How and why exercise for the menopause

The current average life expectancy in Western Europe is 84 years old for women. So as we live longer, we could be living up to 30 or 40 years in menopause. Menopause affects a woman’s health and well-being, but it is not a disease or a sign that the body is failing to pieces.

The hormonal changes begin in our 30s or 40s. As life expectancy increases and thankfully attitudes to aging evolve, we should all (men and women) try and see menopause as a new beginning rather than the beginning of the end and so we need to approach it sensibly and individually to enjoy that stage in our lives.

Exercise has been shown to help control a number of physical and psychological problems and changes associated with menopause and midlife, including depression, weight gain, loss of muscle mass and bone density, the risk of coronary artery disease, and possible vasomotor symptoms. The risk of osteoporosis increases in post-menopausal women, but physical activity has been shown to be not only important for maintenance of weight and healthy body composition, but also for the prevention of osteoporosis.

WHAT EXERCISE?

There are three types of osteoporosis exercises that are important for building and maintaining bone density: weight-bearing, weight bearing high impact exercises and muscle-strengthening exercises.
Let’s have a look in more details.

Weight bearing exercises

Weight bearing exercises can be describe as any activity where your feet and legs need to support your weight.

Examples of such everyday exercises include: walking, hiking, stair climbing...

High impact exercises

Any activity where your body and bone structure have to deal with increased stress. Those exercises will strengthen muscles, ligaments and joints.

Examples of such everyday exercises include: jogging/running, skipping, dancing, tennis, high impact aerobics, boxing, hiking, running up and down the stairs...

Resistance / strength training

This is the most important one. Working out using weights is crucial. Your bodyweight is a great way to start building that strength as well as increase confidence in what your body can and will achieve. Your body weight can then be used in combination with an array of resistance equipment such as bands, suspension training etc…Strength training also comes in the form of lifting weights such as dumbbells, kettlebells etc etc and should not be feared!

Lifting weights supervised by a qualified professional with the purpose of getting stronger and building lean muscle mass will NOT make you bigger. Trust me on that. Kat and I have been doing resistance training and lifting weights for over nearly 10 years now; we feel better than ever and much more confident in our body.

Strength exercises are vital for muscle strength. The action of the tendons pulling on the bones will boost bone strength.

Examples of strength exercises include: press-ups (bodyweight only), weight lifting, resistance band exercises, Suspension training exercise (TRX for example), using dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, medicine balls…

WHERE AND HOW TO START

Creating new exercise habits and routines can be very hard or daunting even. Finding the right qualified professional is always a good idea. Embarking on a new exercise regime can also be made easier and more enjoyable by doing it with a friend. Accountability and a social element to exercise are a good insurance for sticking to the plan.
Like with nutrition, there is no one size fits all with exercise, we are all unique, we all experience a wide variety of symptoms associated with the menopause. But for most of us, finding the right type of exercise (as well as frequency and intensity) can help delay or avoid osteoporosis and alleviate anxiety. Exercising outdoors (another blog for another time) has well documented positive effects on mental wellbeing and lowering stress levels, usually elevated with the menopause.

If you need personalised help with your long term health and fitness plans and feel that you need to put new habits in place then do get in touch. As a female personal trainer, I specialise in helping women renew or start with exercise and coach them through a personalised plan they will feel happy to engage with and stick to.

WHAT NEXT?

We’re here to help you with peri-menopause or menopausal symptoms. We run workshops and courses on helping to manage that time in your life, we can provide meal plans with all the nutrients needed, we can offer one-to-one personalised nutrition and exercise. See The Shop to see what we are offering at the moment or click here to book a free chat with our personal trainer to discuss further.