Episode 27Jan 12, 2026· 5:26

Working Out on Your Period: Does Exercise Actually Help Menstrual Cramps?

▸ Show notes from the creator

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About this episode

Ashley Grant records a before-and-after episode about exercising during menstrual cramps — first from her car on the way to a Zumba class she's late to because the pain was severe enough that she couldn't stand up, then after completing the workout. She discusses using lighter weights as a modification, her past habit of skipping the gym and how that's changed, and what she read about cardio and yoga improving blood…

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Who this episode is for

This episode may resonate with you if:

You're lying in bed with cramps bad enough that getting up feels impossible, but you feel guilty about skipping your workout and you're not sure if pushing through would actually help or make things worse.

You've built a consistent gym habit and you're proud of it, but today your body is genuinely struggling and you're trying to figure out how to show up for yourself without overdoing it.

You used to skip the gym at the slightest excuse and you've only recently started showing up consistently — and you're surprised to find yourself going even on a day when you'd normally stay under the covers.

You're on your period right now and wondering if movement could actually ease the pain, or if that's just something people say.

You feel like half-showing up doesn't count — arriving late, doing less, using lighter weights — and you need someone to tell you that a partial workout is still worth doing.

Questions this episode wrestles with

Is it actually worth working out when you're in real pain, or is that just toxic fitness culture?

answered

Ashley's take is that if there's a chance it'll help, it's worth the discomfort — 'if it's going to help me, it's worth it, even though it may be uncomfortable' — and her after report confirms she felt at least somewhat better.

"morning. But I don't know. I feel like it's one of those things where if it's going to help me, it's worth it, even though it may be uncomfortable."

If I can only make it to part of a workout, is it even worth going?

answered

Ashley decides yes — arriving late for only the second half of Zumba still counts because 'at least I'm still going and at least I'm still going to get a little bit of a workout,' and her main goal is just to move her body more.

"going to be late. I'm only going to make it to the second half of my class. But for me, honestly, that's still worth it for me because at least I'm still going and at least I'm still going to get a little bit of a workout. And that is"

When does dedication to exercise tip into something compulsive?

open question

Ashley notices the strangeness of her own shift without resolving whether it's healthy or not — she calls it 'fascinating' that exercise has become 'such an addiction' for her, but frames it as a positive change rather than sitting with the tension in that word.

"gym. And I just find it fascinating how now that it's become such an addiction for me, such a love and a passion for me, that even on a day like this, whenever I normally would give myself permission to just stay under the covers and hide from the world. Instead, I am purposefully"

Setting expectations: This episode is not a science-backed explainer on exercise physiology and menstrual health, despite what the title might suggest. It's a short, real-time personal account of Ashley recording from her car while in significant pain, driving to Zumba anyway, and then reporting back on whether it actually helped.

Tone & style

Ashley starts the episode unable to stand up from cramps but gets in the car anyway, partly because she read exercise might help and partly because she remembers it helping before. She makes it to the second half of Zumba and the low-impact class using lighter weights, then records a follow-up: she feels somewhat better, not cured, and is considering going again that evening.

Personal lived experience, with a casual nod to something she read online. Not medical advice — she explicitly says she's not cured and frames the whole thing as 'I guess the interwebs was right.'

toneCandid & personal

focusAshley records herself driving to the gym in significant menstrual pain, then reports back afterward on whether working out actually helped.

stylepersonal_confession

energymedium_low

complexitybeginner

pressure Levellow

emotional Texturehonest, physically raw, quietly determined

Notable quotes

"I literally could not stand up, I... got myself together and I got in the car and I'm on my way now to do the second half of Zumba and hopefully"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"again. I used to use every single excuse that"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"going to sit here and tell you that, Oh, I'm completely cured because no, I'm not. It still hurts, but I do feel like it was the right decision"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"And I might even try to go tonight just because I feel like more movement is what my body's really needing right now, even though it hurts and I'm"

— Famous Ashley Grant

Episode transcript

Organized into 3 chapters — open any part to read the full text.

0:091. Recording from the Car: Cramps, Running Late, and Heading to the Gym AnywayAshley records from her car while driving to class late, explaining she's in significant pain from menstrual cramps but couldn't bring herself to skip the gym entirely — partly because she read that exercise might help, and partly because she recalls it helping last time.2:422. From Avoiding the Gym to Going No Matter WhatAshley reflects on how she used to find every excuse to skip the gym, and finds it notable that exercise has become something she pursues even on a day when she'd normally stay in bed.2:503. After the Workout: Did It Actually Help?Back from the gym, Ashley reports she completed the second half of Zumba and the low-impact cardio class, used lighter weights, and does feel somewhat better — though not cured — and shares what she read about cardio and yoga improving blood circulation to ease cramp pain.

Open full transcript

Mentioned in this episode

personFamous Ashley Grant

The host of More Movement Please, recording this episode from her car while driving to the gym despite severe menstrual cramps.

productZumba

The fitness class Ashley was running late for and ultimately completed the second half of despite being in significant pain.

Key themes

Working out while in serious pain

Ashley records from her car while driving to Zumba late, describing cramps so bad she literally could not stand up earlier that morning.

Does exercise actually help menstrual cramps

Ashley tests the claim she read online that working out relieves cramp pain, and reports back after the class that she does feel somewhat better — though not cured.

Showing up late rather than not at all

Ashley arrives only for the second half of her Zumba class and frames that partial attendance as still worth it because at least she moved her body.

Shift from making excuses to going no matter what

Ashley reflects that she used to find every excuse to skip the gym, and finds it striking that exercise has become something she now pursues even on a day she'd normally stay under the covers.

Honest before-and-after account

Ashley structures the episode as a real-time before-and-after, recording first from the car in pain and then reporting back post-workout with an unvarnished result: better, but not cured.

Modifying the workout to match how you feel

Ashley gives herself permission to use lighter weights during the low-impact cardio class, though she also tries heavier weights in between.

Cardio and yoga for blood circulation during periods

Ashley shares what she read — that cardio and yoga help blood flow and can alleviate cramp pain — as the rationale behind her decision to go to the gym.

Moving your body even when it's uncomfortable

Ashley frames the episode as a 'real talk' encouragement to listeners who are physically uncomfortable to consider moving anyway, using her own cramp day as the example.

Connected episodes

Contrast

Go no matter what vs. scale back gym days

#67Less Movement, Please? Wait, WHAT?!?

Shared experience

Adjusting weights to match body's needs

#29Should You Work Out Injured? 4 Modifications Backed by Yale & Johns Hopkins

Contrast

Pushing through vs. honoring a cutback

#70Show Up: How You Do One Thing Is How You Do Everything

Contrast

Going no matter what vs. giving yourself grace

#43When Your Body Says No: Giving Yourself Grace Without Losing Your Momentum