At some point in midlife, usually between ages 45 and 55, the end of women’s reproductive lives comes and major hormonal changes occur, such as declines in estrogen and progesterone. During this transition, women experience a range of symptoms that can last for several years, including hot flashes, night sweats, and palpitations, all due to changes in body temperature regulation. Mood swings, anxiety, difficulty sleeping, and decreased libido are also common, as well as vaginal dryness and skin and hair changes due to collagen loss. Another common symptom is that exercising is more difficult than before, but that is precisely when it is needed most.
Changes in menopause
These Symptoms vary in intensity and duration among women and can affect quality of life, although there are pharmacological treatments and strategies to alleviate them. One of those that has received the most attention in recent years is physical exercise, especially strength exercise.
Menopause has a determining effect on longevity, and part of this comes from its impact on the muscular and skeletal system. There are studies that indicate that osteosarcopenia, the combination of bone decalcification combined with the loss of muscle mass, could have a much more pronounced effect on mortality than osteoporosis alone.
“Strength exercise is important throughout life, but more so after 40, for both men and women, because there is a loss of muscle mass of between 1% and 2% annually due to the aging process and due to the decline in anabolic hormones,” explains Dr. Ángel Durántez Prados, specialized in medicine for healthy aging. “But we also stop ourselves, with age we move less and less. This can be avoided by maintaining physical activity. “A man can maintain muscle mass beyond 60 if he exercises and eats well.”
The loss of muscle mass is not exclusively due to menopause, but the other symptoms affect women in such a way that they enhance the loss of muscle mass.
Angel Durántez Prados
— doctor specializing in healthy aging
However, in the case of women, menopause represents an added difficulty. “Menopause occurs in few animal species, and we don’t know why exactly. The hormonal drop in women is very abrupt, especially in estrogen, since progesterone and testosterone begin to decline up to ten years earlier,” explains Dr. Durántez. “The loss of muscle mass is not exclusively due to menopause, but the other symptoms affect women in such a way that they enhance the loss of muscle mass,” he adds.
“In addition, gaining muscle mass can help at the brain level,” explains Dr. Marimer Pérez, a gynecologist specializing in menopause, through her social networks, where she disseminates about it. “Those moments when you don’t know whether to laugh or cry, that contained emotional lability, having a short fuse, everything can improve with strength exercise. It calms anxiety and helps you sleep better,” he adds.
Menopause and muscles
During menopause, the most significant physical changes occur due to the decrease in hormones, especially estrogen, which impacts various systems in the body. One of the main effects is observed in bone density. With the decrease in estrogen, the ability of bones to absorb calcium and other minerals is reduced, which causes accelerated loss of bone mass, increasing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures, especially in the hips, spine and wrists.
But the muscles are also affected. Menopause is associated with a decrease in muscle mass and strength, a process known as sarcopenia. This loss of muscle mass is due to the decrease in anabolic hormones, especially testosterone and estrogens (which we must remember are present in both men and women, although in different quantities). The loss of muscle mass can be very rapid: “Anyone who has had a fracture knows this, in a few weeks of inactivity you can lose a lot of muscle mass,” warns Dr. Durántez.
Muscle loss in turn worsens osteoporosis. The formation of new bone tissue requires the mechanical stimulation provided by muscles and tendons. With small and weak muscles, the bones weaken and, on the contrary, strength exercise serves to strengthen the bones.
In addition to affecting bones and muscles, menopause has an impact on metabolism, which can lead to weight gain and a redistribution of body fat, which tends to accumulate in the abdominal area. This change in body composition not only affects physical appearance, but is also linked to an increased risk of metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. “The muscle can be considered an endocrine organ, it secretes myokines, proteins that have beneficial effects on the brain and cardiovascular system,” explains Dr. Durántez. “Strength exercise also improves cardiovascular risk markers, such as cholesterol and the reduction of visceral fat,” he adds.
Walking is not enough
“Walking is great, it is an activity that we should all do daily,” writes Dr. Pérez, “but if you are in your 30s, 40s, 50s or older, it is crucial that we incorporate strength exercise.” For Dr. Durántez, physical exercise is something that should be done throughout life, and in all its aspects: “Training has to be complete: aerobic, strength and stretching, you have to work on everything,” he clarifies.
One of the reasons why walking falls short is lack of stamina. “In strength exercise there must be resistance to muscle contraction,” explains Dr. Durántez. “It can be done with loads, weights or machines, elastic bands, suspension straps, pulleys, or exercises with your own body weight such as squats, glute bridges, or hanging from a bar.”
An exercise program that includes resistance exercises and weight training, aerobic exercises, and mobility exercises, along with a diet rich in protein, calcium, and vitamin D, can help preserve bone and muscle mass, muscle function, and, with it, health in general.
The training has to be complete: aerobic, strength and stretching, you have to work everything
Dr. Ángel Durántez Prados
What components should a menopause training program have? These are the fundamentals, backed by scientific studies:
- Multi-joint strength exercises: the most effective are complex movements that involve several muscles and joints, such as squats. “For example, you can use a pulley to imitate the movement of mowing with a scythe,” says Dr. Durántez.
- High intensity intervals: exercises in which very high intensity phases alternate, such as sprints running or cycling, with short breaks, like the famous Tabata exercises. In the case of menopause they can be effective in reducing body fat and increasing aerobic capacity.
- Jumps and impact exercises: exercises with controlled impacts, such as box jumps or skipping rope, have a stimulating effect on bone regeneration.
- Mobility and flexibility exercises: In addition to maintaining muscles and joints, it has been proven that flexibility exercises can reduce symptoms of depression related to menopause.
At any age, from any level
The other key to exercise during menopause is progression. Even people who have not exercised before can start with light loads or simplified but challenging versions of the exercises. The beneficial effects of training occur at any age, and whatever the person’s starting level, especially in strength exercise. “The improvements are very rapid, in exercise physiology the studies are done in 12 weeks and spectacular advances are produced. It must be taken into account that studies are being carried out with nonagenarians and centenarians, and the burdens are minimal,” says Dr. Durántez.
One of the drawbacks of strength training or high-intensity intervals is that they are somewhat technically difficult, and it may be necessary to have someone guide the training to avoid injuries, especially at the beginning.
*Darío Pescador is editor and director of the Quo magazine and author of the book your best self Posted by Oberon.
#Walking #exercise #menopause
