Menopause – does exercise help?

The menopause is an important part in the life of the human female body; when fertility comes to its natural end, and when significant body changes occur that can affect both your physical health and psychological wellbeing.

Triggered by a gradual reduction of hormonal level as the ovaries fail to produce sufficient oestrogen, the menopause can bring about both physical and mental health changes.   The chance are that the symptoms of increased general irritability, anxiety and mood swings (and possible depression) might not be so easy to spot (!!) but more distinctive night sweats, hot flushes increased headaches, dizziness  and  joint pain might be harder to ignore...

The menopause also increases our vulnerability to other chronic diseases such as the risk of coronary heart disease rises, partly due to the natural ageing process and partly to the diminishing defensive properties of oestrogen.  

The menopause can be defined by an absence of menstruation for more than 12 months in women over the age of 35.  The transitional period of the menopause, where we start to see hormonal fluctuation, can last for many years, and may be referred to as the "climacteric" period. This transitional phase can begin from as early as 30 years old, with 51.4 years being considered the mean age for menopause in western women and in general, most women will have completed the menopausal transition by the age of 60.

One of the more distinctive (and frustrating) side effects of the menopause cycle is increased intra-abdominal fat and changes to body composition and fat distribution, more commonly phrased as "middle age spread".... As fat redistributes and the body changes shape, it is likely that many menopausal women tend to feel more self-conscious and this can then turn into a lack of self-esteem to take up exercise.  However, it is really important to remember that increases in fat-mass- especially in what is known as the "hip to waist ratio," where you start to lose your natural "waist" has a direct impact on our cardiovascular health.  Oestrogen offer us protective measurements by allowing the blood vessels to operate more efficiently, but without it there is more chance that your arteries will fur up without some interventions such as healthy diet and regular exercise.

The good news is that there is a pile of research that says exercise can reduce the distress associated with the menopausal transition. Women who are physically active in both the peri- and post-menopausal stage report less severe physical symptoms, as well as improved psychological well-being and higher levels of self-worth.  Even better, you don’t even have to be big into fitness – and even walking where you get slightly out of breath can show improved self-esteem and quality of life, even if there were not any changes to fitness, or reduction in body fat. 

Don’t think that exercise is only there to help your physical health. Your mental health is just as important – and especially at this stage of life which can be really trying – not only with the physical changes which are difficult and challenging, but also in the "grieving" process that our time as a women, where we could have babies (if we wanted)or we could work on our fitness with the aim to see significant improvements - where as now we train to maintain fitness and stop the decreasing bone and muscle mass, loser skin and other wobbly bits that use to be firm...then doing exercise to simply improve our mood is worth it alone!  Remember, your feelings of self-worth, self-perception and well-being can all be improved by exercise, as exercise stimulates the brain chemicals to elevate mood and feeling alert. Women who do aerobic activity (step, running, swimming, aerobics cycling etc) regardless of whether they were on HRT or not, show increases in well-being and a reduction in stress levels. 

Aim to do 20 -30 Minutes aerobic exercise about 3 times a week, weight train about twice a week  - please use my earlier posts on ideas of what to do.  There is no need in general, to reduce levels of intensity or frequency just because of the menopause.  And finally, please please please - aim to do things you enjoy so that you get those hedonistic pleasures...

Being Mindful

In a world of fitness, it is often not easy to think how mindfulness might play a part in improving health and well-being...for a start, how do you measure it – not in reps, not in weight loss, not in numbers we can see....but to miss out on the benefits of developing resilience in a busy world, is to miss out on a vital component of health.

The psychological aspects of fitness are well documented. A sportsperson will often face times when they need to control anxiety – maybe before a race, before the try conversion, the penalty kick off, serving out the winning set – and sports psychologists have found a range of ways that we can harness the capabilities of our mind to bring about a reduction in anxiety as well as an improvement of skill and achievement.

Here is how “being mindful” can help you not only get the best out of your workout but also to make you feel GOOD J - and you will notice this difference without stepping on the scales!

Ok – the basics. Being “mindful” is to be aware of what is happening to you NOW.  The way that your seat feels, the rhythm of your breath, the thoughts that are passing in and out of your mind. It is about paying attention to the world around us and to ourselves, without “pre-living” with what is going to happen in the future, or feeling “trapped” by things that have happened in the past. In our busy lives, it is easy to get into a cycle of rushing from one thing to the next, living in your “head space” where all the worries pile onto you – being mindful can help change your perspective but understanding that the thoughts that you are having, are just that, thoughts. They have no power or influence to become reality, but you have the power to still the rush of anxiety by being “mindful” of your situation and in the long term bringing about greater peace and happiness to your life.

Your first steps might be to just to start to notice your thoughts, your feelings, the sensations in your body and the world around you. Just pick a time that you will do this – maybe your walk to work, or when you sit and eat your lunch or in the evening when instead of watching telly or surfing the net, you simply sit and stare for a while. You can go on a course where mindfulness skills are taught – these are usually over about 4-8 weeks and are led by a trained Mindfulness Instructor.  You can of course set aside time for a more structured way of being mindful – such as going on doing meditation, yoga or tai chi

Here are my short suggestions for ways to be more mindful with your fitness goals.  First, I am going to show you a technique used by sportspeople to calm anxiety, called “centering”

Centering - Awareness of breathing

•          Place right hand on your belly button area

•          Place left hand on chest – around your heart

•          Exhale fully

•          Inhale and as you do so, think about the breath moving down towards your right hand.  You should be aware of the hand rising and falling as you do your deep breath.

•          Your left hand remains still – so keeping the breathing deep and not chest area

•          Repeat 3-5 times minimum

•          Emphasise the calm feeling associated with this exercise

•          Focus on NOW

Here are some other quick suggestions that you can try this week J

• Why not try and stand somewhere different in class – see the class from a different perspective – who stands where, what the light is like in this part of the class, how do you feel being in a different place...etc
• Say hello to a new person – connecting with different people is good for your mental health.  In a gym or class situation, you both already have something in common and a great opening phrase to get a conversation started.
• When you are working out, take time to notice the body sensations that are going on – and don’t panic!!  Enjoy your workout.  Be aware of your breath, your heartbeat, your muscles working, that bead of sweat running down your face
• When doing an exercise – focus – where are you feeling it, how does it feel. Think about the changes that you are making right now to that muscle fibre, to your strength, your flexibility
• Enjoy the dancing element of the classes, don’t worry about what you look like, let your body move freely
• At the end of the session be thankful and grateful, no matter how wreaked you feel, at least you did this for you, and made the effort

Enjoy your small trip into mindfulness, and if you enjoy it then set about making this a regular part of your fitness regime – you won’t regret it.