exercise

Balancing act

Posted by Liz on May 22, 2009 in exercise | 1 comment

We all know that aging is associated with a decline in balance. But can it also foretell a decline in muscle strength? Apparently so. At least in so far as hormones go.

Reporting in the Publish Ahead of Print issue of Menopause, researchers say that the stage of menopause can predict your physical prowess. 979 women between the ages of 43 and 57 underwent evaluations for flexibility (stand and reach, sit and reach), muscle strength (grip and pinch) and balance (one legged standing with eyes open or closed) to determine their physical performance. Among the study participants, 44.4% were premenopausal, 25.8% in perimenopause and 29.7% in postmenopause.

While the results did not reveal any differences in flexibility among the women, they did show that women in perimenopause or postmenopause had significantly weaker grip strengths than their premenopausal peers. What’s more, their ability to stand and balance was significantly shorter by approximately 20 seconds. These differences remained even after the researchers adjusted for factors that might skew the results.

Life is undoubtedly a balancing act and trying to squeeze an exercise regimen into an otherwise overcrowded life can be difficult. However, this study suggests that the earlier we engage in physical activity, the more likely it is that we can overcome some of the inevabilities of menopause.

The BOSU® trainer is a relatively affordable and low-impact way to build core strength and improve overall balance. Personally, I’ve been using it for years now and have experienced a noticeable difference. My dad, who is 82, also uses the BOSU and likes it immensely.  Tai Chi may also help to promote balance while also reducing stress. Grip strength can be tackled through exercises that strengthen the forearms, e.g., squeezing a tennis ball or forearm curls. An intensive listing of forearm exercises can be found here, although like any physical activity, it’s best to speak to a trainer or a healthcare professional before embarking on any new activity.

I am a firm believer in an ounce of prevention. The earlier we start using, the later we start losing. In this case, more is less for sure!

Whole body vibration, positive vibrations!

Posted by Liz on Apr 20, 2009 in exercise | 0 comments

Whole body vibration. Whoa! What comes to mind are those machines from the 30s and 40s with the vibrating belt. Although they didn’t work very well, it seems the principle behind them might not have been so far-fetched after all. In fact, whole-body vibration appears to enhance the positive effect that resistance training has on body composition.

Whole body vibration (WBV) was evidently based on ancient Greek principles but more recently developed by the Russians to rehabilitate astronauts who may have lost muscle and bone mass during space missions. Around for centuries, it’s currently being embraced by sports medicine clinics and fitness facilities. A quick search on the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed database also shows that it’s caught the eye of researchers as well.

So what does WBV have to do with menopause?

In a small study that appears in the journal Maturitas. researchers examined the effects of WBV added to resistance training in sedentary  postmenopausal women. For eight months, 55 participants engaged in one of the following, three times a week:

• Resistance only training (weight training at 80% strength, 3 sets, 10 repetitions)
• Resistance training (as above)  plus WBV using a powerplate vibration platform
• No exercise

Study findings showed that while both resistance training alone and resistance training with WBV led to significant increases in total, arm and trunk lean body mass, only the combination of training and WBV actually significantly decreased total body fat percentage.

Clearly, larger studies are needed. But this does lend hope for accessible, safe and effective ways to combat the natural loss of lean body mass/ redistribution of body fat as we age.

As Bob Marley said…positive vibrations!

Just when you thought it was safe…

Posted by Liz on Feb 13, 2009 in exercise, hot flash | 1 comment

Researchers now say vasomotor symptoms, such as hot flashes, night sweats and sleep disturbances, can last more than five years after menopause ends.

Clearly, this has a lot of implications of how we approach therapeutic interventions for hot flashes and other symptoms, as well as for planning ahead.

In this study, which is published on the advanced online edition of the journal Menopause, data were colllected from 438 menstruating women (ages 45-69 years) and then analyzed over a period of 13 years.

The findings showed that the mean duration of hot flashes over the study period was 5.5 years, regardless of whether or not women had ever used hormone replacement therapy. What’s more, study participants started experiencing hot flashes around age 53, and roughly a quarter of them continued to report having symptoms after the 13 year endpoint.

