How menopause can affect your lifestyle

Menopause symptoms can last for months or even years, affecting how People go through day-to-day life as a result. It can have a huge impact on social life, relationships, and work. Some signs of menopause and perimenopause include:

• Hot flashes
• Night sweats
• Mood changes, including low mood, anxiety, and/or low self-esteem
• Headaches or migraines
• Fatigue
• Weight gain or body shape changes
• Sensitive teeth or gum problems
• Muscle aches and joint pains

Many People turn to natural lifestyle changes to relieve perimenopause and menopause symptoms, which we’ll dive into in this blog!

Jump to:

• Natural remedies for menopause and perimenopause
• How our Move through Menopause course can help
• What we suggest if you're new to exercise

Natural remedies for menopause and perimenopause

Eat more calcium and vitamin D rich foods

Hormonal changes during menopause mean that estrogen, a hormone supporting the bones in our body, becomes lower. That’s why it’s important to increase your intake of food which is rich in bone-strengthening calcium and vitamin D!

The NHS recommends that adults need 700mg of calcium a day. Some calcium-rich foods include:

• Dairy products - think yogurt, milk, and cheese!
• Leafy greens, like kale
• Beans
• Bread and anything made with fortified flour
• Soya drinks with added calcium

Adults need 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day. However, many People struggle to get enough vitamin D from their diet alone, which is where supplements and/or some extra sunlight can come in handy too! Some examples of food which is rich in vitamin D include:

• Red meat
• Egg yolks
• Oily fish, like salmon, mackerel, and sardines
• Fortified foods, including some breakfast cereals, milk, and orange juice

Exercise regularly

Following on from what we’ve just mentioned about bone health, exercise is a great option when it comes to looking after bones too! The best way to keep bones strong is to include a mix of weight-bearing and muscle-strengthening exercises into your routine. The same principle applies to muscle mass, which also decreases during menopause due to estrogen slowing down.

Staying active regularly is also good news for improving mood. Exercise releases a range of beneficial brain chemicals - like serotonin and dopamine, our ‘feel-good’ hormones - that can boost mood. Swim England also reported that swimming has helped to reduce the symptoms of anxiety or depression for 1.4 million adults in Britain!

Avoid certain food or drinks

Certain food and drink may heighten some perimenopause or menopause symptoms. Food or drink which is especially high in caffeine or alcohol can cause you to have hot flashes and raise your body temperature. While food or drink which is high in sugar may lead to sharp rises and dips in blood sugar, causing fatigue.

If you’re in the early stages of perimenopause or menopause, it may be helpful to track your triggers as you go on if you feel that certain food or drinks are affecting your symptoms.

 

How our Move through Menopause course can help

Move through Menopause is an expert-led course of ours - designed to give our Communities the knowledge and tools to navigate menopause confidently!

Endorsed by our partners, Menopause Movement, the 12-week course has already helped hundreds of women improve their menopause experience! Participants can expect guided exercise sessions, and to get stuck into discussions on symptom management, hormonal changes, nutrition, and mental health.

The weekly sessions are a great place to stay active, meet a like-minded Community, gain knowledge on how to manage symptoms, and feel your best.

 

What we suggest if you're new to exercise

As we’ve said, exercise can be a great way to naturally ease menopause and perimenopause symptoms.

We know that keeping fit can seem daunting, especially if you’re completely new to it or you’ve taken a step back from exercise for a while. That’s why when you’re new to one of our gyms, we have inductions available to book where one of our instructors can give you a tour of the gym floor, show you some equipment and how to use it, and even write up a workout programme for you.

If group exercise classes are more what you’re looking for, our centres have a range of them which can help with menopause symptoms. Group exercise can work wonders for your mental health as well as your physical health too!

Many of our centres also have personal trainers who are all qualified and have different specialisms, such as women’s health. You can see them on the Profile Boards in our gyms, which give you information about each one.

Find a centre here

 

As always, it’s important to take things slow and seek advice when increasing your exercise levels. If you feel like you need more support to manage your symptoms, we recommend talking to a GP/health professional.

Sources: Calcium – Vitamins and minerals (NHS) |Vitamin D – Vitamins and minerals (NHS) | Exercise for bones (Royal Osteoporosis Society) | How swimming improves mental health (Swim England) | Symptoms – Menopause (NHS) | 11 Natural Remedies for Menopause Relief (healthline)