If you’re going through perimenopause or menopause, you may have noticed that your body doesn’t respond to exercise quite the way it used to.
Perhaps you’re feeling weaker, noticing changes around your tummy, experiencing new aches and pains, or finding that recovery takes longer. Maybe you’re experiencing pelvic floor symptoms such as bladder leakage or heaviness, or simply feel like your body has changed without really knowing what to do about it.
You’re not imagining it.
The hormonal changes that happen during perimenopause and menopause can affect your muscles, bones, connective tissues, pelvic floor and body composition. This is why exercise during menopause isn’t simply about doing more — it’s about doing the right things for your changing body.
Why strength training matters during menopause
One of the most important types of exercise during menopause is strength training.
As oestrogen levels change, women can experience a reduction in muscle mass and strength. Resistance exercise helps stimulate your muscles to maintain and build strength, while also providing important loading for your bones.
And strength isn’t just about lifting weights.
It helps you continue doing the things you love — whether that’s playing sport, travelling, lifting the shopping or simply feeling confident in your body.
Strength gives you options.
Your bones need loading too
Bone health becomes particularly important around menopause.
The decline in oestrogen can accelerate bone loss, increasing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures.
Strength training and appropriately prescribed weight-bearing exercise provide your bones with a stimulus to help maintain their strength.
That doesn’t mean everyone needs to start running or jumping. The right type and level of loading depends on your individual health, fitness and bone health.
This is where individualised exercise matters.
Don’t forget your pelvic floor
The pelvic floor is another area that deserves much more attention during menopause.
Hormonal changes can affect the pelvic floor and the tissues supporting the bladder, bowel and pelvic organs. Some women experience leaking, urgency, pelvic heaviness or changes in sexual function.
And pelvic floor health isn’t simply about doing more pelvic floor squeezes.
Your pelvic floor needs to be able to contract, relax and work together with your breathing, abdominal muscles and the rest of your body.
If you’re experiencing symptoms, a women’s health physiotherapist can assess what’s happening and help you exercise confidently and appropriately.
Your core and body are changing too
Many women notice changes around their abdomen during menopause, including changes in muscle strength and body composition.
But your core is about much more than having a flat stomach.
Your abdominal muscles, diaphragm, back muscles and pelvic floor work together to support your body and manage pressure when you move.
A strong core is a working core — one that helps you lift, bend, twist, push, pull and exercise with control.
What about those new aches and pains?
Some women experience new or changing aches and pains during perimenopause and menopause.
If exercise suddenly feels harder on your joints or your body isn’t recovering as quickly, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should stop.
It may mean your exercise needs to be adapted.
The amount you’re doing, the load, technique, intensity and recovery may all need to change as your body changes.
Rather than thinking, “My body can’t do this anymore,” a physiotherapist can help you ask:
“How can I help my body become stronger and more capable?”
It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing what your body needs.
There isn’t one perfect menopause exercise program.
For some women, that might mean starting with basic strength exercises. For others, it might mean progressing resistance training, modifying exercise around pelvic floor symptoms or gradually introducing more weight-bearing activity.
The important thing is that your exercise program works with your body, not against it.
There isn’t one perfect menopause exercise
Your ideal exercise program will depend on you.
Your symptoms.
Your strength.
Your bone health.
Your pelvic floor.
Your previous injuries.
Your experience with exercise.
And what you want your body to be able to do.
At Live Well, we believe deeply in individualised care. We want women to understand their bodies, feel listened to and supported, and have the confidence to move well through every stage of life.
Because menopause isn’t something you simply have to put up with.
It’s a time to understand your changing body, care for it and give it what it needs to stay strong.
Move well. Feel well. Live Well.
