Menopause: A Time for Health
Physical activity, a well-balanced diet and other important controllable health behaviors are important at every part of the life cycle.
To everything there is a season. During the menopausal season, we celebrate the richness and depth of our lives, journeys taken and the many treasures still to be discovered. Midlife is a time for looking back with thanks for what we have learned, and looking forward to all we still hope to do.
As we grow older, our lifestyle continues to help us maximize our physical and psychological well-being. Thank goodness we no longer live in the days when we were supposed to “slow down” the minute a gray hair appeared. Research continues to demonstrate that physical activity, a well-balanced diet and other important controllable health behaviors are important at every part of the life cycle.
How can health behaviors help menopausal symptoms?
Menopausal symptoms vary tremendously from woman to woman. Some women experience only mild symptoms that intrude very little on their daily lives, while others experience extreme discomfort. Each must address her own needs in ways that are suitable for her.
A healthful lifestyle increases our stress resistance as we experience the physical and psychological effects of changing hormone levels. A healthful lifestyle may be all that is needed for healthy women with mild symptoms, but is probably not the whole answer if symptoms are more severe. If this is the case, discuss problems with your physician, and look for the best alternatives.
A friend of mine has observed that while her exercise program has not lessened the severity of her hot flashes, at least the sweating and flushing look normal during aerobics class. And while exercise is not the solution to hot flashes, it does help prevent, or at least reduce, the weight gain many women experience after menopause. Exercise also improves sleep quality and reduces insomnia, another common menopausal complaint. Physical activity is a potent stress reducer and one of the best treatments available for mild to moderate anxiety and depression, and the mood swings that some women experience.
Some women (and men) find that as they grow older, they are more bothered by substances such as alcohol and caffeine. Nicotine use becomes riskier than ever. Prescription and over-the-counter drugs, such as sleeping pills and tranquilizers, sometimes prescribed for menopausal symptoms, can actually make symptoms worse.
Diet is important, too. A healthful, low-fat diet helps keep your blood sugar level under control, which keeps you on an even keel throughout the day. A healthful diet also helps prevent many of the chronic disorders such as high blood pressure and diabetes, that become more common as we age.
Isn’t exercise important for healthy aging, too?
Essential! Many health risks increase after menopause, partly because of hormonal changes, but partly as a byproduct of the aging process. Risk of osteoporosis, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, obesity and high blood cholesterol gets higher as we age. Regular physical activity reduces our risk of developing these disorders, and often reduces their severity if and when they do develop.
I’ve heard there are some exercises and activities that should be avoided after menopause.
Activities that require running and jumping used to be avoided by older women because they stress the muscles of the pelvic floor. During menopause, the muscles and ligaments that support the pelvic organs may get weaker. This can cause stress incontinence in some women, especially those predisposed to this condition, which may have resulted from trauma to this area during childbirth.
Many women maintain strong pelvic floor muscles into old age, and continue to perform activities requiring running and jumping. Kegel exercises can help many women rehabilitate weak pelvic muscles. Sometimes surgery can help correct the problem. In other words, you must “know your body” and decide how much stress it can take.
Similarly, older adults (we’re talking way past menopause here, into their 60s, 70s and beyond) must take all health limitations into consideration when planning an exercise program. An activity program can be designed around an arthritic knee or a poor sense of balance. That’s why getting some assistance from a qualified fitness professional can be so helpful in individualizing a program to suit your interests and health concerns.
By Barbara A. Brehm, Ed.D.