Bionutra - The Freedom To Live Well : Healthy Lifestyle

A healthy lifestyle can help women manage menopause better. Such positive lifestyle changes can affect the lives of menopausal women greatly. In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, these women need to practice healthy diet, exercise regularly, and get involved in some leisure activities.

Healthy Diet

Diet is very important during menopause as a healthy diet can help to mitigate menopausal symptoms. There are some food groups that will help menopausal women manage this life stage. Women who are undergoing menopause often experience hot flushes, night sweats, and depression; while others tend to feel more lethargic when going through the menopausal stage.

Practising a healthy diet can help to reduce unpleasant symptoms. Women should eat plenty of fresh vegetables, fruits, cereals and whole grains. Fruits that are high in potassium such as melons, bananas and citrus fruits will help to balance sodium levels and defend against water retention.

It is recommended to increase water intake, estimated at six to eight glasses a day. Others include reduction in caffeine (coffee, tea, cola and chocolate) intake and limitation in alcohol consumption, to not more than one to two standard glasses a day.

It is also good to consume dairy food which are low in fats but high in calcium content. This includes low fat milk, cheese, yogurt and so on.

Phytoestrogen is an important compound that can help support management of menopausal symptoms, thus it is wise for women to regularly include a variety of food containing phytoestrogens in their diet. Soy beans, tofu, whole grains and legumes are the best sources of phytoestrogens.

Meat, fish or chicken should also be consumed in small portions; this is to ensure that the body has ample supply of iron. Iron in meat is found to be more easily absorbed as compared to the other sources.

Maintaining a healthy diet will not only help women to manage menopausal symptoms better, but will also contribute to better health.

Regular Exercise

It is a well-known fact that exercise helps to keep a person healthy, however, many consider exercising a chore. Hence, to encourage exercise, it is important to make it hassle-free and a less dreaded activity. It has been said that regular exercise can help women in their menopausal years as it promotes well-being and better sleep as well as enhance relaxation. Regular exercise gradually strengthen the lungs, digestive tract, nervous system, and control body fat; thus decelerating the aging process. It also helps individuals to cope better with stress in the everyday lives.

Women in their menopausal years can benefit from various exercises:

General Fitness
General exercise are exercises that can be done while carrying out daily tasks. For instance, women in their menopausal years can take the stairs instead of the elevator as it promotes mobility and decreases stiffness and soreness. Other forms of exercise that can be done regularly include daily walking and brisk walking. It is recommended that women start their day by doing a short morning walk, however if this is not possible, walking whenever there is a chance to will be good too. Such exercises help keep bones healthy and maintain good balance as one age.
Joint Flexibility and Muscle Tension Release
Exercises for joint flexibility and muscle tension release are also exercises that could help to reduce the sores and stiffness experience during menopause. Doing this on a regular basis will increase energy level.
Kegel Exercise
Kegel exercise is an effective method of countering incontinence. It strengthens the pelvic muscles, in addition to that it can also help improve libido. Kegel exercises are not hard to do at all, women just need to contract their pelvic floor muscles for a second and release it completely. Repeat 10 times for each set. For a more effective result, do up to 20 sets a day.

Not only is it simple, but this exercise can be done anywhere and at any time. It can be done in the bus, in the car, while waiting in line at the supermarket or even in the shower. Kegel exercise is small price to pay for better libido and menopausal women can also wave goodbye to incontinence.
Yoga
Due to the rapid fluctuation of hormone levels in a menopausal woman’s body, exercise that could balance the body and mind would be ideal. Yoga is a form of exercise that promotes energy and balance and can be particularly helpful for women who are going through the menopause transition.

Yoga gives women a positively empowered attitude and while meditation helps rejuvenate the mind. Women will be able to have a better outlook on life when they are more at ease and have a better sense of well-being. As one of the popular methods of relaxation, meditation helps ease the tension and improve the energy level of the individual. Being more relaxed promotes regular sleep patterns, and this will help to overcome the menopausal symptom of occasional sleeplessness. Yoga positions such as the handstands, headstands and shoulderstands are believed to alleviate hot flushes and night sweats.
Pilates
Pilates improves flexibility, balance, and body awareness. In addition to that, it also helps to tone and strengthen the muscles and gain better muscular control. Women going through the menopausal transition can use pilates to maintain their fitness and need not fret as pilates is available in various stages. Even though a woman in her menopause years is not familiar with pilates, there is always an option to start off at the beginner’s stage.

Overall, pilates is able to provide physical and mental balance, eliminate stress, help to build and strengthen muscles. It works the deep muscle which in turn can strengthen the body of menopausal women. Women who adopted pilates as part of their fitness regime found that they not only feel stronger, but also more graceful, peaceful and confident.

Leisure

A variety of leisure activities will help women to keep active and alert. It also builds confidence and at the same time women can widen the circle of friends, giving themselves more options of social and emotional support enhancing their quality of life.

Dancing is one of the more popular activities that has been taken up by mature individuals in recent years. Perhaps because it is fun, easy and conveniently available and thus it has more benefits compared to traveling and other leisure activities. Ballroom dancing and line dancing are said to be able to revive the ‘youth’ in people. Therefore, it is not surprising to see more organisers for such activities like your local community centre; and if you are concerned that you are out of the league, not to worry as there is always be a beginners’ class. So get your heels or boots and boogie woogie!

Other Healthy Choices

To manage menopause more effectively, you should:

Avoid smoking;
Think positively;
Have a Pap Smear Test (every 2-3 years);
Go for regular Mammogram (every 1-2 years); and
Take the Bone Mass Density Tests if you think you are at risk for osteoporosis.


