One of the reasons why I love Eric is because he is fearless. He has gone Skydiving in Australia, bungee jumping in Niagara, and whitewater rafting in Ottawa. He is a thrill seeker by nature and nothing really seems to frazzle his nerves.
Wheeeeeeee.
PS- I’m trying to get him to upload his skydiving video too…it’s crazy!
So yes, he is fearless, or should I say mostly fearless. Everyone has a demon that they fight…
Eric fears monsters.
Not the kind that sleep under your bed at night though, but the kind that sleep in bed with you.
The PMS Monster.
The PMS monster is a term that Eric uses to describe the monthly occurrence when his wife turns into a somewhat less pleasant, irritable, and hormonal version of herself (to put it kindly).
Eric and I generally have a very fun-loving and playful relationship. We joke, we laugh, we are sarcastic as hell, and we make fun of each other all the time. It is all in good fun. However, Eric always knows when the PMS monster has surfaced when his normally funny jokes are met with the look.
When Eric sees the look, he slowly backs away from the PMS monster. It can strike at any time, without warning.
While I have never suffered from crippling cramps or other horrible PMS symptoms, I would say that I do have a moderate amount. I get lots of abdominal cramps, bloating, lower back pain, moodiness/irritability, tenderness, and a tiredness that I can’t shake despite getting a full 7-8 hours night of sleep. Every morning for a week I wake up feeling like a zombie.
Every month, without fail, the PMS monster strikes whether I like it or not.
This morning I woke up irritable, bloated, and with lots of cramps and lower back pain. I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, that is for sure. I decided that today I was going to do everything in my power to fight the PMS monster and to turn my mood around.
I told Eric that I was going to write a post on How To Beat PMS…and he goes, ‘Ummm…I wouldn’t say that you beat PMS….’
Touché.
I said, ‘Yea, well I know that you suffer from P-‘man’-S!’ I learned in a psychology course that there is a male form of PMS when men experience hormonal shifts on a cyclic basis. Male PMS explains so much!!!
How To Beat the PMS Monster:
1) As soon as you wake up make a Green Monster packed with greens or make a fresh vegetable juice. This morning when I got up I made a juice with spinach, lemon, beets, ginger, and carrots and I felt so much better after drinking it.
2) As soon as you can (preferably the morning), get in a hard, sweaty, tough workout. Normally I skip my workouts when I have cramps, but this morning I vowed to get outside and get in a tough workout to whip my mood back into shape!
I kept telling myself, ‘You will feel like a million bucks when you are done!’ over and over and over. I had to believe that a miracle was possible.
Eric is on vacation today so he came along on his bike to keep me company. We did the murder hill route and I managed to run a hilly, 7.5 miles in 1 hour 7 minutes. It was a very tough workout but once I got 3.75 miles out and turned back, all I had to do was make it back home! The run back was deceiving this time though because it is all uphill from miles 3.5-7!
The run:
- Distance: 7.5 miles
- Time: 1:07 mins
- Avg Pace: 9:01 min/mile
- Avg heart rate: 155 bpm
Mile splits:
- Mile 1: 8:53
- Mile 2: 8:59
- Mile 3: 9:01 (from mile 3 murder hill began and then it was uphill until mile 7!)
- Mile 4: 9:18
- Mile 5: 9:17
- Mile 6: 9:21
- Mile 7: 8:50 (started to pick up my pace to finish strong)
- Mile 7-7.5: 3:56 (equals a 7:53/mi pace)
Eric was biking beside me when I was sprinting and he kept saying ‘Come on is that all you got!? Feed the warrior!!!!’ I was laughing so hard and trying not to wipe out in the process. Nothing like giggling when you are trying to sprint!
As I predicted, I felt on cloud nine after this run and my mood was lifted the entire day. My cramps also went away by the time I was home too. I will have to remember this for next time!
3) Eat energizing foods. For lunch I had this amazing bowl of stir-fry leftovers from last night mixed with my Canadian Maple Baked Beans. It was awesome! So many great flavours.
