Jogging on Your Period

When you're an avid jogger, the cramps, bloating and fatigue that accompany your period can sideline your training schedule, leaving you running for your bed rather than your latest jogging route. But jogging while on your period can actually help to reduce some of your worst PMS symptoms and is completely healthy. While you may notice that you have less endurance during your period, continue jogging and you'll soon be back up to full speed and effort once you're done menstruating.

Benefits

Exercising while on your period is a healthy way to stay in shape, and it can actually help to reduce some of your PMS symptoms, including cramps, fatigue and irritability. This can help make your period more bearable. If you already have a jogging routine in place or are training for an event, don't let your period derail your progress. While you may experience some discomfort to start, as your body slips back into the natural rhythm of jogging, some of your period symptoms may even subside,

Disadvantages

Jogging while on your period is not only healthy, but advantageous when suffering from the discomfort of your period symptoms. The only potential drawback to jogging while on your period stems from a slight lack of endurance you may experience when jogging. A study published in the April 2008 issue of the "British Journal of Sports Medicine" found a correlation between a woman's menstrual cycle and her subsequent chance for sports injuries, specifically ACL tears. The study found that ACL tears were more likely during the preovulatory phase of menstruation. Timothy E. Hewett, director of the Sports Medicine Biodynamics Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Research Foundation tells "Shape" magazine that the relation between menstruation and injury can be attributed to a lack of motor control during your period.

Precautions

For more comfortable exercise and a reduced chance for injury, it may be helpful to adjust your jogging routine while on your period. While you can still jog on a daily basis, you may want to choose an easier route or jog for a shorter amount of time to make up for a lack of motor control and to control your fatigue. Once you know how jogging affects you during your period, you can plan ahead for problems like cramps or irritability during your run, such as taking ibuprofen 30 minutes before your run.

Other Exercise

Jogging needn't be your only choice when it comes to exercising while on your period. If jogging is too high impact for your energy level, rather than skip your workout altogether, try a lower impact activity, such as yoga, water aerobics or walking. Each will help you maintain your level of physical activity while taking into account the various symptoms you may have during your period. Once your period is finished, you can begin exercising as normal once again.