Menstrual Cycling

By: Mujuthaba

Cramps, pain, mood swings, depression, anxiety and the list continue. These are all symptoms a post-pubertal and pre-menopausal female has to go through during a menstruation period or cycle. All of the above listed (and much more) affects are the results of hormonal changes that ensure the proper functioning of the crucial cycle.

Menstruation does have an influence on the female body physiology, especially due to the hormonal fluctuations. The major hormones of the cycle, estrogen and progesterone are known to:

1. Increase endurance performance
2. Increase fat-loss (excluding the hips and breasts)
3. Increase in muscle glycogen storage (main fuel for training)
4. Increase cognitive awareness to training
5. Increase bone density

These reactions indicate that positive physiological changes do occur during menstruation.

The unpleasant consequence of the menstrual cycle (dysmenorrhea) is known to be reduced in women exercising during menstruation. The pain and cramps are caused by a natural chemical (prostaglandins) which stimulate the contraction of the uterine wall during the periods. Exercise relieves the pain by over-riding the affects of prostaglandins with the release of the ‘feel-good’ exercise hormones known as endorphins.

Bloating, which is also a negative outcome of menstruation, in some women, are also reduced through exercising. Bloating is caused by an accumulation of fluid in the abdomen region, which leads to unpleasantness and pain. Exercise aids to alleviate bloating by reducing bodily fluid through sweating.

As outlined above, the combination of exercising and the increased amount of ‘female hormones’ (ie. estrogen and progesterone) will continue to benefit the female body during menstruation. It is recommended that women with normal menstrual cycles continue exercising normally as before, through the cycle.

Ladies, Secure Those Breasts

By: Mujuthaba

Atleast 50% of women who undergo a training session complains of breast pain. It is so common to come across this if you are a personal trainer involved with female athletes or individuals involved in a running regimen. It is important for us to get into this and to know why this happens and how this can be prevented.

Breasts are made up of mainly fat tissue, except the nipples which contains muscle fibers that respond to cold and other stimulations. Therefore, clear your minds that the breast is not a muscle group. Since the breasts are not made up of muscle tissues, resistance training of any kind would not help in toning the breasts at all. Breasts lie on the chest muscles (Pectoralis Major and Minor) from where they are held in place by connective tissues known as ‘Cooper’s ligaments’.

Breast pain is mainly caused by strain on the Cooper’s ligaments that try to keep the breasts in place. Bouncing breasts causes the ligaments to loose its ability to hold them in place, hence irreversibly sagging the breasts. Until recently, exercise physiologists had little knowledge and understanding on the effect of breast on training. Modern biomechanics equipment had given an insight on the movement of the breasts during running. From this it is known that with every step the breasts bounce 9cm independent from the body. The breasts also bounce to a figure of eight, up and down, in and out. This makes the strain on unsecured breasts more. These latest studies were conducted by Dr. Joanne Scurr from University of Portsmouth.

Initially the bouncing causes discomfort and pain, and eventually sagging. This would be in contradiction with the training, which is supposed to make the client feel good and look good. There are two solutions for strained breasts. Either take a medication or use a good sports bra. If you intend to use the medication, which doesn’t work for 50% of the people; and for the people which it works, they had to cope with the side effects. So it is always sensible to use a good sports bra, which is effective in securing the breasts and no side effects. The most effective sports bra in the market is designed to reduce the breasts from bouncing by 78%.

Follow these guidelines when you run to shop for a sports bra:

- Should give support from above, below and the sides of the breast

- Should be made of material that is firm, mostly non-elastic, non-abrasive and has good absorptive ability

- Straps should be non-stretch, criss-crossed or Y shaped at the back

- Should have no seams or ridges in the nipple area and no fasteners or hooks

- Should be individually fitted and must be comfortable at rest and during vigorous training

It is important to note that to strain the Cooper’s ligaments, size doesn’t matter. Even a smaller A-cup size breasts could have the effects of strain as an FF-cup sized breasts. So this is for the whole female population to consider. I hope this helps out to those women out there who are skeptical about a sports bra. Make sure the next time you start your training, you secure those breasts.