How and where do I start with 'strengthening' - peri menopausal/lazy/unfit

[soupfiend]

So as the title says. I have been directed here by another poster - thank you

I have to start some sort of exercise aimed at bone protection. Im 'that' age now and have spent my whole life very overweight, Im sure I have sort of strong legs.

But I have lost an awful lot of weight, brilliant, but I know a lot of that will be muscle and I do no exercise at all. I hate movement of any kind!

I started just trying to walk, have given that up.

I was even looking at gym memberships earlier but I got a headache thinking about it, I know I wouldnt go

I also cant get down on the floor or back up again, I cant kneel on the floor. Sitting on hard surfaces is very painful these days, I have no fat on my bum it seems.

What can I do, how do I do it to protect against the risk of menopause related bone loss?

TIA

hi,
i was like you. Still shudder when thinking back at PE lessons and have hated sports of any kind for my whole life.

Then peri hit. My cholesterol went up together with my waistline. I needed to find aomething to do. I started pilates. It's a bed on which you lay down, there's no jumping envolved and no one looks at you. I discovered muscles I thought I never had. The feeling AFTER the session is great so I kept goinf for the mental high and the feelling of 'good job, you didi it'

Once I had some abs back (still very very far from a six pack!) and I have started couch25K

I hate running but it has an even greater positive effect on my mood afterwards. I also had bloodtests done last week amd my levels are all back to normal. So yeah, still hate it, but I know I have to just stop moaning about it, give myself a stern talking to and just get on with it. I don't need to love it, but I have to do it for my own o erall health.

Maybe you should change perspective...

I am peri and keen on preventing osteoporosis. I’ve found Caroline Girvan on YouTube, there is an entire thread on MN devoted to her. Brilliant and short enough (20/30 minutes) that it’s hard to find an excuse not to do it. You need 2x5kg weights and off you go

Excellent paper: Midlife women, bone health, vegetables, herbs and fruit study. The Scarborough Fair study protocol

Bone resorption inhibiting properties have been ascribed to a limited range of common fruit, vegetables and herbs. These include the herbs dill, sage, garlic, parsley, thyme and rosemary. Vegetables and fruit with BRIPs include tomatoes, green beans, cucumber, broccoli, lettuce, prunes and oranges [28]. The minimum effective dosage of fruit/vegetables and herbs (F/V/H) with BRIPs calculated in the animal model is 170 mg/day. This corresponds with 6.2 grams of fresh F/V/H per kilogram human body weight. This amount is equivalent to 3–5 servings /day [35] of any F/V with BRIPs for a 60–70 kilo woman. Culinary herb servings were to be additional and usual culinary measures in meals were advised to all intervention participants (2–3 cloves garlic, 0.5-1 teaspoon for dried/fresh culinary herbs and up to 0.25 cup of parsley (Group B-BRIPS) and basil (Group A- non-BRIPS). The effect on bone resorption of the foods with BRIPs is said to be additive [39]. Vitamin K is also known to affect bone

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3552690/

This study is inspirational in its results.

The BEST (Bone, Estrogen, Strength Training) study evaluated changes in bone mineral density between women who participated in supervised 60-minute sessions 3x per week focused primarily on weight-bearing and resistance-training exercise and a control group who did not. Researchers recorded significant gains in muscle strength and BMD for the intervention group and a loss of bone density in the non-exercisers.
The improvements were independent of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which enhanced bone density and muscle strength in both groups (1). Unsurprisingly, the most effective type of exercise for preservation and improvement of BMD in both pre- and postmenopausal women seems to be a combination of resistance training with weights and weight-bearing exercise like walking, running, or step aerobics (2, 3), tailored to the individual's medical history and abilities (NB, pelvic prolapse is a significant determiner of acceptable varieties of weight-bearing exercise for women as is the pre-existing state of the bones).

There is a workbook but the research is described well in this webinar (it details the programme on which the clinical write-ups are based). It's worth looking at the presentation as it's a very good overview of the study and its results. The presentation also goes into the details of what happened after the year was over when the 'paid for' supervision ended but a fair number of the women decided to continue under their own steam - and the results of that.

Yes Ive heard of this person and I do have some weights, not quite as heavy as that but I am a total beginner.

Hello from the other thread!

Lots of good advice on here already, but going back to the exercise part - a lot of PTs will advertise the army type style because that's what works in advertising - many people 'just want someone to tell me what to do' or judge the value of exercise by how much they want to die afterwards. Any decent PT won't actually train like that, or want to! If you do look at a PT, it might seem counter intuitive but gyms that offer power lifting, bodybuilding or strongman type training usually have the best - because they'll have PTs doing it because it's their passion, rather than it being a 21 year old lad who's done a six week course because he likes going to the gym.

I know you've said you don't like the gym, but I do think it's worth trying - even doing one 30-40min session a week would give you benefits.

