Living in a Body with a Uterus - "Balance Course"

Let's talk menopause!

This is a subject that, in the past, has remained in the shadows and hasn't been completely understood or even discussed openly. Recently, research has been targeted at taking the mystery, fear, and stigma out of menopause. There is a movement by organizations and medical providers to shed more light on this period of a woman's life. Menopause has largely been tied to aging and has held some negative connotations in society, but this doesn't need to be the case. More than one third of the women in the US have been through menopause! It's a normal and natural part of life, and should be lived just as well as earlier stages of life.

We believe that moving our bodies and staying active is one of the best ways to reduce the physical and mental symptoms that are, unfortunately, part of perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause. Exercise is the foundation of what we do, but we wanted to do a deeper dive into other helpful tools on this subject and share them with you! From this desire, a certification in "Midlife Fitness For Women" through AFAA was obtained, and our "Balance Course" was born.

What are the stages of menopause?

There are four stages of menopause and these stages are progressed through at varying rates and with varying symptoms.

Premenopause

This includes the entire reproductive period up to your final menstrual period.

Perimenopapuse

This is the time just prior to menopause when the endocrinological and biological features of menopause begin. Your ovaries begin to produce less estrogen, monthly cycles may become all over the place, and you may even start to have some menopausal symptoms. The most common of these are sleep disturbance, weight gain, mood swings, and breast tenderness.

Menopause

Menopause is defined as a permanent cessation of periods for one full year.

Some women experience early or induced menopause if they have been exposed to high levels of radiation or have gone through chemotherapy. Smokers also can have early onset because smoking inhibits ovary production of estrogen. Some other causes include mumps, autoimmune disease, and women having both ovaries removed. If only one ovary is removed or with a hysterectomy where ovaries remain, it usually occurs at the same age it would have naturally.

Postmenopause

This stage is usually the last third of most women's lives. It can range from being free of periods for just one year to someone celebrating her 110th birthday!

What are the symptoms of Menopause?

Each person has their own unique symptoms. Some notice little difference and others will be extremely bothered. This is because estrogen and progesterone levels decrease at different rates depending on the individual. A gradual decrease of estrogen allows time to adjust to the changes. For some, these changes are sudden and can cause more severe symptoms. The most common symptoms are listed below.

1. One of the first signs is irregular periods.

2. Hot flashes and night sweats affect between 60-80% of women in the US.

3. Urinary tract and bladder issues including incontinence and a higher chance of UTIs can occur.

4. Sexual issues linked to a decrease in estrogen levels.

5. Psychological challenges.

6. Weight gain with visible changes in the waist, loss of muscle, and increased fat tissue.

7. Protruding abdomen which isn't necessarily associated with weight gain, but more with poor posture as we age.

8. Achey joints.

9. Fatigue.

10. Insomnia.

11. Difficulty concentrating and remembering.

12. Headaches.

What role does exercise play in managing symptoms?

Physical exercise is a powerful non-pharmacological tool and is important at every single stage of a woman's life. Exercise also plays a role in enhancing cognitive health, function, and mood. Even if you haven't lived an active way of life in the past, there is plenty of time in midlife to lower health risks, manage menopausal symptoms, and change your lifestyle.

1. Exercise has no effect on the timing of menopause, but active women have fewer and milder symptoms.

2. It helps reduce tension, anxiety, and has a positive impact on mood.

3. Staying active also plays a role in enhancing cognitive health and brain function.

4. It's unclear as to what extent weight gain during midlife is due to menopause or to increased sedentary habits. Either way, exercise is key and beneficial.

5. It offers protection from loss of bone mass.

6. The risk of heart disease can be reduced.

7. It lowers blood pressure.

8. Exercise also helps with cholesterol and reduces LDL and increases HDL.

Finding "Balance"

Menopause is a period of significant change, and realistically, we're not going to find hormonal "balance". Hormones are constantly fluctuating up and down and this is normal. With the right strategies we can strive to "balance" our habits and lifestyles in order to help with the discomforts and promote healthy aging. Also, let's continue to have conversations about the reality of living in bodies with uteruses!

Exercise stands out as a key intervention and as a fitness community, we want to support and empower you to incorporate regular physical activity into your routine. Stay with us for more opportunities to build supportive friendships and healthy habits with group exercise as our foundation.