Menopause Makes This Habit More Important Than Ever
As estrogen drops, muscle, bone, and metabolic health become more vulnerable. This habit helps protect them.
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Menopause Makes This Habit More Important Than Ever
Think of muscle like your body’s 401(k).
Before menopause, you can get away with making smaller “deposits.”
During and after menopause, withdrawals start happening faster.
Because of the drop in estrogen, women tend to lose muscle, gain more fat mass (especially around the abdomen) and face faster bone loss. Strength training is one of the most effective ways to push back against all three.
What the Data Shows
A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis found that resistance training in healthy postmenopausal women significantly improved muscle strength, physical fitness, and body composition.1
A 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis found that in postmenopausal women, resistance training improved functional capacity and may also help with some menopausal symptoms, although the evidence for symptom relief was lower certainty than for physical benefits.2
A 2023 meta-analysis found that exercise training improves body composition in postmenopausal women, with resistance training being especially effective for increasing muscle mass.3
And when it comes to bone, a 2023 updated systematic review and meta-analysis found that exercise training helps preserve or improve bone mineral density in postmenopausal women.4 A 2024 systematic review also found benefits for bone density and physical performance in this population.5
So strength training matters in menopause because it helps protect the tissues that estrogen used to help protect more easily: muscle, bone, and metabolic health.
Your Practical Health Tip
Aim for 2-3 strength sessions per week.
That can mean squats, lunges, rows, presses, deadlifts, resistance bands, machines, or bodyweight exercises done with enough challenge to make your muscles work.
I go deeper on exactly how to do this in these two posts:
See you tomorrow for your next 1-Minute Health Tip.
To your zenith within,
Sara Redondo, MD, MS
References:
González-Gálvez N, Moreno-Torres J, Vaquero-Cristóbal R, et al. Resistance training effects on healthy postmenopausal women: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Climacteric. 2024;27(4):1-9. doi:10.1080/13697137.2024.2310521.
Sá KMM, da Silva GR, Martins UK, Colovati ME, Crizol GR, Riera R, et al. Resistance training for postmenopausal women: systematic review and meta-analysis. Menopause. 2023;30(1):108-116. doi:10.1097/GME.0000000000002079.
Khalafi M, Habibi Maleki A, Sakhaei MH, Rosenkranz SK, Pourvaghar MJ, Ehsanifar M, et al. The effects of exercise training on body composition in postmenopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2023;14:1183765. doi:10.3389/fendo.2023.1183765.
Mohebbi R, von Stengel S, Schoene D, Kohl M, Barone G, Bragonzoni L, et al. Exercise training and bone mineral density in postmenopausal women: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention studies with emphasis on potential moderators. Osteoporos Int. 2023;34(5):965-999. doi:10.1007/s00198-023-06682-1.
Hsu HH, Chiu CY, Chen WC, Yang YR, Wang RY. Effects of exercise on bone density and physical performance in postmenopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PM R. 2024;16(12):1358-1383. doi:10.1002/pmrj.13206.