Menopause is a natural stage in a woman’s life. In the UK, the average age of menopause is around 51, but it can occur earlier or later. While this life transition comes with its share of challenges, the right strategies, especially involving training & diet, can ease symptoms and improve overall well-being.

As Physiotherapists we’ve seen how exercise, lifestyle changes, and targeted wellbeing interventions can be key to managing menopause effectively. In this blog we share practical tips to help you thrive through menopause.

What Happens During Menopause?

Menopause occurs when a woman’s ovaries stop producing eggs and hormone levels, especially oestrogen drop significantly. This causes menstrual periods to stop and is often accompanied by a variety of physical and emotional symptoms, including hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, sleep issues and changes in your body including bone density and muscle mass. While these symptoms can feel overwhelming, there are many ways to reduce their impact and enhance your quality of life.

1. Stay Active with Regular Exercise

Exercise is one of the most effective ways to manage menopause symptoms. Regular physical activity helps regulate body temperature, improve mood, boost energy and combat the natural decline in muscle and bone mass. Aim for a mix of Cardiovascular and Strength Training, at least 2 sessions per week. Some great ways to achieve this:

• Walking, cycling, swimming, or low-impact aerobic exercise – aiming to get your breathing slightly faster than normal and 10,000 steps per day.
• Higher intensity classes like our Functional Fitness Groups can help you get a more intense workout if that’s what you feel you need.
• Strength Training: Resistance exercises, such as lifting weights or using resistance bands, are crucial for maintaining muscle mass and bone density, both of which decrease during menopause. Try one of our Lift Club classes to see how great moving weights can make you feel!
• Flexibility and Balance Exercises like Pilates help improve flexibility, posture, and balance, all of which become more important as we age.

2. Protect Your Bones and Joint Health

Oestrogen helps protect bone density, and during menopause this can make you more susceptible to osteoporosis, where your bones aren’t as strong. To protect bone health, consider these strategies:

• Calcium and Vitamin D: Ensure that you are getting enough calcium and vitamin D, both of which are essential for strong bones. Make sure you’re getting plenty of Sunlight on your skin, especially in winter. Eating nutrient rich foods such as oily fish, dairy products and eggs can help top this up. If you struggle to get these kind of foodsin your diet, you could consider an over the counter Vit-D or Calcium supplement. Speak to one of our PT’s about how to make sure your getting enough Vit-D and Calcium in your Diet.
• Limit Smoking and Alcohol: Smoking and excessive alcohol intake are both linked to bone loss. Avoid smoking, and if you do drink alcohol, aim to keep your intake within the recommended limits of 14 units per week for both men and women and aim for 4 days alcohol free each week.

3. Pelvic Floor Health

Hormonal changes during menopause can weaken the pelvic floor muscles, leading to issues such as urinary incontinence. Physiotherapy can help strengthen the pelvic floor, reducing symptoms and improving bladder control.

• Kegel Exercises: These simple exercises involve tightening and relaxing the pelvic floor muscles. Imagine you’re holding a number 1 bathroom trip in a little longer and need to squeeze. Aim to do three sets of 10 repetitions each day, holding each contraction for around 10 seconds.
• Seek Physiotherapy Support: A specialist pelvic health physiotherapist can assess your pelvic floor function and guide you through more tailored exercises if needed. We can help with exercises and if a specialist is needed, we can direct you to people we trust.

4. Manage Stress and Sleep Better

Emotional well-being is just as important during menopause as physical health. Many women experience heightened stress, mood swings, and anxiety due to hormonal changes, and disruption to their sleep which can make everything seem worse!  Luckily there are some simple things to try to help this:

• Mindfulness and Meditation: Practising mindfulness and meditation can help reduce anxiety and improve sleep quality. Just 10-15 minutes of deep breathing or guided relaxation each day can make a significant difference.
• Sleep Hygiene: Create a sleep-friendly environment by keeping your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet. Avoid caffeine and refined sugar after 4pm, and limit your screen use for 1 hour before bed.

5. Nutrition for Menopause

A balanced diet is essential during menopause to manage symptoms like weight gain, hot flashes, and mood swings. Focus on foods that support hormone balance and overall health:

• Consume Fibre-Rich Foods: A diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can help regulate digestion and blood sugar, which is especially important as metabolism changes during menopause.
• Healthy Fats and Omega-3s: Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as oily fish (salmon, mackerel), flaxseeds, and walnuts, can help reduce inflammation and may help alleviate hot flashes.
• Limit Ultra Processed Foods (UPF) and Refined Sugar: UPF and sugary snacks can exacerbate menopause symptoms, such as weight gain and mood fluctuations. Aim to eat a balanced diet full of whole, nutrient-dense foods.
  Avoid training on an empty stomach: Training fasted has been shown to have a negative impact on Menopause symptoms, especially energy levels and recovery.
• Make sure you’re getting enough food!: Symptoms of Low Energy Availability (consistently consuming less calories than you use for energy) can present in a similar way to Menopause symptoms. Consider keeping a food diary for a few weeks to see where you are with your intake.

Final Thoughts

Menopause is a natural part of life, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a difficult or debilitating experience. By incorporating regular exercise, maintaining a balanced diet, managing stress, and seeking support you can greatly improve your physical and emotional well-being during this transition.

Your team at Easy Street can support you to embrace this new chapter with confidence, get in touch with us for a chat today about how we can help.

References:

NHS Choices. (2022). Menopause. Retrieved from https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause/

The National Osteoporosis Society. (2021). Osteoporosis and Menopause. Retrieved from https://nos.org.uk/

Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. (2021). Physiotherapy and Menopause. Retrieved from https://www.csp.org.uk/