Best Exercises for Menopause

Best Exercises for Menopause

What’s happening to our bones and muscles during peri and menopause

• On average a woman will lose about 10% bone mass while in menopause.
• Doctor’s used to chalk this up to a decline in estrogen levels. You see estrogen helps preserve calcium in the the body, which in turn prevents bones breakdown. However, newer research is now recognizing that there is more to play than just our hormones.
• We start to lose a percentage of our muscle mass and strength in our 40’s, and that picks up speed when we get into our 50’s.
• Low estrogen levels can correspond with low serotonin levels (an important neurotransmitter which regulates mood and pain receptors), which can contribute to generalized aches and pain.

How to kick menopause in the a**

• Exercise. You need to keep your body moving.
• Strength training and weight bearing exercise to build your muscle and your bone mass.
• Relaxation exercises (like meditation, yoga, mindful walking) to lower your stress and cortisol levels. This is especially important during our peri and menopausal years because our bodies are under enormous physical and emotional stress (during the hormonal transition of menopause – we also went through it in puberty).
• Stress causes us to release higher levels of the fight-or-flight hormone cortisol, which can lead to increased programmed cell death in bone-building cells, as well as increased abdomen fat and chronic inflammation.

What I recommend

I would love to see every woman in the world pumping some iron. Strength training workouts:

• Burn fat
• Change the shape of you body
• Boost your metabolism
• Build your bones
• Improve your joint stability and balance
• Increase your muscle strength

What you should be focussing on with your strength workout

Over-40 woman

• Because of the loss of muscle mass and strength that starts to occur in our 40’s (Kravitz, 2007), a strength training regime is a must for this age group.
• 2-3 times a week at 60-90% of their repetition maximum.
• Incorporate balance tools with your strength routine.
• Areas to target: core, upper body strength

Fifties and Beyond

• 2 times a week at 50-75% of their repetition maximum.
• Women in this age bracket tend to see more success when working with a trainer or attending group classes geared for their age group.
• Areas to target: balance, posture, core, shoulders