Spinning for Menopause Mood Slumps

I've been feeling down lately with the weather and everything. It's important to stay active and social even when you just want to stay shut up inside, since we're more susceptible to depression during menopause. Exercise classes are great for countering low moods, so I decided to check out the new class at the Y, spinning.

Spinning involves stationary bicycles with a weighted wheel to provide more resistance. You can burn up to 500 calories in a 40-minute workout! It's essential to start out in a class to learn the correct posture and avoid injury. Plus, you get the added benefit of a social atmosphere with music where everyone's working their tail off for the sake of fitness. 

There's a lot of flexibility because each participant can adjust their exertion and still be a part of the class. The resistance on the wheel can be changed, or the rate at which the petals are turned can be modified to intensify the workout.

Here are the five main movements in spinning:

1. Seated flat: This is the basic position, with hands placed in the middle of the handlebar. It's normally used in warm up and cool down.
2. Standing flat: The rider stands up straight and places her hands on the part of the handlebars in front of the body. It is important to learn the correct center of gravity for this movement.
3. Seated climb: This movement involves more resistance but fewer rotations per minute. The hands are placed in the same location as in standing flat.
4. Standing climb: The hands are placed at the far end of the handlebars so that the rider's thumbs can touch. The rider should stand up and lean forward a little. This movement also has fewer RPMs than the flat movements.
5.  Jumps: This alternates standing and sitting flat for 2 – 8 seconds. The rider's hands should be at the same placement as in standing flat.
6. Spinning is a tough workout, but that makes it all the more gratifying. I love the class, and always have a good time with my fellow participants. If you have a class in your area, you should look into it!

 

Fitness Videogames for Menopause

The other day, I was watching my niece and nephew, and they wanted to play videogames – nothing out of the ordinary there. I was expecting the usual dragons and sword fighters, but to my surprise, they had something I didn't even know existed: exercise-based video games.

If you're like me, you were incredulous at first… but these games really go beyond what we think of as videogames. Here are the games my niece and nephew showed me. They were each a ton of fun!

Wii Fit

In this game, you follow a personal trainer who is a clay-like figure with a very soothing voice. There is a balance board you stand on during the exercises. The Wii Fit trainer teaches you yoga poses and strength training exercises. At the end of each activity, you get a balance score. This is really helpful, since the solid number can help you keep track of improvement. The game can also measure your BMI!

There are also sets of aerobic and balance games. For example, it has a mini game similar to step aerobics where you use the balance board as the step. While I was playing this game, I could tell it was designed with all ages in mind. It had so much variety and cute little characters, with one that looked just like my niece. Another great thing about this game is that it is also recommended to relieve insomnia and other menopausal symptoms!

Dance Dance Revolution

Another game my niece had she called DDR. It had a pad with arrows on it to direct your dance steps. This game has a lot of Asian songs that I’d never heard of, each about a minute and a half long. The arrows on the screen are hard to follow at first, but my niece was a whiz with this game! The harder the difficulty level, the better workout it is because you move more. But, it also has beginner and light difficulties, making it suitable for different fitness levels. A great feature of this game is that it tells you how many calories you burned at the end of each song! You just have to get past the odd music selection.

Xbox Fitness

Not wanting to be outdone by his sister, my nephew showed me his system too. It was a different one, a black box called Xbox. The fitness program on his system has famous, real-life personal trainers that give you "customized" advice. It features workouts like cardio, Zumba, and tai chi. My nephew explained that it picks up your movements with a camera thing that attaches to the box. Amazing the things they have come up with these days!

I never knew there was more to videogames than monster fights. You can also get a great workout! A Wii may seem like a big purchase, but it's more or less equal to a month or two of a class at the Y.  Spending time with my niece and nephew made me realize something:

Source: http://www.macafem.com/blog/grow-old-stop-playing/

Keeping Your Exercise Routine Fresh

Sometimes the hardest part of exercising is not the actually physical movements, but rather the motivation to keep going with the routine. We all know that exercise is important, but in the humdrum of daily life, it can feel like there's not enough time in the day. Some days, fatigue gets the best of me, and I just hit the hay early.

It can be hard to keep all the benefits of exercise in mind when the results don't appear right away.  We know that exercising in general helps to reduce menopause symptoms, but it's not an instant fix either. Exercise is also important to reduce the risk of diseases like stroke and osteoporosis, but sometimes those percentages just feel like statistics and not an immediate risk to be dealt with.

There are some great ideas out there to keep your workout going. Here are some that I've found most helpful.

Fartlek Training

This is a form of interval training that helps you get in touch with your body as you listen to your body's natural rhythm. During an activity like running or swimming laps, pick up the pace when you get a burst of energy. Then, when you start to feel winded, slow down to a gentle pace. The bursts can be exhilarating, and you won't be forcing yourself to keep the same, monotonous pace for half an hour.

Cross-training

Cross-training is great to help avoid injury and allows you to keep exercising even if you have an injury in an isolated area. Similar to what I've been doing, it involves doing different activities on different days so that it doesn't get too repetitive. Part of this is not being afraid to try new activities. Generally, it is better to do 30 minutes of a single activity one day and a completely different exercise the next, rather than doing little bits of each type of exercise each day.

Mix it up

Getting out of the rut doesn't have to be complex or a complete overhaul.  If you're in a class like yoga or step aerobics, pick a different spot! We have the tendency to claim an area and stick to it, even though we don't have assigned seats like in elementary school anymore. Even a small shift like this can freshen your perspective. Likewise, if you go cycling, jogging, or walking, try a different park or route. The change of scenery can really help!

Don't give up! Little adjustments in your routine can make it less like a routine and more like an enjoyable part of each day.