Fitness during menopause and afterwards plays a vital role in maintaining good health. You can ease the symptoms of menopause and prevent certain health risks in post-menopause.
During menopause, the hormonal imbalance can adversely affect your physical, mental and psychological wellbeing. Therefore, you need to get into a regular fitness regime to reduce the effect of diminishing levels of hormones.
Instead of brooding over menopause, take it as an opportunity to prioritise your health and develop enough strength to start the new phase of life with spirit and stamina.
Why Fitness During Menopause Is Important?
Low levels of oestrogen and progesterone during menopause can disturb a woman’s everyday life and put her at the risk of certain health conditions. A regular fitness regimen can help reduce the intensity of menopause symptoms and avert the threat of diseases.
Here is a list of some of the health benefits of fitness during menopause:
- Boost your mood: Regular exercises make you physically fit and mentally agile and act as great stress busters. Exercises can reduce cognitive deterioration, lower depression and lessen mood swings. Fitness can also improve sleep and increase the production of endorphins that lift your mood. Regular workout also protects your brain from damage caused by sleeping problems and enhances brain functioning.
- Reduces sleep problems: Fitness during menopause reduces a common symptom of sleep disturbance in menopausal women. Studies have shown that regular exercise helps you fall asleep early and improves the quality of your sleep. A fitness routine of 30 minutes a day can work wonders on your sleep quality and pattern.
- Prevents weight gain: Weight gain is a common symptom of menopause. During menopause, your muscle mass starts diminishing, but you start gaining fat around your abdomen. Less muscle mass means slow metabolism and weight gain. So, get into a rigorous physical activity to build your muscles, activate metabolism, get rid of those extra calories and maintain a healthy weight.
- Fortify your bones: Low oestrogen levels result in bone loss and increase the risk of osteoporosis. Regular exercises slow down bone loss, increase bone density, strengthen the skeletal structure and lower the risk of fractures and osteoporosis. Exercising can also improve muscle strength, coordination and balance.
- Reduce the risk of cancers: Fitness during menopause helps regulate hormonal imbalance, maintains a healthy weight, improves digestion and metabolism and prevents obesity. Fitness can lower the risk of breast cancer, colon cancer, uterine cancer and endometrial cancer.
- Reduce the risk of heart diseases: Excess weight gain during menopause can have health implications, including a heightened risk of type2 diabetes and heart diseases. Get into a fitness regime to maintain a healthy weight and lower the risk of heart diseases and other medical conditions.
How to Stay Fit During Menopause?
A healthy weight and regular exercise can improve the quality of your life and maintain your emotional health. You can try some of the following physical activities to stay fit during menopause.
- Try aerobics for a healthy you. Shed the extra calories gained in perimenopause and menopause.
- Walk, jog, swim or ride a bike to stay fit during menopause.
- Do strength training to build your muscles and burn calories.
- Do yoga to stretch your body and improve flexibility. Yoga is also an excellent way of burning fats.
- Try balance exercises to maintain your balance and prevent falls.
Workout for at least 30 minutes a day regardless of your menopause status to keep good health. However, if you have never been a physically active person, start a fitness regime at the earliest and reduce some of the symptoms of menopause.
Fitness during menopausecan help you avoid any health risk. If you do not enjoy working out, you can start other activities, such as dancing, Zumba, gardening or other physical activities.
For a happy, your fitness is the way!
