Five to Thrive: Movement for Menopause

Choosing the Right Forms of Exercise for Where We are Right Now.

I’m really ready to be living the life in the above photo! BUT, we’re in the final days of January. Most of us spent last week with frigid temperatures, and hopefully, we’re thawing out a bit now. However, Spring still seems a bit out of reach, and we’re still waiting for Groundhog Day! I spent most of last week in hibernation mode, and I’ll be honest – it’s been really hard to get motivated to work out.

The law of inertia states that an object in motion will stay in motion. An object at rest will stay at rest. (I think I’ve been a little too “at rest”). Now, this theory was certainly not founded on the premise of Menopausal Women and exercise. However, its principle does hold true if we view it from the perspective that once we get up and move our bodies, it becomes easier to keep those bodies moving.

If you have not been exercising regularly, please consult your healthcare provider before you begin a new exercise program.

So, in the interest of harnessing the law of inertia, let’s take a look at the most important forms of Movement for Menopause. But first, we must tap into our motivation by . . .

1. Finding the Right Mindset

I’ve written before about being a big fan of the Peloton app, and many of the instructors begin their classes by saying: “The hardest part of the workout is check-done . . . you’re here!”. Isn’t that the truth? Getting there is the hardest part!

It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint. One of our goals should be to focus on maintaining our Functional Mobility and Wellness for Independence as We Age. Here’s a little dose of reality: once we reach the age of 65, from a medical perspective, we are considered “elderly”. It’s funny because my parents are 79 and 82 (this week!), and I don’t consider them to be elderly. They are both active and vibrant and have a much more exciting social life than I do. They have always exercised and been active throughout their day and they are reaping the benefits now. So, my takeaway from watching them, in terms of my mindset for Movement through Menopause, is my wish to proactively and intentionally age well. We may not be able to control a lot of things that may happen as we age, but we can control this.

Avoid “all or nothing” thinking. We often make a deal with ourselves that looks something like this; “I will wake up at 5 am, and workout everyday.” For a long time, my routine was to wake up early and get my workout done before I did anything else (even coffee!). The problem was on the days that I didn’t make this happen, it felt like I missed my window and I wouldn’t work out at all. I was using “all or nothing” thinking, and that inflexibility with my thought patterns was sabotaging. I’ve learned to allow myself more flexibility in my daily routine. Some days I still work out first thing, but other days I have my coffee, get some writing done, and workout a bit later. The bottom line – it’s great to have a goal and a routine, but let’s not be so rigid in our routine that we talk ourselves out of what we really need to do.

Personally, I cannot think of a single time that I have worked out and regretted it. I always finish a workout feeling better than before I started. The reason for this . . . endorphins. Those fabulous “feel-good hormones” are actually neurotransmitters released by the pituitary gland and hypothalamus. According to this Harvard Health article, in addition to being natural pain killers, endorphins lower our stress level and create a sense of well-being.

2. Stength Training

I probably sound like a broken record, but the form of exercise that EVERY perimenopausal or menopausal woman should be doing 3 times a week is Strength Training.

According to UCLA Health (link), adults lose 3-8% of their muscle mass per decade between the ages of 30 and 50. Then, after age 50, muscle-wasting increases to 5-10% per decade. For women, the loss of estrogen in menopause makes this decline in muscle mass even worse.

But we CAN do something to stop muscle-wasting, and even improve our muscle mass to be stronger than we’ve ever been!

If you haven’t worked on strength training yet, it might feel intimidating. But, once you get started, that sense of intimidation begins to shift into a sense of empowerment. It feels good to be strong!

One of the things I like best about lifting weights is that my progress is measurable . . . literally. With consistent strength training, I see that the 8-pound weight I was using no longer challenges me, so I move up to the 10-pound weight . . . and so on.

Getting stronger is Empowering!

Whether you’re working out at a gym or at home, the key to strength training is to ensure you’re using proper form. I highly recommend that you start with either a trainer or taking a strength class with a good instructor. They’ll help you to master the correct form for your movements to:

1. Protect yourself from injury.
2. Maximize your efforts so that you see and feel your results sooner.

Most gyms have programs where you can work with a trainer for a free session to learn how to safely use all of the equipment. That can be a great start.

If you are the type who enjoys a group fitness class, most gyms offer many types of strength classes. When I had a gym membership, that was my favorite way to strength train. I learned the correct body mechanics, and I found the class environment really pushed me to work my hardest.

