Women’s health: Tips on how to make menopause empowering and not debilitating | Health
The 40s is a glorious period of life for any woman as it usually represents the peak of her professional prowess but is also accompanied by major physiological changes such as menopause. In this transition phase and also after the menopause, the body needs a lot of care.
In an interview with HT Lifestyle, yoga expert Uma Subramaniam advised, “One must ensure optimal nutrition along with exercise that helps keep the body and mind in good shape. This is where yoga has become the preferred option for millions of women. It helps women relieve anxiety and stress caused by the changes and positively addresses emotional upheavals. Regular practice of yoga can help the body overcome challenges such as routine fatigue, back pain, neck and joint pain. Some calming and relaxing asanas like shasanka, paschima-namaskara, janushirsa, supta sukhasana, shavasana can help in this phase. Shashankasana offers a gentle stretch while relaxing and energizing the body and mind.”
She added, “Paschima-namaskara is an inverted prayer posture that opens the shoulder joints, expands the chest, and improves breathing. Cooling and balancing pranayamas such as sheetali and seetkari, nadi shodhana, brahmari or even AUM chants can help. While these yoga-based exercises are wonderful for relieving stress and anxiety, it’s also advisable to supplement them with a brisk walk, dance, or other cardio routine, at least 3 liters of water, and an adequately nutritious diet. This would ensure women can remain physically and mentally active and avoid preventable health problems such as loss of bone density, weak immunity and other age-related challenges that may affect them in the post-menopausal years.”
Menopause is a natural phenomenon in every woman’s life, which comes with its own challenges and changes in body and mind, emphasized Dr. Veena Aggarwal, gynecologist at Women’s Health, “If not managed properly, it can lead to several health risks. The incidence of coronary artery disease or heart attack increases during menopause due to the decline in the female hormones estrogen and progesterone, which normally protect against such events. The risk of osteoporosis is also very high, which can lead to an increased fracture rate in this phase. The risk of breast cancer also increases during this phase and therefore annual mammograms are recommended for all women over 40.”
She warned, “What is often ignored during this transition is the physical and emotional stress that women are going through. If ignored, these can lead to problems such as depression, aimlessness, weight gain, irritability, lack of sound sleep and malaise. To avoid all of these problems, it is imperative to take care of your physical and mental health through expert guidance, dietary restrictions, vitamin supplements, especially calcium and vitamin D3, and holistic exercise routines like yoga and walking and meditation to run smoothly and safely to ensure transition during menopause.”