PMS & energy levels

[justlucky]

I am sure I can't be alone in this although I could not find any other discussions on this subject...

I am 33 years old, eat well, workout 5 days a week, take vitamins, get enough sleep etc. I am not on the pill and have no children. My concern is that I have a marked drop in energy/stamina levels in the 3-4 days leading up to my mid-cycle (ovulation). On the day after I ovulated last month, I was a complete waste case. Fortunately, it was not a day I was scheduled to workout. I would not have been able to get thru even the easiest workout that day. I just felt exhausted.

It is often the same with the days immediately preceding the onset of my period as well as the first and second day of my period. I started taking iron & folic acid supplements a few months back. This has helped considerably with the drained feeling I was experiencing during the first day or two of my period. I do however still get a strange headache at the very back of my head during this time frame and often feel exhausted leading up to it.

I have spoke w/my Gynecologist about this on a few occasions. She tells me it is normal and related to hormone levels. (Although I'm not entirely convinced it is normal to feel this way). Blood work also checks out great(no anemia). However, if it is a normal thing, does anybody else go thru this and if so do you have any advice on beating the drained feeling and refueling?

[competition bound]

I get that drained feeling too. The only thing I do is take it easy and keep my workout very low impact. Now this does not help my headache, but it does give me a little more energy for a couple of hours. After that I'm done, through, color me gone!! Anyway, i just wanted to say that I know what you're going through, and just hang in there and do the best you can and above all else, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!!!!!


Aimee

Just so you don't feel alone, I'll chime in with Aimee...it's probably fairly normal. As long as you have been checked out by a doctor and there are no other health issues you are no different than the rest of us PMS slugs;-). Even when I am feeling my absolute best, I can count on feeling under par for that week leading up to my period.
As far as beating it, I try to eat healthy and work through it knowing that it does let up sooner or later. There are times when I do feel better if I workout during this time, I find it rejuvenating.


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