The Physio’s Exercise Guide for Perimenopause & Menopause

Regular exercise is important for all times of life including as our hormones are fluctuating with this stage of life. Exercise can help with weight management, hot flushes, night sweats and bone density at this important time of life. It can also assist you to feel great and sleep better!

It is important to know that every person will experience perimenopause and menopause differently, and with that we need a mixed approach to managing exercising through this time of life. Adding on to that the busy-ness of life during these years! Crazy.

Tips and tricks to keep exercising during perimenopause and menopause

Consistency

As with all things in life, consistency is the key – set regular exercise as a goal for a healthy life, including some strengthening and some mobility based exercise. 

Have fun

If you enjoy it, try to make some of your exercise sessions with others, particularly with friends and/or likeminded people. This will help you to stay motivated even if the bed feels super warm.

Reset

You will have times when your body hates you. Just reset and go again, as the hormonal fluctuations can mean a day or so rest will reset your capacity. If things  continue to cause you issues, then see your health professionals.

Slow and Steady

Tendons in particular are likely to flare up with any dramatic change in exercise regime. It is advisable to make any changes to routine fairly slowly to allow adaptation.

Warm Up

Tendons tend to lose their elasticity during this phase, so warm ups become more important.

Lift

Your bones will need strain to maintain their strength. So lift (there is no getting away with skipping this).

Look after your injuries

Neglected joint injuries tend to rear their ugly head – so best to get them looked at properly.

My focus as a Physiotherapist is on managing the musculoskeletal issues that can occur with peri and menopause due to hormone fluctuations. I love working with women to develop an individualised program to get the best results.

Exercises to help with Perimenopause and Menopause

So what kind of exercises should I do to help me through perimenopause and menopause? 

Strength & Resistance Training

Menopause causes a natural drop in estrogen, accelerating muscle and bone loss. Resistance training helps counteract this. Gradually increasing weight and resistance helps maintain results as hormones change.

Squats build lower-body strength and bone density

Deadlifts for glute and hamstring strength

Banded External Rotations build lower-body strength

Flexibility & Mobility Work

Joint stiffness can increase with hormonal changes; flexibility supports comfort and balance.

Cat-Cow spine mobility and gentle core engagement

Chest opener stretch counters rounded shoulders from desk work

Balance & Core Work

Balance naturally declines with age; improving it helps prevent falls.

Single Leg Sit to Stands strengthens legs and improves balance when moving

Single Leg Squats enhances lower-body stability and strengthens hips, knees, and ankles

Bird Dogs builds core and spinal control while improving balance and coordination

Planks develops deep core strength and supports overall body stability

Strength Program with Perimenopause and Menopause

We here at PFC offer several options to manage your strengthening program. Some people are keen to join our osteo strengthening programmed classes as well as pilates to keep things balanced. With these, we used high-load (heavy), low volume (reps) as the basis for building bone strength and muscle strength. 

It is best to complete this 2-3 times per week. Some people like to do this all supported, whereas others like to come once a week as a touch – base and do further training at home. 

Pilates with Perimenopause and Menopause

We also offer pilates, which uses more spring based resistance. A lot of people find this can feel nicer for their joints and focus more on mobility, however it is important to balance with other heavier strengthening, as this is required to build muscular strength and bone development.