improving MENOPAUSE

During menopause, women experience many negative symptoms due to the loss of estrogen (Stojanovska et al., 2014). Symptoms may be vasomotor symptoms which include hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disturbances, joint pain, and mood swings (Stojanovska et al., 2014). All these symptoms can be very exhausting and affect overall quality of life, but maintaining an exercise routine provides some relief and restores some emotional balance. 

 
In a longitudinal exercise study, menopausal women who exercised 3 hours weekly reduced their experience of hot flashes by 49% compared to women who did not exercise. (Stojanovska et al., 2014). Moreover, 50% of women at the beginning of the study reported having symptoms, and after the study, only 37% of women reported menopause symptoms (Stojanovska et al., 2014). In addition to the reduction of physical symptoms, exercise also improves feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress for active women compared to sedentary ones (Stojanovska et al., 2014). Additionally, exercise during menopause prevents weight gain, muscle mass, and the weakening of bones and joints. (Stojanovska et al., 2014). Some exercises that alleviate symptoms (60 mins a day) are: walking, gardening, and cycling (Stojanovska et al., 2014).