Exercise to Ease Menopause Symptoms

All women eventually go through menopause and new research indicates that those who exercise regularly or even just take long walks tend to feel better.

While it's been known that exercise is important for many reasons, those who are approaching or already going through menopause can benefit even more from frequent movement.

Menopause generally occurs between the ages of 45-55 when women stop menstruating. While it may seem uneventful to those who have not gone through it yet, for many who have or currently are it can be an annoying time. Symptoms include night sweats, hot flashes, irritability, mood changes, forgetfulness, changes in eating and sleeping patterns to name a few.

A 4 month study led by a college professor from Penn. State included 3 different groups of women. There were 164 participants involved in the study who were volunteers and all women who didn't really have any regular exercise routines before the time-frame of the research. They were divided up into three groups, one of which who got together 3 times a week for a hour long walk, another group who met and did 90 minutes of yoga twice a week and the third set of women who were asked not to exercise at all.

The results were then published in Annals of Behavioral Medicine and the findings included such that the women who were in the two groups that exercised reported a more positive outlook on life despite being menopausal. What wasn't a clearly indicated were whether or not their physical symptoms improved across the board. Half of the women did report less hot flashes and night sweats so it seemed that exercise may play a role in preventing or lessoning those symptoms as well as having a positive impact on mood.

Something the study didn't include was the stage of menopause each woman was at, which may or may not reflect the differences. There are of course a variety of other factors in individual situations and lifestyles that could play a huge role in the effects of menopause. It still seems like exercise was a positive change since the 2/3rds of women who added it to their routine seemed to have an overall improvement in their menopause symptoms. One of the reasons that exercise is so beneficial to anyone is that it generally enhances the mood, especially afterwards. So part of the reports that these women felt better may be partly because they had a better outlook and were able to cope with the changes easier.

For those experiences menopause and the symptoms it may include taking care of yourself will be the biggest aspect in how you are feeling. Exercise along with getting enough rest and eating well will give the best chance of letting your body do its job without too much uncomfortable side effects.

Sources:
Genaro C. Armas. "Long walk may help with menopause" Newsday.com

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-fitness-menopause,0,3169278.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines