Menopause: Sweat out your symptoms
Many of the symptoms of menopause can be
relieved–and even prevented–with exercise.
The following is a list of symptoms and diseases
associated with menopause that can be alleviated by exercise:
- Mood changes. Because exercise increases one’s sense of
well-being, it counters menopausal mood changes. Exercise also promotes deep, restful sleep, which
counteracts the insomnia some women experience during menopause.
- Heart disease. A woman’s risk of developing heart disease increases
after menopause. Exercise raises the level of HDL, or “good” cholesterol,
while lowering LDL, or “bad” cholesterol. Exercise also helps lower blood
pressure.
- Osteoporosis. Weight-bearing exercise helps keep the
musculoskeletal system healthy, prevents bone loss and strengthens the
back and hips to maintain good flexibility.
- Hot flashes. While there isn’t much
research to prove that exercise reduces hot flashes, there’s reason to believe
that exercise may help you cope with the discomfort of this symptom.
By improving circulation, exercise can make your
body more tolerant of temperature extremes and able to cool down quicker. It
also strengthens the endocrine system, so that the adrenal glands and ovaries
function more efficiently, and it seems to increase the amount of estrogen and
other hormones in the blood.
To reap all these benefits, there are two types of
exercise you should incorporate into your program: weight-bearing for bone
strength and aerobic for heart strength.
For weight-bearing exercise, consider taking a 20
to 30 minute walk each day. Try to do aerobic activity that gets you to your
“target” heart rate three times a week (see “Calculating Your Target Heart
Rate”).
If you have medical conditions, or if you haven’t
exercised much in the past, talk to your doctor before starting an exercise
program.
Calculating your target heart rate
Your target heart rate is reached when your heart is beating at 70 to 85
percent of its maximum rate.
To find your target heart rate, subtract your age
from the number 220, then multiply by the percentage of maximum rate you wish
to achieve. (If you haven’t exercised much in the past, start with a target
heart rate of 70 percent and then gradually work up to 85 percent.)
For example, the target heart rate of a 45-year-old
whose goal is to work out at 70 percent of the maximum rate would be calculated
like this:
- 220 — 45 = 175
- 175 x .70 = 123 beats per minute
To check your heart rate during exercise, take your
pulse for 10 seconds. Multiply that number by six to determine the total beats
per minute.
