How to exercise for menopausal women is beneficial for health?
Regardless of age, physical activity brings many benefits to the body, especially for women in menopause - a period when women face many health risks due to a sharp decrease in hormones. So how should menopausal women exercise?
Although menopausal women do not have to endure menstrual cramps or unwanted pregnancies, they face a series of health risks such as cardiovascular complications, sarcopenia, osteoporosis, etc.
To reduce these risks, one of the effective measures is to perform exercises and an active lifestyle. However, during the implementation process, menopausal women need to pay attention to some issues to achieve optimal effectiveness and safety.
1. Start exercising slowly
The key to achieving the goal of improving symptoms and preventing postmenopausal risks is to start exercising slowly, with short, gentle exercises.
Ideally, you should start with exercises for about 10-20 minutes, 2 times/week and then gradually increase. The important thing is to build an exercise habit, not the length of time, heavy or light exercise…
Dr. Mary Claire Haver, an obstetrician and gynecologist in the US, said that sedentary menopausal women should start their exercise journey by walking about 10 minutes a day and then gradually increase the time and intensity.
2. Focus on building muscle
Strong muscles can actually protect your health as you age by slowing bone loss and weight gain.
After menopause, women are at increased risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures due to bone loss. In addition, the risk of weight gain also increases, especially in the abdominal area, making menopausal women susceptible to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Therefore, you should focus on exercises that increase muscle strength, simulating daily movements such as squats, weightlifting, push-ups, etc.
3. Menopausal women should choose balance exercises
According to a January 2023 review in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, weight training not only strengthens muscles and bones, but can also improve balance, helping to reduce the risk of falls.
About 20% of falls in older adults have more serious consequences, such as fractures or head injuries, which reduce the ability to live independently and increase dependence, according to a February 2020 review in the Indian Journal of Orthopaedics.
However, in addition to weight training, menopausal women can perform specific balance exercises in their daily routine, such as standing on one leg while brushing their teeth or taking yoga and Pilates classes…
4. Add meditation to your workout routine
Meditation is not a replacement for exercise, nor is exercise a substitute for meditation, but it can be helpful to consider meditation as an additional practice in your weekly workout routine.
The reason is that meditation, especially practices that include deep breathing, can help manage stress in life as well as symptoms associated with menopause and can be especially helpful for menopausal women who are dealing with anxiety and depression.
5. Perform a good post-workout recovery phase
Post-workout recovery is the body's time to rest and replenish the energy it has expended. Sleep is the number one tool for recovery because muscles are built while sleeping, not while exercising.
In addition, it is necessary to have a healthy diet, with enough energy-producing substances, vitamins and minerals, especially consuming enough protein to maintain muscle and support the body's recovery. Protein-rich foods such as beef, fish, eggs, beans, nuts, etc.
6. Improve cardiovascular health
As estrogen levels decline during menopause, the hormone's protective effects against heart disease also decline, putting postmenopausal women at higher risk of conditions such as coronary artery disease, heart attack and heart failure than younger women.
However, performing regular cardiovascular exercise can help reduce your risk of heart disease by reducing stress levels and improving your heart's pumping ability.
Some good cardiovascular exercises include high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or sprint interval training (SIT). These exercises should be performed 1-3 times per week for 20 minutes or less. Doing more than this can put too much stress on the body and should be combined with regular exercise or moderate-intensity physical activities./.
