Menopause

Many women tend to slow down during their menopausal years however it is vitally important to stay fit and active if possible. There are a number of reasons why exercise is important during the menopause and these include:

• Heart disease - menopause is known to increase the risk of developing heart disease however if the heart is kept active then the risk becomes reduced. Exercise also helps to strengthen the blood vessels so that good circulation is maintained and symptoms such as chronic tiredness and fatigue disappear.
• Osteoporosis - although exercise can not stop osteoporosis from occurring it can slow the rate at which bone density is lost and so the disease progresses at a much slower rate. It can also help to strengthen the bones, ligaments and tendons so that strains and breakages don't occur quite so often.
• Depression - this is a common symptom of the menopause however exercise has been show to alleviate depressive moods in many subjects. This is because exercise stimulates the brain to release endorphins, which are termed 'happy' hormones because they produce a feeling of euphoria, and so mild depression caused by the anxieties of menopause can often be lightened by performing some form of exercise.
• Overall feeling of well being - exercise is great for making you feel fitter and healthier, even if you only do it occasionally. Thus if you are feeling better within yourself then you won't be so preoccupied with your menopause symptoms.

The type of exercise you do is a personal choice whoever you should try to include a mixture of aerobic exercise and muscle building exercise.

Aerobic exercise

This category includes any form of physical activity that causes your heart rate and your breathing rate to increase. This could be brisk walking or power walking, jogging, running, swimming, riding a bike or even dancing. It also includes activities such as the housework, serious gardening, running after the dog or the children and even enthusiastic sex. In fact anything that you do which causes your heart to beat faster can be described as aerobic activity and thus it is good for you.

It is important not to get carried away however because the potential benefits of exercise can quickly be undone by exhaustion and this will leave you feeling fatigued and tired when you should be bright and lively.

Muscle building exercise

This includes anything that makes your muscles work. For example climbing the stairs, picking up weights, stretching and toning exercises and even carrying bags or boxes can be classed as muscle building even if they don't technically cause your muscles to grow. Muscle building exercises are important for keeping the bones, tendons, ligaments and muscles strong and this in turn reduces the chance of developing bone fractures and sprains.

From this you can see that any exercise done during the menopause years is much better than no exercise. You should try to find a few activities you enjoy doing and alternate between them so that there is less chance of you getting bored. A bit of exercise during the pre-menopause years can make life a lot more comfortable post-menopause and at the end of the day, isn't that what we all want?

Exercise And The Menopause |