WORKING OUT THROUGH MENOPAUSE

Menopause can be a trying life experience for many women. You may experience drops in estrogen levels that can give you severe mood swings, you may gain weight, you may suffer from hot flashes and you may be tired or suffer from insomnia.

Some women are also prone to extra risks such as heart disease and osteoporosis. But, it’s not all bad news – research proves that keeping fit and taking exercise can alleviate your symptoms and stop some of them from happening.

1. Slowing Bone Loss = Resistance Training Exercise during menopause helps avoid problems with bones such as osteoporosis. Exercise that strengthens your muscles can make the effects of bone density loss less severe – this is often an issue during menopause if you have been particularly inactive. Exercise won’t entirely stop the problems occurring but they can make them less problematic and can slow them down.

2. Cardiovascular Disease = Get Your Heart Rate Up Exercise can also help you with cardiovascular problems. There are direct correlations between high risks of heart disease and being overweight if you are a woman over 40. Cardio exercise will get rid of the weight and the fat that can cause these problems. In fact aerobic exercise can stop the problem happening in the first place.

3. Hot Flashes - Mood Swings = Keep Moving Because it can increase your estrogen levels, regular exercise will also help cut back the uncomfortable side effects of the menopause that so many of us experience. You may find that hot flashes get better and that mood swings stabilize. In fact, many women use exercise as an alternative to standard medical treatments such as hormone replacement therapy. You may also want to write down any of these symptoms that you get when you get them – this may help you identify triggers such as food or lack of sleep so you can take measures to avoid them happening.

4. Keep Your Fitness Program Balanced The needs of your body during menopause dictate that you should be exercising for cardiovascular, strength and flexibility purposes. Work on both your upper and lower body to see the best results. Good programs here include yoga for deep breathing and flexibility, aerobic programs such as low impact classes or walking and strength training using either weight machines or free weights. You may also want to do Kegel exercises at this stage in your life. Hormonal changes can lead to relaxation of the pelvic muscles which can in turn lead to leakage. Kegel exercises keep your pelvic muscles taut and strong so you won’t have issues here. This exercise is simple – when you next go to the bathroom start a urine flow, then stop it. This is basically the exercise and it’s worth doing a few times a day!

5. Dress in Layers & Stay Hydrated Hot Flashes can cause severe sweating and lead to dehydration during exercise. Staying hydrated by drinking enough water is important. Also, it's good to dress in layers so you can maintain your level of comfort during fluctuations in body temperature.

To learn more about the menopause in general you may find it useful to visit the North American Menopause Society (www.menopause.org) , the National Osteoporosis Foundation (www.nof.org ) and The National Women’s Health Resource Center(www.healthywomen.org)