A new study has found that exercise relieves some menopausal symptoms. Walking and some basic strength training can do the trick.
Researchers at Temple University in Philadelphia have found that physically active post-menopausal women handle stress, anxiety and depression better than their non/less-active peers. The researchers did not find a link between increased physical activity and a decrease in the incidents or severity of hot flashes.
These findings are just another feather in the cap for exercise. For as long as exercise – strength training, walking – has been studied as a treatment for, or method of coping with, a variety of diseases, ailments and conditions, there has been overwhelming evidence that exercise is good. How’s that for keeping it simple?
Thanks to the Internet, it has never been easier for people to learn how to exercise. You can hire a personal trainer, learn how to perform strength training exercises, see demonstrations of yoga positions and get advice on how to devise your own exercise programs thanks to web sites like this. And there are great professional organizations like the National Strength and Conditioning Association that provide basic info in easy to understand terms, as well as help you find a personal trainer in your area.
Strength training, walking, calisthenics, swimming and yoga are all methods of exercise that will bring about positive changes in a person’s life. From a common sense standpoint, it stands to reason that a person who is physically fit can better handle the stresses and strains of everyday life, extraordinary illnesses and all points in between. For the better part of the last 6 decades, science has provided ample reinforcement for this common sense viewpoint.
There is the misconception that people need to turn themselves into exercise machines in order to get the real benefits offered by exercise. Nothing can be further from the truth, as research has shown that people who engage in regular baseline physical activities like walking, gardening and flexibility training reap all the benefits that exercise has to offer.
In other words, you don’t have to be a nut like me and go out and hit things with a sledgehammer for 30-minutes in order to enjoy the benefits that exercise offers.
As a matter of fact, this Temple University study involved 380 women who walked 15-45 minutes at a time, as much as 5 times per week. That is certainly not too much to ask of someone, nor is it much of a sacrifice if this level of involvement can bring about real, healthy changes.
So whether or not menopause is a concern, people should take heed of this advice. Go out for a walk, you’ll feel better.
Hear, hear! I wonder if the biggest anti-exercise “force” might be sedentary jobs. (Watching TV is a close second — you can throw away your TV but it’s harder to quit your job.) At times I’ve worked jobs that had me sitting down 8 hrs. a day and they always leave me exhausted come quitting time. Whereas jobs that have me moving around don’t make me so tired. Last summer it just so happened I worked in a warehouse for 2 weeks, on my feet 8 hrs. a day, constantly walking, lifting, carrying. But when I went home each day I felt pretty good. Then switched to a sitting job (desk, computer, phone) — and it was the second type of job that left me feeling more tired. Isn’t that weird? If I’m right that sedentary jobs leave a person feeling beat, I bet lots of people think, “Sure adding some exercise to my life would probably be great, but I just don’t have the energy.” When actually getting a little workout would, I’m sure, make them feel more engergized, not less. Nu!
great point…it’s a vicious cycle of inactivity, lack of energy and more inactivity.
i’m a big believer in the philosophy that people got fatter in large part because they got less activity as we became more industrialized.