Answers to Your Questions About Exercise
Q: Is exercising a good idea during menopause?
A: There is no reason not to exercise when you are in premenopause or menopause. In fact, it is recommended. Whether you walk, swim or work out at the gym, exercise is beneficial in reducing menopausal issues and is an excellent way to keep your body healthy and possibly, to lessen your health challenges during this time of life.
Q: What are the benefits of exercising during menopause?
A: Exercise has a myriad of benefits, but particularly during the premenopause or perimenopausal period. By sticking to an active routine, you reduce your risk for several conditions, including osteoporosis, heart disease and others.
Exercise is also beneficial in reducing the challenges of menopause. Working out releases serotonin in your brain and is also good for your general well being. Keeping active will also combat the middle age spread that happens around this time. You might not be able to regain your body’s teen years, but exercise combined with a good, balanced diet will certainly help prevent excessive weight gain.
A natural hormone program with consistent use of balancing cream can also be helpful. Exercise is actually a natural way to boost serotonin levels, too. So why not get out and about and see if you don’t feel better?
Q: I’m too tired to work out, what should I do?
A: Many women suffer from insomnia during menopause. Consider getting a good night's sleep with the help of a natural remedy such as SleepEase from Sprayology or chamomile or valerian root tea in combination with the consistent approach of a natural hormone replacement program. Many women using natural progesterone, experience a return of a solid, good night’s sleep and an end to insomnia. Keeping a regular bedtime routine and making a point of taking time to relax before going to bed can also help.
Keep in mind that exercising will help you feel more energetic as well, and you certainly don’t need to run a marathon, you can just walk around the block if you are too worn out.
Q I’m too depressed to exercise, what should I do?
A: Depression is one of the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause that is brought on by the drop in hormone levels. Unfortunately, when the estrogen and progesterone go down, so do serotonin levels in the brain. This is the hormone that makes us feel happy and content and its absence can cause you to feel depressed. However, there are ways to raise your serotonin levels again.
You can boost serotonin levels by taking black cohosh. Taking natural remedies such as black cohosh is far preferable to going on antidepressants which can cause more problems down the road. Naturally treating depression is the best way to go, but you may also want to speak to your doctor about the depression.
Q: How can natural hormones help me stay fit?
A: Natural progesterone cream is an easy to use method of regulating hormone levels in your body. By keeping your progesterone levels up, you will experience fewer hot flashes, night sweats and other uncomfortable conditions which can discourage exercise.Also, progesterone can reduce the incidence of insomnia, giving you more energy to work out.
Q: Can herbs help with exercise?
A: While herbs won’t actually help you get out and get moving, they can be used to reduce or eliminate any discomfort from premenopause and menopause which may be holding you back. If you deal with insomnia, you might find an herbal tea with valerian root and chamomile helps you get a good night’s sleep. Another possibility is SleepEase, a natural spray that combines herbs to help you get a full night's rest. Being well rested makes it easier to exercise.
Reducing other concerns, such as night sweats and hot flashes can be helped by using herbal blends of black cohosh, red clover and chasteberry. Black Cohosh helps fight depression, as does St. John’s Wort. Using these herbs in combination with natural progesterone to help with the challenges of menopause is the best way to go, since other treatments and synthetic hormones may have quite a few unwanted side effects.
©Alternative Medicine Network 2009
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