Menopause is an important time during a woman’s life, but between the seemingly endless symptoms and coming to terms with the fact that one’s youth is beginning to disappear, menopause can be a very difficult time for most women. Luckily, there any many things you can do to alleviate these symptoms and to help you get through this transitional period. One of those things is fitness!
Focusing on Fitness
As it turns out, not only does fitness help alleviate your menopause symptoms, but it’s also essential for your heart health as you experience menopause. Why? A study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health revealed that women who are in the late and post-menopause stages are more likely to have large amounts of fat accumulated around their hearts due to the changing hormone levels that occur during menopause. This greatly increases one’s risk of developing heart disease, which is actually responsible for more deaths in women than both breast cancer and cervical cancer combined, making fitness essential.
In addition to boosting your heart health, exercising throughout (and after) menopause can also help you lose weight. We’re sure this fact isn’t surprising, but it may be surprising that 30 percent of women aged 50 to 59 are obese, which greatly increases one’s risk of heart disease as well. Researchers from this and other studies believe that the loss of estrogen makes it more difficult for post-menopausal women to lose weight, but researchers are also certain that fitness is the best way to prevent weight gain.
This study’s results aren’t just applicable to women currently going through menopause, either. A woman’s heart disease risk actually increases after menopause, proving the importance of remaining physically active at any stage of life.
Best Exercises for Menopause
Now obviously fitness is important at any age, regardless of gender, but as the study outlined above shows, it can come with specific benefits for women experiencing menopause. Exercising for 45 minutes a day is one of the best ways to combat two of the most common side effects of menopause: weight gain and muscle loss.
It’s also important to note that fitness may be especially beneficial for caregivers as it’s becoming an upcoming trend that menopause and caregiving often overlap. Not only does fitness benefit your heart health, but it’s also a great way to relieve the stress that often comes along with caring for a loved one.
As revealed by the study above, fitness is important during menopause, but which exercises are best? That really all depends on you! No two women experience menopause the same way, meaning your symptoms and what works to alleviate those symptoms will be different from everyone else’s, so you really just have to try different things and see what works best for you. But to help you get started, below are five of the best exercises for menopause:
- Walking/Jogging
- Biking
- Swimming
- Strength Training
- Yoga
Looking for other ways to help you adapt to menopause? Eating a healthy diet, quitting smoking and even reducing the amount of caffeine you consume are all ways to maintain a healthy heart – whether you’re going through menopause or not.
