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Women in fitness training

Innocent Choga Fitness
The different stages of our lives, just like the different conditions that we live with require different ways of approach towards training and diet.

The menopause stage is not any different. Menopause signals the end of a woman’s menstruation and reproductive years. Experts say menopause can start prematurely in the early 30s and even late in the 60s.

To discuss this issue I consulted a health, fitness and herbal expert Mac Mucadam of Health and All. Mucadam was very happy to make a contribution because according to him this is a burning issue he encounters everyday at his workplace. He says he holds a minimum of two to three consultations per day concerning this issue. As confirmation of this, he called for me to jump the queue and listen as he held a free consultation session with a middle aged woman who was accompanied by her daughter.

Apparently as they held discussions he realised the problem was related to what I wanted to consult about, so he had asked her for permission for me to listen in as they discussed the issue. He also insisted that the teenage daughter should also listen and learn. The lady agreed.

According to Mucadam, menopause is not an illness, it is a time of life; a time of good change when mothers should be rewarded for child bearing, raising families and boosting clans. But for other women it can be at time of trials and tribulations. Instead of enjoying this time of good change mothers are now burdened by the conditions that can that can come along with menopause.

Conditions such as hot flushes, sweating, arthritis, blood pressure, diabetes, mood swings, loss of libido and loss of pigmentation and skin discolouration can creep in. It can be a period of depletion of meagre reserves of calcium and iron causing osteoporosis, resulting in joint pains, anaemia, fatigue and malaise.

Mucadam says early menopause and the menopausal symptoms can be caused by unhealthy lifestyles; lack of exercise and bad diets. He said world research has indicated that women in the urban areas represent the larger percentage of women affected by early menopause and menopausal symptoms.

He says most of the rural women all over the world live active lifestyles. They exercise involuntarily because of the manual work they have to do and the long distances they have walk. They also eat well involuntarily because of the wholesome foods available, though they may also yearn for the refined foods the urban folks are exposed to.

The air they breathe has less pollutants. So for some of them menopause can even start at the advanced age of 60. Even after menopause life goes on as usual for them because of their active lifestyles and good diets they are not heavily affected by these symptoms. He says urban women can compensate by exercising and supplementing their diet.

According to Mucadam, some of these symptoms will make it a time of strife for couples who do not understand these changes. The home can turn into battlefield as the husband misinterprets the lack of libido and the woman also fails to comprehend and control her mood swings and depression bouts. Mucadam says information and knowledge is seriously lacking.

Wives and husbands will see the symptoms and have no idea what is happening. Medical practitioners seldom have the time to adequately explain. The failure by couples to realise that the problems are being caused by the approaching menopause phase is very common and it leads to many problems.

“Menopause can result in loss of libido. This is pure ordinary level science, but after so many years out of school we tend to forget about such things and we pay an arm and a leg to various unscrupulous practitioners and sharks who promise remedy.”

Women who are affected by the symptoms will have to be strong. These menopausal symptoms will eventually disappear. This is a passing phase, which experts say usually occurs in between the age of 45 to 55, but not every woman will experience these symptoms. Those who experience menopausal symptoms are said to experience different conditions from what might affect another; what affects one might not affect the other.

Also research has also indicated that the rural women who may experience the symptoms are likely to feel them much harder than the urban women because of the unavailability of resources.

There is no way of avoiding menopause every woman experiences it .Research is focusing on the effects of diet and exercise in assisting women to go through a healthy menopause. There is no doubt that exercising before the onset of and during menopause will condition women to better handle the condition. Exercise might not help much in alleviating some of the symptoms like the hot flushes but it will condition one or handle them with ease.

I also had a chat with a former female National Bodybuilding winner and fitness trainer Lurdes “Lulu” Moura. Lulu won the title in 2013. She is now in her forties and she is training to compete again this year.

Lulu says; “Exercise helps ease many of these ugly symptoms. It is advisable to mix cardio and weight bearing exercises to increase metabolism and help maintain or increase bone density to curb osteoporosis that can follow menopause. It is also advisable to ensure that one eats balanced meals and supplement with calcium, magnesium and vitamin D.”

Exercise helps to pacify the mood swings and clear depressions. The endorphins released during exercise will help create happy states of the mind.

Loss of oestrogen results in osteoporosis, the reduction in density and thinning of bones. Fat cells convert the male hormones in women to oestrogen as a way to counter osteoporosis. This may result in body fat gain. The female hormone is lipid based. Experts say women should not be alarmed by body fat gains at this stage, as long as the gains are modest. Women who exercise have an advantage. Exercise and eating well will generally help control the weight. There is need to increase calcium consumption by eating foods such as low fat dairy products and green vegetables.

Experts say in order to take care of the hot flushes one must drink lots of fluid, pure water and fruits. One must limit consumption of spicy foods, alcohol and caffeine as they tend to increase the hot flushes’ frequency.

Mucadam also says; “Because of cessation of production activities within the reproductive system the uterus shrinks.”

Therefore there is need to exercise the muscles surrounding the uterus. These include the hips, the adductors, abductors groin, and abdomen and gluteus maxim. Doctors usually recommend oestrogen therapy especially for small boned, ultra lean women and those who smoke who experience menopause early either naturally or due to hysterectomy (surgery to remove the uterus or part of it). Success is not guaranteed.

It is also important to note that a combination of too much training or heavy training for very long periods and very low levels of body fat of around 8 to 10 percent plus mental stress have been known to cause cessation of menstruations. This condition called amenorrhoea usually affects female athletes because of the hard training. This condition can be reversed though, by cutting back on training and eliminating mental stress and increasing body fat over the 10 percent mark.

Being fit and strong is a kind of empowerment to all individuals including ageing women. It allows us to go through daily chores without hassles and over dependence on other fit and strong individuals.

Mucadam advises; “Menopause is a time when men should be bringing breakfast while the women are in bed, a time to bring roses and not a time to consider options.”

He adds; “Women owe it to themselves to adequately educate not only themselves but society as a whole on the signs and symptoms and treatment of menopause. The internet is awash with such information.”

But one can only look it up if they are aware of what is happening and understand that it is not an act of witchcraft.

•  Innocent Choga is a six time National Bodybuilding Champion with international experience. He is studying for a science degree in Physical Education and Sport. Email:[email protected]