Managing Menopause With Exercise

(CARLSBAD, CA) -  If you’re going through menopause, you’re familiar with the symptoms: hot flashes, weight gain, mood swings, and the health concerns: bone loss and increased risk of heart disease.

And while treatments abound for menopause, there is one – often overlooked – that has a positive influence on virtually every symptom and health risk: exercise.

Weight gain is a dreaded, yet common midlife experience for women. While it has been linked with menopause, many experts say inactivity and a poor diet are really to blame. Our metabolisms slow as we age, primarily from loss of muscle mass. At the same time, women in midlife are often enjoying the finer things in life such as traveling and eating out more often, which can promote weight gain. An eye-opening study of more than 500 women ages 42 to 50 suggests that on average women gained the same amount of weight whether or not they had gone through menopause.

So the remedy here is clear. Monitor your calories (and their nutritional content) and balance them with exercise. You don’t have to forego the pleasures of life,  says Judi Sheppard Missett, founder of Jazzercise, but enjoy them in moderation while keeping yourself physically active. The best exercise prescription for weight loss and maintenance is a combination of aerobic exercise, to strengthen the cardiovascular system and burn calories, and strength training, to build muscle mass which in turn boosts your metabolic rate.

Hot flashes are the bane of millions of menopausal women. Triggered by a slight rise in a woman’s core body temperature, hot flashes range from 15 seconds to several minutes in length and occur four times per day for two to three years on average. Once again, exercise provides relief. Studies reveal that women who exercise experience fewer hot flashes. Likewise, women who exercise are less likely to be overweight, which also increases the incidence of hot flashes.

Mood swings can also be tempered by exercise, which has been shown to boost endorphins and increase confidence, body acceptance and self-esteem.

As for health concerns, the drop in estrogen that occurs during and after menopause is believed to accelerate bone loss. But weight-bearing exercise combined with calcium supplementation can help women preserve bone mineral density. Basically, bone density responds positively to the stress that weight-bearing activity provides.

And while a direct link between a drop in estrogen and a rise in heart disease has not been found, coronary heart disease rates in women do jump two to three times higher after menopause. Post-menopausal women often experience a rise in LDL cholesterol and triglycerides and a corresponding drop in HDL. Regular exercise can raise HDL levels, while the weight loss that often accompanies a fitness program will drop LDL levels.

With so many obvious advantages, why not make exercise a regular part of your day? The following basic squat strengthens virtually all the muscles in the lower body.  It is also a weight-bearing exercise so it helps build bone density and strengthen the joints, which is especially important for women as they approach midlife. As a bonus, it shapes and tones the hips and thighs – an area of particular concern for many women. 

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, and your knees and toes turned out slightly.  Pull your abs in tight and keep them contracted throughout the exercise.  Cross your hands in front of your chest.  For added challenge, you can hold small to moderate weight dumbbells in your hands. Keeping your chest lifted and your back straight, slowly bend your knees and lower your hips behind you.  Keep your weight back toward your heels so that your knees stay over your shoelaces and do not bend forward past your toes.  Pause briefly and push back up to an upright position.  Repeat 10 to 15 times, rest, and perform one or two more sets as desired. 

Jazzercise, created by Judi Sheppard Missett, is the world's leading dance-fitness program with more than 6,800 instructors teaching 30,000 classes weekly in the U.S. and around the globe. Since 1969, millions of people of all ages and fitness levels have reaped the benefits of this comprehensive program, designed to enhance cardiovascular endurance, strength, and flexibility. For more information on Jazzercise go to jazzercise.com or call (800)FIT-IS-IT or (760)476-1750.

Courtesy of Jazzercise, Inc. - jazzercise.com