What Exercise Can Do For Menopausal Women - Part

A survey asked women to rate their worst menopausal symptoms and the results were: anxiety 26%, hot flashes 24%, mood swings 22%, insomnia 16% and night sweats 13%.
Other inconvenient symptoms are memory loss and urinary incontinence.

Exercise may or may not help some of these annoying symptoms. Some studies have found beneficial effects of exercise while others have found no change in symptoms. Each woman is different. But since exercise improves many other aspects of health and well-being, working out is always to your advantage if you are a woman in mid-life.

Depression, Anxiety and Mood Swings
Many studies have shown that exercise can work as well as an anti-depressant for mild to moderate cases of depression and anxiety. This may be because exercise increases production of endorphins and phenylethylamine (PEA). Endorphins are “feel good” chemicals similar to opium that decrease anxiety, increase feelings of euphoria, improve pain tolerance, and help control appetite. PEA is a natural stimulant related to amphetamines.

According to Sabrena Newton of the American Council on Exercise, the mood-enhancing effect of exercise is “continuous as long as the woman is involved in a regular, consistent exercise program. If the woman exercises most days of the week at the recommended intensities, she should have relief even on the days she doesn’t exercise”.

Unbalanced hormonal levels during menopause can affect serotonin, a brain chemical that influences sleep, appetite, mood, and sex drive. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression. Exercise, especially repetitive rhythmic activities like walking and aerobic dance, may help because it increases serotonin production.

Exercise takes your mind off your problems and can empower you to feel like you can face those problems with confidence. If you exercise with other people, the social aspect can also lift mood and decrease anxiety.

Hot Flashes
Hot flashes (during the day) or night sweats (usually during the first half of the night) is a sudden rush of heat to the head, neck and chest that produces profuse perspiration. This can sometimes be followed by a chilling sensation as the body tries to regain normal temperature.

Only 10% of women in countries like Japan, Mexico, and Pakistan experience hot flashes compared to 65% of women from western countries. A diet high in phytoestrogens or plant sources of estrogen (found in more than 300 plant foods like soy, apples, and bean sprouts) may account for the low incidence of hot flashes in non-western countries.

Increased physical activity levels may also play a role. A Swedish study found that postmenopausal women (between 52 and 54 years) who had no hot flashes were exercising 3.5 hours a week. Those who exercised less were more likely to experience the bothersome condition.

Declining estrogen levels lead to a decrease in endorphins, which aside from enhancing mood are also associated with temperature control. Since exercise increases endorphins, this may explain how working out can help relieve hot flashes.

Slow deep breathing may also be beneficial. A study by research psychologists found that slow abdominal breathing or “paced respiration” done twice a day reduced the frequency of hot flashes by 40%. According to the Mayo Clinic, slow breathing might also provide some relief if done when you feel a hot flash coming.

Memory Loss
According to the website on Alternative Medicine for Menopause, “Regular exercise may also have a significant effect on our mental agility by increasing the amount of oxygen supplied to the brain. In a comparison of sedentary older women and older women who got regular exercise, after four months the exercising group processed information faster in tests. This effect of exercise is particularly marked in older people.”

Urinary Incontinence
“Urinary stress incontinence” occurs when you sneeze, cough or laugh and urine involuntarily leaks out. It usually happens because the muscles of the pelvic floor or the muscles that surround your urinary and genital organs have become flabby with age or were previously weakened by childbirth.

Some women stop being physically active for fear of embarrassing situations when urine leaks out when they exercise.

A simple exercise called the “kegel” can prevent and treat stress incontinence. A kegel is performed by contracting and relaxing the pelvic floor muscles, which is similar to what you would do if you wanted to stop the flow of urine.

Initially, try contracting for five seconds and releasing for five. Do ten repetitions, three times a day. When you have mastered that, increase the holding time to ten seconds. You can also practice ‘quick kegels’ – rapidly contract and release doing fifty repetitions. Do your kegels while sitting, standing or lying down.

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