Night sweats, hot flashes, high blood pressure and osteoporosis – does his sound like a list of things you would like to avoid? For women facing menopause, exercise may be part of the answer.

Chronic Disease Risk

A women’s risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes is higher once she enters menopause. This is linked with changes in blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels. Research shows that regular exercise controls these risk factors and lowers a women’s overall chance for developing disease. A University of Tennessee study demonstrated that when postmenopausal women began walking 2 miles each day, they lowered their blood pressure level within normal limits. In the Women’s Healthy Study, women who walked 2 or more hours per week cut their risk for coronary heart disease by more than half. Exercise is a critical lifestyle factors in helping women avoid chronic diseases.

Osteoporosis

All people lose bone as the get older, and this is particularly apparent in postmenopausal women. This sometimes crippling disease affects more than eight million American women. It is estimated that more than half of all women older than 50 years will have osteoporosis-related fractures during their lifetime. Fortunately, a number of effective pharmaceutical agents have been developed to treat this disease, but from a prevention standpoint, exercise can be effective in helping maintain strong bones. Both weight-bearing exercise such as walking and resistance training (i.e., weight lifting) can help minimize bone loss. When bones are stronger, fracture risk is lower. The Nurses’ Health Study indicates that the risk for hip fractures in post menopausal women was reduced by 60% for every hour spent walking per week.

Weight Management

A loss of muscle mass and an increase abdominal fat are common at the time of menopause. Regular exercise is effective at fighting both of these changes. Exercise simulates muscles and helps alleviate age0related muscles loss. In addition, the calories expended during exercise help maintain a healthy body weight and minimize the accumulation of abdominal fat, a particularly harmful alteration in body composition. In a group of menopause women studied at the University of Tennessee, active women had 23 lbs less of fat on their trunks and their waists were 7 inches smaller than sedentary women.

Menopause Symptoms

Hot flashes, mood disturbances and problems with sleep are common complaints during menopause transition. The impact of exercise on these symptoms has been investigated, but the results are not always clear. Some, but not all, women experience relief from these symptoms when they begin regular exercise. For those women who do experience relief, the improvement in quality of life is significant.

Summary

Getting regular exercise is a lifestyle choice with the potential to greatly improve a women’s health. Although aging brings increased risk of disease, exercise can help. ACSM recommends that adults get at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise every day. It is the role of fitness professionals to help develop specific exercise plans to meet an individual's needs.

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