- When experiencing menstrual cramps, most women have the tendency to curl up in a ball. Unfortunately, this approach tends to just make the pain feel worse. A better alternative is to do some very basic stretching exercises. Even the simplest of stretches can get the blood circulating throughout the body and take the mind off the pain. Any type of gentle stretching exercise is helpful, but those involving the abdomen, upper thighs, buttocks and lower back may make the most noticeable difference. A particularly useful stretching exercise is to lay on your back, beginning with your legs flat on the bed or floor. Then very slowly bring your legs up to your chest, hold the position, then slowly bring your legs back down to a flat position. You can alternate between bringing both legs up to your chest at once or bringing one leg up at a time.
- Even worse than the tendency to curl up in a ball is the tendency to tense the muscles when in pain. Since many women do this without thinking, they may not realize that what they are doing is actually making the pain worse. A better choice would be do use progressive muscle relaxation exercises as a way to alleviate the pain. Concentrate on one muscle group of the body at a time (legs, buttocks, abdomen, arms, neck and shoulders) and alternate between tensing those muscles and relaxing them. This process initiates relaxation for the entire body, not just for the selected muscle group. It also increases proper circulation and makes breathing and heart rate more even as well.
- Although a woman experiencing intense menstrual cramps will obviously be in no position to do an aerobic activity, staying active on a consistent, ongoing basis throughout the month can lessen the severity of cramps. Tennis, walking, running, swimming, dancing, kick-boxing and bike riding are some examples of aerobic exercises that you can do throughout the month that may help.
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