Menopause is a completely natural part of every woman's life, marking the time when her menses stop and her ovaries stop producing estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone. This time, which occurs at an average age of 51 years, indicates the loss of reproductive abilities. However, the transition also brings about negative symptoms for many women. Hot flashes, headaches, night sweats, fatigue, depression, anxiety, and overall irritability plague many menopausal women. Additionally, menopause marks a time of increased risk of health problems such as osteoporosis and heart disease. Fortunately, women who get plenty of exercise may notice a great improvement in their health and quality of life.
Exercise and Menopause Symptoms
Some research concludes that exercise can reduce the severity of (or the amount of) many negative symptoms of menopause. However, a study at Temple University in Philadelphia, reported in the January, 2008 issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, asserted that exercise may not be quite the cure-all. Having said that, its findings did conclude that exercise can help reduce levels of anxiety, depression, and stress as it gathered information from active women and sedentary women. This is an important finding, because those symptoms have a tendency to last longer than physical symptoms such as hot flashes.
Exercise and Weight Gain
While getting exercise may not have an affect on when women ultimately go through menopause, it can help them combat post-menopausal body changes. According to New York's Hospital for Special Surgery, deep abdominal weight gain is more likely to plague sedentary women than women who are physically active. Since this type of fat (called visceral fat) is more associated with diabetes and heart disease, exercise is an important factor in maintaining optimum health.
Exercise and Bone Loss
A study published in the 2003 Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation concluded that early post-menopausal women with low bone density who had a high-intensity workout regimen were able to prevent additional bone loss. In light of this evidence (and the evidence supporting exercise and weight loss) menopausal women should exercise for reasons beyond simply combating hot flashes and night sweats.
Helpful Menopause Exercises
Having an overall active lifestyle---climbing some stairs rather than taking elevators all the time, for example---can be helpful for menopausal women. To supplement daily activities, they should also consider doing: aerobic conditioning such as walking and swimming to burn calories and improve heart health; strength training such as lifting dumbbells and doing squats and planks to improve muscle tone, speed metabolism, and protect bones; and stretching through activities like Pilates and yoga to improve flexibility. At this age, women should dedicate at least ten minutes to warming up in order to improve performance and prevent injury.
Exercise and Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
Exercise alone may be enough to help some women during and after menopause, but others may experience the most benefits from supplementing exercise with HRT. Menopausal women should consult a physician to determine any necessity for additional supplements.
