5 Tips For Playing Sports On Your Period

Photo of a girl on a soccer field by Mar Bocatcat on Unsplash

The short answer to whether you can play sports in your period is: Yes! In fact, if you suffer from painful menstrual cramps, exercise may help reduce your pain. But participating in sports while on your period is an added challenge. Your period may come with bloating, cramps, and low energy. 

However, exercising on your period is not everyone’s cup of tea. Cramps and bloating can make staying in bed seem like a much better option than going to soccer practice. The struggle is real. But know that women and girls are pushing themselves to get to the gym even when they’re not feeling their best. Even when you’re not on your period, exercising can be challenging, but you’ll probably feel better afterwards! 

You may find that going out and playing sports will actually help distract you from painful menstrual cramps! And if you apply Control before you get out on the field, you’ll find you can forget about cramps and focus on the game.

Eat Food and Drink Water

When you’re on your period you may feel more hungry than usual. But your period can also make you crave things like chocolate and ice cream, which doesn’t make for a great pre-game meal. More so, eating junk food can make you feel even more sluggish and bloated. Making sure you maintain the right balance of fruits, veggies, carbs, and protein will help keep your body and mood balanced. 

Hydration is key whenever you’re playing sports, but it’s especially important when you’re on your period. Water keeps your system moving smoothly so that you can perform at your best. If you’ve got these pieces of your diet in place, then definitely throw some chocolate in your bag for a pre-game snack!

Consider What You’re Wearing

If you’re a dancer or a gymnast, your uniform can add a lot of extra stress to getting your period. Twisting your body through the air while others are watching and wearing only a leotard can be incredibly stressful. However, there are choices you can make to help things go more smoothly. If you’re competing on your period, try to find an outfit that you feel confident in and that reduces your anxiety.

Skip Periods 

If you’re on hormonal birth control, you can talk with your doctor about skipping your period if you have a big competition. It can make your life a little more easy so that you can focus on training and competing.

Get Help From Others

While it may be hard to tell your teammates or friends that you’re on your period, having a conversation can make things much less stressful. Say your period surprises you right before a home basketball game and your uniform is all white. Asking your teammates if anyone has an extra tampon (or a bottle of Control!) is way better than risking it or trying to find another solution.

Listen to Your Body

You know your body best! If your cramps are especially painful, it might be best to take a break, lay on the couch, and apply some Control menstrual pain cream. Your body will tell you if you’re training too hard, and you need to be comfortable doing what’s right for you.

Control Menstrual Cramp Relief

Control was made for active women! Our period pain relief cream is inspired by women and made for women — including all the women out there crushing the competition while on their periods. Our period pain relief cream is FDA-approved, safe, effective, and easy to use. We are so confident that you will love our product that we offer a 100% money-back guarantee. Order yours from Control today and start experiencing relief from painful menstrual cramps!