Fitness & Fibroids: Empowering Your Body, Embracing Your Physical Health
By: Kiara Burroughs
One of the things that fibroid patients may struggle with is staying active when they often feel exhausted from their lengthy, heavy, and painful periods. Physical wellness is of great importance to everyone, but staying active and going to the gym may sometimes feel beyond reach when managing life with uterine fibroids. To give us a few tips to stay active and nourished, I interviewed Atlanta-based personal trainer and nutrition coach, Tanika Warrior, to share her insights and tips as a fellow fibroid warrior.
Tell me more about your background as a fitness instructor and what sparked your interest in this area.
I have always been into health and wellness since I was a little girl. My dad used to take me to the gym with him, and we've always talked about healthy eating and nutrition. A few years ago, I decided to become a certified personal trainer. After losing my mom in 2013, one of the things I observed was the difference in healthy habits between my mom and my dad. My mom was in her early 60s when she passed away, and she had some unhealthy habits. My dad just turned 82 and is still very healthy and continues to exercise. In observing the differences between them, I realized: wow, this really is a big deal. So, I wanted to be able to help other people in the ways I wished I could have helped my mom. I decided to become certified in personal training so that I could take what I'd been doing my whole life and help others to establish a sustainable lifestyle change. I wanted people – just regular, everyday people – to know that you don't have to be a bodybuilder to be in the gym. You don't have to be a bikini model to be in the gym. You can just be everyday Joe or Jane, and you can establish sustainable habits in your life that help you to live longer and to have a greater quality of life. Because nutrition and exercise go hand-in-hand, I'm also a certified nutrition coach. Exercise is very important, but what we put into our bodies for nutrition is very important as well. I wanted to be able to help people in these two areas so that they can have longevity and a good quality of life.
For someone who might be experiencing a painful or heavy period, how can they stay encouraged while exercising?
One benefit of exercising is the release of endorphins. Endorphins are happy hormones that allow people to experience increased energy, a little less pain, and a more positive mood. Everyone's not going to love exercising, but, when you do it, you feel and see the benefits of it – from feeling more motivated to balancing hormones to reducing stored body fat. When dealing with heavy bleeding and sometimes very intense pain, it can be challenging to get to the mental place where you can motivate yourself to workout whether it’s in your living room or taking a class at the gym. Once you start exercising, feeling the effects of it, and seeing the results, then you have that encouragement to continue. For a person who doesn't have fibroids, a menstrual cycle can already be uncomfortable. However, fibroids can add increased bleeding, more intense pain, and greater discomfort so it does take an extra effort to push through. I have fibroids, and so I know what that feels like. It’s not so much the pain that can be a deterrence for me, but rather the heavy bleeding. Sometimes I’m concerned about certain moves in the gym and how heavy bleeding may impact that. So, when I work out, I make sure I have additional clothing with me in case I need to change. I'm also very mindful of what type of workout I'm doing during that time. Since I work out in a gym, and I don't want to be embarrassed. I encourage women to honor their body, their flow, and be gentle with themselves. It’s okay to rest. Rest is just as important as exercising and nutrition.
Do you have any specific exercises or movements that you could recommend, or some that you would recommend avoiding, when dealing with a tough menstrual cycle?
You want to avoid core work or anything that's putting pressure on your abdomen. For example, exercises like crunches and sit ups should be avoided because that’s going to put pressure on the core. Also, if it’s a heavy bleeding day, then you also want to avoid lifting heavy weights. If you lift, then I recommend lighter weights. For example, if you are currently deadlifting 200 pounds for six to eight reps, then, during a heavy or painful period day, drop the weight down. Consider deadlifting, 95 pounds for 10 to 15 reps. That way, you're still giving your body a good workout, but you're not straining it with heavy weight. Other movements I recommend include stretching, mobility, and self-myofascial release (SMR) work to lengthen, stretch, and relax the muscle. Stretch and mobility work are usually done together. Stretching lengthens your muscles and gives your body some TLC. Exercises like yoga and Pilates are resistance training exercises that also incorporate a lot of stretching as well. Mobility work is when you are focused on moving your joints – making sure they’re lubricated, mobile, and moving in all the directions that they're supposed to move, and not moving in directions that they're not supposed to move. If you work on your lower body a lot, then consider hip mobility work. If you're struggling with your knees, maybe because of age or because you were an athlete, then you might want to work on knee strength. These are a few things that I would recommend doing if you struggle with exercise during that time.