4) Have an Epsom salt bath. My sister Kristi got me hooked on Epsom salt bath soaks! I have an Epsom salt bath after long runs and after races. A rich source of magnesium, Epsom salts relieve pain and muscle cramps and relax the body, mind, and soul. I highly recommend them if you haven’t tried one before!
5) Indulge your chocolate craving. In the past I used to try to deny my chocolate cravings, but now I always allow myself a bit of chocolate when I crave it. I love intense dark chocolate and my 3-ingredient chocolate covered raisins when a craving strikes.
Do you suffer from PMS? What are your tips and tricks for beating the PMS monster?
I have heard of many women using herbs for PMS and I have always been interested in learning more. I also used to know a lady at work who used to swear by a shot of rum or warm Baileys to cure menstrual cramps. A woman after my own heart! :lol:
bahaha I’m pretty sure that lady was using PMS as her excuse to take some shots…but hey, I’m all for giving something a try before I shoot it down lol
LOL yea she is hilarious…if you only knew her!
haha o man I cry for at least 3 days straight every month. Everyone in my family always knows when I’m pms-ing bc I’ll just sit there and cry for no reason! I will definitely try the having shots trick next time ;) Hey it couldn’t hurt…
Wow, I am so glad to hear I’m not the only one that cries! Now I don’t have to get down on myself as much for that :). Usually I try to take a walk with my pug, I drink yogi tea, and I try to give myself something to look forward to at the end of the day which usually significantly improves my attitude.
When I am physically and emotionally challenged, I tend to pass things off to the stronger mental arena which forces me to get up and do something about it. This doesn’t always work, but I’m definitely going to try some of these tips!
girl these are so great for PMS!! I def cry! I have like a MAJOR ‘tude the day before i start. i am scary.
I always workout when I have pms, cramps, or bloating. It does make you feel better and it usually goes makes them go away.
OMG I get PMS horribly! I actually get extremely anxious when i know it’s on it’s way, which does not help much to say the least! I definitely do not skip my 6-8 mile run because that is essential like you said. I also love to make myself a choc fudge five ingredient fix! I just take 2 tbsp cocoa powder, a sprinkle of cinnamon, dash of sea salt, a packet of stevia, and a 2-3 tbsp nut milk and stir away until a thick fudge like substance appears! It’s AMAZING, low-cal, delicious, vegan, and RAW!!! lol All the best quick fix wonders in our world!
this sounds interesting…can you make it with maple syrup…lol…not that I am obsessed with it or anything…
That would be wonderful!!! Let me know how it tastes :)
This is so funny and honest! Love it.
I am totally NOT fearless and I went sky diving in New Zealand–even though I am afraid of heights, it was the most incredible thing I’ve ever done. I highly recommend it! But I look like a doofus in the video :)
I want to go skydiving :) Some day! and yea im a uhge chicken too. Good for you for doing it!
Thanks for sharing your tips. I agree about getting a sweaty workout in — it gets the blood moving, which helps relieve pain, and it also helps relieve stress and makes you less cranky for the rest of the day.
If I am having really bad stomach cramps or back pain I might do a little self-massage or just get a massage. Also, drinking lots of water seems to help!
Hehe your so funny :P Isn’t great how one “monster” can conquer another? The green monster totally tackles the pms monster! I must say that I’m not a major pms sufferer, but I sure do have more chocolate cravings around that time of the month ;) And exercise always helps with cramps and my mood
The benefit to being pregnant: no more PMS! Of course, there are a myriad of other things to deal with :)
I like your step-by-step plan and will be utilizing it in, oh, about 5 months from now.
haha enjoy it :)
I get mild to medium cramps around that time of the month, and I SWEAR by raspberry tea. It’s a god-send, really. In my dorm, you knew who was on their period when the girls start drinking raspberry tea. Cures cramps, I promise.
Ohh I forgot about raspberry tea! I brought some iced raspberry (leaf) tea with honey to school one day and I found it really helped with the cramps.
mmm sounds deelish
Hey Angela
Lately I have been making my own green monsters for breakfast. But it’s a bit different, because I made it savoury and warm. I am not used to drinking cold things in the morning it makes my head dizzy. I wanted to ask you what else I can put into my green monster to get more variations instead of carrots and spinach. I tried adding onion and parsley. But onions causes bad breathe which is not good for the start of the day and parsely just made the drink too bitter. Currently I am just blending spinach with carrots, then I transfer it to a small pot and heat it up with EVOO and a bit of salt. I am also trying to get my mum into this green monster thing.
