Why You Need Exercise Now
A woman’s body is primed for weight gain in midlife. Although becoming unfit is never a good idea, it can seem particularly damaging at this time in a woman’s life. Near the age of menopause, metabolism slows down and muscle tissue diminishes, while fat deposits develop around the center of the body. Hormonal fluctuations can result in a variety of symptoms, including mood swings, feelings of lethargy, hot flashes, and heightened anxiety and depression. Caught in a vicious circle of diminishing fitness, some women find themselves wanting to eat more and exercise less, just when their bodies need the opposite prescription. Even those women who maintain the same level of physical activity and food intake through menopause can expect to gain weight and lose muscle tone. This decline in fitness makes even a long-practiced exercise program less effective than it used to be and more difficult to adhere to. In the Healthy Women’s Study conducted at the University of Pittsburgh, researchers found that by eight years after menopause, the women in their study gained an average of twelve pounds. The strongest predictor for that weight gain was decreased physical activity.
Exercise helps you sleep: Many women entering menopause are plagued by insomnia, and countless studies have shown that participating in a regular exercise program can help women go to sleep more quickly and experience fewer sleep interruptions. (Don’t exercise right before going to bed, however; exercise leaves you feeling pumped up and can make it difficult to fall asleep right away.)
Exercise may help prevent hot flashes: Though no study to date has shown that exercise can stop hot flashes, many studies have shown that hot flashes and other vasomotor symptoms are less common in physically active postmenopausal than in those who get little or no physical exercise.
Exercise improves your endurance and makes you feel like moving: Women approaching menopause can experience muscle loss and joint pain that effectively discourages them from doing the things they enjoy in life—gardening, dancing, even walking. Regular exercise strengthens muscles, builds endurance, and improves joint mobility and stability, enabling women to remain active and engaged in life.
Managing Symptoms of Menopause
A healthy heart, strong bones, and a better chance for freedom from cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and other debilitating and fatal illnesses are all pretty persuasive reasons to start exercising at any time of life. But menopausal women have still more to gain from following a program of regular, sustained exercise. Physical activity has been shown to help tame many of the menopausal symptoms that women hate most, including insomnia, fatigue, anxiety, and mood swings. Regular, moderate exercise has been shown to reduce stress, help alleviate the severity of panic disorders, and elevate feelings of well-being.
Here’s a closer look at some of the menopause symptom-management benefits of exercise:
Exercise boosts your metabolism: As you exercise, your metabolism speeds up, and it remains elevated for a while even after you stop exercising. The more energetic and sustained your exercise, the longer the metabolic boost lasts. An elevated metabolism helps your body burn more calories, which can help you lose weight.
Exercise may improve cognitive function: In research conducted at Duke University and reported in the January 2001 issue of The Journal of Aging and Physical Activity regular exercise was shown to improve significantly the cognitive functions of individuals over the age of fifty. In the study, participants who completed thirty minutes of aerobic exercise (walking, jogging, bicycling) three times a week experienced significant improvements in cognitive functions such as memory, planning, organization, and intellectual multitasking. Though researchers haven’t determined exactly how exercise works to improve brain functions, they believe the improvements may be attributed to increased blood and oxygen flow to the brain.
Exercise relieves depression: In the same Duke University study that revealed the brain-boosting benefits of regular exercise, researchers also found that the relatively modest exercise program gave participants significant relief from the symptoms of major depression.
The key thing to remember is don’t give up. Even if you have to step away from your usual exercise routine for a few weeks due to work or illness, get back into it as soon as time and circumstances permit. And don’t let weight gain embarrass you into staying away from the gym. You’re taking a positive step toward improving your physical condition, and that’s something to be proud of. Changes for the positive will be gradual, so don’t be disappointed if the miracle transformation doesn’t happen overnight. Keep at it, and you’ll see the results.
