The Best Way to Manage PMS

I remember those days of ugly PMS clearly.
I was angry, tired, aggressive, my breasts hurt horribly and I was bloated.
The world was black, my life felt bleak, and it was nearly two weeks of hell.

Pre-menstrual syndrome might not seem like a topic for a weight loss blog, but this is more than a weight loss blog. It is a blog about improving your weight, your health and your life.

Over the last seven years I have had very minimal PMS symptoms except for cravings for salt and sugar (and occasional breast tenderness - TMI). I can't seem to get away from those. But I no longer cry or get angry. I still do what experts say not to do (eat sugar, drink caffeine) and yet over the last seven years I have been a new woman just before "that time of month."

Why?

Put quite simply - exercise. Lots of exercise. Exercise has been a miracle for me in many ways (helping me lose 80 pounds of fat, for example) but suddenly last year I realized that exercise had also made my PMS symptoms much lighter. I'm not sure if strength training would give me the same benefits, but I have taught Spinning® at least four days a week for six years, which directly correlates to my amazing reduction in PMS.
Coincidence? I think not. So let's see what cardiovascular exercise does for menopause, which is just around the corner. Sigh.

Onward and forward.

~Helen