Bigger Benefits For Midlife Women From Exercise

If you think exercise is something that is more effective when you are younger, then here’s some good news for all menopausal women.

A study at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst has shown that the exercise you perform a bit later in life has a greater impact on your body composition than the effects younger women would get with the same amount of effort.

So it’s never too late!

In the study researchers reported that, overall, the 275 postmenopausal women who participated in the study spent less time moving and more time sitting than the 630 premenopausal women enrolled in the investigation.

They also found that sedentary behavior was more strongly linked to waist circumference in the postmenopausal women.

Putting weight on around the middle is one most women are concerned about at menopause, so as well as paying attention to your diet and hormones it seems exercise really will make a difference.

Exercise benefits greater at mid life than when younger

However, when the menopausal women performed light exercise – even casual walking or housework – their bodies benefited more than did the bodies of the premenopausal women.

“Across the board, for each measure of body composition, we found that light physical activity had a greater impact in menopausal compared with premenopausal women,” reported lead author Lisa Troy, Ph.D.

It seems menopausal women may have greater control of their weight and shape than they think, and may realise more benefits from physical activity than their younger counterparts.

Helpful information

Given how clear the benefits of exercise are, it is hard to know why we are often so reluctant to undertake it – and I hold my hands up as being guilty of this!

The best method is to simply incorporate it into your daily life – it does not have to be frantic or sweaty but a simple brisk walk or dancing round the kitchen for five minutes will help.

I have found that the key is always to find something you enjoy and do it little and often – or just make one or two extra trips up and down the stairs a day as it can make a difference too.

Weight at menopause is often a problem and it is clear that sitting too long will definitely expand your waistline, but so too will hormone imbalance.

If you feel bloated and uncomfortable, you may want to check if you have symptoms of oestrogen dominance. If you do, then changing to a diet that supports hormone balance would be a good first step.

https://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/the-diet-to-help-beat-oestrogen-dominance