The few days when our period is the heaviest are some of the most stressful part of the month so try to get lots of rest and sleep to help your body handle the stress. Avoid heavy workloads during this time because too much physical exertions only make your period worse. Your friends and family can help you out by giving you a free pass to jobs around the house that involve heavy lifting and other physical activities.
But, on the other hand, I would say regular mild physical exercises (not during your period, mind you) are definitely helpful to make your period lighter. And this is from my own experience. I also suffered from heavy blood flow during my period. Believe me I tried a few things to solve my woes, but I only got it under control after I followed the advice of another friend to hit the gym regularly. Yes, regular exercise did it for me. And no, you don’t have to do it during your period but before or after. I am living in the city so I often visit the gym to work out a sweat for at least three times a week. If you don’t want to go to the gym, spend a few minutes on brisk walking or light running in the park or even around the neighborhood every morning, which could be immensely helpful.