And why walking for charity with trundl helps during the menopause
Society has, in general, made strides since the time women were expected to ‘get on with it’ during the menopause.
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However, it’s still not an everyday topic of conversation. Even between the most loving families and relationships or in the workplace it can be a tricky subject.
Without question, it’s rarely straightforward for women to find treatment that works for them consistently. Similarly, it’s often difficult to find reliable advice about how lifestyle routines can make a difference. In fact, 60% of women surveyed for The Definitive Guide to Perimenopause and The Menopause by Dr Louise Newson felt they were not given useful lifestyle information that could also help improve general health and wellbeing.
Which is where walking comes in.
How does walking exercise help during the menopause?
With menopause often bringing aching joints, mood-swings or weight-gain, even the most active people feel less motivated to exercise. Walking, however, can be done from almost anywhere and at any time. And even better, it’s something that family members can easily encourage and join in with.
5 reasons to walk through the menopause
To give a bit more detail, here are 5 healthy reasons for walking through menopause. You may spot that these benefits apply to everyone else too!
- Heart and bone health. Lower estrogen levels in menopause lead to increased bone loss, higher risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Similarly, the drop in estrogen can lead to weight gain and high blood pressure amongst other heart problems. Walking regularly at a good pace, however, supports cardiovascular strength and helps improve bone density.
- Immune system boost. Those dips in estrogen can also impact our resistance to infection. Furthermore, poor sleep and a rise in anxiety can adversely impact our resistance to seasonal bugs. Once again though, even moderate amounts of daily walking can get the blood flowing and help keep immune cells circulating
- Reduce risk of chronic disease. Undoubtedly, hormone changes, weight gain and extra stress on the body can increase the risk of serious disease. While it’s not the only answer, studies show that walking helps reduce threat of heart disease, asthma, stroke and high blood pressure.
- Improve sleep, memory and mood. As before, drops in hormone levels are to blame for foggy brain and poor sleep. While motivation can be hard to find, exercise reduces inflammation and boosts growth of new blood vessels and cells.
- Weight loss. Decline and fluctuation of hormone levels changes how we use energy and how fat is distributed around our bodies. While you’re not going for the burn with walking, even a daily 30 minute walk will consume calories and prime the metabolism.
You really cannot go wrong encouraging and supporting your loved ones to walk more regularly to beat some menopause symptoms.
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And as Bridget shared, the trundl walking for charity app provides an extra motivation for getting active when there’s no one looking.
