During menopause, a women’s body goes through many different changes. It is recommended that women who are going through menopause should work out as it helps reduce the symptoms. But why does this help you? And what workouts should you do to help you with the symptoms? We have broken down all of this information for you so you can see why it is important.

Why working out during menopause is important

There are many benefits of working out. Exercise during menopause is important as it helps to strengthen your bones. This is due to you losing bone mass due to a lack of oestrogen in the body.  Here are some ways how it helps with menopause symptoms, it can:

• Reduce hot flushes
• Improve mood
• Help you to sleep
• Reduce anxiety
• Strengthens your bones

Workout plan

There are many different types of workout plans you can do, but there are specific ones that have been found to be good for women who are going through menopause. Here are some of the routines that can help:

Aerobic Activity:

This type of activity can help you shed weight and helps you maintain a healthy weight. Try having brisk walks, jogging, bike rides, swimming or water aerobics. If you are starting to do this type of activity, it is recommended that you start with 10 minutes per day and gradually increase the duration. Other types of aerobic activities are dancing and Zumba workshops.

Strength Training:

Strength training can help you reduce your body fat, strengthen your muscles and burn calories more efficiently. Try weight machines, hand-held weights or resistance bands/tubes. Choose a resistance level that is enough to tire your muscles out after doing a certain type of exercise 12 times. Gradually increase the weight or resistance level as you get stronger.

Stretching

Stretching can help improve flexibility. If you are planning to do any time of exercise, always set aside times to stretch before and after your workout period. A type of workout that helps with relaxing you is conducting yoga sessions when you can.

Stability and balance

Balance exercises improve your stability. Improving your stability will prevent you from falling due to not being balanced. Try simple exercises throughout your day, such as standing on one leg when you are waiting for something. Activities such as tai chi can also help in regards to improving your balance/stability.

Menopause Workout

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Short workouts are an excellent way to keep down the amount of weight you gain and muscle loss. Here is an easy workout routine to try.

• 10 seconds skipping/pretend skipping
• 20 seconds skaters lunges
• 10 seconds skipping/pretend skipping
• 20 seconds pull-down arm curtseys
• Repeat 4 times

How to stay motivated

It’s hard to stay motivated to exercise at the best of times never mind while you are in pain or feeling down. Here are some simple and easy ways to stay motivated:

• Set 30 minutes aside for exercise
• Set a routine to exercise
• Exercise at home
• Daily walks
• Dog walks
• Having friends join

What else can help

There are other things that can help women through menopause. Such as taking supplements, having Hormone Replacement Therapy, taking antidepressants and avoiding alcohol and smoking.  Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a treatment used to relieve symptoms of menopause. This form of therapy replaces hormones that decrease as you approach menopause.  We at VitaProHealth provide a range of different supplements to aid you through your menopausal journey click here to see all women’s health supplements.

How to help

Here at VitaProHealth, we provide the highest quality supplements available to help you through your Menopause journey. Our supplements are the best. If you have any questions about exactly the best vitamins are for you or want to know more about our Women’s Health page, please contact us via email at info@vitaprohealth.com. Furthermore, have a look at the HealthLine website for more info on the different workouts that help.

Menopause is the term used to describe when women experience a halt in experiencing periods. This usually happens naturally as they age, from the age range of 45 to 55 years old.  There is no other way to put it but it simply isn’t a great experience. However, there are certain foods to avoid during this stage of your life, as well as certain foods to change. Both will help you during menopause so that you can tackle this well equipped and feel as good as possible.

As losing weight becomes increasingly difficult at this time we need to start avoiding those foods that we cannot burn off.  As they say, prevention is better than cure. Some examples of what foods to avoid during menopause will be discussed.

Foods to avoid

Research has proven that high blood sugar, results in an increase in hot flashes in menopausal women. Processed foods and added sugars are known to raise your blood sugar at a fast pace. The processed element of this is very profound and has a direct impact. Processed foods and added sugars are also known to have the same impact, they cause a spike in insulin release. Releasing too much insulin is not great for your body.  The more processed the type of food is, the more of an impact it has on your blood sugar levels. Examples of processed foods are breakfast cereals, cheese, microwave meals or ready-made meals, cakes and biscuits, milk or soft drinks, and more.

Spicy foods are something to avoid. There is limited research on this. However, when a study was carried out, there was an association between menopausal women experiencing hot flashes and the intake of spicy food. Spice tolerance is variable to the individual, so take this with a pinch of salt. Something we would recommend is going for a period of time without consuming spicy food, and then a period of time consuming spicy food. Examine your own symptoms and see if they align with hot flushes or symptoms of such and then make the lifestyle changes that are in your favour.

Foods to eat

There are two specific types of foods that most women lack in their diet. They can have a negative impact on your body during menopause. It is important to increase your intake so that your body can function at its best, and will keep you in optimum condition during the time of menopause.  They are both calcium and iron. In terms of calcium, this can be done by having two to four servings of foods rich in calcium. It is found in dairy products, such as fish that have bones (sardines and salmon), legumes, broccoli, and more. 1,200 mg a day is the recommended intake. In terms of iron, have 3 servings of food rich in iron a day. Iron is found in grains, nuts, eggs, fish, red meat, poultry, and more. 8mg a day is the recommended intake.

Vitamin D is what your body needs in order to absorb calcium. What good is eating more calcium if your body isn’t making the most of it? Exactly! Make sure to either eat foods rich in Vitamin D, such as oily fish, liver, egg yolks, red meat, and more. You can opt for the easier route though and take Vitamin D supplements instead.

Whole grains have high nutrient content, including vitamin B and fiber. In a study that was carried out with 11,000 postmenopausal women, they found out that consuming 4.7g of whole-grain fiber with 2,000 calories per day led to a reduction in the risk of death by 17% when compared to a 1.3g  intake. Examples of whole-grain foods include brown rice, quinoa, and barley.

Let us help you!

Check out our shop page to find the perfect supplements for you to help you with menopausal needs or have a look at our lifestyle pages where you can find guidelines, advice, and specially tailored products.

Menopause is the time in a woman’s life when she stops having periods. The average age of menopause is around 50, but it can occur between the ages of 48 and 54. It occurs as women gradually lose their ovarian function resulting in a reduction in the production of the female hormones oestrogen and progesterone. Hormone production does not stop suddenly, instead, women experience various stages.

What are the common symptoms of menopause?

Some of the main symptoms include:

• Hot flushes
• Joint pain
• Vaginal dryness, bladder weakness
• Loss of libido
• Night sweats
• Weight gain, anxiety, persistent insomnia, mood changes, skin flaccidity
• Stress, irritability, fatigue, dry eyes, short-term memory loss
• Itching, loss of self-esteem, depression

What can you do to ease the symptoms?

In this mind field of information where everyone is different so everyone has advice but it will not work for everyone.

Some of the things that can help with menopause are the following:

• Take regular Exercise – Yoga is amazing to help with stress
• Talk to people or forums of people that suffer from menopause
• Talk to family and friends – so they know how you feel
• Diet affects moods and helps not to increase your weight
• Eliminate toxic habits from your life – smoking should be stopped immediately
• New hobbies and interests will help with having fun in your life

You can also try our Routine Menopause Support Capsules or our Routine Maca Capsules, which are both designed to help ease the symptoms of menopause. Check out the ingredient lists to see if you are able to take them. You may also consult with your doctor to see if they think it’s right for you.

For any information on what supplements you can take to help with these symptoms, have a look at our Women’s Health Lifestyle page. For any information on other women’s health, topics have a look at our blogs. If you have any questions, email in at info@vitaprohealth.com and we’ll be more than happy to help!