Hello to all Fabulous Menopause fans!
We all know that a balanced diet is essential for a happy, healthy life, but without regular exercise, no amount of broccoli or flaxseeds will make up for a lack of exercise. Just like certain foods protect us from heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, regular physical activity has incredible benefits too. Without exercise, it’s hard to reach your full physical and mental potential.
Believe me, I know exactly how it feels when you are in the middle of Perimenopause! Another sleepless night, you feel like shit, its cold and dark outside, your teenage daughter is panicking because she cannot find her favorite sweater, and everything is simply too much for you.
But I assure you from my first-hand experience: as soon as you start exercising, you will feel better, and the world looks less gloomy and much prettier!
Benefits of exercising regularly
- Controls weight
- Lowers blood pressure
- Improves quality of sleep
- Delays loss of muscle mass
- Improves balance and coordination
- Improves flexibility
- Improves digestion
- Reduces osteoporosis
- Reduces joint stress and back pain
- Decreases risk of heart disease
- Improves heart health and decreases existing damage
- Decreases inflammation
- Improves immune function
- Improves liver health
- Improves insulin sensitivity and reduces risk of type 2 diabetes
- Increases energy and reduces risk of depression, anxiety, and stress
- Improves cognitive function
Find something that doesn’t require you to struggle too much at first, such as Pilates, Yoga or Zumba. Do the sport that you like best, as long as you keep doing it.
Sports that use weights are best – specially to combat osteoporosis. Either in the gym using fitness equipment or with dumbbells or with your own body weight, for example in yoga.
If we don’t put weight on the bones, the bone substance in the body breaks down faster and the muscles become flatter and weaker. This negatively affects our metabolism, as it works slower with less muscle mass, and we build up more fat.
A comprehensive exercise program would be 45 minutes weightlifting, twice a week, alternating with balance exercises and stretching.
You will see, within a few weeks you will feel happier, more energetic, and more self-confident. You will experience how your joint aches disappear over time, as well as those love handles.
Did you know that women who exercise regularly live six years longer than women who did not exercise? Do you prefer shuffling along with a walker or go about your everyday life self-confidently and autonomously?
If we want to keep our strong bones, we must move our pretty butts and do something about it!
Take care,
Tara