Exercise During Menopause: How to Help Clients During this Transition

Menopause is an inevitable transition for many, but it can be difficult to deal with. It causes significant physical and emotional symptoms, sometimes lasting for years. It also poses risks for specific health conditions, like heart disease. Exercising during this time is vital both for those who are already active and those who have been mostly sedentary. Here’s what you need to know as someone experiencing menopause, a personal trainer or both.

About Menopause and Perimenopause

Menopause is defined as one year after a person’s last period. It is the end of their reproductive period and accompanied by a drop in estrogen levels. Many people refer to the uncomfortable symptoms of this stage of life as menopause, but they mostly belong to the period ahead of menopause known as perimenopause. 

Perimenopause is a transitional period. It can begin as early as the mid-30s but more commonly starts in the late 40s with fluctuating estrogen levels. Perimenopause can last many years, even a decade or more, before the final period. (1) An individual’s symptoms of perimenopause vary by type and severity but often include: 

• Irregular periods

• Hot flashes

• Night sweats and difficulty sleeping

• Mood changes, including depression

• Hair changes

• Changes in sexual function

• Frequent urination

• Weight gain

• Declining bone density

• Increases in “bad” cholesterol and decreases in “good” cholesterol

What Are the Benefits of Exercise During Menopause? 

In many ways, the benefits of exercising during perimenopause and menopause are the same as during any stage of life. But, for those going through this often uncomfortable and unsettling transition, exercise can relieve some of the symptoms and make it easier to cope. 

Combat Weight Gain

Weight gain is common as estrogen levels change. Metabolism slows, making it harder to maintain a healthy weight. Exercise along with a healthy diet can help manage weight. For individuals who were previously sedentary, beginning exercise now can help with weight loss. 

Maintain Bone Density and Muscle Mass

Changes in hormones at menopause cause decreases in bone density, which can lead to osteoporosis. Weight-bearing exercise helps combat bone loss. A loss in muscle mass is common as one ages. Strength training counteracts this trend and also boosts metabolism to support a healthy weight. 

Improve Heart Health

Another health consequence of dropping estrogen levels is a greater risk of heart disease. Regular exercise improves heart health by lowering certain risk factors, like high cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure.  

Support Good Mental Health

The hormonal changes of transitioning to menopause can both directly and indirectly cause mood changes. In addition to the direct effect on mood, the types of changes at this time of life can be difficult to cope with. Exercise is an excellent natural mood booster. 

Get Better Sleep

Sleep often suffers during perimenopause and menopause. Hot flashes and night sweats, depression, more frequent urination, and other symptoms make it harder to sleep. Exercise indirectly improves sleep by helping manage symptoms. Exercise is also generally good for sleep, helping you fall asleep faster and enjoy better overall sleep quality. 

Fatigue is common in menopause, which can make it difficult to stay motivated to work out. This guide shows you how to use exercise to combat fatigue. 

What Are the Most Important Types of Exercise for Perimenopause and Menopause? 

The best kind of exercise for any person going through this transition is really any. Those who were previously sedentary should get active in any way that gets them moving. All types of exercise in any amounts will provide benefits. 

There are, however, some important things to consider when adding or changing exercise during perimenopause and menopause: 

Strength Training

Strength training is vital as clients age. Most people naturally lose muscle mass at this time. Losing muscle mass can trigger a cascade of poor outcomes: less mobility, loss of normal functioning, greater risk of falls, and overall poorer quality of life. Lost muscle mass gets replaced with fat, often around the belly, which increases cardiovascular health risks. 

Regular strength training is the key to combating and reversing this natural decline. Sedentary individuals experiencing menopause should gently add in strength training at least twice a week. If you already work out, start using heavier weights to build muscle and improve bone density. 

Check out our guide for using strength training as a strategy for maintaining a healthy weight long-term. 

Cardio

Like strength training, cardio is important for everyone. During this transition, it can be a great tool for improving heart health, reducing cardiovascular risks, and losing or maintaining weight. The basic guideline is to get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise five days per week. 

For those just beginning to get active, walking is a great place to start. Any kind of weight-bearing exercise will improve bone density. From walking, you can transition to higher intensity exercise for greater fitness and heart health. 

Anyone experiencing menopause who is already active might want to incorporate some high-intensity interval training (HIIT). HIIT involves alternating between high-intensity cardio and rest periods. It boosts VO2 max and overall fitness more than moderate-intensity or endurance exercise. It also burns fat more effectively and builds lean muscle mass. 

Stretch and Balance

Now is a great time to add exercises that improve your flexibility and balance. As one ages, they lose flexibility and are more prone to falls, which can be very damaging. If you can stay or get flexible and improve your ability to balance, you can reduce these risks. 

Yoga is a great all-around strategy for both of these aspects of fitness. Yoga includes complete body stretches and many poses that build balance. Tai chi is also a good type of exercise for balance, with the added benefit of being gentle on the joints. Core strength is essential for balance, so be sure to include abdominal and back exercises in your strength training routine. 

Pelvic Floor Exercises

Bladder issues and signs of sexual dysfunction are common during aging, likely due to weakening of the pelvic floor muscles. Studies have shown that exercising these muscles can improve symptoms. Kegel exercises are particularly important. (2)

If you’re not sure how to exercise these muscles, you can work with a pelvic floor physical therapist. These specialists help manage symptoms through exercises, hands-on therapy, and lifestyle changes. 

Staying Motivated to Exercise

It can be tough to stick with an exercise routine when you feel depressed, fatigued, or bloated. It’s easy to slip into a pattern of using your symptoms to indulge in couch time or comfort foods. There is a time and place for this kind of self-care, but you’ll get more benefits from pushing yourself to be and stay active. 

Enlist friends who are also going through perimenopause to make exercise a social activity. Working out with friends is fun, but it’s also motivating and aids accountability. Keep exercise varied so you don’t get bored. When you feel too tired or defeated to work out, just go outside for a short walk. Give yourself ten minutes, and you’ll likely start to feel better and prepared to do more. 

If you’re a personal trainer, be aware of the challenges some of your clients in this age group may be experiencing. Help them plan exercise routines to combat their symptoms and keep them strong. Your expertise and motivation will help them in so many ways.

Elevate Your Training: Get Certified as a Personal Trainer

Adapting workouts for a variety of clients with different needs is just one of the many things you’ll learn in the ISSA’s Certified Personal Trainer – Self-Guided Study Program. Finish this course online and at your own pace to earn one of the most widely recognized and respected credentials in the fitness industry. 

References

1. Perimenopause - Symptoms and Causes. (2023, May 25). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/perimenopause/symptoms-causes/syc-20354666

2. Nazarpour, S., Simbar, M., Ramezani Tehrani, F., & Alavi Majd, H. (2017). Effects of Sex Education and Kegel Exercises on the Sexual Function of Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 14(7), 959–967. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2017.05.006