For all the ladies

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When I'm health mode as I call it, periods of time when I have a specific goal and work hard to reach it...there is always one thing that bugs me and that is my menstrual cycle. I know that this is something very individual but for me I have a really hard time almost two weeks per month. During these two weeks I always sort of stray off track...because first of all I can't do one my favourite exercises which is swimming and it's hard to motivate yourself to go and take a run or a walk when you have a thumping headache. Secondly, the cravings! I don't like chocolates...but I do get really bad cravings for it just before my period and with all those hormones rushing around I have a r e a l l y hardtime stopping myself and sometimes i do fail.

I know that a piece of chocolate or two...or three...isn't that bad but I've noticed that for my morale it's is catastrophic and it has happened that I have given up on my goal.

And finally this I'm particulary interested in, I've noticed that my immune system seems to go down just before my period...I always seem to get a sore throat and the sniffles and that also puts me off a bit. Is there a connection between the two? Has anyone else experienced this?

If you have any tips and/or tricks not to let the hormones win? Please let me know!