Provided by: The North American Menopause Society
Do you feel like you don’t have time to fit exercise into your busy schedule? You’ll find it easy to find time for fitness with our helpful menopause fitness tips.
Tip 1: Break down those wish-I-worked-out-but-I’m-too-busy barriers
- Make physical activity a priority. Carve out some time each week to be active and make an appointment with yourself. Write it on your calendar. Try waking up 30 minutes early to walk, scheduling lunchtime workouts, or taking an evening fitness class. Spend some mental energy examining your own schedule and figuring out when it is realistic to exercise regularly.
- Make family time a physically active time. Plan a weekend hike through a park, a family softball game, or an evening walk around the block.
- Sneak physical activity into your days. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park farther away in parking lots, and walk in place while watching TV. You can even break those 30 recommended minutes into three 10-minute segments — possibly easier to wedge into busy days and nights.
- Doing routine chores that involve physical activity is helpful in more ways than one. Rake the yard, wash the car, or dust the furniture a little more enthusiastically. Getting these active jobs done can really get the job done, if you know what we mean!
Tip 2: Settle only for success!
- Set goals. Set both short-term and long-term goals to keep motivated. Write in on a calendar to make it official.
- Track progress. Keep an activity log. Include workout activity, length of time exercising, and also record the days a workout was missed, and why. Seeing progress in black and white can help keep you on track.
- Have fun. Vary your workout routine to decrease boredom and challenge your body. Choosing activities you enjoy will help to keep you going on those days when you really don’t feel like it.
- Reward yourself. Celebrate every success. Getting started is sometimes the hardest part.
Tip 3: Off the couch, off the tape measure
It takes about 60 minutes of physical activity every day just to prevent weight gain, not to mention lose weight, so get up and get going. Try a bit of gardening, a bike ride, or a brisk walk. At the least, women should be physically active for 30 minutes per day most days of the week. (But even 30 minutes 3 times a week will be rewarding!)
Tip 4: Don’t do too much
While this may sound crazy (or very appealing), exercising in moderation is important. Use common sense! Always start off a new exercise regimen slowly and after checking with your healthcare provider. Following an approved program is one way of exercising to reduce a long list of health risks without adding the risk of injury.
