Exercise and the Menopause

Exercise and the Menopause

 

We need to get a bit more upfront about how we can help women through the menopause using health and fitness knowledge and a bit of science.  What is widely accepted is that women’s bodies go through a lot of changes in menopause as the hormone profile changes.  This in turn can affect function and feelings, exercise can help both the physical and mental symptoms.

 

Let’s Talk Symptoms

We know that hot flushes are part of the process, although not everyone gets them!  Some other symptoms include joint pains, there can be bladder issues, weight gain that is hard to manage and sex can get less pleasurable.  Add to this that loss of muscle mass for everybody as they age means menopausal women get a double whammy on the muscles front.

Why Would Exercise Help?

There are quite a few benefits to getting more active and trying to get and stay fit while going through menopause.  One is to try and maintain or even grow a little muscle mass; at the same time you also strengthen bones and joints. This leads directly to help with the weight gain issue; having more metabolically active tissue like muscle is helpful versus carrying more fat tissue, that doesn’t burn much energy. After each RISE session there is a comprehensive stretch and flex which helps not only with muscle stiffness but also with the joint pains.

The mental health aspect of taking part in some exercise in a group setting is very important.  This boosts the feel-good hormone and which in turn builds some mental health resilience.  Confidence can be a big battle as you get older, and it is very helpful to get the positive vibes from people who love exercising as well as people in the same boat as you.

What Kind of Exercise?

We would recommend some cardio, that’s when you get your heart rate up a bit plus some strength and balance work.

The cardio is great for heart and lung health and you can measure it yourself using the talk test; you are at moderate intensity if you can talk but not sing while doing the activity.  Here at RISE we actually use the Myzone heart rate monitor during sessions to help us gauge intensity and your RISE coach can get you to exactly the right exercise level for your stage of fitness.

What do we mean by strength exercise?  Well, that’s just challenging your muscles so that they respond, and that in turn means they tone up.  This can be done with body weight exercises alone or you can use handheld weights.  By challenging the muscles you are boosting your all-important muscles mass, with the added bonus that your joints also have to work and this directly improves their function.

Balance is linked to not only core muscles, the ones around your middle and your lower back and hips, but also to good technique when doing your strength exercises.  The RISE coach is a key part of this as at every bootcamp session, they are acting as your personal trainer checking your technique is on point. Having a good body balance helps prevent injury and makes you much stronger and more able when doing almost all everyday activities.

RISE is for You

We have worked hard at RISE to combine all these exercise features into our program plus we work in groups of like-minded people, which means instant community and support.  The fact that the bootcamps are outdoors is also a proven benefit to mental health.  So please try us out and feel those benefits for yourself.

 

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