7 Best Exercises for Menopause Symptoms, Including Weight Gain

“If there’s one exercise you should do, it should be lifting heavy weights,” says Vicario. “Weight training not only helps build muscle, it also supports the joints and prevents musculoskeletal issues down the road.” If you’ve been doing a longer workout with lighter weights, it’s time to switch that up, she says. Lifting heavier weights for a shorter period of time is key. If you normally use a 5-pound weight, Vicario says, try doing 12 bicep curls or shoulder presses with 8-pound weights. “You want to get to the point where you think, I can’t actually do another rep, and that’s when you’re going to see positive body adaptations,” she says. When your body gets to a point that lifting the weight is easy — usually after about two months — switch to a heavier weight.

When women are younger, estrogen protects the heart, but after menopause, the risk for heart disease significantly increases, points out OB-GYN Tara Scott, MD, medical director of Revitalize at Forum Health in Akron, OH. Not only can heart-pumping exercises like running, swimming and biking decrease your risk of heart disease and clear up brain fog, but it can also pay off big dividends for your mood and sleep, which can both go through a rough patch in menopause. A large study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that running for 15 minutes a day or walking briskly for an hour reduced the risk for depression, and another large study that specifically looked at midlife women and exercise found that cardio exercise improved both sleep quality and mood.

Taking a yoga class online or in person, or simply rolling out a mat in your living room and doing a solo practice can help lower your blood pressure, which can rise during menopause, and improve flexibility and may help you with sleep, says Dr. Scott. While studies are inconclusive on how yoga affects menopause-specific symptoms such as hot flashes, some studies have suggested that regular practice of yoga can meaningful improve both sleep quality and quality of life in menopausal women,

“We are genetically dealt a certain deck when it comes to bone mass, but wherever you are with bone mass, you will start to lose it, most rapidly in the first five or six years after menopause,” says Dr. Malone. This leads to an increased risk of osteoporosis, osteopenia and fractures. The best way to preserve your bone mass is not to be gentle on your bones, but to do high-impact exercises that build up bones as they work against gravity, like soccer, tennis, aerobic dance, or hiking. “Bone is stimulated through impact—particularly when you’re changing directions, turning side to side, or making quick changes,” says Vicario.

During perimenopause and menopause hormonal changes can cause decreased blood flow to the pelvic floor and thinning of the vaginal mucosal tissues, not to mention making symptoms of urinary dysfunction or pelvic organ prolapse worse, says Ashley Rawlins, DPT, a physical therapist who specializes in pelvic floor health. Doing kegels and other exercises that strengthen the muscles that support your bowel, bladder and vagina, can improve flexibility, strength, coordination and blood flow, she adds. Research has shown that pelvic floor exercises can increase sexual arousal and satisfaction in postmenopausal women.

Dr. Rawlins recommends breathing into your belly and letting it expand along with your lower ribs, rather than breathing into your chest. You can start out by lying on your back, with knees bent, with one hand on your chest and the other on your belly to really feel the different types of breath. Eventually, you can do this kind of deep breathing in any position, she says. Not only does this kind of mindful breathing reduce stress, but it may even help you get through hot flashes more comfortably. “Breathing is not going to prevent a hot flash, but it can help improve your tolerance for it, where you’re breathing through it rather than resisting and making it worse,” says Vicario.

Walking has so many benefits in general, for improving mood, reducing arthritis pain and stiffness, and lowering your blood pressure. The best reason to walk may be to have uninterrupted time to connect with your friends, who may be dealing with many of the same menopause challenges as you. Plus, adding the social aspect to your walk makes you more likely to stick with it, says Dr. Malone. “We are less likely to disappoint our girlfriends than we are to disappoint ourselves,” she says. “When you make dates with your friends, it becomes an enjoyable habit.”