Menopause and Exercise

Many women associate the end of their menstrual cycle with some unwanted changes in their bodies: weight gain (especially around the middle), loss of muscle mass and bone density, mood swings, etc. but there are many lifestyle modifications that can help ease this transition (and improve symptoms). Exercise, and specifically strength training, is an essential tool to optimize how your body experiences and responds to the changes that come with menopause.

How can these changes affect your body?

As we get older, regardless of gender, we can start to lose muscle mass starting as early as our 30s. This decrease in muscle mass can be further exaggerated in women by changes in hormone levels (decreased estrogen) during the menopause transition. Rates of muscle mass loss can range from 3% to 8% per decade in our 30s to 50s, then jump up to 5% to 10% per decade in our 50s and beyond. Thankfully, we have a tool to slow this process and maintain muscle mass, or even increase it as we age – strength training!

Why Strength Training?

Regular strength training will improve your strength, build muscle, and can improve your balance and stability. It can help maintain your bone density by stimulating bone formation, and can reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Strength training will also boost your metabolism as muscle burns more calories at rest than fat, which can help maintain with maintaining a healthy weight. An added bonus is strength training is a form of prehabilitation: by building muscle mass around our joints, we can decrease the risk of injury as we age.

If you are new to strength training, or it has been a while since you have exercised regularly, it can feel a bit overwhelming to incorporate this into your weekly routine. However, there are many professionals available who can help you create a program tailored to you. Physiotherapists, kinesiologists and personal trainers can all help. Physiotherapists will take into consideration any pre-existing injuries you have and form a safe program that will be help you reach your fitness goals.

What to Include

Some fundamentals to include in your strength training plan, are choosing exercises that include large movement patterns (for example, squats and lunges) as well as exercises that reflect our day-to-day movements (for example, a bent-over row to mimic pulling weeds in the garden). As well, aim for a weight that you can comfortably lift for 6-10 repetitions, for 2-3 sets. If you can lift the weight comfortably for 15 repetitions, it’s time to choose a heavier weight! Last, aim for at least 2 sessions per week of full body strengthening to see those positive changes for your body.

Although the focus of this article has been on strength training, please don’t forget the importance of cardiovascular (or aerobic) exercise. We should all be getting at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise per week.

References

1. Mishra, N., Mishra, V. N., and Devanshi. (2011) Exercise Beyond Menopause: Dos and Don’ts. Journal of Mid-Life Health. Jul-Dec (2):51-56.
2. Isenmann, E., Kaluza, D., et al. (2023) Resistance training alters body composition in middle-aged women depending on menopause – A 20-week control trial. BMC Women’s Health. 23:526.
3. Government of Canada (2019) Physical Activity Tips for Older Adults (65 years and older). https://www.canada.ca/en/publi...