Exercise for Menopause!

At the risk of sharing TMI, I’ll just say that I seem to be fairly well along in my menopause journey.  Where exactly I am is hard to say because I haven’t had a period since my hysterectomy in 2017.  But boy, howdy, was I unprepared for the variety of changes this particular hormonal journey had in store for me.

So:  I’m going to talk about it.  Those of us who don’t expect to experience menopause can feel free to tune out, even though I’m pretty sure we all know someone who will at some point go through it and knowledge is power.  The more we know, the more we can get mad.  Just kidding.  Sort of.

 

Anyway:  menopause comes with a host of possible symptoms and effects.  Here is a link to a handy questionnaire that lists a whole bunch of them.  As is the case with everything, different people are going to have differing experiences.  Some of us will sail through with no problems and others of us will tick every box as if we wanted the full Spinal Tap reference.

 

How we deal with our personal battery of effects will vary.  It is beyond the scope of my practice to prescribe or treat or diagnose.  What I can do is let everyone know what exercise can do to help.

 

At menopause, women begin to lose bone density at a greater rate than before.  Weight-bearing exercise becomes even more important to keep our bones strong as long as possible.

 

Those of us who have sleep disturbances can improve the odds of sleeping well by getting plenty of exercise.  Ditto for fatigue, concentration problems, and mood swings.  Exercise reduces stress, which can, in turn, reduce muscular pain.  We will improve our breathing, reduce our likelihood of having headaches, and we’ll generally feel better.

 

Exercise is not the key to everything, but it can improve our quality of life.  Go play.

Monday Workout: Good Judgment

As always, we need to do exercises that work for us.  Those of us who are not jumpers should choose the side lunge over the lateral bound.  Jumpers can make the lateral bound more fun if there is a BOSU available.  No matter what we choose, we have three rounds.

 

kb alt arm swing	30
kb hammer curl	20
kb halo	10
lateral bound/side lunge	30
prisoner squat	20
Arnold press	10
mountain climbers	30
rows	20
plank up down	10

 

The Amazing Stickie and Shoulder Tap Pushups

The Amazing Stickie, while having an amazing attention span, occasionally wants to change things up just a little to keep herself sharp.  This means she loves variations on classic exercises, like this one for pushups.  It’s called a shoulder tap pushup.

She begins in classic plank position (the modified pushup position would also work!).  from there, she lifts one hand and taps the opposite shoulder and then repeats with the other hand.  Then she does her regular pushup.  The whole time she uses her abdominals to keep her balance.  A set of ten is plenty.

By request: Why do I need a trainer?

This month, I’m taking requests for things folks want to know about fitness (yes, please!  Ask me questions and I will blog the answers!).

What do I need a trainer for, anyway?

 

None of us really need a trainer.  Any of us can exercise all on our own.  There are tons of resources out there for what to do and how to do it.  Heck, I post a free workout every week right here on this blog.

 

What my clients pay me for depends on the client, but their reasons fall into some basic categories.

 

1.     I do the thinking and planning, so they don’t have to.  It’s my job to choose and modify the exercises, keep track of what weights they use for which exercises, and count the reps.

2.     I provide accountability.  They pay me, so they tend to show up to do the work.

3.     I “make” people do things for their own good.  The truth is that I can’t make anybody do anything.  But I have a really good Mom look and a clipboard and everything, so I look like an authority.  It goes a long way toward convincing people that they might as well get those burpees over with.

4.     I make it fun, or at least tolerable.  I keep the workouts varied, provide encouragement, chat about whatever to distract from whatever horrible thing we’re getting through.  Worst case, I find substitutions for exercises that people really can’t or won’t do.

5.     I keep it safe.  I monitor my clients’ form, adjust for injuries or other conditions, and keep tabs on energy levels.  If I need to, I will stop the workout to keep my clients safe.

6.     I have a bunch of education and can explain why we are doing things.  Some clients don’t care, but some find the underlying reasons for various exercises fascinating and motivating.  I am a trove of miscellaneous fitness facts.

 

Yes, having a trainer is a luxury.  It’s also efficient and, I hope, fun.

By Request: Back Traction?

This month, I’m taking requests for things folks want to know about fitness (yes, please!  Ask me questions and I will blog the answers!).

How do I give myself a little traction in my lower back?

 

Lower back pain and tightness is endemic.  The good news is that most of us can get a little relief using just a yoga block.

 

To do it, we lie on our backs on the floor.  We probably feel better already!  But we’re just getting started.  We want to bend our knees and put our feet flat on the floor with our heels in line with our sit bones.  Those of us who have osteopenia or osteoporosis will take a big inhale, exhale, and lift our hips straight up toward the ceiling, keeping the spine in a straight line.  Those of us who do not have those conditions will take a big inhale, tilt the pelvis toward the belly button as we exhale, and peel our hips up toward the ceiling one vertebra at a time.  All of us will take a big inhale at the top and then return to the starting position by reversing the way we lifted.  This bridge exercise creates a bit more space in the lumbar spine and loosens up all those joints.

 

But it gets better.  After we’ve done a couple of bridges, we get to the top position and then we slide a yoga block under our hips.  The direction of the block will depend on our flexibility—we don’t want to force our hips higher than they want to go.  Allowing our hips to rest on the block creates a gentle traction for the lower back.  We can hang out here as long as it feels good.

 

Those of us who have tight hip flexors (spoiler alert:  that’s most of us) can give them a stretch by extending the legs on the floor.  The front of the hips and thighs will enjoy an opportunity to lengthen.  Bend the knees again before lifting off the block, removing it, and coming down to the starting position.

 

Aaaahhhhh.

Monday Workout: Shake!

End of the month is time to shake things up!  We’re working in multiple planes this week.  Three or four rounds, depending on time and energy

 

1 min cardio
kb alt arm swing	30
side lunges	20
diamond pushups	10
tap backs	30
skullcrushers	20
pretty princesses	10

 

The Amazing Stickie and Wall Walk

The Amazing Stickie loves all things plank.  On days when she wants to plank more extremely, she chooses wall walks.

To begin, she gets into plank position with her feet near a wall that she is allowed to put her feet on.  Then she walks her feet up the wall.  The higher up the wall she walks her feet, the more she needs to rely on her upper body strength.

 

Just like all planks, Stickie holds it until she is tired and then carefully walks her feet back down the wall.