Bleeding
Menstruation or bleeding is commonly commented as one of the factors most affecting training and/or
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At Optimal Period we believe everyone has their own unique experience of the menstrual cycle and related symptoms. Therefore, we support you to map your own menstrual cycle, identifying what symptoms you experience and at what time of your menstrual cycle. Download our menstrual phase graph, watch our video to get started mapping your own cycle and make some immediate changes today!
The menstrual cycle is associated with different positive and negative symptoms, unique to everyone, which sometimes can impact on training and sport performance. We have seen this within the research, where elite female athletes report menstrual related symptoms affecting training, sometimes causing missed training or under performance (Brown et al., 2020). However, the menstrual cycle should not affect your ability to exercise or perform.
Sometimes it is not easy or convenient to plan training around menstrual related symptoms and especially not competition timings. At Optimal Period we prefer to shift this narrative, implementing support strategies to optimise training and sport performance across your entire menstrual cycle.
You need to understand what and when your symptoms occur to put a plan in place. To start, track menstrual cycle related symptoms for 3 cycles, tuning in and reflecting on symptoms and feelings. Alongside this, track any stressful events, stress levels, sleep quality and eating behaviours; e.g. any food cravings, changes in food you eat. Next is about being proactive using some of the strategies provided to optimise training and sport performance. For general help with symptom management read our menstrual cycle symptom knowledge base.
Menstruation or bleeding is commonly commented as one of the factors most affecting training and/or
Some females find they can be more prone to injury or niggles at certain points
Training is completed to create the body to adapt, the body responds to the stress
It can be hard to navigate the menstrual cycle, either yourself or for your coach/sport
What you eat and when can have a huge impact on your training and sport
Planning your training is vital to achieve improvements in your sport performance. This includes the
Sign-up to download a copy of your Menstrual Cycle Tracker PDF.