If you dont want to go down that route and want to start very simply, a good way of simplifying things when it comes to exercise is to think of it like this: to work the whole body you need to have three major movements that you do in two directions

lifting (pushing) above your head
pulling from overhead
Pushing away from your chest
Pulling towards your chest
Squatting down to the floor
Lifting (pulling) from the floor

You can find all sorts of exercises online but these above movements are the foundation of most exercise programmes (eg in exercise terms an overhead press, pull up or lat pulldown, bench press, row, squat, deadlift) The benefit of these type of moments is they are compound exercises, meaning they work multiple muscles at once, so you don't need to do lots of different exercises for different body parts.

If you only want to work at home in short bursts, I'd recommend looking up resistance band workouts. Resistance bands are like big rubber bands that vary in thickness/how difficult they are to pull, and they're much more affordable and practical to have at home than dumbbells, especially because as you get stronger you need to increase the amount of weight/resistance you use. To give you an example though, you can stand on a resistance band and push it overhead for the first exercise, loop it round a bannister and pull it down for the second exercise. They are easy on the joints and you really can get a surprisingly good workout from them. For most people buying weights at home doesn't work because you'll quickly outgrow small dumbbells and few people have the space or money to buy the range they need. To give you an example I use dumbbells from 4kg through to 30kg and everything in-between.

This study is interesting. Emphasis on heavy weights, compound movements - deadlifts, overhead press, squats and pull ups assisted with drops to the floor.

Agree re the powerlifting/strongwoman type gyms. There are lots of strong people who want to help others get strong and in my experience do that in a really supportive way. And they're the ones who won't be judging for how much you lift, your starting point etc as much as supporting you for trying. Cos that's what the sport is like too.

I've just read this book which was recommended on another thread: Next Level: Your Guide to Kicking Ass, Feeling Great, and Crushing Goals Through Menopause and Beyond eBook : Sims, Stacy T., Yeager, Selene: Amazon.co.uk: Books

The key things are
lift heavy (but remember body weight exercises are effective, even a thin person's body is heavy!)
do some plyometrics (skipping and jumping jacks will do, you don't have to be jumping on boxes and the like)
sprinting (eg between lamp-posts and walk recovery, then do again)
eat lots of protein (which is found in sources I didn't know about, like broccoli)

And lots of walking if you don't like running.

I try to walk at least 30 minutes a day and then run 2-3 times a week, do pilates and stretches and two outdoor fitness classes which involve weights. But I have also done an outdoor fitness class which was predominantly body weight exercises and I saw my body change, so they do work. The main thing is to do something! Follow people on Instagram and see if there's anything that takes your fancy - lots have free workouts there and on Youtube and then you can find something that suits you.

Also that book had a horrifying statistic that menopausal women's stomach fat grows by 44%. As I carry any weight round my middle and not my hips anyway, that isn't good news for me!

Try 5 mins 'no knees' pilates and 15 mins 'gentle beginners yoga' both on youtube each day.

I was exactly like you 3 months ago - no strength, no energy, pulling muscles in the back of my legs if I walked much.

The yoga stretched me out, the pilates helped with core strength.

Now I can walk up steep hills and dig the garden!

The best exercise is the one you actually do.

There is lots of good advice on this thread about the better options for bone density.

My advice is that you need to get off your date and give something a go. If you currently struggle with motivation (as you haven't yet found the movement you like) you might benefit from group fitness, as the only thing you have to do is show up - which is the hardest part. Once you're there you just follow the instructions. You might look at gyms with a diverse group fitness programmes, so you can try a variety of formats and instructors. YouTube videos are also a possibility if you don't like the sound of this, there's no good gym nearby, etc.

If you want to go down the gym/weights path, getting a PT is also a great idea, as they'll be able to help with technique and programming. You don't have to sign up for infinite sessions - you could see them a few times to get set up, then check back in from time-to-time. My main advice would be to get someone who is a bit older and more experienced, with a focus on mobility, as you say:

"I also cant get down on the floor or back up again, I cant kneel on the floor. Sitting on hard surfaces is very painful these days, I have no fat on my bum it seems."

You need to exercise for the long game. Things like getting up and down off the floor are basic movements that decline in lots of people, not just due to inactivity, but due to 'exercising around' limits. Your body operates on a 'use it or lose it' basis, and a lot of so-callee age-related decline is not inevitable. Happily, it's never too late to get back into it. Seventy- and eighty-year-old you will thank you for what you do now.

This thread should be pinned somewhere!! Such great advice. Really encouraging too.

I'm 54 and 2 stone overweight (I was 3 stone overweight before Christmas).

3 suggestions...

1. just treat exercise as a task that you have to do every day, like washing up or cleaning your teeth.

I go to a circuits class 3 times a week - there's weights, cardio and stuff and nothing lasts long enough to get too boring. I don't like it but it makes me feel better and I'm stronger.

2. do a 15 minute Pilates video. I realised I was starting to walk like an unsteady 70 year old so I do Pilates once a week for an hour. It really helped. I can get off the floor now without help or floundering around.

