Brisk walk can control Menopausal stress

Is Menopause giving you a lot of trouble? Want a solution? Just go out, take a walk and exercise a bit. Your problem is solved.

Anxiety, stress and depression are very common during and post Menopause as a women’s body undergoes a lot of changes. A recent study has shown that all these can be controlled by simply taking a stroll or by exercising regularly.

Doctors and Women all around the globe have been looking for a long time for a natural solution to this common problem.

A study was conducted on 380 women with an average age of 42 years, of which 49 percent were African American, 58 percent reported more than a high school education, and 38 percent smoked cigarettes.

At the start of the study, all women were in the pre-menopausal stage. After eight years of the study, 20 percent of the women were menopausal with an additional 18 percent classified in the late transitional phase.

In the eight year course of the study, symptoms such as hot flashes, depression, anxiety, stress and other physiological and somatic conditions were evaluated. The results were very encouraging as the women who were in the top two-thirds in terms of activity experienced lower levels of stress and other mental disorders as compared to the other one-third of the group.

“With the aging population, physical activity represents one way for women to stay mentally healthy. Physical activity can help throughout the menopausal transition and afterwards,” said the study’s lead author, Deborah Nelson, who is also Temple University’s Public health researcher.

It was found that the women who did a moderate amount of exercise, like walking five times a week for 40 minutes, had a better mental health than those who did a very little exercise such as walking for around 15 minutes five times a week. But, it is also noticeable that exercise had no effect on symptoms like hot flushes.

Dr. Nelson also said that the women don’t have to do rigorous exercises, but have to be regular and need to stick to the routine in order to keep the body mass index down and lower the risk of stress, anxiety and depression. There is also no need to go the gym.

The women who participated in the study did not have the privilege of walking in the refreshing countryside. The set up was similar to the one in the urban areas with the women using city blocks or shopping malls to accomplish their routine walk.

“It’s not just helping you to keep physically fit but toning, releasing hormones and stimulating the metabolic rate at a time when it’s normally slowing down. This helps women maintain a healthy weight even on the same diet they’ve always had,” said Maryon Stewart, who works at the Women’s Nutritional Advisory Service.

The study has been published in the January issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.