Does exercise really help menopause?

Before menopause, your progesterone levels help buffer against stress-induced cortisol spikes. The body’s ability to do that reduces as the levels of progesterone lower during perimenopause, and so you become less able to deal with stress. This higher cortisol level can cause many typical perimenopause symptoms including disturbed sleep, weight gain, low mood, food cravings and low libido.

While it might sound counterintuitive, many studies have proven that increased exercise actually helps boost energy levels, which in turn promotes better sleep. Moreover, good levels of sleep and exercise lead to better nutritional choices and fewer cravings, making it easier to control your weight. Crucially, there is also extensive evidence that exercise improves mental health and improve your mood.

Your muscle mass naturally declines from your thirties onwards and accelerates once you hit perimenopause, as oestrogen levels drop. This can affect your power, balance, strength and aerobic capacity. Declining oestrogen also means osteoporosis is a real threat as your bone breaks down faster than it repairs.

The good news is that it’s never too late to do something about it, and for optimum health, your exercise routine should include a mix of cardio, resistance training and yoga or Pilates.

What cardio is best for menopause?

Firstly, choose something you enjoy and are going to continue doing. Consistency and building routine is really important when it comes to exercise.

Secondly, think about your goal. If it’s weight management, you may need to make some changes to your current exercise routine. As you get older, for example, HIIT workouts can cause far too much stress on the body. So as an alternative, you may want to consider swapping your HIIT to steady state cardio, such as running, cycling, spinning, swimming or hiking.

Try different approaches to find out what works for you. You are unique and each person responds in different ways to the changes during menopause - so your cardio routine will be as unique as you are.

What about resistance training?

Resistance training includes lifting weights, using resistance bands or simple bodyweight exercises to create resistance for the muscles and bones to move against. Put simply, the more work you give your body to do, the stronger it becomes.

Like cardio, you need to find something you enjoy and will keep doing regularly. To begin with, just focus on bodyweight exercises like press ups or squats and build up from there.

And why yoga or Pilates?

Yoga combines physical movements with meditation and calm breathing techniques, and Pilates involves a series of repetitive body moves with a breath technique to enhance correct movement and coordination.

A regular (weekly) yoga and Pilates class will help improve your muscle strength, and balance and flexibility skills, all of which are beneficial. They’ll also help you tone up more generally.

How often do I need to do exercise?

Session length will depend on you, but ideally, try to fit 60 minute sessions in two or three times a week.

If you can only manage smaller chunks of time, try to do them daily. Some women will be okay starting off with 30 minutes while others will find that overwhelming. Don’t set yourself unrealistic expectations. Something is better than nothing, and starring out with something manageable gives a base on which to build.

Where do I start?

Simply getting your body moving and doing something positive for yourself is the first step, so if you’re not yet exercising regularly, just get outside and go for a walk.

Invest in a step tracker (you can pick up a used model on eBay for less than £10) and see what your average daily step count is across seven days. If it’s 5,000 average steps daily - aim for 5,500 for the coming week. Then 6,000 for the week after and aim to build up to between 8,000 and 10,000 steps.