Questions about our place and our purpose in life often arise alongside physical symptoms of menopause (such as hot flushes, night sweats, sleep disturbances, fatigue, mood imbalance, and sexual disfunction) and can indicate required changes for a healthy journey ahead.

This time in a woman’s life can be a catalyst for growth – inspiring her to rediscover who she is, who she wants to be, and what she wants to do in life going forward.

Menopause is an opportunity to transition into the life you truly desire – once you give yourself the attention you deserve.

For many women, life leading up to menopause is busy. It’s often filled with having children, raising a family, having a career, caring for aging parents, supporting the community and/or organizations, and your regular daily responsibilities. Each of these responsibilities alone is enough to make most women long for calm and relaxation.

However, menopause is a time in which you can choose to pause and take stock of where you’re at in life, who you love, and what you really want, encouraging a rediscovery of your authentic self and implementing change to live accordingly.

What could rediscovery look like?

Each woman experiences this change differently but starting with self-awareness may be key.

Consider these important questions that can lead to personal insight:

• Who am I right now?
• Who do I want to become?
• What’s important to me?
• Who do I love and want to spend more time with?
• What do I love doing and would like to do more of?
• How am I making a difference?
• What brings me joy?
• Are there signals my body is giving me of areas that need attention?
• What do I need to change?
• How can I best take care of myself?

One answer to many of these questions is by practicing self-care during menopause. This attention on the self can include:

• following a healthier diet
• spending more time with family
• decreasing non-essential obligations
• seeking support for past trauma and/or stress
• creating a relaxing sleep routine
• practicing a new sport
• reading, writing, or expressing oneself artistically
• learning a new language
• traveling
• growing a garden

This transition into the next stage of life may also include tough decisions such as a career change and/or retirement, relationship changes, and geographical moves. 

And you know what? That’s okay.

Making decisions for overall wellbeing and happiness isn’t always easy, but it can result in healthy growth, exploration, and transition into the person you desire to be.

Menopause is a season of life during which women can blossom into their authentic selves. Beyond strictly physical changes, it inspires mental and spiritual growth. And self-discovery, self-awareness, and self-care are key to making it happen.

The time prior is referred to as “perimenopause” and any time after that 12 month mark the woman is considered “post-menopausal.” It’s during perimenopause when a woman’s hormones begin to fluctuate. This signals that the body is entering a new phase of life and ending its ability to reproduce.

Often (but not always), this shift in hormones accompanies symptoms such as:

• menstrual flow changes (how much and how often)
• shifts in moods
• hot flushes
• night sweats
• fatigue
• sleep issues
• decreased or increased sexual function
• vaginal dryness
• weight gain (particularly around the stomach)
• changes in cholesterol
• digestive changes

This transition can start years before menopause actually occurs. Perimenopause commonly begins in the forties, although it may start earlier or later.

While some women may experience very little (if any) effects, others may notice moderate to severe symptoms that disrupt daily life for a number of years.

Fortunately, there are a variety of natural options that can ease challenges and enhance wellbeing during this time.

Self-care

For many women, life up until perimenopause has been busy. Raising children, working, taking care of elders, community involvement, and daily responsibilities all fill up women’s schedules, leaving them with little time for themselves.

However, as reproductive hormones begin declining, many women find themselves beginning to focus inward and assess their lives – how they are spending their time, what brings them joy and fulfilment, and sometimes it becomes clear that many of the previous busy activities no longer serve the woman in this new phase. What previously kept her busy may now feel inconvenient, monotonous, or no longer interesting. Even though this self-reflection may be unexpected, it offers a great opportunity for women to simply slow down and assess what provides fulfilment to them in life now. For many women, this is a time when implementing additional steps in self-care becomes extremely beneficial. 

Although it will look different for each woman, self-care is also an important tool in managing stress, calming the mind and body, and easing challenging symptoms which may also be present during this transitional time of life.

