This guide is created to bring more awareness about the importance of exercise when going through the menopause.
We have included some tips around what exercise may be best to focus on to improve body composition and combat the side effects of the menopause. As well as nutritional tips to aid performance, recovery and mood.
The Benefits Of Training:
Muscular strength and mass decrease significantly when going through the menopause. The reason for this is the decline in oestrogen levels. In particular oestradiol loss is seen to be the most important contributor in muscle mass loss through menopause.
Research has proven that strength training helps to minimise age related muscle loss and can even reverse sarcopenia. Sarcopenia has been defined as the decline in skeletal muscle mass and strength with advancing age.
Strength training is vital for peri and post menopause to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and to enhance joint stability.
Pelvic floor:
Pelvic floor muscles can weaken due to the decline of oestrogen and ageing. Weakened pelvic floor muscles can lead to stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and prolapse. It is crucial to understand pelvic floor exercises and be aware of bracing when lifting in the gym.
Types of exercise to help the effects of menopause
Strength:
Resistance training is essential for preserving muscle mass and strength, this can decline rapidly as you age with hormonal changes. Don’t avoid the weights!
HIIT:
HiiT can be especially good to implement as improves insulin sensitivity and lowers fasting blood sugar levels, which is good for your overall cardiovascular and metabolic health, especially during the menopause transition when blood sugar can be harder to manage.
Stretching:
Stretching can improve joint health, flexibility and overall range of motion which you may feel will reduce during the menopause, yoga, Pilates etc are all great!
Walking:
Keep getting those steps in! Improve your mood, reduce arthritis pain and stiffness in your joints, it’s a no brainer. Walking is also great for low-impact activity in-between the higher impact exercise days.
HRT effects on exercise
HRT helps maintain oestrogen levels and helps protect bones, after 35 calcium is slowly lost from your bones so this is a huge factor why you are risk of osteoporosis. HRT can influence recovery from exercise and injury with tissue repair and regeneration, this could decrease the risk of injuries from exercise-induced muscle damage. HRT can have a positive effect on body composition too, by optimising oestrogen, testosterone and thyroid hormone levels, it can play a role on weight management; a number of factors include better appetite control, increased metabolic rate, increased insulin sensitivty.
There are two main types of HRT:
Combined HRT (Oestrogen and progestogen). This is for women who still have their womb.
Oestrogen only HRT: This is for women who have had their womb removed in a hysterectomy.
Nutrition around menopause
Supplement Guide:
Black Cohosh: Found in the root of the North American Black Cohosh plant. It helps with hot flushes and sweats. avoid if previous liver problems. Recommended does is 20mg twice a day.
St John’s Wort: shown to be effective in reducing depression in menopause. Recommended dose is 300mg three times a day.
Vitamin D: Helps to reduce symptoms of mood disturbance and musculoskeletal pains. Recommended dose 600 IU per day.
Calcium: Bone density decreases during menopause. Calcium reduces this. The recommended dose is 1,200mg per day.
Magnesium: Helps with energy metabolism and skeletal muscle function. Magnesium citrate is the most bioavailable and best for absorption however magnesium glycinate is also effective in calming effects. Recommended dose is 320mg per day.
Lignans: Flaxseeds, wheat flour, berries, fruits, veg, peanuts, coffee and tea. These are all types of lignans; one of the four phytoestrogens. They are shown to increase levels of oestrogen and help to balance hormones in menopause.
Tips:
It’s always important to keep good quality protein within your diet to support your muscles.
It is important to manage sodium levels as during menopause water retention can occur. 2g per day is recommended.
Phytoestrogens natural foods include soy based products, berries, barley, sesame seeds, chickpeas, tea, peanuts.
High calcium foods, aiming for 1200mg per day. You can get calcium into your diet through diary, spinach, baked beans, dried figs & tofu. This will help keep your bones strong!
Taking Collagen
As your body ages, it will lose collagen. By the age of 40, you can lose up to 1% of your body’s collagen each year. Collagen is a protein in your body that makes up tissues and organs. Supplementing with the protein can help to preserve skin health, muscle mass, bones and joints. The recommended dose is 5g to 10g per day.
Collagen helps to improve hydration in the skin and can appear more plump and youthful.
Hair growth can be improved and helps promote glossier hair and reduce hair loss. This is because collagen strengthens the skin on the scalp which then strengthens hair follicles.
Collagen may help to support and strengthen bone cartilage, increasing bone density and reducing the risk of osteoporosis.
Collagen is a key structural protein that may help with digestive symptoms like bloating.
Sleep
It would be silly not to mention sleep, seeing as this is such a huge part of your recovery. During the menopause, your sleep can be affected due to your hormonal levels. The decline of oestrogen and progesterone will affect the body’s internal clock (circadian rhythm) due to impact on serotonin.
This can be a cause of things such as hot flushes, if oestrogen does not activate part of the brain responsible for thermoregulation, then the brain can not regulate body temperature correctly which can result in hot flushes and night sweats; as we know poor sleep is never good news!
So here are a few things you can do to ensure sleep is at its best in order to get a quality nights rest.
Avoid napping late afternoon
Aim to follow a regular sleeping pattern if you can.
Develop a night time routine
Avoid screen time before bed.
Keep bedroom at a cool temperature
Avoid caffeine too late in the day (after 2pm)
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