4 Best exercises for menopause—and why movement matters

Amy Brownstein, MS, RDN - Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

The best exercises for menopause and all its stages support muscle, protect bone health, preserve cardiometabolic health, and help you manage common symptoms such as fatigue, weight changes, mood shifts, and temperature fluctuations. Exercise may not bring the bizarre dreams and memory lapses to a halt, but read on to learn which types of movement deliver the biggest benefits for women over 50.

Certain exercises for menopause may help your symptoms best

Your favorite jeans fit on Friday, but by Monday, they won't even zip all the way, and the scale gives no clues. Ah, blame it on perimenopause, menopause, or post-menopause, when you feel like your body suddenly changed the rules, with hot flashes, low energy, frequent bloating, stubborn weight changes, night sweats, and disrupted sleep. Enduring "the change," as your grandmother or mother called it, does not have to be quite so miserable as the memes make it. Before you throw in the towel and give up, note this good news: choosing the best exercises for menopause may help ease many of these symptoms and reduce your risk of developing other chronic conditions later in life.

Decreases in estrogen before, during, and after menopause can lead to increased abdominal fat, inflammation, reduced muscle mass, and a slower metabolism. Not the news you expected, right? But pay attention to this: the less active you are, the worse these effects become.

Exercise is not a magic bullet for managing menopausal symptoms. Still, it is one of the most powerful tools you have to support your health, energy, and quality of life during this transition.

The International Menopause Society recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise plus two or more days of resistance or strength training weekly. This may sound like a lot, but it doesn't have to happen all at once. Short walks, quick strength sessions, and gentle movement all count. Yay! Points for lifting full laundry baskets, parking farther from the store on purpose, and playing tag with grandchildren!

4 Best exercises for menopause

There is no single best exercise for menopause. No gym? No problem! Women over 50 benefit from a combination of aerobic, resistance, and mindfulness-based training, much of which can be done at home in your comfiest sweats or PJs, if that's what works for you.

Incorporate these four exercise types to help manage symptoms and protect your long-term health.

Yoga: Some evidence indicates improvements in physical, urogenital, and total symptoms with two to three sessions per week of yoga.
Aerobic exercise: Research yields conflicting results on aerobic exercise for managing menopausal symptoms. Still, aerobic exercise is essential for heart and metabolic health, as blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure tend to increase with age and changes in estrogen levels. Biking, brisk walking, dancing, swimming, running, or the elliptical are all great options for aerobic exercise.
Resistance training : Regular resistance or strength training strengthens muscles, improves bone density, and may protect against osteoporosis. Additional benefits of resistance training include reduced pain sensitivity, improved quality of life, and potentially reduced hot-flash frequency. Who wouldn't want that?
Pilates: Some research suggests that regularly practicing pilates may reduce the severity of hot flashes, sleep disturbances, and psychological symptoms and may improve sexual functioning. Pilates offers a whole-body approach to exercise, supporting strength and mental and emotional well-being.

Health benefits of exercise for women over 50

Are you so exhausted that you wear mismatched socks two or more days a week? The struggle is real! Despite low energy levels, which are common in people over 50, maintaining regular physical activity is one of the most effective strategies for managing symptoms in any stage of menopause. Additionally, preserving quality of life and protecting bone, metabolic, and heart health are also excellent reasons to move every day.

Regular exercise promotes physical and mental well-being and is associated with the following health benefits:

Improved cardiovascular health, body composition, and bone health.
Reduced inflammation
Improved temperature regulation, contributing to less severe vasomotor symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats
Better sleep, mood, and mental health

By now, you may wonder if anything good comes from enduring a decade or more of menopausal stages, besides not having a period anymore. Yes, because any activities you can do to feel strong and connected to your body, ease symptoms, and improve your health will benefit you. Changes in mood, self-esteem, and body image are common, and exercise offers one tool to help manage these symptoms and feel better about yourself.

When choosing the right type of exercises for menopause, remember that the best choice is the one you enjoy most and can maintain regularly. Even a small amount of exercise offers significant benefits for managing menopause symptoms and maintaining overall health.

Make the exercise fun, and you're more likely to stick with it regularly. Find a workout class, try a sit-and-be-fit video, join a pickleball club, or get into any other activity that interests you. Then, connect with an accountability partner, set reminders, establish goals, or focus on your "why" to help you start and sustain your exercise routine long after the hot flashes stop.