Suffering from hot flashes, mood swings and sleeplessness can feel like you've lost control over your whole body, but these are just a few symptoms of menopause. Irregular periods, gains in abdominal fat, thinning hair, smaller breasts and vaginal dryness are further symptoms that you may be experiencing. There are other changes going on inside of your body that you may not even be aware of. Eating healthy and exercising can help alleviate some of your symptoms.
Menopausal Changes
Other than the in-your-face symptoms of menopause, your body is going through a number of changes inside. Hormonal changes that occur with menopause can trigger an increase in abdominal visceral fat and increased bone resorption. Too much abdominal fat increases your risk for developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Lost bone mass puts you at increased risk for developing osteoporosis. Taking control of your body through diet and exercise can help decrease the likelihood of developing these conditions.
Benefits of Exercise
Menopause can cause drastic changes in your personality and mood. According to a study published in "Physiological Sports Medicine," exercise can help fight depression, weight gain, loss of muscle mass and bone density, and your increasing risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Exercise Program
Your exercise program should consist of aerobic and resistance physical activity. Aerobic exercise should be done for 30 minutes five to seven days per week at a moderate to vigorous intensity. According to the Mayo Clinic, the more vigorous you exercise, the more relief you will feel from your symptoms and the bigger benefit for your body. Resistance exercise helps to increase lean body mass and bone density. Maintaining bone density helps to reduce your risk of osteoporosis. Try to do resistance exercises two to three days per week, with a day of rest in between sessions. You should do eight to ten repetitions of each exercise to work all of the major muscle groups.
Calcium
Women who have gone through menopause are at an increased risk for bone loss resulting in osteoporosis. According to a study published in "The Journal of Nutrition" in 1993, menopausal and post-menopausal women experience increases in calcium in their urine, which may be the result of bone loss. Whatever the reason, it is important to maintain adequate calcium in your diet. You should be eating between 1,000 to 1,200 mg of calcium per day.
Vitamin D
Like calcium, vitamin D should be taken to ensure bone health. Vitamin D assists in calcium metabolism and absorption. You can get vitamin D from fortified breads and cereals. Your body can also absorb this vitamin from the sun. You should be taking in at least 800 international units, or IUs, of vitamin D daily.
Vitamin E
According to the Mayo Clinic, taking vitamin E while you are going through menopause may help relieve some symptoms, such as hot flashes. You should not exceed 400 IUs of vitamin E per day and always check with your doctor before taking a supplement.
References
- Mayo Clinic.com: Menopause
- Pub Med: Exercise and Menopause--A Time For Positive Changes
- "The Journal of Nutrition"; "The Nature and Significance of the Relationship Between Urinary Sodium and Urinary Calcium in Women"; B.E. Christopher Nordin et al; 1993
- "Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies"; Frances Sizer and Eleanor Whitney; 2004
Member Comments