“I feel involved in the mission of helping women”. Kimberley Rutil, 27, is a professional handball player and midwife. She plays as a right back in the Butagaz Énergie League (D1F), and takes advantage of her (little) free time to do shifts in hospitals. For to missgives his advice as a high-level athlete to streamline your sports practice when you have your period.
Know yourself
The first piece of advice is to know yourself well. This means knowing your cycle, its symptoms, and the mental or physical states that result at different times in the cycle. “Before my period, my problem is mainly mental. I question everything, I doubt…” confides Kimberley Rutil. Being aware of this allows you to better anticipate and manage his emotions. “If we know that we generally have a strong stomach ache 48 hours before, we avoid having to plan an intensive training at that time” continues the athlete.
Adapt your training
It is therefore this self-knowledge that allows us to arrive at Kimberley Rutil’s second tip: adapt your training. For this reason, the athlete recommends a collegial approach. “The ideal is to be able to talk about it with your coach and teammates. He explains to them and then don’t push too hard on the ground. It is still necessary, of course, to be in front of understanding people. “Which isn’t always obvious. “Rules in sport remain a taboo topic, especially for coaches who are often men and for some they can be closed off on these issues.”
Finding the right periodic protection
Last piece of advice, the choice of periodic protection. “You have to look for the solution that is most comfortable for you and don’t lose sight of the fact that there are many different ways to manage blood flow. Don’t hesitate to test and see what works best”. Kimberley Rutil also invites you to plan the medications you may need (Spasfon and others) for training days, or to consider more natural recommendations, such as herbal teas. The important thing is to feel good during your period and do what you need to do to relieve the pain. “The day the rules completely prevent us from doing sport, we will need to consult, because a pathology can be hidden behind it”.
For two years, the women’s handball league and its partner Lidl have been organizing awareness workshops on the still taboo impact of menstrual cycles on sports performance. Professional players, like Kimberley Rutil, participate in these talks to share their personal experience and free their voices.
The last workshop was held on April 10th at the Maison du Handball, hosted by the La Culotte Rouge association. It brought together young girls from middle and high schools in a debate aimed at exploring the effects of the menstrual cycle on the body and emotions, proposing solutions to better manage their energy and optimize training.
Listen to Apéro des Daronnes, Madmoizelle’s show that aims to break down taboos on parenting.
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
