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How to Stay Physically Fit After Menopause

Exercise can help women maintain a level of wellness at any stage of life, but it's especially important to maintain a regular exercise routine after one reaches menopause. Changes in the body that occur after menopause can be mitigated by an exercise routine's positive effects.

Let's take a look at how exercise has been proven to help get women through menopause and how one can start (and maintain) a regular exercise routine.

The Benefits of Exercise

Saying that exercise improves wellbeing is more than just a widely used statement with no specific basis. Rather, many studies have been able to prove just how exercise benefits the post-menopausal woman. These studies have determined that:

• Exercise improves heart and lung function. 
• HDL (good cholesterol) is increased and LDL (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides are reduced with regular exercise.
• Exercise provides a reduced risk of high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.
• It can prevent or minimize weight gain by creating a calorie deficit.
• Strength training (even with light weights or body weight) and impact activities (such as running or walking) increase bone mass and help to offset loss of bone density.
• Exercise can prevent or improve chronic pain.
• Exercise can reduce stress and improve one's mood. 

Getting Started

It's easy to think that if you haven't ever had an exercise routine, it might be too late to start. It's not! The important thing to remember when starting a routine for the first time or simply starting a different type of exercise is to go slowly. Be sure to talk to your OB/GYN doctor prior to starting a new exercise regimen so they can help determine if it's appropriate for you.

Here are some more tips to get you started – and to keep you going:

• Start slowly and with something you enjoy doing. Walking, group fitness classes, swimming, gardening, etc. If your heart is pumping, you're exercising!

• Even moderate activity (walking, for instance) brings about health benefits as well as a higher level of energy and improved mood.

• Use the talk test to determine the level of exercise you're getting: moderate exercise should allow you to talk, while vigorous exercise will permit you to speak a few words but not carry on a conversation.

• Try not to get discouraged. You may miss a day of planned exercise. That's okay. Stick with your routine and, by six weeks in, you'll be able to see and feel changes in your body. 

Exercise Recommendations

These recommendations work well for most older adults. However, be sure to speak with your doctor before you begin.

Your goal should be 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week. This could be a one-half-hour walk five times a week or two group fitness classes with an additional half hour walk. There are many different ways to reach this goal.

Strength training exercises should be incorporated into your routine at least two times each week. Make it a point to engage all major muscle groups. Yoga is a great way to use your own body weight for strength training. Many different group yoga class types exist, and there are also plenty of resources to aid you in doing yoga postures at home. Be sure to consult with your OB/GYN physician about suitable strength training exercises for your health level.

Exercises that improve mobility, flexibility, and balance can help you maintain or even improve your balance and mobility as you get older. Consider incorporating yoga or Tai Chi into your exercise routine. Both of these exercise modalities offer the added benefit of releasing stress.

 

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