Menopause (Easing the transition)
Benefits of regular exercise
- Regular, moderate exercise provides a great way to keep your heart and bones healthy and maintain your weight.
- It also improves your energy level, increases your muscle strength and flexibility, relieves stress, helps you sleep better, lowers blood pressure, improves circulation, and may even decrease hot flashes.
Losing weight is difficult
During Perimenopause and menopause, our bodies' production of estrogen begins to slow down. When this happens our fat cells try to pick up and take over the production of estrogen. The fat cells around the abdomen and the inner thighs are most affected. This process can be minimized if we exercise regularly and eat a healthy low-fat diet.
Minimize hot flashes and night sweats
- Wear lose clothing and dress in layers so that you can peel off the top layers.
- Wear 100% cotton whenever possible. Synthetic fabrics can make you hotter by trapping heat.
- Avoid foods and beverages that trigger hot flashes. Cutting back on coffee, tea, other hot drinks, spicy foods, and alcohol may help.
- When possible, splash your face with cold water, take a cold shower, or run cold water over your hands at the first sign of a hot flash.
- Try to avoid stress, which can bring on or aggravate hot flashes.
- Exercise regularly. Some research suggests that physically active women have less trouble with hot flashes than inactive women.
- Keep an ice-cold drink handy, especially at your bedside.