Techniques for self-care include the following, among many others:

• slowing down/reducing non-essential obligations
• eating a healthy diet filled with supportive menopausal nutrients
• daily movement, particularly walking
• a calming sleep routine
• time in nature
• meditation
• breath work
• yoga
• warm Epsom salt baths
• massages
• a daily cup (or more) of tea

Supplements

In addition, essential vitamins and minerals provide hormone and overall health support.

• vitamin E
• vitamin D
• calcium
• magnesium
• B vitamins

Finding joy

It may seem frivolous, selfish even, but living a life infused with joy – especially during perimenopause – may help stave off everything from anxiety to insomnia.

This time in a woman’s life can be filled with self-rediscovery and in turn, result in a more joy-filled existence.  And one woman’s joy may come from something completely different from another woman’s joy.

To explore your own personal happiness contributors, give one or more of the following a try:

• writing or keeping a diary
• trying new interests, hobbies, or sports
• learning an instrument, language, or cooking technique
• artistic expression like painting, dancing, or poetry
• growing a garden
• hiking in nature
• traveling
• reading
• watching the sunrise or sunset
• connecting with your community
• spending time with family
• volunteering

And remember, while joy is different for everyone, so is the amount of time and energy a woman has to put toward creating her own joy. If you have five minutes, fabulous! Soak up every second from those five minutes. If you have three hours to dedicate to your own joy, amazing! Enjoy all that you have to offer yourself and watch how your joy expands from you and contributes to the lives of those around you. Joy is contagious. Let it expand from you!

While perimenopause may be known for all the possible unwanted related symptoms, for some women it can be a time to take a moment (or three), turn inward, decide what she needs and then move forward from a place of self-care, nutritional/herbal support, and joy.of self-care, nutritional/herbal support, and joy.

Menopause occurs when a woman doesn’t have a menstrual cycle for at least 12 consecutive months. Symptoms of menopause range from a decrease in sleep quality and sex drive to an increase in hot flushes, night sweats, memory loss, and mood changes.

The concept of self-care may feel too vague to offer any value for reducing menopausal symptoms, but it’s important for easing effects and fighting frustration. Self-care is important for everyone in every stage of life, but for women approaching menopause, it becomes vital.

Below, we’ve included three significant reasons why women should consider practicing self-care while experiencing menopausal symptoms.

Perimenopause reflects five, ten, and even twenty years of pre-menopausal life

Perimenopause, in which the body begins its transition into menopause, is often characterized by unwanted symptoms that can last months to years before menopause begins. These include:

• irregular bleeding and/or periods
• sleep issues
• mood imbalances
• vaginal dryness
• night sweats
• weight gain
• anxiety and/or depression
• loss of libido

These symptoms often reflect how you live until this point. To lessen their impact prior to the onset of perimenopause, practice self-care regularly before changes begin.

Progesterone decreases with age

Progesterone, a hormone released by the ovaries, regulates the endometrial lining of the uterus each month, preparing it for possible pregnancy. 

It’s also a calming hormone that supports relaxation, sleep, mood, and even bone health – helping with everything from soothing the body and mind after a busy day to getting a solid night’s rest.

As women age, progesterone naturally decreases. This, coupled with a stressful lifestyle that includes little self-care across many years, can result in progesterone deficiency and create symptoms of:

• erratic mood
• anxiety and/or depression
• sleep issues
• headaches
• abnormal menstrual bleeding
• tender breasts
• decreased sexual libido

Self-care – such as a healthy diet, daily movement, stress-management techniques, and proper sleep – works to keep progesterone from significantly depleting and helps most when starting these techniques early.

The adrenal glands release more cortisol

The body looks for balance from the adrenal glands when the ovaries begin to decrease their hormone production during perimenopause. Cortisol, the hormone associated with stress, is produced from progesterone. When stress runs high, more cortisol is needed and produced, thereby depleting progesterone supply.

If the adrenal glands have been in overdrive due to stress and a hectic lifestyle, they will not have any support to offer, and more symptoms can occur:

• fatigue
• sleep issues
• unbalanced mood
• high blood pressure
• thinning hair
• feelings of not being able to relax
• weight gain around the stomach

One of the best ways to lower cortisol levels is by managing stress through self-care.