I’m currently doing my strength training at home, and I’m loving it. I may join a gym again at some point, but for now, I’m training with a variety of free weights (ranging from 5 lbs to 30 lbs). I also incorporate the following tools:

• my weighted vest (link)
• bala bangle wrist/ankle weights (link)
• two kinds of resistance bands:
  • one set with handles (link)
  • one small loop set for lower body (link)

I still push myself hardest and have the most fun in a class format, so I use my Peloton App. At home I stream it through the TV in my workout area. If I’m outside or traveling, I can stream it through my phone or laptop. There are so many workout app’s to choose from, and I encourage you to try several and find the one you like best. I happened to start using Peloton during Covid, and I’ve loved it ever since. (Elevated Nesting does not have any type of affiliation with Peloton – I’m just a fan). They have a couple of choices for their app platforms, one is more simple and I think it limits how many classes you can do per month ($12.99/mo). The app membership I have is $24/mo and gives me unlimited access to all of their classes. Peloton does offer 2 months at very discounted prices so you can try it out and see how you like it.

Here’s a peek at my workout space, and how I set up for a Strength Class:

3. Impact Training

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the benefits of “impact” workouts for bone health. I went in-depth into the physiology of our bones, and how strength and impact training helps build bone density. Here’s the link, if you want to go back and refresh your memory! Please note, by “impact” I don’t mean you have to be running, jogging, or jumping around in an aerobics class. If you’re already doing those things – great! But, we can get enough impact to benefit our bone density just by walking. Add a weighted vest, and we’ve upped our impact game even more!

Getting outside for your walking or impact training is generally considered the ideal choice. You’re getting fresh air, sunshine (hello, vitamin D!), and spending time in nature – all of which benefit mood and support sleep. But like I said in the introduction, it’s January, and I’m cold. So I recently bought a walking pad and added it to my little “home gym”.

My initial intent in purchasing a walking pad was to use it as a walking desk. When I was a practicing bedside nurse, I was on my feet all day. Now that I’m working from home, I’m much more sedentary. So, I bought a walking pad that has large control panel area where I can put my laptop. My vision was that I’d work there for a portion of my day. Here’s what I learned: I don’t like writing from my walking desk. I might be able to walk and chew gum and that same time, but I really struggle to research and write while walking. I do often use it for phone calls, so I guess that’s desk-adjacent-ish.

While the walking desk idea might have been a bit of a fail, what I have loved about my walking pad is using it as my 20-minute break once or twice a day. I throw on my walking vest and bala bangles, turn on a cute show, or make/return phone calls, and boom – I’ve done my impact training!

4. Cardio Training

We hear a lot of emphasis on strength training for menopause. However, we still need to spend some time each week focusing on heart health through cardio training. It’s recommended that we aim for at least 2 hr and 30 min of moderate aerobic exercise per week. (Or 30 minutes 5 times a week – math is fun!) This can be anything that gets your heart rate up – walking, jogging, hiking, swimming, cycling, or high intensity interval training (HIIT), and the list goes on and on.

I found this article through the National Library of Medicine and found it to be a great source for learning more about the best ways to exercise in menopause and beyond. It examines the benefits of a HIIT workout as a means to get our heart rates up for a short burst of time and then allow for a recovery period. This work/recovery pattern has been shown to benefit the heart. The “work” or “high intensity” phase of high effort helps to increase the heart’s capacity and efficiency for pumping blood. This is followed by a “recovery” phase in which the intensity of the workout is slowed, and our heart rate recovers and lowers. By alternating between the two, we are supporting our heart’s ability to work and recover efficiently.

The work / recovery pattern of Interval Training has been shown to benefit the heart’s ability to pump efficiently when it is stressed and recover quickly.

This article from the Mayo Clinic explains how we can incorporate Interval Training into a walking or hiking workout by adding “bursts” of higher speeds for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, followed by recovery periods of walking at a more moderate pace. The concept can be applied to any workout, from swimming to biking to kayaking.

One of the reasons we live up here in the Rockies is the endless array of outdoor activities that provide all kinds of healthy benefits. When the temperature climbs out of the single digits, I do love my winter sports. Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are incredible! And once summertime arrives, you will find me on the hiking trails, bike trails, and kayaking out on the lake. But for consistent, reliable cardio training at home, I rely on my Peloton app and my spin bike. There’s a huge variety of classes that I can take with great instructors, fun music, and I can jump on, get a great workout, and get on with my day. You’ll note I said “spin bike” and not a $3000 Peloton bike. Stay tuned – in Wednesday’s post I’m going to tell you how I sync up my $300 stationary spin bike with the Peloton app on my tv for an awesome workout experience.