3. walk - it's free, it's cheap, no one is telling you to do anything, put a 45 minute podcast on or whatever and just walk. you don't have to like it just do it.

Walking, pilates and circuits are great for many reasons but not really going to have much impact on bone density which they op is specifically looking for. Circuits include some weights but if they're light enough to do at speed in a sequence they're not heavy enough to make much impact on bone density. Cardio/fitness/endurance benefits yes, but it's dependent on the OPs priority.

The circuits I do include body weight exercises and free weights, kettlebells and dumbbells and bars. So it's doing a weights class in effect with different sets of weights tailored to you.

And I think Pilates which involves planking and other bodyweight would too and increase flexibility.

I do understand that circuits include weights, just that weights done in a circuit, ie without rest, aren't heavy enough to make a difference to bone density which is specifically what the OP is seeking. If they were heavy enough, you wouldn't complete the circuit! Good for endurance though.

I would recommend anyone does a variety of exercise, just that if they OP has already said they are very reluctant to exercise and therefore isn't likely to do much, then what she does needs to be tailored for her individual goals. It'd be demotivating to force yourself to go do something you don't like, to later realise it's not doing anything to help with what you wanted.

I loathe high intensity exercise - classes, ball sports. Got into running for a while but stopped after an accident (not running related).
I did a strength training course through a local ladies weight lifting gym and got hooked! Been lifting for about 3 years now. I stayed with body movement only but now I can dead lift 50kg 💪🏼 I would highly recommend looking into powerlifting, especially aimed at women.

Lots of good ideas here, I wouldnt be motivated in any way shape or form to do cardio or circuit type things.

I forgot to say I do suffer with vertigo and dizziness, another peri menopause win

Just to also say Im quite supple, just naturally like that, but the reason I cant/wont get up and down off the floor is because its painful on the bony bits of my knees, hips and bum. When I sit now I just have bony bits in my bum and its painful, I dont have a nice cushion there anymore.

Im working my way through some of the youtube suggestions

Omg that's shocking! Does the author tackle this?

I would definitely recommend a PT and don't be put off by their adverts - meet them and have a few sessions before you write them off as not being a good fit for you.

The PT I see is a big hench muscular dude who I would probably think "we have nothing in common" if I saw a picture of him, but actually he's a really decent, quietly spoken man who talks to me about all kinds of interesting things in between our sets at the gym, and he's very well-read and has recommended me several books to read about metabolic syndromes and PCOS related stuff. I have learned so much from him and he's helped me completely change my body composition - gaining lean tissue and losing fat. Core strength improved. Many inches lost from all over my body. He doesn't tell me what to do in an authoritarian way at all. I like that he just plans what to do each session and I don't have to think about all that.

My friends PT is a strongman, so you can imagine what he looks like.
He's just helped her get to the point that she can lift things over her head for the first time in years.
There are definitely people out there who will want to help you to be functionally strong and healthy.

It sounds like you've really lost a lot of weight if sitting is painful - another reason to consider a weights gym , as the flooring and things like benches have a bit of cushioning! As other people have said it doesn't mean going forever, it might be a case of getting some support to get started and then shifting to exercising on your own. It would be safer to test things out with another person there if dizziness might be a factor.

Totally agree with this!

PTs are not just young men shouting at young men who want to bulk up. They will tailor excercise sessions for you. Why would you pay a physio but not a PT? They don't "tell you what to do" any more than a physio. They'll sugguest a suitable workout for your needs and encourage you through it safely. You've started this thread to be told what to do!

I hate exercise, hate being sweaty. And I don't mean just feel uncomfortable I really hate it. I do weights and cardio with a PT twice a week. When I started I told her I would swear a lot, sulk like a teenager, refuse to do burpees and hated being over heated. As you can tell I was the dream client!

She is awesome, she lets me swear, always positions me under air cons and facing away from mirrors, laughs at my sulks or distracts me with a lot of chats about politics (there's a tv in the gym showing the news so we start there and kind of see where it goes). 9 months in and she finally got me to do a 'fake burpee' which was a sort of downward dog /plank/mountain climber thing. I swore at her!

But it's now a rhythm - I stick to the same days and same time and I make myself go even if I really don't want to. Still don't love it but I can tell the difference less back ache, better balance, better eating and dare I say less drinking.

I found her by posting on local facebook page for a recommendation for a PT for those who hate exercise. I suggest you start there as likely there will be someone who's been down a similar path to you and can recommend.

Swimming. Or pool walking until you are fit enough for laps. Moving in water both supports you so less aches and pains when moving but also as it's much heavier than air it's resistance exercise. You don't have to get up and down off the floor either which is a bonus.
It's particularly good in winter as an indoor pool is lovely and warm.

If your not up for lap swimming then walking in water is brilliant exercise too.

YouTube is your friend! Search for key words (eg unfit, menopausal, as I did haha) and start small. There are strength workouts on there that are only 5 or 10 minutes long! Good luck.