Recognizing what’s necessary for proper self-care is essential as women transition to menopause. 

Eating a healthy diet, participating in daily movement, getting proper sleep, promoting smooth digestion, and managing stress are all natural ways to support this change in life. Start taking care of yourself as early as possible and reap the benefits of this self-care throughout your later years.

All women will go through the menopause, yet for many, it’s a sensitive and sometimes difficult topic to discuss. We are aiming to demystify the cause and symptoms of menopause, offering help and advice whether you are experiencing menopause personally, or if you would like to be better equipped to offer support to a loved one currently managing it.

Why does the menopause occur?

As with puberty, menopause is a direct result of the change in the balance of the body’s sex hormones. Puberty sees the onset of this stage with the production of estrogen and progesterone hormones, while menopause marks the end of it. In the natural process of menopause, a woman’s ovaries stop releasing eggs and making these hormones.  When this happens, a woman will stop having her period and is no longer fertile.¹ This will usually happen between the ages of 45-55. However, around 1 in 100 women experience premature menopause, which is where they enter menopause before the age of 40.² Surgical removal of the ovaries, chemotherapy or hormone therapy for the treatment of breast cancer can also cause menopause. 

While the two key markers of menopause are the stopping of periods and the end of fertility, there are a number of symptoms that occur during the build-up to menopause. Perimenopause is the transition period into menopause, and this is where you are most likely to experience the symptoms that tell you that you are entering this stage. Perimenopause can start 8-20 years before menopause, when a woman is in her 40s or even 30s. Before this time, you are premenopausal, which simply means you have no symptoms of either perimenopause or menopause.

Men are not exempt from suffering a decline in sex hormones too. While women undergo menopause, men may undergo what is known as andropause, which sees symptoms such as loss of libido, suggestive of testosterone deficiency.³ Other symptoms might include:

• Mood swings and irritability
• Loss of muscle mass and a reduced ability to exercise
• Fat redistribution, such as developing a larger belly or holding more fat around the breast tissue
• Tiredness but difficulty sleeping
• Poor concentration or a general lack of energy

Surprising symptoms of menopause

Some symptoms of menopause are more common than others. Many symptoms start during perimenopause, with:

• Irregular periods
• Hot flushes
• Night sweats
• Fatigue but difficulty sleeping
• Anxiety or a low mood

However, there are other surprising symptoms that may affect your physiological health and suggest you may be entering menopause too:

Water and gas bloating: The hormonal changes brought about by our bodies entering menopause can cause swollen and puffy ankles, hands and feet, as our bodies start storing more water in the extremities.  This water bloating is sometimes accompanied by gas bloating.

Vaginal dryness: It’s not always spoken about, but vaginal dryness is in fact one of the more common symptoms of menopause. This occurs because estrogen levels are dropping, making the vaginal tissues thinner and more prone to irritation.

Digestive problems: Stomach pain is particularly common during perimenopause, which adds to stress levels and can impact our digestion. You might have noticed throughout your life that if you become stressed or anxious you can develop stomach pains or cramping – this applies to menopause too.

Lower libido: It makes sense that as our bodies stop producing the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone, our sex drives may lower. If this is something that is concerning you, try to enjoy a healthy, nutritious diet and ensure you get at least 30 minutes of exercise each day, to help you feel good about yourself and possibly increase your libido.

Mood swings: Just like premenstrual syndrome, fluctuating hormones around the time of menopause can leave you irritable, anxious, depressed or tearful. In fact, studies have shown that these symptoms may be even worse during menopause as the decline of estrogen changes how our bodies handle serotonin – the happiness hormone.⁴

Headaches: You might already have experienced the impact of hormones on your head as many women suffer from headaches during their period. Likewise, headaches can be a problem during menopause. 

Weight gain: There are a few reasons why you might find yourself putting on a few extra pounds during menopause. Again, simply the fluctuation in hormones can be a factor, but there are other menopause-related symptoms such as tiredness that can make us less motivated to exercise, or more likely to reach for high- fat, or high-sugar snacks rather than taking the time to prepare something more nutritious.

