Menopause

Menopause can be a complicated, confusing and highly personal time of life and every woman will go through a different experience. The good news is that physical activity can have a positive effect on many of these factors including symptoms and health risks associated with menopause.

Research shows there are many benefits of being active as part of daily life and many of these benefits also have a direct impact on menopause symptoms as well as reducing the risks of developing health conditions as a result of going through menopause.

During the years around menopause, women can lose up to 25% of their bone density and are more at risk of osteoporosis than men, however regular activity reduces this risk. HRT can help with bone density, but this is just part of the solution – research shows that a combination of HRT and physical activity provides the best levels of bone density. For those that can't or chose not to take HRT, physical activity is especially important and can provide some protection to combat loss of bone density.

Bones get stronger as you use them and give them work to do. To help keep bones strong, weight-bearing exercise with impact (such as walking, jogging, dancing or tennis), and muscle strengthening exercise (such as yoga, Pilates) will help.

Doing something active can help you feel better in the short term too, by releasing endorphins and serotonin which trigger a positive feeling in the body, and by reducing the levels of stress hormones. It can also improve your quality and length of sleep and helping to reduce fatigue and increase your energy levels.

Listen to your body, adapting activities and resting when you need to. Every way you get moving genuinely matters. Things like taking the stairs, carrying your shopping bags home from the shops, or getting off a stop early on the bus all add up.