While you should not engage in high-impact, strenuous exercise regimens during severe menstrual cramps, gentle exercise can relieve symptoms by stimulating blood flow and releasing endorphins. Effective exercises during cramping are aerobic exercises such as walking, biking, or swimming. Yoga poses that stretch the back, groin, chest, and abdominal muscles might also help stimulate blood flow to the uterus and relieve pain. Make sure that you are exercising gently, while wearing loose and non-restrictive clothing. Overdoing it or wearing constrictive clothing might aggravate symptoms. An added benefit of exercise is potential weight loss, which can also reduce the frequency of menstrual cramps. While it might seem counterintuitive to engage in sexual activity during menstrual cramping, sexual activity can be a great way to relieve symptoms. Orgasms help to relieve cramping by stimulating blood flow, releasing endorphins, and killing pain. Plus they might serve as a welcome distraction from your pain. Rubbing the affected area can help stimulate blood flow to the uterus, which can ameliorate that cramping feeling. Massage your lower belly gently with your fingertips and use a circular motion. You can massage your abdomen for as long as you need to, as often as you need to, in order to reduce your symptoms. Acupuncture and acupressure might have positive effects similar to massage. Some women have reported pain relief through these services. Acupuncture and acupressure work by stimulating the central nervous system in order to heal injuries and relieve pain. If you take this route, be sure that you talk to your doctor first and that you do your research: you only want to see a licensed professional, not an amateur. Heat helps to increase blood flow, which helps minimize cramping pains. Run yourself a hot bath whenever you feel the worst cramps coming on. Repeat once or twice a day as needed. If you cannot take a hot bath, you can get similar benefits by applying a hot water bottle or heating pad to your abdomen for 20 minutes at a time. Be sure that you are not overdoing the heat: you do not want to scald or burn yourself. A comfortable warmth is just as effective and much safer than a scalding heat. Heat can be equally as effective as pain medication for reducing menstrual cramps, and has fewer side effects.

Summary: Exercise gently when you experience cramping. Have an orgasm. Massage your abdomen. Take a hot shower or bath.

Tear the plastic using your fingers or the tip of a knife. Then, pull the plastic away from the cheese until the entire outer wrapping has been removed. Discard the plastic. Place the tip of the knife at the center of the wheel. Make a straight cut from the center to the outside edge of the cheese wheel. Then, place the tip of the knife back in the center and move the blade so it's at about a 45-degree angle from the first cut you made. Slice down into the cheese wheel and make another cut. Remove the wedge from the cheese wheel. Wrap the rest of the gouda in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. Some wheels of gouda come with a red or black wax coating that needs to removed before the cheese can be eaten. If your wheel of gouda has one, peel the wax on each wedge back with your fingers or a knife. Discard the wax pieces after you remove them. Divide each wedge up into 4 or 5 even horizontal slices. Take the end piece near the rind (the hardened outer part of the cheese) and cut it in half crosswise to make 2 pieces. The rind on the cheese is edible, so leave it on when you're cutting up the cheese. If you don't want to eat the rind, eat around it and discard it when you're finished. Place a grater over a plate or bowl. Hold the wedge of gouda in your hand and gently rub it down the sharp perforated side of the grater. Once you reach the bottom, lift the wedge of cheese off the grater, bring it back to the top, and rub it down the side of the grater again. Repeat until the whole wedge has been grated. Keep your fingers away from the grater while you're grating the cheese.

Summary: Take off the plastic wrapping around the wheel of cheese. Cut the gouda into wedges using a sharp knife. Take off the wax coating if there is one. Slice the wedges of gouda horizontally for platters or sandwiches. Grate the gouda cheese to add to the top of recipes.

You can use nonfat, low-fat, or regular yogurt. You can even use Greek yogurt, but make sure that it is not flavored; this will allow you to control the flavor of your smoothie. Cut larger types of fruit, such as bananas, strawberries, and peaches into smaller pieces to make them easier to blend. Leave berries as they are. Remember to cut out any leaves, seeds, and pits. You can use fresh fruit or frozen fruit. If you are using fresh fruit, you may need to add some ice later on to make the smoothie thicker. If you are using frozen fruit, you won't need to add any ice. Listed below are popular fruit options: Berries, including: blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries Tropical fruits, such as: mango, papaya, and pineapple Pitted fruits, such as peaches and nectarines Bananas are classical, especially when combined with strawberries You can also use a fruit juice (such as orange juice), but milk will affect the flavor of the smoothie the least. If you are using frozen fruit, you probably won't need to add any ice. Yogurt smoothies are pretty healthy by themselves, but you can make them even healthier (or tastier) by adding in some extras. They are not necessary, but they can brink your yogurt smoothie to the next level. Here are some ideas to get you started: 1 scoop of protein powder 1 to 2 teaspoons (5 to 10 grams) of wheat germ or flaxseed 1 to 2 pinches of ground cinnamon or nutmeg teaspoon (2.5 grams) grated citrus peel For extra flavor, add teaspoon (2.5 milliliters) of vanilla extract. This will take about 2 to 3 minutes, depending on what sorts of fruit you are using and whether or not you added ice. From time to time, you will need to open the blender, and push the ingredients down the sides with a spatula; this will help blend things more evenly and prevent any chunks. Use a spatula to help guide the smoothie into the glass. Be sure to scrape the sides of the blender clean so that you don't waste any smoothie goodness. For a fancy touch, garnish it with a piece of cut fruit (such as a strawberry or banana slice) or a sprinkle of cinnamon. You can also use mint or basil leaves instead.
Summary: Place 1 cup (250 grams) of plain yogurt into a blender. Add 1 cup (100 to 200 grams) of fruit. Pour in cup (60 milliliters) of milk you like your smoothies thin. Add 1 to 2 cups (100 to 200 grams) of ice if you like your smoothies thick. Consider adding some extras for extra nutrition or flavor. Top off with 1 tablespoon (15 grams) of honey if you like your smoothies sweet. Close the blender, and blend the ingredients until they are smooth. Pour the smoothie into a tall glass and serve. Finished.