Endometriosis can be physically and mentally debilitating—just ask the many endo-warriors who have to fight the chronic pain that comes with the condition. It’s estimated that around 2 to 10 percent of American women between the ages of 25 and 40 suffer from endometriosis, a condition where extra tissue grows outside the uterus on different reproductive organs.
This extra tissue can cause symptoms like pelvic pain, painful periods, pain during intercourse, pain when going to the bathroom, excessive bleeding and infertility, says women’s health and fitness expert Melody D. Unfortunately, there’s no cure for endometriosis, and treatment focuses on managing symptoms with interventions like pain meds, hormonal replacement and at times, even, surgery.
While endometriosis can be incredibly challenging to live with, there are some lifestyle hacks that can help mitigate some of its symptoms. Exercise might be the last thing you want to turn to if you’re experiencing chronic pain, but certain workouts can help you boost your energy and reduce some of the stress and pain that comes with the condition, says Melody. The key is knowing which workouts to turn to—and which workouts to avoid.
🔎💖 Need help navigating working out with endometriosis? Check out obé’s Endometriosis Collection, featuring a collection of low-impact, low-stress classes to keep you moving.
Why Exercise Can Be Hard for People with Endometriosis
Endo-warriors have to deal with a roller-coaster of symptoms each month. While periods can be painful for anyone, periods with endometriosis can make it hard to get out of bed and do anything physical without significant pelvic pain.
As hormones decrease post-period, symptoms may subside. That changes when you get closer to your menstrual cycle again and enter your luteal phase. During this phase, women experience a lift in certain hormones that can exacerbate symptoms again, says Melody.
Long story, short: Having endometriosis can be painful, especially at certain phases of your menstrual cycle, which can make it really difficult to even want to workout.
Another endometriosis symptom that might put a damper on your desire to workout is fatigue. The condition can make you so tired that it might feel like you have to choose between going to the gym or simply getting through the physical demands of your daily life. The stress that comes with all of these symptoms can create a sense of “hopelessness,” says Melody, and an urge to curl up in a ball rather than squeeze in a workout.
Workouts to Avoid with Endometriosis
While working out with endometriosis can have a lot of benefits, certain workouts might make you feel worse. While everyone’s endometriosis journey is unique, in general, Melody says that endo-warriors should steer clear of workouts that are high-intensity or high-impact. “This is not the time for ‘no pain, no gain,’” she says.
Workouts to avoid include heavy lifting (think: avoid anything you’d rate above a 7/10 on your personal rate of perceived exertion, RPE) or high-impact workouts like running and other forms of intense cardio. Why? Well, these forms of exercise can exacerbate pelvic pain and increase stress levels.
(Pro tip: You can always filter for no-impact or low-impact workouts in obé’s on-demand library.)
How to Work Out with Endometriosis
Working out with endometriosis isn’t a lost cause. Here are some of Melody’s top tips on how to get a sweat in while living with the condition.
- Train your core and pelvic muscles.
Endometriosis comes with different levels of pelvic pain because of its impact on the pelvic floor. The pelvic floor is a set of muscles that stretch across the bottom of the pelvis. These muscles help control your bladder and bowel movements.
Strengthening these muscles, with exercises like squats and glute bridges, can help decrease pelvic pain and improve bladder and bowel movements, says Melody. Strengthening your core muscles—like your abs and lower back—through workouts like Pilates can also ease some of the pain, she adds. And when in doubt, try a targetted pelvic floor workout on obé.
- Try cycle syncing.
If you have endometriosis, you might notice how your symptoms ebb and flow with the different phases of your menstrual cycle. At some points, you might have the energy for a low-impact dance class, while at others, you might want to stick with light stretching.
Cycle syncing is a method of working out where you pair different workouts with different parts of your menstrual cycle. It allows you to tailor your workout schedule to your body’s unique hormonal needs and can be super helpful for endo-warriors because they might feel the brunt of hormonal shifts more than other women.
You may be asking: But where do I even begin? While cycle syncing can feel intimidating, luckily obé has its own cycle syncing collection, to make the process easier. The collection has classes for each phase of your cycle, and you can even personalize it further by opting in to Cycle Insights.
- Choose low-impact cardio.
Everyone should do some form of cardiovascular exercise once in a while because it helps reduce your chances of heart disease and other health conditions down the line. While endo-warriors might want to avoid high-impact cardio to avoid further stress on the body, you can get your heart pumping through walking, bike riding and other forms of more low-impact cardiovascular activity. (Check out your options on obé, here.)
- Boost your mind-body connection.
If you’re already a devoted yogi, good news: As endometriosis can impact your mental health as much as your physical health, people with endo can especially benefit from workouts that link the mind and body, like yoga, pilates, or stretching and mobility training.
They help to ease physical pain through stretching, and encourage you to slow down and pair your breath with movement, allowing for more mindfulness. In fact, one 2023 study found that a yoga class for endometriosis patients helped to reduce pain and stress.
- Strength train—within reason.
Heavy weightlifting might exacerbate your pelvic pain, but that doesn’t mean you can’t—and shouldn’t—build muscle in other ways. In general, increasing and maintaining muscle mass has a wide range of benefits: It can help with healthy aging, reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes, and even improve self esteem.
People with endometriosis can swap barbells for resistance bands or light and medium weights, says Melody. obé has a great selection of Strength, Sculpt, Barre and Yoga Sculpt classes that can help you get those gains—without exacerbating endo symptoms. And yes, they do all coun’t towards your weekly “strength training” quotoa!
obé’s Endometriosis Collection
The TL;DR of all the above is that you should stick to low-impact, low-stress workouts to build up your movement consistency. Branch out only if you’re having a symptom-free day!
To make things easy for you, our fitness experts have designed the Endometriosis Collection, featuring 8 classes that are endometriosis-safe. On the lineup: Beginner Strength, Beginner Pilates, low-impact Dance Cardio, gentle Yoga, an Intervals Walk, an Express Pelvic Floor Activation you should do daily, and a calming Breathwork + Meditation.
One thing these classes all have in common? They’re gentle and low-intensity, giving you the flexibility to scale up or down based on how you’re feeling.
The Bottom Line
While endometriosis can put a damper on your quality of life, it doesn’t have to stop you from getting a sweat in—it’s all about recognizing your body’s limits and working with them. With obé’s large selection of classes—and the Endometriosis Collection—you’re bound to find something you like that can improve your quality of life with the chronic pain that can come with endometriosis.
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