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Stay fit the aerobic way

A healthy lifestyle is the best prescription to ease the symptoms and side-effects of menopause, writes Nivedita Ganguly

Photo: K.R. Deepak

SWING AND SWAY Way to stay in shape

It's never been more difficult for today's women, as they manage the great act of juggling between a high-profile, extremely demanding job and niggling house chores. Middle-aged women who have run the gamut of marriage, childbirth and career are taking out time for themselves and turning to ways and means of keeping fit. And today it's often the daughter who competes, looking on wistfully and at times resentfully, while mom sets the pace. The modern-day confident mom works, juggles her finances and gets buff at the gym.

"Women have become increasingly health-conscious with the media influencing the visual contours of the human form," says Ganga Raj, aerobics trainer of `Vyayaam' the Fitness Studio. "In fact with women getting married late and having a vibrant professional life, they have realised the importance of looking fit."

Designed to work out and help relax the body, Ganga reveals that her newly opened fitness studio is spruced up in sophisticated interiors and with state-of-the art facilities along with the mandatory multi-speciality equipment, the right ambience and stimulus to get the adrenalin going.

The studio provides a variety of classes and equipment to enhance a high-standard fitness facility. With a state-of-the-art wooden floor, the fitness studio provides a variety of classes coupled with holistic exercises on concepts of yoga and Pilates. The aerobic studio comprises various Reebok equipments that provide the users with a wide range of cardiovascular and resistance exercises, she avers.

Along with the 20-something group, women in their late 30's are the most common group of fitness freaks. "There is a wellness revolution in India. A feel-good sense about fitness prevails. Everyone wants to jump onto the bandwagon. With stress levels having gone up due to sedentary lifestyles and occupations, people feel the need to exert themselves physically," says Lata, an HR executive.

So here comes the new-age mom - leaner, fitter, more youthful and often more hip than her own mother dreamed of being. She can be a hard act to follow!

However, this transition is not as easy as it seems. Coming to terms with an empty nest syndrome and a period when the children are not as dependent as they were in the schooling years is not easy. Adding to the emotional conundrum is the withdrawal or fall in the hormone levels during menopause that result in anxiety, depression, psychological and other problems.

"It's important to look into the overall fitness of a person. We are not trying to create any Karishmas or Urmilas here. One can easily burn the extra fat and feel fit rather than go for the ephemeral model-like figure," says Ganga.

Experts say that even the 15 to 20 per cent of women who have a truly miserable menopause can target symptoms in other ways, either with lifestyle changes or different drugs. Indeed, a healthy lifestyle may be your best prescription for easing the symptoms and side effects of menopause - something women of every age should know. Ideally, you should start getting enough calcium and exercise in your youth, because by age 30 bones have reached their maximum density. But it's never too late to begin.

"Fitness is a combination of muscular performance, body composition and cardiovascular fitness. Cardiovascular fitness is perhaps the most important because it reflects the body's ability to use oxygen to release energy," explains Ganga. By conditioning the cardiovascular system, you can decrease the risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and other life threatening diseases. Her sessions normally start with a 5-10 minutes warm-up exercises followed by a 45-minute actual work-out programme and at the end a cool-down session for 10 minutes.

For beginners, conditioning exercises for a couple of weeks before taking up aerobics helps to gel into the regime. Otherwise, you will spend a few days stiffened up in bed, with every tiny movement causing agony. Do stretches and warm-ups seriously: torn ligaments and muscles are the result of exercising with stiff muscles.

Do cool-down exercise for a few minutes afterwards: this will burn off excess lactic acid and prevent the pooling of blood in the lower limbs.

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