The menopause is a hot topic in more ways than one – and I’m not just talking about the hot flushes. It’s hard to open a newspaper these days without finding whole pages on hormones. It’s a major topic of conversation on TV programmes like Loose Women and the subject of many podcasts. The great thing is that the menopause, and it’s associated lifestyle and wellbeing challenges for women, is firmly on the radar. Women are talking about it and more aware than ever. But why is nobody talking about the benefits of exercise?
Women are talking about the menopause more than ever. But why is nobody talking about the benefits of exercise? Don’t take my word for it, just ask Google this question: ‘is exercise good for the menopause?’
Here’s what Google says:
Yes, exercise is highly beneficial during the menopause transition and beyond helping to manage symptoms like hot flushes, mood swings, and fatigue, while also improving long-term health by strengthening bones, reducing heart disease risk, and supporting a healthy weight. A combination of cardiovascular, resistance, and flexibility exercises, such as walking, strength training, and yoga, is recommended for comprehensive benefits.
Here’s how exercise helps:
- Reduces hot flushes and night sweats: regular physical activity can lessen the frequency and intensity of hot flushes.
- Improves mood and mental health: exercise boosts feel-good endorphins, which helps to reduce anxiety, combat low mood, and relieve stress.
- Supports bone health: weight-bearing exercises like walking and strength training help keep bones strong and can reduce the risk of osteoporosis, a condition made more likely by declining oestrogen levels after menopause.
- Boosts cardiovascular health: cardio exercise strengthens the heart, lowers blood pressure, and reduces the risk of heart disease, which increases post-menopause.
- Aids in weight management: exercise helps with fat metabolism, preventing weight gain, and can reduce abdominal fat.
- Enhances sleep quality: regular physical activity can lead to better sleep patterns, helping to combat menopausal insomnia.
- Combats fatigue: movement increases circulation and energy levels, helping to fight feelings of tiredness.
Everyone’s individual experience may be different – hormones are incredibly powerful drivers of health, wellbeing and behaviour and no two women are exactly alike. When I was at my own peak, my hot flushes came every 30 minutes and the only time I felt good was during exercise. That one hour of training gave me real relief.
But when women get to the age where they join the menopause sisterhood, there are commonalities of symptoms. Exercise can’t make them vanish completely, but it can help the transition through ‘the change’ and make the ‘personal heatwave’ more manageable.
Exercise programmes for menopause
At Bodywise any of the fitness coaches will be only too happy to put together a tailored menopause management exercise programme that combines:
- Resistance training: lifting weights or using resistance bands helps build and maintain muscle mass, which naturally decreases after menopause.
- Weight-bearing exercise: activities where your feet and legs support your body’s weight, such as walking and dancing, which also prevent the risk of osteoporosis..
- Flexibility and balance exercise: joining Yoga and/or Pilates classes, or just a quick 30 minute ‘flex-mobility’ class can improve joint health, balance, and promote relaxation.
- Cardio exercise: essentially anything that elevates your heart rate for 30 minutes or more is going to have major benefits in general wellbeing and also promote good sleep hygiene which is essential for good physical and mental health.
Exercise and HRT for Menopause management
If you arrive at the peri-menopause and opt to start HRT, exercise is still a vital component in managing symptoms. The two things are totally symbiotic – HRT helps support regular exercise whilst, at the same time, exercise can help manage the side effects of hormone treatment.
- Improves body composition: exercise can lead to beneficial changes in lean muscle and body fat, an effect that is not influenced by HRT.
- Enhances bone health: weight-bearing exercises, when combined with HRT, have been shown to have additive effects on increasing bone mineral density.
- Improves strength and function: exercise builds strength, which can counteract the muscle weakness that sometimes occurs with HRT, and helps with everyday activities.
- HRT Increases motivation: HRT can alleviate symptoms like hot flushes, fatigue, and depression that make it hard to exercise, making it easier to start and maintain a routine.
- Maintains muscle strength: HRT can help you retain muscle strength as you age.
Saunas and menopause management
Finally, in a more passive vein, but also available at Bodywise, an infrared sauna can help alleviate menopause symptoms by improving sleep, reducing stress, and potentially helping with joint pain and weight management. It can also boost overall well-being through relaxation and by supporting detoxification and heart health.
Good sleep hygiene is a major factor in getting through ‘the change’ and Sauna use can help regulate your body’s temperature and support a healthy circadian rhythm, which can lead to better sleep quality.
At the same time relaxation is a key benefit of saunas, which can help combat stress, anxiety, and irritability often associated with menopause. This can lead to an overall boost in your sense of well-being. Finally, a decline in oestrogen during menopause can lead to joint discomfort. The heat from a sauna, especially an Infra-Red sauna like the one at Bodywise, can help reduce inflammation and muscle pain by improving circulation.
A four point plan for getting through ‘the change’ with the least possible lifestyle disruption
At a certain age, which varies from individual to individual, but which in part is influenced by genes and DNA, every woman’s hormone balance changes and her life changes with it. In the past this was something of a taboo subject shrouded in mystery with very little information available. What information there was, remained the province of a very male dominated medical profession, quite frankly unconcerned about the female condition.
Now though sisters are doing it for themselves. Whilst nobody can escape their hormones here are four things you can do to plan to get through ‘the change’ with the least possible lifestyle disruption.
- Good sleep hygiene
- A balanced diet
- Stress management
- A consultation at Bodywise to develop a plan where exercise brilliantly feeds into all points 1-3 to make life’s trickiest phase for women more comfortable
If more women committed to these four lifestyle pillars to the best of their ability, the transition from peri- to menopause and post-menopause could be a lot smoother.
Don’t suffer the menopause in silence – Bodywise can offer a wide range of wellbeing support to get you through ‘the change’ and help alleviate your personal symptoms.
Aida Pecelyte – Owner & Director of Bodywise Boutique Wellness, pro-actively and proudly managing my hormones!