Exercise and Menopause
Why Do We Need To Exercise Through The Menopause
Exercise in all stages of life is important, but even more so during Perimenopause and Menopause.
Menopausal women face a higher risk of many health conditions such as High Cholesterol, Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Cardiovascular Disease (heart disease, heart attacks, strokes) and Osteoporosis due to our Oestrogen levels decreasing.
Oestrogen plays a massive part in our bodies effecting many areas. It helps to maintain bone strength, effects our heart and blood vessels, our brain function, our pelvic health, collagen production, our skin, hair, nails and much more.
When our Oestrogen levels decrease, this significantly effects bone loss which can result in many women developing Osteoporosis
As Oestrogen protects our heart and blood vessels, a reduction can lead to fat building up in our arteries causing then to narrow which can cause High Cholesterol and the risk of other heart issues.
We also tend to experience weight gain, especially around the tummy. This is due to changes in our metabolism, lower body fat oxidation and energy expenditure and not being able to control our insulin levels as well.
This all contributes to increasing our risks of all the health conditions mentioned above
Stress, Cortisol & Menopause
Hormonal changes during Perimenopause and menopause can also increase our Cortisol levels leading to stress, anxiety, mood swings.
Higher cortisol levels also exacerbate other symptoms linked to the menopause such as sleep disturbances, hot flushes, anxiety, fatigue, weight gain, impaired immune system and cognitive function.
Pelvic Floor & Menopause
Oestrogen and Progesterone play an essential role in maintaining good function and health of our pelvic floor muscles.
These hormones help to keep the elasticity and strength of our pelvic floor muscles which are essential for bladder and bowel control and sexual function.
As Oestrogen and Progesterone decrease during menopause our pelvic floor muscles may lose elasticity and strength becoming weaker and leading to a variety of pelvic floor issues.
Common symptoms include pelvic pain, urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse and sexual dysfunction
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms its important to speak to your GP to get a proper diagnosis and find out what treatment options are available
However, strengthening your pelvic floor can also help especially with urinary incontinence
See below a Study on a Pilates Pelvic Floor Programme Improving Urinary Stress Incontinence in Women
I know it can all seem very doom and gloom, however a regular exercise programme can really help reduce your menopausal symptoms and improve your bone, cardiovascular and pelvic health.
Types of Exercise Thats Help During Menopause
Resistance Training
Muscle building exercises such as body weight exercises (plank, squats, press ups etc), Yoga, Pilates and the use of Kettlebells, weights, bands and other types of equipment.
These types of exercise methods help to increase our muscle mass and bone strength, whilst also improving our joint mobility and flexibility.
Cardiovascular Exercise
Activities that raise your heart rate such as Walking, Dancing, Cycling, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
If incorporating HIIT into your exercise routine though be mindful of typical HIIT classes that are very high impact.
These are not always suitable for Menopausal women. Symptoms such as stiff achy joints, fatigue, pelvic floor issues etc could all be exacerbated.
Current thinking is less jumpy and more about rebounding movements, for example stepping actions
Balance and Mobility Exercises
Exercise modalities such as Pilates, Yoga and Tai Chi
Balance is another one of those things that declines as we age and even more so during the menopause due to loss of muscle mass and instability in our joints. Poor balance massively increases our risks of falls.
These activities also involve a more mind-body connection so can help to reduce your cortisol levels (decrease stress and anxiety) and may help improve other symptoms of menopause such as sleep, achy joints etc
How Pilates Can Help During Menopause
At New Healthy Body we have many members who are Perimenopausal and Menopausal and they all find that Pilates helps them to reduce their aches and pains and improve their balance and core strength.
Whilst having the added benefits of decreasing their stress levels and improving their sleep, mood and overall sense of wellbeing too.
Here’s an article I wrote a couple of years ago about how Pilates can help you through the menopause
https://newhealthybody.co.uk/blog/how-pilates-can-help-you-through-the-menopause/
If you would like to give Pilates a try and see if it is the right type of exercise for you, then our 21 Day Pilates Programme is a perfect way to do this.
For more information about our 21 Day Pilates Programme click on the link below
https://newhealthybody.co.uk/21-day-pilate-programme/
Benefits of Exercising Through The Menopause
Benefits of exercise during menopause include:
- Reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Helping to maintain good cholesterol levels and control blood pressure
- Improving bone density. Helping to protect and strengthen our bones and reducing the risk of Osteoporosis
- Increasing muscle mass. Which also improves the load bearing capacity on our bones.
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Reducing stress and anxiety
- Improving our sleep patterns
- Improving our mobility and balance and reducing our risk of falls
- Reduces aches and pains in our joints and muscles
- Enhances our mood. Exercise helps to release Endorphins (our natural ‘feel good’ hormones) which improves our mood and reduces feelings of anxiety
Common Barriers to Exercising During Menopause
I completely understand that exercising is the last thing we feel we want to do, especially if we are struggling with menopausal symptoms.
I was exactly the same when I started with Perimenopausal symptoms. I went from being quite an energetic, self-motivated person that exercised most mornings, to someone that couldn’t find the energy to get out of bed in the morning, let alone the motivation to exercise.
Motivation, low energy, muscle and joint pain and time are all common barriers to exercising.
But we have to remember that the exercise benefits are a crucial part of helping to manage our symptoms and reduce the risks of all the health conditions we are susceptible to developing.
Exercise will keep us stronger, fitter, more mobile and also help our mental health.
How to Overcome Barriers to Exercise During Menopause
Firstly you need to find a form of exercise you enjoy and that fits in with the time of day you prefer to exercise. The more you enjoy it, the more motivated you will be to exercise and keep it up.
Consider whether this is something you would like to do alone – maybe you like the headspace to go for a walk alone or follow an online workout. But be mindful that you will need to be very self-motivated to exercise alone, as it can be quite easy to skip a session. And one of our biggest barriers is motivation!
Or you may find exercising with others more beneficial. This could be in the form of a class, a group (eg walking group) or with a friend or family member. This can sometimes be much more motivational, as you have more accountability – for example you may have booked and paid for a class or you’ve set the time aside to meet a friend to exercise together.
Accountability can play a big part in keeping you on track to exercise.
It you decide to attend a class or group exercise session I’d recommend checking out the instructors credentials. As it would be more beneficial if the teacher/instructor has experience with working with Perimenopausal and Menopausal women and even better if they have a good understanding of how your symptoms and decrease of hormones effect the way you can exercise.
Hope you have found this article useful and Good Luck in finding the right form of exercise to help you through the menopause.