Exercise is good for our physical health. Most of us know that regular exercise can strengthen your heart and bones, boost your immune system, help to control your weight, and improve your posture. It is important for our emotional health and brain function. But is there something special that we need to do at menopause? Are there certain activities that we should we be focusing on?
In the years preceding menopause the levels of oestrogen in a woman’s body are reducing. Oestrogen plays a role in many bodily processes including protecting the heart, regulating body temperature and stimulating bone growth. So, at menopause women need to take action to maintain their health. They also need to manage their stress levels as sustained, high levels of stress have a negative impact on the reproductive hormone levels.
My guest on the Hot Women Rock Radio Show this week, Jackie Grant, is a Hormone Health and Fitness Coach. She is on a mission to help women to find natural solutions to their hormonal imbalances so that they can feel great in their own skin. Her exercise programs aim to take away the frustration and the need to feel that you to have to go on another diet or spend all your time in the gym. And let’s face it, what working woman has the time for that?
Jackie also emphasises the need for restorative activities to manage stress and increase wellbeing.
‘You’ve only got one place to live and that’s your body. So you need to look after it’.
Jackie’s Story
Jackie has always been in the profession of helping people to find solutions to enhance their health and life. She started her career as a drugs worker before moving into Senior Management in the drug and alcohol service before moving into running my own fitness and health business.
‘I always enjoyed going to the gym and I wanted to be a fitness instructor. When I was 42 I decided to take a leap and start my own fitness business. I had experienced Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). I did a lot of my own research so that I could manage my health and wellness. I wanted to pass that information on to other women. 
I started off focusing on the exercise and then brought in the nutrition aspect. Nutrition goes hand-in hand with exercise. I believe fitness is 805 nutrition and 20% exercise although this ration changes as we go into perimenopause. At that stage you start to lose your muscle mass and bone density so strength training becomes more important.
But there is another aspect of exercise at menopause that often gets overlooked. Women’s lives in their 40s and 50s can be very busy and stressful. Stress can have an effect on our physical health as well as our emotional health. As women, we need to make space for our selfcare and take time to relax.
7 Top Tips for Exercise at menopause
- Put your health at the top of your To Do List. If you have poor health there will be no you to go to work or to help anyone else.
- Schedule into your diary time for one thing you can commit to and build on that activity.
- Before you start an exercise programme have a fitness assessment to create your baseline. This will help you to review your progress.
- Set achievable goals and plan your actions to achieve them. Acknowledge any obstacles or challenges that may arise.
- Make time for restorative activities such as meditation, walking in nature, Yoga Nidra, dancing or just lie down and listen to music.
- Don’t beat yourself up if you are unable to do everything you planned.
- Find out more about menopause by reading, visiting a menopause café, talking to your friends or joining a women’s group.
You can find out more about Jackie’s approach to exercise at menopause in her Facebook Group
If you need more support for your wellbeing at menopause contact me today and book a chat.