Posts Tagged ‘menopause’

Myths and Misconceptions About Menopause

When it comes to menopause, there are plenty of misconceptions circulating amongst the general public. In order to be more knowledgeable and in control during this difficult phase of life, it is important that you can separate the truths from the untruths. Here is a look at a few common myths regarding menopause.

Myth: Menopause is a disease. Let’s throw the first myth right out the window immediately. Menopause is not a disease! It’s possible that this myth gets perpetuated by the way we talk about some of the occurrences during menopause as “symptoms.” Maybe that’s a mistake that we should start correcting. This is a normal stage of every woman’s development and reproductive life. And one of the ways women might help themselves not to feel like they’ve got a disease is to accept this stage as they accepted all the previous reproductive stages. If a woman embraces this new phase in her life and works with it, rather than fighting against it all the way, many of the changes that come with it can be handled more easily.

Myth: Menopause and depression go hand in hand. One of the potential symptoms of menopause is depression but it is not the same as clinical depression. The many changes that a woman experiences during menopause can make her feel depressed, sad and slightly nostalgic. Some women are bothered by the fact that their child bearing days are behind them and grieve the passing of their youth. In most instances the depression is a mild one that will pass in time. In rare instances, a short course of antidepressants may be required.

Myth: Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is dangerous and should be avoided. When HRT was first introduced, many women were excited about a treatment that could help relieve many of the unpleasant symptoms that accompany menopause. However the bubble burst shortly afterwards when a highly publicized research study revealed that HRT came with some serious potential risks to women’s health. HRT is still rather controversial although it can be an effective treatment for menopausal women who are experiencing hot flashes and vaginal dryness, among other symptoms. Many doctors are cautious when prescribing the treatment for their patients. Some of the potential risks of the therapy include an increase in rates of breast cancer, blood clots and stroke.

Myth: Women put on weight as a result of menopause. Weight gain does not occur because a woman enters menopause but is the result of a poor diet, a lower metabolic rate and not getting enough physical activity on a regular basis. The body does change over time but this does not necessarily mean that a person has to put on unwanted pounds. A menopausal woman can remain fit and healthy if she eats a well balanced diet and gets enough exercise.

Menopause is a result of decreased production of estrogen and progesterone in a woman’s body. There are a number of different kinds of medications that can help ease your menopause symptoms. Your doctor might give you a prescription, or you may prefer to try an over the counter menopause medication.

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Workout to have Easier Menopause Experience

hormone replacement therapy

Many women are apt to slow down while they are going through the symptoms of menopause and just depend on menopause remedies like natural progesterone; however it is critically important to keep fit and engage in constant physically activity as much as their schedule permits. There are plenty of arguments why physical activity is especially important during a woman’s menopause and these include:

Heart disease. Menopause is known to increase the chances of developing coronary heart ailment, but if the heart is well-maintained by moderate exercise, then the negative health consequences of menopause is significantly reduced. Working out also promotes the health of our vascular system so that a healthy blood flow is maintained and accompanying ailments during menopause, such as lingering exhaustion and fatigue will be cleared.

Osteoporosis or Brittle Bones.  Although working out can’t fully block the advent of osteoporosis, it can slow the speed in which bone density is destroyed, hence the bone illness advances at a considerably slower rate. Exercise can also help to strengthen the ligaments, bones and tendons so that strains and fractures don’t arise every now and then. Hormone replacement therapy is also claimed to help ward off osteoporosis and is something to consider discussing with your doctor.

Depression. This is a prevalent symptom of menopause. However exercise has been shown to reduce depression in several women. This is because exercise galvanizes the brain to generate more endorphins, which are termed ‘natural high’ producing hormones because they create a sense of euphoria. Minor depression generated by the concerns of menopause can often be assuaged by undertaking some type of moderate physical activity or exercise.

General Sense of Contentment.  Exercise is great for increasing your physical energy and giving you the sense of wellness, even if you only do it a few times each week. And if you are feeling better about yourself, then you will not be so caught up with perimenopause symptoms.

What kind of workout routine you should do must be an internal choice. However, you should go for and try to incorporate a mixture of aerobic exercise and weight-lifting workouts.

Aerobic Exercises.
This type of exercise embraces any type of physical movement that makes your heart rate and your breathing rate to be elevated. Some examples of these exercises are speed walking or what you call power walking, slow runs or jogging, running, doing several laps in the pool, riding a bike or aerobic dancing. It also includes activities such as performing housework, gardening activities, running after the dog or the children and even vigorous sex. In fact, anything that you do which makes your heart to work at an accelerated pace can be referred to as an aerobic exercise and thus it is healthy for women.

It is important not to go overboard however, because the positive effects of exercise can be negated by exhaustion and this will leave you feeling weak and tired when you should be bright and feeling good.

Bodybuilding Exercises
This form of workout includes all physical activities that provides resistance to your muscles. Some examples are:, climbing the stairs, picking up weights, stretching and muscle toning workouts and just carrying bags or heavy objects can be classed as body building even if these tasks do not technically lead to muscle growth. Muscle building workouts are important for making your cartilage, bones, ligaments and muscles more powerful, which lessens the risk of developing bone fractures and sprains.

Based on this discussion you can see that any fitness program undertaken during the natural female menopausal stage is more helpful than not having any fitness program at all. You must try to find a few sports you enjoy doing and switch between them so that there is minimal likelihood of you becoming disinterested to continuing it. Lastly, a little fitness routine prior to reaching the menopause stage can make you so much more more able to physically cope with with the changes in your body during menopause and after menopause; and at the end of the day, is it not what we all women desire?

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