The Pain Monster

Sorry, guys, this one’s about girl stuff.

I’m on prescription birth control to regulate my cramps and periods. This is not by choice. For a very long time, I thought hormones would screw me up even more (after a disastrous attempt to take birth control in high school), so I refused to take them. Lemur talked me into it because it got so bad that anything had to be better, right? Periods every two weeks, anemia, constant cramping, and mood swings. No one wants that.

About five years ago, I started taking birth control. My whole life changed. I had energy. I found time to write again. For the first time since my first period at eleven, I felt like I could function as an adult.

There’s one thing I’ve noticed in the last five years. If I try to ramp up my activity during the winter months, like I always do with New Year’s resolutions, I receive an unwelcome attack from the pain monster. My cramps return. They are so much worse in January than they are the rest of the year, even in May when I switch from treadmill and recumbent bike rotation to walking an hour every day.

It’s almost enough to stop working out.

This year, I’m going to try yoga instead of cardio. My sister is a yogi, so I hope she can suggest a good workout. I’ll let you know how it goes.

What is your favorite exercise to power through your cramps? Or do you lay in a ball and cry like I do?