The Best Exercises for Menopause and Postmenopause
Strength and cardio are a good pairing to improve blood pressure.
What are the best exercises for menopause? For menopausal and postmenopausal women with hypertension risks, the most effective exercise program for lowering blood pressure seems to be a combination of aerobic and strength training.
In a review study of randomized controlled trials, combined training generated larger clinically significant reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as mean arterial pressure, for women with prehypertension or hypertension when compared with aerobic training or no exercise training.
Interestingly, when assessing the best exercises for menopause, researchers found that aerobic training alone did not result in clinically relevant improvements in overall blood pressure for women with existing hypertension risks.
The study appeared in Maturitas (2021;149, 40-55).
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA, is an internationally acknowledged integrative health and mindfulness specialist, best-selling author of 16 fitness and wellness books translated into multiple languages and sold worldwide, award-winning health journalist, contributing editor to Fitness Journal, media spokesperson, and IDEA's 2008 Fitness Instructor of the Year. She's a 25-year industry veteran and former health and fitness educator at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, who has served on multiple industry committees and co-authored trade books and manuals for ACE, ACSM and YMCA of the USA. She has appeared on TV worldwide and was a featured trainer on America's Next Top Model.