				Healthy Lifestyle Understanding Menopause Stages of Menopause More About Menopause When Menopause Comes About Hormonal Changes During Menopause How Menopause Comes About Menopause Statistics Symptoms of Menopause Long Term Effects of Menopause Managing Menopause Hormone Replacement Therapy Alternative Remedies Healthy Lifestyle Emotional Support Other Measures A healthy lifestyle can help women manage menopause better. Such positive lifestyle changes can affect the lives of menopausal women greatly. In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, these women need to practice healthy diet, exercise regularly, and get involved in some leisure activities. Healthy Diet Diet is very important during menopause as a healthy diet can help to mitigate menopausal symptoms. There are some food groups that will help menopausal women manage this life stage. Women who are undergoing menopause often experience hot flushes, night sweats, and depression; while others tend to feel more lethargic when going through the menopausal stage. Practising a healthy diet can help to reduce unpleasant symptoms. Women should eat plenty of fresh vegetables, fruits, cereals and whole grains. Fruits that are high in potassium such as melons, bananas and citrus fruits will help to balance sodium levels and defend against water retention. It is recommended to increase water intake, estimated at six to eight glasses a day. Others include reduction in caffeine (coffee, tea, cola and chocolate) intake and limitation in alcohol consumption, to not more than one to two standard glasses a day. It is also good to consume dairy food which are low in fats but high in calcium content. This includes low fat milk, cheese, yogurt and so on. Phytoestrogen is an important compound that can help support management of menopausal symptoms, thus it is wise for women to regularly include a variety of food containing phytoestrogens in their diet. Soy beans, tofu, whole grains and legumes are the best sources of phytoestrogens. Meat, fish or chicken should also be consumed in small portions; this is to ensure that the body has ample supply of iron. Iron in meat is found to be more easily absorbed as compared to the other sources. Maintaining a healthy diet will not only help women to manage menopausal symptoms better, but will also contribute to better health. Regular Exercise It is a well-known fact that exercise helps to keep a person healthy, however, many consider exercising a chore. Hence, to encourage exercise, it is important to make it hassle-free and a less dreaded activity. It has been said that regular exercise can help women in their menopausal years as it promotes well-being and better sleep as well as enhance relaxation. Regular exercise gradually strengthen the lungs, digestive tract, nervous system, and control body fat; thus decelerating the aging process. It also helps individuals to cope better with stress in the everyday lives. Women in their menopausal years can benefit from various exercises: General Fitness General exercise are exercises that can be done while carrying out daily tasks. For instance, women in their menopausal years can take the stairs instead of the elevator as it promotes mobility and decreases stiffness and soreness. Other forms of exercise that can be done regularly include daily walking and brisk walking. It is recommended that women start their day by doing a short morning walk, however if this is not possible, walking whenever there is a chance to will be good too. Such exercises help keep bones healthy and maintain good balance as one age. Joint Flexibility and Muscle Tension Release Exercises for joint flexibility and muscle tension release are also exercises that could help to reduce the sores and stiffness experience during menopause. Doing this on a regular basis will increase energy level. Kegel Exercise Kegel exercise is an effective method of countering incontinence. It strengthens the pelvic muscles, in addition to that it can also help improve libido. Kegel exercises are not hard to do at all, women just need to contract their pelvic floor muscles for a second and release it completely. Repeat 10 times for each set. For a more effective result, do up to 20 sets a day. Not only is it simple, but this exercise can be done anywhere and at any time. It can be done in the bus, in the car, while waiting in line at the supermarket or even in the shower. Kegel exercise is small price to pay for better libido and menopausal women can also wave goodbye to incontinence. Yoga Due to the rapid fluctuation of hormone levels in a menopausal woman’s body, exercise that could balance the body and mind would be ideal. Yoga is a form of exercise that promotes energy and balance and can be particularly helpful for women who are going through the menopause transition. Yoga gives women a positively empowered attitude and while meditation helps rejuvenate the mind. Women will be able to have a better outlook on life when they are more at ease and have a better sense of well-being. As one of the popular methods of relaxation, meditation helps ease the tension and improve the energy level of the individual. Being more relaxed promotes regular sleep patterns, and this will help to overcome the menopausal symptom of occasional sleeplessness. Yoga positions such as the handstands, headstands and shoulderstands are believed to alleviate hot flushes and night sweats. Pilates Pilates improves flexibility, balance, and body awareness. In addition to that, it also helps to tone and strengthen the muscles and gain better muscular control. Women going through the menopausal transition can use pilates to maintain their fitness and need not fret as pilates is available in various stages. Even though a woman in her menopause years is not familiar with pilates, there is always an option to start off at the beginner’s stage. Overall, pilates is able to provide physical and mental balance, eliminate stress, help to build and strengthen muscles. It works the deep muscle which in turn can strengthen the body of menopausal women. Women who adopted pilates as part of their fitness regime found that they not only feel stronger, but also more graceful, peaceful and confident. Leisure A variety of leisure activities will help women to keep active and alert. It also builds confidence and at the same time women can widen the circle of friends, giving themselves more options of social and emotional support enhancing their quality of life. Dancing is one of the more popular activities that has been taken up by mature individuals in recent years. Perhaps because it is fun, easy and conveniently available and thus it has more benefits compared to traveling and other leisure activities. Ballroom dancing and line dancing are said to be able to revive the ‘youth’ in people. Therefore, it is not surprising to see more organisers for such activities like your local community centre; and if you are concerned that you are out of the league, not to worry as there is always be a beginners’ class. So get your heels or boots and boogie woogie! Other Healthy Choices To manage menopause more effectively, you should: Avoid smoking; Think positively; Have a Pap Smear Test (every 2-3 years); Go for regular Mammogram (every 1-2 years); and Take the Bone Mass Density Tests if you think you are at risk for osteoporosis.