Best exercise plan for menopause

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I want to get fitter - I walk fairly regularly and an enrage around 10K a day but don’t do much else.
I’m interested in adding both strength and flexibility and also increasing my cardio but haven’t really got the inclination to join a gym, I’ve done it before but the motivation to go dwindles too easily - I figure I can exercise during the time it would take me to get there and back!
So, to the question. I’ve read that in menopause you should do less continuous strenuous exercise to keep cortisol levels down? Hokem or good advice?

Any recommendations for an exercise plan to follow to get fitter and healthier?

You might find Stacey Sims book Level up useful. She does talk a bit about cortisol, though I don't feel it's an area where enough research has been done (so much research is only done on men and it's gradually emerging that women are often different in how they respond to diet and exercise.) Her approach is not to avoid strenuous exercise; she recommends HIIT style short intense bursts and heavy lifting, while reducing endurance cardio sessions, as the intense work delivers more benefit for less cortisol. Fuelling well and not exercising fasted also help support healthy training.

You can start strength work at home with quite basic equipment but if you do want to get into heavier lifting a gym and occasional PT sessions really help. I'm not sure how far your gym is but could you cycle or run there as a warm-up, do a strength session and cool down on the journey home?

I think both strength and flexibility work are the most important things menopausal (and beyond) women can do for their health. I’m biased because I teach Bodypump and Bodybalance, am 45 and female and many of my class participants are women my age and older. Loads of women in their 40s plus (including a few in their 80s!) who find the classes so beneficial physically and mentally.

Strength work burns calories (growing muscles need energy!) and that boosted metabolism lasts for some hours after a weights session, so you’ll be burning calories faster even as you’re back at home getting on with your evening. This equals fat loss and because your muscles are growing too, you’ll look more sculpted. Many women tell me they find they don’t lose as much weight as they might expect to, but they no longer care what the scales say because they look and feel great. Strength work also helps our bones stay denser- so important in menopause and beyond.

As for mental benefits, am perimenopausal and have been prone to anxiety all my life and I honestly think I’d lose it if wasn’t for my classes. Especially yoga/flexibility ‘mind and body’ type classes. Headspace! Flexibility/balance work is so important as we age, I’m always telling my folks we want to be able to get up and down from the floor without difficulty and sustain that for as long as possible as it’ll stand us in good stead in later life.

Hope you find some exercise that works for you.

I'm 43, not quite menopausal but have been through the find a routine process. I started with something I love then let it naturally progress - for me it was swimming, then I got curious about the spin, body conditioning and LBT classes at my gym, so started those, then thought I may as well add the gym and then got a trainer. I would say you get a lot of bang for your buck (or time) with lifting weights, so definitely include that whether you start at home or in a gym. There are online trainers too. Always apply progressive overload.

I think short intense bursts are probably the most efficient cardio wise.

But I also think doing at least one thing you love is important!

My ideal plan would be like

• 2 full body strength sessions
• 1 HIIT session (cardio)
• 1 swim (flexibility, enjoyment, mental switch off, cardio)
• 1 salsa class (just for fun)

-12.5k steps

• some daily mobility (Tom Morrison is great for this)

At the moment its
-3 full body sessions (trying to build muscle)
-1 run (trying to get to 5km, have booked an event
-Something else cardio if I have time
-12.5k steps

you should do less continuous strenuous exercise to keep cortisol levels down

News to me so I did a little google. About the articles that caught my interest:

"Endurance training, where you exercise for multiple hours consecutively"

"The population most at risk for cortisol imbalances are endurance exercisers... " which seems to be "biking or running for two to three hours a day a few times a week".

"markedly acute cortisol responses, similar to those responses found in marathon running."

Were you planning to start with 2-3 hour endurance sessions & marathons, OP?

This one annoyed me because it says to just get yourself to sleep 3-4 hours more every night (I would not be an insomniac getting too little sleep if I could just choose to sleep more).

If you're worried about cortisol then there's a long list of things to try (that probably also aren't really proven to help, but heyho, they aren't bad habits).

Pahla B on YouTube does great workouts and eating plans for menopausal women.

She does. I've been working through her exercise courses this year and recommend them. She's very knowledgeable and supportive. I like her method of keeping it all moderate exercise, which suits me. I've lost two stones so far this year doing intermittent fasting and her exercises daily.

That's incredible! Sorry can't quote you. Haven't figured it out!

If you're walking 10km a day already, that's probably taking you over 90 mins. If you're doing that every day I wouldn't add more cardio in, I'd just look to add flexibility and strength. So yoga, Pilates, resistance body movement. I don't do weights as I have dodgy knees and use resistance bands instead but a lot of women swear by doing weights in the gym.

I've started doing a 9 minute HIIT video off YouTube. My BP has lowered already.

I've come to the decision that I'm more concerned about being healthy than the scales. And being toned.

I'm off hrt but I didn't lose any weight on that. I felt worse tbh. Just doing natural menopause now.

I walk regularly for the gentle cardio and do yoga for the strength and flexibility.

Both seem to have positive impacts on my mental health as well as physical benefits. I feel a lot less frazzled, emotionally drained or flat.