A hot mouth: Menopause can reduce your ability to produce saliva, which can result in what is known as ‘burning mouth syndrome’. This affects the roof of your mouth, as well as your lips and cheeks and can also leave a metallic taste in your mouth.

Hair thinning: As with the other symptoms of menopause, thinning hair is a result of hormonal changes. Estrogen and progesterone both help our hair to grow, and falling levels can increase the growth of androgen, which shrinks the hair follicles, making your hair appear thinner. Poor diet and stress can also cause hair loss.

Pins and needles: One of the stranger symptoms of menopause is that fluctuating estrogen levels have an impact on our central nervous system, meaning our nerves can sometimes misfire and cause numbness or tingling in our hands and feet.

Itchy skin: Declining estrogen levels have a knock-on effect on our skin’s production of natural oils and collagen. As these start to decrease, you can find your skin feeling less hydrated and itchier.

Heart palpitations: Any change in your regular heartbeat pattern can be scary, but although it’s always worth checking with a medical professional, heart palpitations can be a symptom of menopause. They are usually nothing to worry about and are simply a result of lower estrogen levels causing an overstimulation of your central nervous system.

Osteoporosis: Bone density is another thing that is affected by hormonal changes and osteoporosis is very closely related to estrogen deficiency. Speak to a medical professional if you are worried, but it’s always a good idea to make sure you have enough calcium in your diet too, as calcium has been shown to be essential for healthy bones.⁵

How can I help myself when going through menopause?

The most important thing to remember when going through menopause is that you are not alone, and there is help out there. Whether you speak to a medical professional, family member, friend or even a stranger at a local or online support group, it’s important to let people know if you are struggling. The symptoms you may experience can often be managed, but are beyond your control. If you are suffering from negative thoughts or any other mental or physical symptom, remind yourself that it is not your fault. 

Maintaining a healthy diet is one of the best things you can do to manage many of your symptoms. Cutting back on salt and fizzy drinks, chewing food more thoroughly, eating smaller meals, and eating them more slowly are all great tips to reduce water and gas bloating. Hot flashes can be managed by sipping a cool drink, as well as cutting back on caffeine and alcohol. Thinning hair may be more manageable if you ensure you get enough whole grains, fruits and vegetables.  

Suffering from mood swings? If you find yourself struggling with negative emotions, there are ways that you can boost your body’s serotonin levels naturally. Vitamin D and the omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to control serotonin synthesis⁶ . Short bursts of sun exposure will help your body produce Vitamin D, and you can consume it by eating a healthy diet containing oily fish like mackerel and salmon, cheese and egg yolks, as well as foods fortified with Vitamin D, like orange juice and cereals.

How do you live with someone going through menopause?

Menopause can be a difficult time, not only for the person going through it, but for those that live with them. From being at the receiving end of a mood swing or having to watch someone you love struggling with a number of physical or emotional symptoms, it can undoubtedly be a challenge. This can be made even more difficult if others within your household are going through hormone-related changes or difficulties with their own physiological health. In a household with parents and teenagers, it’s entirely possible that they could all be experiencing either menopause, andropause, puberty or the onset of periods at the same time.

Remember to be kind to yourself, but also to each other. As much as it’s beyond your control to experience menopause, it’s equally beyond the control of your partner or children to be suffering at the hand of hormones too. Always remember that support is available, and never to block your family members out.

1. https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/menopause/conditioninfo/causes [↩]
2. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause/ [↩]
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4046605/ [↩]
4. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1534582305277152 [↩]
5. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-well-does-calcium-intake-really-protect-your-bones-201509308384 [↩]
6. https://faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1096/fj.14-268342 [↩]

When people talk of going through menopause, what they are often actually talking about, is perimenopause. Menopause is the end result – the time when your menstrual cycle stops, you no longer experience periods and you are no longer fertile. The process of reaching this point – perimenopause – can take years.  

Have you entered perimenopause and not realized it?