Importantly, the one factor that was associated with a shorter duration of hot flashes was exercise, with more exercise/physical activity associated with shorter symptom duration.

I’ve posted previously about the benefits of exercise and physical activity, which range from positive effects on bone health, sleep and mood to heart health and of course, overall symptoms. This study suggests an even more important reason to keep moving: slowing and perhaps eliminating menopausal symptoms sooner rather than later.

Move your bodies ladies – the evidence is in and it says it’s safe to step back in, one foot at a time.

Poor man’s plastic surgery, and even better!

Posted by Liz on Feb 9, 2009 in breast cancer, exercise | 5 comments

Exercise! Benefits aside, loved this poster! But that’s not the reason for this post.

Not only can exercise help improve mood and keep bones strong during menopause, but it appears that physical activity after menopause may help to lower the risk for breast cancer. Yet another reason to keep moving that body of yours.

German researchers evaluated the health records from 3,414 postmenopausal women who were participating in a study on breast cancer. Physical activity (sports, cycling, walking) was assessed during two periods — ages 30 to 49 and over age 50 — and compared to non-recreational physical activity (occupational, household activities).

Study findings showed that physically active women had a .71 lower odds of developing breast estrogen and progesterone receptor positive breast cancer. A similar effect was not seen on estrogen/progesterone receptor negative cancers.

Notably, these results remained even after the researchers took into account weight gain, body mass index and caloric intake, leading the researchers to conclude that continuing to be active after menopause may help to reduce the risk of developing certain breast cancers. This effect appears to be related to specific hormonal pathways and not body composition.

The study was published in the December 1 issue of Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

Strong motivation to keep moving, right?!

Wednesday Bubble: Restraint is the new black

Posted by Liz on Jan 7, 2009 in exercise, weight | 5 comments

Taking a restrained approach to eating may help to keep extra pounds and body fat away in middle age.

Sounds pretty dicey right? Especially since conscious restriction of calories has long been thought to lead to loss of control and binge eating.

Yet, results of a novel study published in the January 3 issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion suggest that women in midlife who do not restrict their eating have more than twice the risk of gaining substantial amount of weight than their peers who do.

In this study, researchers from Brigham Young University followed 192 women (mean age 40+3 years) over a three-year period, tracking their body weight, body fat, energy intake and physical activity at regular intervals.

Over the entire study period, and compared to their peers, women who did not restrain their eating had:

• a 69% greater risk of gaining more than 2.2 pounds
• a 138% greater risk of gaining more than 6.6 pounds
• a 49% greater risk of gaining more than 1% point in overall body fat

What’s more, the risk remained despite adjustments for age, weight, restrained eating, caloric intake and physical activity at the start of the study, and changes in caloric intake and physical activity during the study.

The researchers concluded that women who do not become more restrained in their eating habits or become more prone to emotional eating, are likely to gain both weight and body fat over a relatively short period of time.

While these data seem counterintuitive to a healthy relationship with food, the message is clear:  because our metabolism slows in midlife, we either have to cut calories or increase physical activity (or both).

Keep in mind, however, that any major change in your diet or exercise requires a conversation with a healthcare practitioner and certified trainer to insure that you are on the right track, and not heading into the injury jungle.

Makes sense, right?

Last year, I wrote a post about the need to move your body AND restrict caloric intake.  In fact, if you click on the word “exercise” in the tag cloud, you can access quite a bit of information about exercise during the menopause.

Let Joy be Unconfined… on Healthy Living Today

Posted by Liz on Nov 2, 2008 in exercise | 2 comments

[Henri Matisse, Dance (II), 1909]

One never knows where one might find inspiration. It can in a song, a book, a beautiful friend or better yet, through common interests.

Someone I’ve met via Twitter has been a regular inspiration to me, through his devotion to exercise, fitness, healthy living and finding the positive in just about everything he does. Consequently, I was very honored to be asked by Mark Salinas to write a guest post for his blog, Healthy Living Today.

I hope you’ll check out the post and better yet, spend some time perusing Mark’s site. It a great source of information on how to make the best of the journey we’re all on.

Enjoy!