Alimentación, movimiento y sueño

Staying active through your cycle

Revisado: 4 de octubre de 2026

Solo en inglés por ahora

You can keep moving during your period, and gentle exercise may even ease cramps. Here is how much activity helps, and when hard training can stop periods.

Exercise on your period

There is no need to stop being active when you have your period. Gentle exercise such as walking, swimming, cycling or yoga may help ease period pain, even if you do not feel like moving. People who exercise regularly often have fewer painful cramps, and being active may help PMS even when your energy is low. Wear whichever period product feels most comfortable for your activity. If you feel tired or crampy, a lighter session is fine.

How activity helps

Regular activity lowers the risk of heart disease and stroke. It can also reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety and improve your sense of well-being. For children and teens, it helps build fitness and healthy bones. Any amount of activity is better than none, and all of it counts.

How much to aim for

The NHS advises adults aged 19 to 64 to do at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, such as brisk walking, dancing or cycling. Or you can do 75 minutes of vigorous activity, such as running or fast swimming. It is best to spread this over 4 to 5 days, or every day. Muscle-strengthening activity, such as yoga, pilates, lifting weights or carrying heavy shopping, is advised on at least 2 days a week. Breaking up long spells of sitting helps too.

Listening to your body

You do not need a special workout plan for each phase of your cycle. The same activity advice applies all month. Some days, cramps, tiredness or heavy bleeding may make a hard session feel wrong, and it is fine to choose something gentler. Logging your activity and symptoms in Ciclo can show you how you tend to feel across your cycle.

When training stops your periods

Exercising a lot can make periods irregular or stop them, especially if you do not eat enough to cover the energy you use. When the cause is too little energy for the training you do, it is called relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S). Lost periods are a warning sign. Low oestrogen, poor nutrition and too little calcium or vitamin D can cause bone loss and make stress fractures more likely.

When to see a doctor or nurse

See a doctor or nurse if your periods stop, come less often or become irregular while you are training. Also go if you keep getting injuries such as stress fractures. Also get checked if period pain or heavy bleeding regularly stops you being active. Get urgent help if you have very heavy bleeding with dizziness or fainting.

This is general information. If your periods stop or change while you are training, talk to a doctor or nurse.