The key indicator of menopause is, understandably, that your periods stop. This doesn’t happen overnight, and while we are all different, there’s often a gradual slowing down indicated through a change in your cycle. Your periods may become erratic and arrive late, or even early. You may miss periods altogether, perhaps for a few months, only to then have them arrive again. You may also notice them becoming lighter than usual. It could go entirely the other way too, and fluctuating hormone levels could actually see you having heavier, or more frequent periods for months, or years, before they stop altogether. As these changes can be both gradual and erratic, it’s not uncommon for women to start the early stages of perimenopause and not realize it.

Managing the physical and metal symptoms of perimenopause

Some people are lucky and experience few perimenopausal symptoms at all. They might also find them to be perfectly manageable. Others can have a much more difficult time. As with many things though, knowing what to expect is half the battle when it comes to managing and doing the best you can for your physiological health.   

The best known perimenopausal symptoms are some of the most common and include irregular periods, hot flushes, night sweats, bloating and anxiety or a general low mood.

Mood swings

Mood swings, sadness and feelings of anxiety or depression are caused by hormonal changes. You might find yourself feeling more irritable, anxious, depressed or tearful than usual and while this is of course unpleasant, it’s perfectly normal. Emotions can be given a boost by increasing your bodies serotonin levels, and there are ways to do this naturally.

Vitamin D has been shown in studies to control serotonin synthesis¹ so try to get some short, safe bursts of sun exposure as this can help your body produce Vitamin D. You can also increase Vitamin D through your diet – foods such as cereals and orange juice are often fortified with it. The same studies also showed the omega-3 fatty acids to be helpful with managing low moods. You can boost these by eating oily fish like mackerel and salmon as well as cheese and egg yolks.

There is help out there if you need it, and if you feel that your symptoms are beyond your control it’s important to let people know that. You can try talking to friends and family or might consider a support group. If you still feel unable to cope, don’t be embarrassed about speaking to a medical professional. Your symptoms are not unusual and you should be taken seriously.

Bloating

Hormones have a lot to answer for! As well as affecting our mental wellbeing, there are also physical effects that occur as they fluctuate. One of the more common ones around the time of menopause is water retention, which can cause swollen and puffy ankles, hands and feet. This water retention is often accompanied by gas bloating. The good news is that both of these symptoms can be helped by maintaining a healthy diet. Try to reduce the amount of salt and fizzy drinks you consume, as both of these have a tendency to make you bloated. Slowing down your eating in general helps prevent too much air entering your system, so try to take your time and chew your food more thoroughly. Eating smaller meals can also help as it doesn’t put such a stress on your digestive system.

Hot flushes

Your body’s ability to regulate temperature can also be affected by changes in your hormone levels, leading to the dreaded hot flashes. These can happen at any time during the day or night, often without warning, but there are some things that can trigger them too.² Avoiding spicy foods, caffeine and alcohol can help, as well as avoiding things that would naturally make you hotter, such as wearing too many layers of clothing and having the heat turned on too high. If you’re a smoker, stopping smoking can also help.

To manage hot flashes, try to sit near open windows with fresh air rather than in warm corners or by radiators. Wear loose layers of clothing and make your bed with layers too – sheets and blankets can be better than a thick duvet. If you feel like you might be about to experience a hot flash, wash your face with cool water or place a cold washcloth on the back of your neck. Sipping cold drinks and sucking on ice cubes can also help.

Will perimenopause ever end?

It might feel like it won’t, but it will. This transition period is exactly that, a transition. It won’t last forever and every passing day is a step closer to reaching full menopause. As this can take years though, it’s understandable that some of the signs that it is coming to an end might be missed. The biggest sign – as with entering puberty and starting your periods, is that they stop. To be truly considered post-menopausal, a year will have elapsed since your last period. At this point you can safely say you have been through menopause.

A note about andropause

Menopause fundamentally occurs due to a decline in sex hormones and while this is notable in women when their periods start slowing down, men don’t have this same indicator. Men also experience a decrease in sex hormones as they age, and may experience what is known as andropause. This brings with it symptoms, including:

• Loss of libido
• Mood swings and irritability
• Reduced muscle mass and ability to exercise
• Tiredness but difficulty sleeping
• Poor concentration
• General lack of energy
• Redistribution of body fat, with common developments being a larger belly or greater fat retention around the breast tissue.

