You can lessen the symptoms of menopause and improve your quality of life by embracing a balanced exercise program.

Hot flashes. Headaches. Insomnia. Mood swings. Menopause doesn’t have a pleasant reputation.

But don’t let it get you down. This stage of life can be healthy and productive. The key is to get active. If you didn’t exercise regularly before, it’s time to start. If you’ve been working out consistently, keep up the good work.

Here’s why: Physical activity can help ease menopausal symptoms and improve your quality of life. Strength training and aerobic exercise in particular can help control menopausal changes you may not notice that can undermine your health. Among those changes are thinning bones leading to osteoporosis, loss of muscle strength and balance, and a heightened risk for heart disease.

What You Need to Do …
Of course, it’s important to be active throughout life. According to the government’s Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, adults should do at least 2.5 hours a week of moderately intense aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, doubles tennis, or raking. But you can halve your weekly time commitment (to 1.25 hours) by doing vigorous intensity aerobic activity such as race walking, jogging, or singles tennis.

You can combine moderate and vigorous activity and break it into 10-minute segments throughout the week. You’ll reap even more health benefits if you log more activity.

You should also strength train all major muscle groups at a moderate or high intensity on two or more days per week, the guidelines say.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, however, more than half of U.S. adults don’t get the recommended levels of activity.

… And How to Get There
To help you stay on track during this pivotal life stage, try these tactics.

• Consider a personal trainer.
  Let’s say you’re not familiar with weights or weight machines. Hiring a certified personal trainer, even for just one session, can help you learn how to use them properly and develop an effective strength-training program you can do at the gym or at home. To find a certified personal trainer, visit the Web site for the American Council on Exercise (www.acefitness.org) or the National Strength and Conditioning Association (www.nsca-lift.org).
• Plot your progress.
  Are you getting 10 minutes of aerobic activity each day or 30 minutes? The Woman Activity Tracker (www.womenshealth.gov/woman) can help you find out. After registering at this free site, you’ll set a weekly goal for the number of minutes of moderate and vigorous activity you want to accomplish and the number of days you want to strength train.

  After you complete an activity, you’ll give yourself credit by recording it online. That gives you a log of your progress. You can see if you’re reaching your goal and compare week to week.

• Seek support.
  If walking is part of your fitness routine, you can connect with other women online and spur each other on. Join the American Heart Association’s MyStart! Community. It’s a network of “Sole Mates” across the country who are interested in walking their way to better health. To join this free program, log on to www.startwalkingnow.org. After completing your profile, you’ll be off and walking.

Sandra Gordon is a feature writer for Vitality. To learn more about menopause, visit the North American Menopause Society at www.menopause.org.

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