Fitness

Baptist Health/Milestone wellness

Hot flashes, emotional highs and lows, and that unforeseen belly fat that appears overnight. That sudden urge to strip down in the winter time and wear shorts and a tank. Oh, the joys of menopause! Although it is a natural, biological process of aging, it can have its unpleasantness about it. Marking the end of the female reproductive years, menopause is diagnosed after your body has gone 12 months without a menstrual cycle. It can happen to women in their 40s or 50s. Ovaries make less of the estrogen hormone, resulting in irregularity or a complete stop of your cycle. As women experience this, the body is at risk for osteoporosis and heart disease. Many women gain weight after menopause due to decline in estrogen levels. After the age of 40, we tend to lose 1 to 2% of muscle mass year after year. Increasing weight bearing exercises into your workout routine is a necessity. Involving pelvic floor exercises into your daily routine will help strengthen your core and lower back, along with releasing any stress and tension in that area. Pelvic tilts, engage your core and are important to perform and practice daily. Bridges, a more advanced form of the pelvic tilt, can be mastered once the tilt is aquired. Engaging in 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise, if not already, should also become a part of your daily routine. Some men develop symptoms in their late 40s and 50s that can relate to similar menopausal symptoms that woman experience. Men experience loss of testosterone as they age. Although testosterone levels fall as men age, the decline is steady at less than 2% a year from around the age of 30 to 40. Limiting alcohol, eating healthy, getting eight hours of sleep, and aiming for 30 minutes of cardio a day along with incorporating weight training, will help males and females age gracefully. Mental health can be affected when our bodies undergo hormonal changes. Depression, lack of interest in daily activities, and not always loving the way our bodies look in the mirror, can have a negative effect on our aging process. We have a choice to make. Stay active and incorporate foods that help balance hormones. Foods such as avocado, flax seed, leafy greens, herbs and spices (turmeric and garlic), help promote hormone harmony. Always a rule of thumb~eat rainbow colored foods (blueberries and raspberries), that are high in antioxidants, which are cancer fighting agents. We want our holidays to be as stress free as possible. It starts with feeling good from within. With many holiday to-do lists this holiday season, make sure exercise and healthy food choices stay at the top of your agenda!

Alison Cardoza, B.S. Exercise Science and Sports Medicine with a Minor in Health Promotions from University of Louisville. ACSM Certifi ed Personal Trainer and Fitour Group Exercise Instructor at Baptist Health Milestone. Former UofL Ladybird and NFL Colts Cheerleader.

photos by Dick Arnspiger