If men are increasingly experiencing these symptoms as they age, it’s possible they have entered andropause. 

Life after menopause

Some people are lucky and may not experience particularly troublesome symptoms while approaching menopause. For others, it can affect their lives on a daily basis. It might be assumed that for these people, leaving perimenopause and entering full menopause would come as a relief. It may well do,  but it also might bring to the surface some unexpected emotions. While they can seem a huge inconvenience, experiencing periods is something that will have become a natural part of life and the mental effects of this no longer occurring can take you by surprise. You might start questioning whether you are actually ready to enter this next stage. Did you have children? Did you have as many children as you wanted? Knowing those years have passed can make you question whether you would do things differently if you had your time again.

However you are feeling – you are not alone. Try to remind yourself that you are simply entering a new stage. Yes, you may no longer be able to have children yourself, but this doesn’t mean that any maternal desires you might have can’t find other outlets. There are still plenty of opportunities for you to express your nurturing side. You have many years ahead of you to form relationships based around support and wisdom. Whether you are a mother or not, you can still take on a mothering role long after the menopause.  

Another bonus to having gone through menopause is that, while it might simply be circumstantial, you might find a new confidence you didn’t previously know you had. As people age you can’t fail to notice that they tend to say what they think more. Whether this is simply coincidence, or a result of more balanced hormones making you less self-conscious, it can be truly liberating to say yes to things you want to do and no to things you don’t.

There are a few health factors to be aware of post-menopause, but these are nothing to worry about. Cholesterol and blood pressure might go up, and your risk of developing osteoporosis can also be greater. This can be managed by ensuring you have a good diet and are getting enough calcium to keep your bones strong though. Likewise, a healthy diet and regular exercise have been shown in studies to be able to prevent some of the weight gain that can be associated with menopause.³ As long as you are aware of what to expect and are willing to follow a healthy lifestyle – which we should really all be doing at any age anyway – then life after menopause really doesn’t have to be all the different to life before it.

1. https://faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1096/fj.14-268342 [↩]
2. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause/hot-flushes/ [↩]
3. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1207/S15324796ABM2603_06 [↩]

Everything you need to know about exercise during menopause

All women will experience menopause at some point and, while there may be some common ground, the symptoms that come with this will be unique to them. You might be lucky in experiencing only mild and short-lived symptoms or you might experience the dreaded hot flushes and mood swings. However mild or severe your symptoms are, there are plenty of exercises that you can do during menopause that will benefit your health and fitness and will aim to reduce your stress levels.

The importance of keeping moving during menopause

While there’s no evidence to suggest that exercise can reduce menopausal symptoms directly, there have been plenty of studies that have shown that exercise can help to relieve stress and enhance your overall wellbeing.¹ Exercise has also been shown in studies to help prevent weight gain and reduce the loss of muscle mass,² which many women experience as symptoms of menopause.

What type of exercise or movement workout is best during menopause?

Cardiovascular fitness

Cardio fitness is any type of aerobic activity that raises your heart rate and keeps it there for an extended period of time. There are many options of cardio-based movement workouts, so the important thing is to find something that you enjoy doing so that you’re more likely to stick to it. This could be walking, jogging, going for a swim or riding a bike. Even daily activities that you can do around the house, such as gardening, can be classed as cardio activity if they raise your heart rate enough and cause a bit of a sweat.

Strength training

Strength training is particularly important during menopause as this is when your osteoporosis risk increases. Strength training can help build bone and increase muscle to reduce this risk. As with cardio training there are a number of types of strength training that you can do. If you’re at home you can choose hand weights and resistance bands or if you prefer to go to the gym, you’ll be able to use weight machines or free weights. Be sure to work to a level that works out your muscles without causing unnecessary strain and if in doubt speak to a personal trainer.

Mindfulness exercises

The way you experience menopause will be different to the way someone else does. We’re all unique and we all have our own unique symptoms. Whether symptoms are mild or more bothersome, mindfulness activities such as yoga and meditation are beneficial to everyone and have been indicated in studies as being able to offer some relief.³ These practices are intended to calm your mind by centering your focus and may be able to relieve symptoms such as hot flushes, irritability and fatigue.

