bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Tribune News Service

Menopause affects women all the way to their bones, and that is why building skeletal health is especially important during perimenopause and after menopause, says Dr May Al-Araji, a women’s health and family medicine expert at Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London.
This is a good time to add strength-training activities such as weightlifting to your exercise routine, Al-Araji says.
“Menopause has a multisystem effect. It can affect you literally from top to bottom, including your skin, hair, brain, central nervous system, heart, organs and skeletal system,” she explains.
Putting stress on bones during perimenopause and after menopause can increase bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
“Weight-resistance exercises are really key for bone health,” Al-Araji says.

But that does not mean you must become a bodybuilder.
“It’s all about resistance,” Al-Araji explains. “You build it up gradually.”
For example, rather than starting out with barbells or dumbbells, try exercising with resistance bands, also called resistance-tubing. You can also use your body’s weight to create resistance while exercising.
Women approaching or passing menopause can also build bone health by not smoking and by adopting a healthy diet, including foods high in vitamin D such as fortified foods, cereal, and fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines; and high in calcium, including almonds, broccoli, kale, salmon, sardines and soy products.
If you are not getting enough vitamin D from your diet, talk to your healthcare team about supplements, Al-Araji says.
It is also important to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, with one important caveat, Al-Araji says.
“Try to avoid rapid weight loss. The bones don’t like it. Our bones like very gradual weight loss, built over time.”

If you are trying to lose weight rapidly, it is important to work with your healthcare team on a plan to minimise bone loss, she adds.
Hormone replacement therapy and other medications may be considered when osteoporosis is diagnosed in women who are experiencing perimenopause or menopause, Al-Araji says.
When should a woman approaching perimenopause or in her postmenopausal years be concerned that she might be having bone problems? There are several signs that should prompt a visit to your healthcare team, Al-Araji says:

If you are experiencing burning pains in your bones.


If your bones ache.


If you break a bone from a simple fall. This is known as a fragility fracture, for example, if you fall from your own height (such as a fall from slipping or tripping) and break a bone.


If you are on medications that suppress your immune system, known as immunosuppressants.


If you are taking corticosteroids.


If you have a family history of osteoporosis.


If you have an autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis.


If you had an X-ray and it showed bone thinning, known as osteopenia.

In general, though, concern about bone health should not prompt women to avoid exercise for fear of damaging their bones, Al-Araji says.
“As long as you’re doing something that you are comfortable with, then I would encourage any form of exercise, even as simple as walking,” she says.
“Brisk walking is ideal. Just get your heart pumping a bit more than usual for you, and get a bit of sweaty skin. That is the ideal exercise really, and the general advice is to walk 30 minutes at least five times a week, if possible.”
Like what you read? Follow SCMP Lifestyle on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also sign up for our eNewsletter here.


How much coffee should you drink a day to get the most health benefits? Experts reveal

How people like 70-year-old Chow Yun-fat keep pushing their endurance limits as they age

Fee hikes are only half the equation if Hong Kong health reform is to work

Patients given more hope as study finds best time for lung cancer treatment

Wellness

How strength training is key for bone health and ageing well in menopause and before

Putting stress on bones during perimenopause and after menopause can increase bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis. 
Photo: Shutterstock

Want to age well? Putting stress on bones during perimenopause and after menopause can increase bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis, says a women’s health expert. Photo: Shutterstock

Dr May Al-Araji is a women’s health and family medicine expert at Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London. Photo: Mayo Clinic

Rather than starting out with barbells or dumbbells, you can build skeletal strength by exercising with resistance bands. Photo: Shutterstock

How watching TV and reading could safeguard brain health, and why you need an eye exam

Your eyes are windows into your physical and mental health, and an eye test can reveals symptoms of multiple conditions, from high blood pressure to diabetes and dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

An eye exam can reveal much about a person’s overall health, even whether they have high blood pressure. Photo: Shutterstock

“Measuring the way we control our eyes may provide us a non-invasive way of determining brain health,” says Dr Thomas Wilcockson, a senior lecturer in psychology at Loughborough University, in the UK. Photo: Loughborough University 

People who watch more TV and read more have better memory and a lower dementia risk than those who do not, a new study suggests. Photo: Shutterstock

There could be clues in eyes – a loss of visual sensitivity – that predict dementia 12 years before it manifests in memory loss. Photo: Shutterstock

Thomas Wilcockson performs an assessment of a participant’s eyes, using tools to track eye movement. Photo: Loughborough University 

How deep squats benefit body and mind, plus how to do them and tips for beginners

Kino MacGregor in malasana. 
Photo: www.instagram.com/omstarsofficial

Yoga teacher Kino MacGregor performs a deep squat, or “malasana” pose. The pose has many health and other benefits when performed regularly, from increasing flexibility to strengthening the pelvic floor muscles. Photo: Instagram/omstarsofficial

For children, squatting is an easy, natural pose. Photo: Shutterstock

Yoga and Pilates teacher Tiffany Lau performs a more advanced version of the deep squat. Photo: Instagram/iamtiffanylau

How art helped heal a breast cancer survivor hit hard by chemotherapy side effects

Lipi Srivastava with a collection of her paintings at her home in Hong Kong. Photo: May Tse

Lipi Srivastava with a collection of her paintings at her home in Hong Kong. The HR professional says art proved an effective therapy in her battle with breast cancer and side effects from chemotherapy. Photo: May Tse

Lipi Srivastava and her husband Piyush at their home in Central, Hong Kong. Photo: May Tse

Srivastava paints at her home. Photo: May Tse

Srivastava’s self-portrait, completed in March 2023, took nearly five months for her to finish. Photo: Instagram/artsylipsri

Srivastava now does strength training exercises once a week. Photo: May Tse

Srivastava wears a wig after her chemotherapy caused her hair to fall out. Photo: Lipi Srivastava

Lifestyle

Health & Wellness

Health

Lists

Doing strength training during perimenopause and after menopause can help women build bone health and avoid osteoporosis, an expert says


Doing strength training during perimenopause and after menopause can help women build bone health and avoid osteoporosis, an expert says.


Reproductive health

Medicine

5050

How to age well

How strength training is key for bone health and ageing well in menopause and before

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Doing strength training during perimenopause and after menopause can help women build bone health and avoid osteoporosis, an expert says

Doing strength training during perimenopause and after menopause can help women build bone health and avoid osteoporosis, an expert says