Menopause: Regular exercise can help

September 27, 2024 - Defence Stories

Q: My sister and mother experienced menopause at an early age and their symptoms were quite intense. Given my family history, I worry my menopause will also be challenging. Unlike my sister and mother, I enjoy an active lifestyle and I wonder if this will be helpful when my change of life occurs. Concerned Courtney

A: Dear Courtney: Research shows being physically active is an important way to improve quality of life for those with menopausal symptoms. There is a great variety of menopausal experiences; some people have minimal symptoms while others have a much harder time. Common symptoms can include insomnia, mood changes, pain, and hot flashes. Menopause also increases your risk of problems such as heart attacks, stroke, breast cancer and osteoporosis.

Regular physical activity offers peri-menopausal and menopausal people many quality-of-life benefits. Exercise will probably not help with symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats or urinary symptoms of menopause. Rather, positive changes are related to the many benefits regular exercise offers everyone. These benefits include better sleep quality, reduced risk of several types of cancer, increased cardiovascular fitness, increased muscle mass, reduced anxiety and depression, and enhanced feelings of well-being. Some studies have also shown regular exercise can reduce fatigue, improve chronic muscle pain, and reduce the rate of bone loss.

But exercise is not the only option. Don’t hesitate to consult your primary care provider for help with menopausal symptoms – there are effective treatments above and beyond physical activity. Learn more about menopause with these resources: Menopause video series (mil.ca) (accessible only on the National Defence network); Menopause Demystified (mil.ca) [PDF, 327KB) (accessible only on the National Defence network); Menopause and U.

The good news is that you can enjoy the benefits of physical activity without having to train like a professional athlete, or even needing to go to the gym if you don’t want to! A good exercise program includes these basic components:

1. Cardiovascular activities - e.g., walking, cross-country skiing, ruck marching, running, swimming and biking, at a moderate intensity for 150 minutes/wk or at a higher intensity for 75 minutes/wk.
2. Strength training activities - e.g., core strengthening, lifting weights, pulling on resistance bands, and calisthenics – two-three times/week.
3. Flexibility training – Make stretching, such as yoga or Pilates, part of every workout!

To reduce your rate of bone loss, you need to do impact activities (such as walking and running) and/or activities where your muscles pull on your bones – you will get this from your cardiovascular and strength training.

The bottom line: Regular exercise won’t eliminate all your menopausal symptoms, but it can help you cope better with them. It also reduces your risk of developing many of the diseases that become more common after menopause. Menopause may change your life, but regular exercise can be life changing!

Dr. Darrell Menard OMM MD, Dip Sport Med

Dr. Menard is the Surgeon General’s specialist advisor in sports medicine. Strengthening the Forces is the CAF/DND’s health promotion program providing expert information, guidance, training, tools and leadership support to improve CAF members’ health and well-being.