5. Flexibility and Balance

I kind of wish I had made this series “Six to Thrive” because working to maintain and expand BOTH our Flexibility and Balance as we age is so important. They each factor into our functional wellness and mobility. In terms of aging from the most basic needs – we need flexibility to be able to pick items up from the floor, and we need balance to prevent falls. But, naturally, we want to expand on the basics to reap the full benefits of enhancing our flexibility and balance.

If you want to get really motivated for flexibility and balance, take a look at Dr. Kaye Cleave’s Instagram account. This 75-year-old woman didn’t begin yoga until she was in her 50’s, and her strength, flexibility and balance are beyond inspiring!

Enhancing our Flexibility

Much like strength, our flexibility requires consistency. “Move it or Lose it” is a cold, hard fact for flexibility. Ideally, we should do some form of basic stretching daily and incorporate a more structured stretching routine for 10-15 minutes 3 times a week. This article from Healthline gives a thorough overview of a stretching routine. It explains the difference between Dynamic and Static stretching and when to utilize them. Give it a read for ways to incorporate simple (and some not-so-simple) stretches into your routine.

For my stretching and flexibility work, I go back to my love of a “class” format because I like both the variety and knowing I can take this 10 to 15-minute class and finish feeling stretched, loose, and relaxed. There are great stretching class platforms and apps available, and, again, I encourage you to try several! The thing I like about the Peloton app for stretching is that I can filter the classes by the amount of time I want to spend and by which area I need to focus on. So, if my back is tight that day, I can choose a 10 minute stretch class that focuses on loosening my back. Or, if it’s just a normal day, I can pick a “full body stretch” class.

For the past several months, I’ve been doing yoga on the Peloton app to enhance my flexibility. Yoga has so many benefits that incorporate mind-body connection, and added flexibility is a big bonus. I wrote about my Peloton yoga experience here. Another big bonus of yoga for me is balance, which leads me to our final movement topic . . .

Enhancing our Balance

I’ve written in an off-the-cuff manner about my balance challenges before. I have a complex neurological history (which I wrote about here) and I was born with bilateral club feet for which I’ve had multiple bone fusion surgeries (I’ll probably write about that at some point). So from a neurological and physiological standpoint, I’m a bit more balance-challenged than a typical person. In full transparency, for a long time I allowed myself to fall into the trap of thinking “my balance stinks because of A & B and that’s just how it is”. Wow. That’s just sad. I think I just accepted that as fact rather than recognizing that, although I’ll probably never be a tightrope walker, I do have the ability to WORK on my balance. And we all need to work on our balance, not only to prevent falls, but also to enhance our overall functional mobility and wellness.

Balance ~ Equlibrium ~ Homeostasis
When we are balanced, our biomechanics are optimized, allowing our musculoskeletal system to be in a homeostatic state

How I’m working on my balance:

• I’ve set specific goals for myself:
  • I work on my foot, ankle, and calf strength plus my balance 4 times a week for 10 minutes.
• The most simple yet impactful balance exercise: standing on one leg and balancing for a set amount of time. This can be done while you’re standing at the sink brushing your teeth. 30 seconds on one leg, then the other, and repeat. You brush your teeth twice a day every day, so just add this little balance session, and you’re off to a great start on enhancing your balance.
• I do my yoga classes with Peloton, and even though I still tip over on occasion, I have seen noticeable improvement because I’ve strengthened my balance capabilities.

Wrap up:

I’ve thrown a lot at you today. Please don’t be overwhelmed! We can take little snippets of time, 10-minutes here, 5-minutes there, to work on these aspects for Functional Mobility and Wellness. Remember, we don’t need to take an “all or nothing” approach. Take a moment to read through this post and the attached articles, and think about how you can recruit the Right Mindset to incorporate these facets into your daily / weekly routine. As you get more comfortable with Movement for Menopause, you’ll find that Strength, Impact, Cardio, Flexibility, and Balance training can be combined together and to work symbiotically to enhance your Functional Wellness.

Thank you so much for starting your week with me! Have a wonderful Monday, Friends! I’ll see you back here tomorrow!