What is self-myofascial release and how can that be incorporated into a fitness routine?
With SMR, you essentially massage the body’s soft tissues that have tightened up from the exertion of working out. This technique helps to release knots and, relax and lengthen muscles. This is great to incorporate into the recovery process. You will begin to feel relief because sometimes you have pain after working out. Once you give your body recovery with the massage, you essentially allow those muscles to relax and experience pain relief. Foam rollers are the most common, but other approaches you might consider are a massage gun or having a deep tissue massage. You could even purchase a ball at an athletic store that’s made specifically for rolling against the muscle and releasing the tightness. A tennis ball could also be used as an alternative.
What are some great ways to stay hydrated and nourished during workouts, especially when you're dealing with heavy menstrual bleeding which can trigger anemia and related symptoms?
Iron deficiency anemia is something that a lot of people who have fibroids face, so you should talk to your doctor to see if you should take supplements to relieve iron deficiency. There are different types of pills, drops, and infusions available, so talk to your doctor to see what you may need, and which form may be best for you.
For hydration, I recommend that every person drink at least 64 ounces of water a day. How do we know whether we need to adjust that amount? Well, we know by looking at the color of our urine. If you're drinking 64 ounces of water a day, but your urine still has a strong yellow or orange color, then that is an indicator that your body is not getting enough water. You should increase it until your urine is a pale-yellow color. You do not want it to be clear because that means you may be overhydrating. Try to sip your water throughout the day and throughout your workouts verus guzzling it all at one time which may lead to more frequent bathroom trips.
My nutrition recommendation varies by what type of exercises you're doing. If you're doing cardio without resistance training, then you don't necessarily have to increase your protein intake. If you're doing resistance training, then that means that you're trying to build muscle, either size or strength, and your muscles are built from protein. You are going to want to increase your protein intake in whatever way works best for your body and dietary routine. We all love a good protein shake here and there, but I wouldn't recommend that you increase your protein solely by protein powders, shakes, or other supplements. My go to is always food first. Once you're at a point where you cannot increase the amount of meat, eggs, beans or whatever protein food you choose each day, then consider adding a supplemental protein shake or powder in moderation.
Finally, increase your fiber. Everyone could benefit from increasing their fiber intake by eating more green vegetables. You can add a salad or two vegetables to each meal. Get creative and diversify the vegetables that you choose to incorporate. Potatoes are starchy vegetables, but they do not fall in the line with the type of vegetables that are most beneficial for fiber intake. Generally, you should eat the rainbow – a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables. I believe that fruit are the natural Skittles that God (or however you feel that fruit came to be) gave us to consume.
Those three things, protein, fiber, and water, are going to help with your energy, muscle growth, and healthy digestion. Even though we may get a little bloated due to hormones during that time of the month, you can reduce some inflammation and bloating with your nutrition.
Do you have any final takeaways that you would like to share?
It's really a challenging time when we're in pain and dealing with the heavy bleeding and exhaustion that comes with fibroids. When possible, try not to put yourself in a box and tell yourself that you can't exercise or be physically active. Whether it’s going on a hike or to the gym, find something that you can do. It’s recommended that we're physically active at least at a moderate intensity level for about 30 minutes a day, five days a week. I encourage my clients to start with steps. Start by attempting 10,000 steps each day. What they often discover is that when they make that a priority they tend to get up and move their body more. Your body was made to move. Most people sit at a desk all day or even stand on their feet all day, but that's it. We must be very mindful and very proactive in making sure we're using every muscle in our body the best that we can, so that those muscles stay strong and pliable, and our joints stay lubricated.
For those who are concerned about safety, their form for different exercises, or how to modify their workouts during that time of the month, a personal trainer could help. Before someone goes into the gym or even starts working out at home, they should consider talking to a personal trainer. Get to know the personal trainers at your gym and consider hiring one until you know what you're doing so that you don’t injure yourself. Personal trainers are also helpful for accountability and motivation. I would love to talk with someone if they wanted to reach out as well. As someone who has uterine fibroids, I understand that journey and how to navigate the fitness aspects as well. Whether you decide to hire a trainer, just make sure you're safe and make sure you're moving your body!
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
