Exercise and Menopause
There are roughly 13 million people who are currently peri or menopausal in the UK. This roughly works out to be a third of the entire UK female population.
There are a number of symptoms women suffer when it comes to the menopause. Hot flushes, brain fog and insomnia to name just a few. These can start in the early forties as hormone levels start to fluctuate and on average can last between 4 and 8 years. Three quarters of women will experience menopausal symptoms with one quarter of women having debilitating symptoms.
It can often take many appointments with a GP to understand what you’re going through and how you might be affected.
One way to help during the menopause is to exercise.
It might feel like the last thing you want to do if you’re not getting enough sleep, your energy level feels zapped and you’re worried about having a hot flush when you’re training, but exercise will help your hormones.
The benefits of exercise during the menopause far outweigh the negatives.
- Exercise will help to strengthen your bones, as oestrogen levels drop the risk of osteoporosis increases.
- It can improve your mental health by reducing your stress levels helping to control your sympathetic nervous system.
- It will reduce risk of cardio vascular disease and maintain a healthy weight.
However if you’re worried your symptoms may worsen or they’re affecting your everyday life don’t be afraid to speak to a medical professional to see what treatments could be available to you like HRT.
Starting to exercise when you may not be feeling like yourself can be daunting, but you can build up exercise gradually like you would do in any situation.
Regular walking, running, cycling and swimming are great cardio exercises, I love strength based exercises and find lifting weights a great challenge and important for muscular strength. If you’re like me and need accountability, try doing this with a friend to help motivate each other and make it a sociable activity too.
