Menopause and Exercising Smart: Siew-Ching Leong

As oestrogen declines, so does our muscle mass. This makes our body less able to regulate our blood sugar level as muscles are one of the biggest consumers of glucose in our body. This is why declining muscle mass can lead to insulin resistance and weight gain. 

Preserving and stimulating muscle growth in midlife women without the help of oestrogen can be achieved through resistance training and lifting weights.

The amount of weight you lift depends on the exercise and your resistance training experience, but it should feel heavy enough for you to feel challenging.  You can use your bodyweight (ideal for beginners), resistance bands, dumb bells, or machines at the gym.  Aim for two to three days of resistance training a week. 

If you are new to weight training, consider working with a personal trainer who can help you master the mechanics of weight training to avoid injuries. 

Sprint Interval Training (SIT), a higher intensity cardio/aerobics form of exercise should feature in your weekly fitness routine during menopause. Higher intensity exercise has been proven to help preserve muscles and metabolic health for women in midlife. 

Whether you choose to walk, run, bike, going on the elliptical in the gym, the idea is to do alternate a short burst (20-30 seconds) of all out effort (to the point where you are unable to have a conversation) with 2-3 mins of rest/recovery. Work your way up to 5-6 sets and do this at least 1 - 2 times a week.

Incorporating jump training is crucial. This form of weight bearing exercise puts stress on the bones which helps to stimulates new bone growth and improve bone density. Jump training makes your body create force to make these explosive movements which can in turn help to maintain muscle power and improve your muscle quality. 

Start with light quick bounces on two feet and progressive bounce higher as you become comfortable. Try one set of ten hops and working up to 3 sets once a week.  You can also incorporate rope skipping, broad jumps, jumping jacks or box jump as part of your jump training. 

Prioritising rest days so that your body can recover post exercise is crucial as our bodies need time to repair itself during menopause. Warming up and down will also help our body to recover better after exercise. Refuel with a protein and carbohydrate snack so that our bodies can rebuild post exercise. 

Trying to start a fitness regime during menopause may seem overwhelming. Consistency is key to starting any new habit so start small. Pick something you can easily incorporate into your day/exercise routine and build from there.