How to get the best out of your exercise

As with everything in life, it’s easy to over commit and then feel disappointed when we don’t achieve what we set out to do. If you’re new to exercise remember that any movement is better than no movement. Set yourself some goals and make them achievable, realistic and specific so that you can measure them. For example, rather than simply stating that you’re going to exercise more try quantifying this with something like ‘I’m going to walk for 20 minutes each morning before work’ or ‘I’m going to go for a swim every Saturday with a friend.’ Finding someone else to exercise with is a great way to ensure accountability, keep you motivated and help you have fun while enjoying the health benefits of physical exercise.

1. https://shapeamerica.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02701367.1988.10605493 [↩]
2. https://europepmc.org/article/med/8504848 [↩]
3. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-24945-4 [↩]

What to know about midlife exercise needs

Turning 40 is a big milestone in life. On the one hand you may feel as youthful as you did when you were 20, but all you have to do is walk into a greeting card shop and you’ll be faced with rows of cards telling you that you are now officially ‘over the hill.’ The truth is, that your physical abilities, and your physical needs will both start to change around this age and while there’s certainly nothing wrong with remaining young at heart, it’s still worth addressing your usual movement workout routine and considering whether there is anything you might benefit from adapting.

Aerobic exercise becomes even more important

Inactivity in itself doesn’t put you at risk of heart disease but being inactive means that you are more likely to have high blood pressure, high cholesterol and be overweight, and all of these factors do put you at risk. Whether you love or hate cardio, now is the time to ramp up your aerobic exercise to help reverse the increased risk of heart disease. Statistically, you are not yet likely to start suffering from it – heart disease becomes more common in people over the age of 50¹ – but now is a great time to strengthen your heart in preparation, as exercise is only going to get more difficult as you get older.

Build your bones with strength training

It might seem counterintuitive to start strength training as you age, as the older you get, the more likely you are to start suffering from osteoporosis, but research has shown that strength training can actually help improve strength and balance. As with any movement workout, it’s important to take it easy at first if it’s something new to you. You could start with light weights or dumbbells, or speak to a personal trainer at your local gym for advice on the best strengthening exercises for your age. You don’t want to do too much too soon, so you need to build recovery time into your workouts too.

Move more for mental health and mood benefits

There’s no doubt that the health benefits of physical exercise extend beyond the physical. Physical exercise is increasingly being advocated as a means to maintain and enhance good mental health. In general, findings from research indicate that exercise is associated with improvements in mental health including mood state and self-esteem, with just 20 to 40 minutes of aerobic activity resulting in improvements in state anxiety and mood that persist for several hours.²

Incorporate interval training into workouts to help ease menopausal symptoms

Exercise may be able to help regulate your mood, manage your weight and relieve hot flashes, which are all symptoms of menopause.³ High intensity interval training (HIIT) in particular is a great option as it has you working at full capacity for a short period before resting, which can increase your cardiovascular health, but prevent your cortisol levels (the body’s stress hormone) from raising too high.

You can get fit at any age, so even if you’ve reached your 40s and have yet to discover physical exercise, it’s not too late. The best part is that there are so many options to suit all lifestyles too. If you are a bit more shy or nervous about exercising in front of others then you could take a look at the many online workouts available or could simply go for a walk. If you have a pet dog, this becomes even easier and a lot of the time you won’t even notice that you’re exercising! Or you could grab a friend and ask them to try out a new activity with you. It could be a dance class perhaps? Whatever it is, try to find something you enjoy as this will make you more likely to stick with it. Set small goals, be kind to yourself, recognize your achievements and above all else, try to enjoy what you are doing, knowing that you are also enjoying the many health benefits of physical exercise at the same time.

1. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cardiovascular-disease/ [↩]
2. https://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00007256-199009060-00001 [↩]
3. https://www.thelunahive.com/why-exercise-is-vital-during-menopause/ [↩]