST exercise during that time of the month. Me being squarely set in the middle…. I have been giving this a ridiculous amount of thought. Because one way or the other, I want to put to bed my approach and be able to show and prove to some degree. I have noticed that the week before my period, I shift to shitty runs. I need stimulation and true warming up to get it together to get out there. My legs feel like bricks. And my breathing is labored. The week I actually get my period, the runs are easier but more painful. I bloat. And my lower abdomen/pelvic area is actually painful to the touch. Meaning, it hurts if you rub it from the outside. Running does make it jump around, contributing to additional soreness. But running does cut down on cramps. So it’s 6 in one hand ½ a dozen in another. I have noticed that if I run in tight pants or a girdle, the uterine soreness is decreased. Not ended, but decreased. And finally I don’t have the same endurance. I may want to run 3 miles, but the body isn’t willing. I do more run-walking in those 2 weeks than I do the rest of the cycle. So why don’t I just take off during my cycle? Because if I do that I WILL gain weight. If I take off a week from training I will lose time and endurance. I will have to start from the beginning again. I would be reinventing the wheel every month and I would never get any better than I am right now. If that was all I wanted then maybe, but I want to be a better runner so that won’t work for me. So what is my solution? Hybridization. I won’t abandon exercising; but I won’t force it either. If I don’t feel like running, I’ll walk. If I don’t feel like running 4 days a week, I’ll run 3 or 2. I’ll do something. But I won’t force anything. I’ll save that for when I’m not in that particular phase (since the menses is a cycle that is going on all the time). And if I am in frank pain…. That day is a rest day. And flow days where my belly is sensitive to the touch, I will wear a girdle for the workout. This is what works for Serenity. I can’t say what will work for any other woman. But I do encourage women to do the knowledge for themselves to their own bodies and make determinations according to their goals. Peace