Hmm that is interesting…a savoury Green Monster? I tried that a couple times and it didn’t turn out very good. If you are going for all veggies I would try throwing in half a cucumber and some tomatoes too.
Yeah, it’s because new zealand is quite cold atm and so having greenmonster in the morning than coffee really helps with stomach problems. But thanks you, I will try adding cucks and tomamtos into my next green monster ^^
This is interesting. I would follow Angela’s advice and base it with tomato. Similar to a bloody mary type cocktail without the alcohol.
This is a great post. TOM is looming closer and I bookmarked this post. PMS kicks my butt every time and I can never seem to beat it (or even manage it.) This month I have vicodin from surgery to help with my sometimes unbearable cramps – other than that. . . I WILL be exercising and eating better. Plus, I HAVE to try one of those Green Monsters. (I have been scared to in the past.)
Have a great weekend!
It’s funny, sometimes I suffer really badly from PMS with severe cramps, headaches, tiredness, bloating, crankiness – the works! Other times I have no PMS at all. If I do have PMS, I usually drink a lot of water, keep myself busy, sometimes I’ll nap if I have headaches or cramps, and sometimes I just have to stay away from everyone for a day or two (more for their benefit than mine)! haha
Thanks for those tips! Unfortunately I am on the other end of the spectrum. Not much in terms of mood, but cramps galore! It is so bad I have to take prescription medication for it. It’s been like this every single time, even when it first started! O_O But usually by the second day I don’t need medication and I can treat it with a nice hot bath or a heating pad and that helps a lot. I find that I crave greasy foods like McDonalds during this time and I try to not have them, but sometimes all it takes is one bite and I feel satisfied.
I’ve heard of women taking evening primrose oil to help but I haven’t tried that myself. Lavender baths are really nice though too!
Oh and I always wear perfume – my expensive ones. It boosts my confidence and for some reason I need that during PMS time.
Ahh good ole’ PMS. Believe it or not, I’ve been told I get extra sweet whenever I go through it. Luckily it doesn’t bother me nearly as much as other people I know..but I was still shocked to know it had the opposite effect! :P
I used to get all of the same symptoms you do every month and now I deal with it by taking a birth control pill where I only get my period every three months! It’s wonderful and I would highly recommend going on one like that if you can. I hated the emotional roller coaster and pains in my back especially. Your tips are great and I hope you feel better.
I get the worst back pain EVER & that makes me grumpy. I get snappy & just unpleasant. I try not to snap but for some reason i do. I smile through the pain, stay energized & try to be nice.
ahahahah I read this post outloud to lee…he relates with eric! I am HORRID..ugh. I swear. What makes it all worse (my mood) is that I DO GET the CRIPPLING cramps (ever since I was 9!!!). I was put on birth control at a young age for the cramps..which seemed to help but i have been off bc for long time now. I have started taking evening primrose oil caplets which I have heard regulates your cycle+pms related stuff. I also take a tbsp of flax twice daily in food as I have heard it helps also! Drinking peppermint tea each day around a week before is supposed to really help with cramps… I stick a hot water bottle on my lower abs and sleep as much as possible. Other then that…Lee stays outta my way! lol.
Awww sorry you suffer so much! That sounds awful. :\ Your tips are great though, I am sure they do help. Glad Lee got a kick out of it…haha!
I totall suffer. When I read that you give Eric ‘the look’ I laughed. That is exactly what happens in my house. Kevin will say something and I will give him the look of death. I heard once on the radio that there is a website, and what you or the male in your life does is signs up. It works better if you sign him up though. It asks some personal info on your cycle. Then it will send email reminders to watch out PMS is coming, tread lightly lol. http://pmsbuddy.com/ I signed Kevin up about a year ago. lol too funny.
hahaha I heard about that a while back and forgot about it!