Exercise & The Menopause

Whether you are a person who has always exercised or someone who wasn’t that keen, exercise becomes a vital part of your tool kit when the menopause journey begins.

Here’s the top 5 reasons why:

1 - Loss of Bone Density

The years following the onset of the menopause can see a substantial decrease in a women's bone density due to a decrease in the hormone oestrogen.  In order to manage this decrease, strength training becomes vital.  Strength training includes working out with weights or resistance bands and the recommendation would always be to seek the help of a professional if starting this for the first time.

2 - Sleep

Physical symptoms such as increased body temperature and mental symptoms of anxiety can all lead to disrupted sleep, brain fog and feelings of extreme tiredness. Following a routine including different kinds of exercise can help manage and ease these symptoms. Yoga and breathing sessions will help to reduce the anxiety and promote feelings of wellbeing within the body. Alongside more cardiovascular exercise such as fast walking or swimming, which will produce endorphins and leave the body pleasantly fatigued making sleep easier.

3 - Weight management

Alongside decreased bone density, muscle mass also starts to decrease. This alongside the change in hormone levels, means a women's body tends to want to hold onto fat stores. In particular through the abdominal area. Starting and following a regular exercise plan, that includes strength training, can help considerably to manage weight gain. The more muscle that can be built and maintained, the more calories the body will use at rest.

4 - Self-worth

A hit of endorphins, better body composition, less brain fog and better sleep all create an environment for increased feelings of self-worth. Any type of movement that raises your heart rate can create those endorphins but in particular finding something that you really enjoy. As already mentioned, strength training is a non-negotiable but alongside this finding a different type of movement that really makes you smile.

5 – Mental Health

Feelings of anxiety are common throughout the menopause and finding ways to reduce and manage those can be tough. These feelings can cause a physical reaction within the body through unconscious tensing of muscles. Exercise eases and loosens tightness within the body and this loosening of the body then has a positive effect on the mind. Anxiety can also cause an increase in heart rate and the body begins to associate this with stress. However, this can be turned around through exercise, and using this as the association for increased heart rate, and ultimately leads to those feel-good hormones being produced.