Exercise during Menopause – What can you do?
ByWe all know exercise is good for us. The majority of us do not exercise despite knowing this. Even though it will add years of better health to your life, we don’t do it or don’t do it regularly or we over do one area like cardio to our detriment and ignore muscle strengthening activity that make our bones and our muscles stronger. What can you do? How can you make this more automatic.
How about life style exercise? What is that?
Parking across the lot from the front of the store or the entrance to work and walking a little further.
Walking up one and down two flights of steps when we run an errand. Going up more than one floor, walk up to the next floor to catch the elevator.
Put on some music and dance, not hard, no wild moves, just dance gently and for 3 or 4 songs each day. Doesn’t even have to be all at once. 1-2 in the morning and 1-2 in the evening.
Take a walk on your lunch break, just 10 minutes.
The effect of exercise is cumulative meaning we don’t have to do it for an hour straight but 5 minutes here and there 12 times in a day add up to an hour.
Loosing weight is 80-90% diet. Looking better naked though is more like 50/50 diet and exercise. Face it, we want to look better naked and if we get healthy that is a beneficial side effect but most of us would trade 2 years at the end of our life, unless it is that 2 year period, for better looks now. I am not saying that is the right thing to do, it isn’t, but it is human nature to take the quick easy way and pay the consequences later. If our nature wasn’t like that, would we have such a huge national debt or so many of us be so deeply in credit card debt? You know this is true, even at the life stage of menopause. We value youth in our culture. Why would Joan Rivers (and many other women) do what she has done if that were not true. Well, how about being young in your muscle, bones and internal organs? OK, lets look at my new video and then I will direct you to some links that will help you.
Where can you find out more about Kettlebells and exercises to do with them? Here on Squioo - I have a lens there called Female Menopause Solutions!
Dumbell exercises you can do on the ball or off.
Tell me what is working for you? How are you controlling your weight and what are you doing for fitness?
If you are in my email membership group, you will receive a special video link with I discuss how you can get and keep the will power to do what you need to stay on track with a healthy lifestyle. Look for that in your email soon.
You are right it is the the little things we can do that are going to help us stay in better shape. That is why I like my two story house. Going up and down those stairs daily keep me going good.
As for Joan Rivers, I would rather have the inside looking and feeling good, rather than messing around with the outside, if you know what I mean.
Thanks Anne and the videos are great.
By the way I have also found play Wii games makes a difference too.
Blessings to you,
Debbie
Thanks Debbie,
Stairs are a great way to keep active and making several trips instead of waiting to take one big load makes a difference.
Wii games are fun and can help keep a person in shape; a good alternative to running up and down stairs!
thanks Debbie
Anne
Anne,
For the past few weeks I have been following Tim’s ‘Kettle ball’ program. Wow, it’s hard! But I have been impressed with the results. At first I could only do 20 using a 20kg ball and then have to rest. After a couple of weeks, I can now do 35 non-stop.
My target? 75!
Andrew
Way to go Andrew!
With my lesser muscle mass I have only worked up to a 15 lb kettlebell and 25 is my limit. It is a great workout and easy to do at home. One does not really need a gym membership with all the equipment out there, it just takes discipline. Keep swinging!
Anne
HI Anne -
I love the exercise ball. I’ve gone through two. The first (a cheaper brand) kept deflating. But the second one is quite sturdy, it even has some sand in a liner inside that keeps it a bit more steady. This may be considered cheating, but I use the ball as my office desk chair. So it’s nice to have a bit of stability.
Kathy
Hi Kathy,
Using the ball as your chair in the office is great, many people say this helps their back problems!
I have kept my ball for several years and bring it out periodically, its’ good to rotate what you do from
time to time.
Welcome to the group,
Anne
Dear Anne -
I like the idea that you can do some of these at home.
Can’t remember how many gym memberships I started gung ho and that I dropped. Just lost interest.
I, like Debbie, have a two story home and also a basement so that is like a stairmaster. I am up and down all day it seems.
Does that count?
So glad you are part of the group. But I thought you already were!
Great post. Very useful.
Hi Corrine,
Running up and down stairs definatedly counts! There is devoted leisure time exercising, and active lifestyle exercising and both count. What works is a combination of the two.
Thanks,
Anne
Anne,
It’s TaiChi everyday for me. I love the slow twisting movements, the back and forth of my hips and the very gentle stretching. I haven’t done ab work in over a year and I’m the strongest I’ve ever been. I got to a class as often as I can, several times a week, and often do TaiChi at home as well…. but you’ve got to have a great teacher, or it just looks like weird hand waving…:)
TaiChi is great Michelle, you get a little meditative breathing at the same time! Having that activity every day keeps you in great shape, even the hand waving…
Anne
I’ve been thinking about getting a kettlebell for a while, so that Tim Ferris video was very interesting thanks. I need to get back into my exercise and stop using excuses, thanks Anne!
Tim Ferris has created a great at home exercise program that can take a short amount of time. It can help compliance due to the flexibility of when you can do it.
Thanks Joel
Great post! Inspires to exercise more :-] Re life style, in the U.S. especially it’s popular to ask, and of course explain, why people elsewhere are less overweight. A frequent explanation is diet & please order my latest-fad cook book. It works because few Americans travel so their knowledge of other places is mostly TV and hearsay. For having moved to Switzerland a couple of months ago, I have walked and bicycled greater distances in 3 months here than in all of my time in the U.S. together … and the mountain hiking season hasn’t even begun. Just today they announced another day of fresh snow up there – a hopefully last good-bye from Mister Winter. If I don’t lose weight here, I won’t lose weight anywhere … lol
Thanks Beat, I think your way of exercising is as good and probably better than most exercise programs.
If we all had active lifestyles involving walking most places, our own yard work, and some leisure time exercise,
there would be much less weight related health problems.
Anne
Anne, I’ve learned that exercise is absolutely critical for me personally. Enough exercise means no hot flashes! Thanks for the kettlebell videos, I hadn’t heard of that before. Not sure I’m going to get one quite yet, but it’s on the list of possibilities.
Amy,
You would be amazed at how easy the kettlebell is. My son helped put it together for me, and everyone cuts a wide path around me when I am swinging. I’m sure it is quite a sight to see! You’re right though, exercise helps to lessen the hot flashes. I have recently eliminated a lot of sugar, and that has helped also. Thanks for reading…
Anne
Never been crazy about the gym scene – it brings on flashbacks to junior high. We got a puppy recently and I LOVE that he needs a walk first thing in the morning! It’s a great way to get my day started. Also lucked into a house with a basement and yes, those stairs are terrific :^)
Hi Sandy,
I too have a new puppy and walking him allows me to spread exercise throughout the day.
It is fun, and more beneficial than sitting all day, then one long gym workout.
Thanks for reading!
Anne