How Exercise Can Help Improve Peri/Menopause Symptoms

              

There are women who for differing reasons can't take HRT (or perhaps choose not to take it) but want to actively do everything they can to optimise their health and improve the effects of menopausal symptoms, which can feel debilitating if you can't/don't take HRT.

Many of the benefits apply to women of all ages, not just those women going through menopause. Women experience varying levels of symptoms and some may experience them at very low levels. The fact remains that decreasing estrogen impacts our bodies in many, many ways and it's important to do what you can to protect your health, whether you take HRT or not.

The government guidelines Physical Activity Guidelines for exercise for men and women aged 19 to 64 are as follows:

x2 Per Week Full Body Resistance Training. Bodyweight, bands or weight are all acceptable. 10-20 Minutes would be enough

Plus

150 Minutes of Moderate Activity per week (such as brisk walking, cycling, dancing, tennis, hiking)

Or

75 Minutes of Vigorous Activity per week (such as running, swimming, fast cycling, football, rugby, netball, hockey, skipping)

Your target can be achieved with shorter very vigorous, very intense activities (such as lifting weights, circuit training, hill sprints, spin classes, interval running)

You can mix up moderate, vigorous and very vigorous activities.

This can be spread between 4-7 days.

Try to reduce the amount of time spent sitting and break up long periods of inactivity with some movement.

These guidelines can also be followed by disabled adults and pre and post natal women.

The health benefits for women at this time in life are so plentiful that I encourage any and all women reading this to start to find forms of exercise that are enjoyable (I know that's a stretch for some women!) it's so important that I go on about it all the time!

The government guidelines might be intimidating but the goal is to build up slowly to hitting that as your minimum over time x