Article by Award winning fitness expert Dean Hodgkin.
This significant journey in life begins with perimenopause, a transition during which menstrual cycles begin to slow, leading to menopause at the point periods have ceased for a full 12 months and then finally into post-menopause, beginning 12 months after menstrual activity has ceased. It commonly occurs between 45 - 55 years of age although could be earlier and although it can last from months to years it’s usually around 4-5 years duration.
Due to declining levels of oestrogen and progesterone hormones, women will experience some, if not all the following symptoms, at some time:
- Hot flushes
- Mood swings
- Brain fog
- Headaches and migraines
- Weight gain
- Dry skin
- Insomnia
- Reduced libido
- Osteoporosis
The good news is that, according to award-winning fitness expert, Dean Hodgkin, appropriate exercise and tweaks to your food intake can positively impact most of these.
Resistance training should sit at the top of your to-do list for a number of reasons. Firstly, muscle tone can elevate your basal metabolic rate which is the amount of energy your resting body needs just to stay alive. What this implies is that you’ll burn more calories, not only when you’re active but also while you sleep! Clearly, this is particularly useful in helping to manage weight gain. Maintaining strength is not purely about aesthetics, although it will lead to a more toned appearance, more importantly it will enable you to continue to execute crucial daily tasks from carrying the shopping to the car, tidying up the garden and picking up the children and grandchildren. Since strength training involves loading the whole skeletal system, in addition to muscle gains studies show that bone mineral density increases, thereby reducing the risk of osteoporosis, of particular concern to the ageing female. Learning correct resistance training techniques leads to skill development that is essential for retaining cognitive function. It’s worth noting this is not just about pumping iron as resistance bands and bodyweight provide softer options to hit your resistance training goals of a total body workout, 2-3 times per week.
Supplementing your resistance training with cardio is a smart move, 2-3 times per week, as it will help you to end up on the right side of the calories in versus calories out equation. Options are to do 30-45 mins of what is called zone 2 training, an intensity that feels like you’re exercising, heart rate and body temperature are up, but you can still maintain a conversation, or 15-20 mins of interval training, alternating bursts of high intensity with slow recovery, maybe 30 secs of each repeated over and over. Whether you walk, jog, cycle, swim or row, you’ll make the same gains, so the choice is yours.
All exercise leads to a release of endocannabinoids, the bliss hormones, so resistance and cardio training will tick that box and help to beat off the negative moods and anxiety.
There is evidence that a number of foods can play an important role at this stage of your life with studies showing that fruit is linked to reduced menopause symptoms, dark berries proving to be particularly effective. High fibre intake is key for good gut health, which in turn affects your body’s oestrogen levels helping to reduce mood swings. Whole grains are essential so try to add brown rice, whole wheat bread, barley, quinoa and oats to your daily menu. Foods rich in calcium positively affect bone mineral density. Dairy (preferably low fat) is the most obvious route to obtaining calcium, with most of our needs being supplied in this way but almonds, sesame seeds and leafy green vegetables are also good sources. Adequate protein is essential to help to maintain muscle with obvious choices being eggs, meat, fish and legumes (chickpeas, soybeans and lentils). Also worth a mention, flaxseeds are reported to help reduce hot flushes and increase libido.
In the ‘avoid these’ column you’ll find all the usual culprits, processed foods, excess alcohol and items with high salt content (eg soup, pretzels).