If you’ve ever felt totally wiped out during your period - low mood, foggy head, zero motivation - and then noticed everything shift after just a few minutes of movement… that wasn’t just in your head. There’s real science behind why movement helps you feel better in your body and mind during your cycle.
To help us understand this connection more deeply, we invited Dr. Renee Young, a licensed Naturopathic Doctor and Founder of Young Naturopathic Center for Wellness, to share her insights. Dr. Young has over 20 years of experience helping people solve complex hormone and health issues, and she works with everyone from teens to elite athletes (yep, even the San Jose Sharks!). Her expertise lies in hormone health, longevity medicine, and helping women live in sync with their bodies - not in battle with them.
It’s Not Just In Your Head - Movement Does Help Your Period
Your period might be a time when you feel like lying down forever. But interestingly, movement - even light movement - can actually help ease the very symptoms that make you feel like stopping altogether.
As Dr. Young explains,
“Exercise helps stimulate blood flow, which can improve your menstrual health by helping your hormonal system work more seamlessly. Movement helps your lymphatic system clear waste products and can help ease breast tenderness and puffiness as hormones fluctuate.
Moving gets your blood flowing to reduce cramps and swelling, while your muscles relax and the release of feel-good chemicals helps to ease bloating. Your body responds well to easy, flowing exercise that’s in tune with where you are that day, rather than working against your natural rhythm.”
So, What’s Actually Going On?
That sense of relief and clarity after moving on your period isn’t just luck - it’s a biological response.
“It's no wonder so many women feel clearer-headed and less anxious after moving their bodies on their periods: Exercise triggers the release of endorphins and serotonin - ‘happy’ brain chemicals that offset the hormonal dips that can otherwise make everything feel heavier and more despairing.
“Gentle movement teaches your nervous system that you’re safe and takes the fight-or-flight response - that often comes with pain, low iron, poor sleep, and PMS-type thoughts -offline.
“Fortunately, while on your less energetic days, the practice of taking focus off pain has been shown to reduce stress hormones and improve blood flow to the brain - giving you a quick hit of mood-enhancing clarity. Movement is simple but potent medicine, a core naturopathic tool that powerfully and simultaneously helps to modulate your hormones, nervous system tone and overall physiological balance without drugs.”
Mental Resilience Starts in the Body
When you feel physically stronger - even in small ways - it lays the groundwork for mental resilience, too. The connection between our cycle, our mindset, and our motivation is deeply intertwined.
But what if you’re just too exhausted?
“If you feel too wiped out or overwhelmed to exercise, your body is simply telling you that it doesn’t have the capacity for a workout. Start with a concrete but incredibly small routine - five minutes of walking slowly around the house, legs-up-the-wall or simply cat-cow to get a small dose of endorphins and increase circulation.
“Also, before you even think about intensity, add deep belly breaths to stimulate your vagus nerve and nourishing, supportive foods like iron-rich soups and stews and mineral-rich broths to refill your tank. On those days when intensity isn’t appropriate, the small, attainable moves that build trust in your body can turn exhaustion into quiet resilience over time.”
What Kind of Movement Works Best - and When?
Each phase of the menstrual cycle brings changes in hormone levels, energy, and mood. Dr. Young encourages a more intuitive, supportive approach to movement - one that flexes with your body's needs rather than forcing a fixed routine.
“In the late luteal phase, I would recommend that women avoid super-intensive workouts, such as all-out sprints, long endurance runs or maximal heavy lifting, if they experience increased bloating, restless sleep and irritability.
“High-intensity training at that time of the month can actually drive up stress hormones, increase cravings, and make PMS symptoms worse for some women. During the first few days of bleeding, when you’re more likely to experience cramps, back pain and heavy flow, I advise steering clear of very strong abdominal work and high-impact jumping - both can increase pelvic floor tension and discomfort.
“I try to nudge women toward walking, comfortable-paced cycling, Pilates, mobility work and strength sessions which feel ‘challenging but kind.”
Supporting Teens to Build a Kind Relationship with Movement
For teens navigating their first years of menstruation, this mind-body awareness is especially powerful.
“To help teens create a loving relationship with movement, I encourage even a very basic form of cycle tracking: noticing when they bleed, when they feel more sociable, and when they want to slow down, and then matching movement to that emerging pattern as much as possible.
“A teenager might see fatigue or feeling less strong as a personal failing, rather than a normal hormonal shift. Normalise the shifts that can happen with hormones - not just in energy and mood but even in coordination. Help them approach their body (and movement) like a wise friend.”
Why Movement Matters Even More in Winter
In colder, darker months, low energy and low mood can become a seasonal norm. That’s where gentle, nourishing movement can make a big difference.
Whether it’s a walk around the block, 10 minutes of breath-led yoga, or simply stretching with music, you’re giving your body and brain a signal: I’m here. I’m moving. I’m okay.
Final Thoughts: Strong Doesn’t Mean “Push Through”
At WUKA, we believe resilience isn’t built by pushing through pain - it’s built by tuning in and honouring what your body needs.
As Dr. Renee Young so beautifully reminds us:
“You don’t have to move hard. You just have to move with heart.”
And on those days when everything feels heavier - remember that even the smallest, softest movement counts.
Related posts
Building a Training Schedule Around Your Menstrual Cycle
Teens, First Periods and Sports