Dear Katy Perry, the women of the world thank you, not only for that VMA performance, but for letting us know it was the first day of your period when you did it. We can relate. We’ve been in the job interview, at the half marathon, on the sales pitch, at the conference, in the audition, on the stage, on day 1, and the majority of the time it isn’t necessarily a cake walk. Plagued with bloating, cramps, low self image, and more, the first day of your period isn’t classically everyone’s favorite time to be in the spotlight or pushing your physical limits.
But Katy Perry did it, and so can we.
Because the hard truth is that day 1 of your period shouldn’t take you out. You should feel different, but it shouldn’t change your ability to do what’s required of you. Now, let me be clear in saying that I love how much traction women’s health has gotten on social media and at large, but with that comes quite a bit of information that isn’t based on the science. And to be true, the science is not dense enough, some of it misleading, and the rest pretty boring for the average Jane to comb through.
So we do it for you.
Contrary to popular belief (today), the first day of your period shouldn’t be the worst day of the month.
While a lot of fitfluencers and influenced friends will say your period is a time to lay on the couch, eat Van Leeuwen’s (vegan pistachio to be exact) and rot for 24 hours, that’s not completely true. In fact, getting up and moving, boosting circulation, and connecting with people you love will feel pretty amazing when balanced with a bit more rest than you get in the other phases of your menstrual cycle.
And if doing those things I just mentioned feel like a pipe dream, it’s time to take a look at the week before your bleed. Which, I think Katy Perry did.
What we call the luteal phase, is a time to prepare for the bleed that’s coming, support your hormones, detox, and anti-inflammatory pathways. If we were to guess what Katy did to prep her body, knowing her period was coming, I bet she included:
8 hours of sleep minimum, per night
Adequate hydration, including minerals daily
Regular consistent mealtimes, including a lot of complex carbs
Deeply colored fruits and vegetables
Foods high in Omega-3’s
Focusing on blood sugar balance
Adequate protein
Limiting alcohol, caffeine, refined oils and sugar
Consistent steady state intensity movement
Sunlight
Active rest
Connection
Even half of these things would do the trick for a better day 1 of a bleed, without any ibuprofen. So if you want to do it like Katy Perry on the first day of your next menstrual phase, save the list above and try to incorporate them consistently for the week leading up to your bleed.
Want to know how to eat for PMS relief all cycle long?
CITATIONS
AlQuaiz A, Albugami M, Kazi A, Alshobaili F, Habib F, Gold EB. Dietary, Psychological and Lifestyle Factors Associated with Premenstrual Symptoms. Int J Womens Health. 2022 Dec 16;14:1709-1722. doi: 10.2147/IJWH.S387259. PMID: 36561605; PMCID: PMC9766474.
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