Running into menopause
Running is beneficial for older women, writes
bone more quickly than we make new bone, leading to an overall reduction in body bone mass over time.
If you can visualise how strengthening your muscles makes them bigger, you’ll have a better understanding of how our bones can become stronger and denser if we put stress on them.
Our bodies build bone mass when we apply stress along the full length of our bones, which is what happens when we run, said sports medicine specialist and physical therapist Kevin Mcguinness of Washington Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine. Bones build structure in response to the stresses applied to them, and for the weightbearing bones, such as those in our legs and hips, you need to apply stresses while upright, working against gravity, in a weight-bearing fashion, he explained. “The greater the stress, the greater the bone-building response,” he said. Because postmenopausal women lose bone density more quickly than similarly aged men, they are at greater risk of hip fractures, Mcguinness said. Hip fractures in an older woman can cause complications that can hamper independence and lead to other issues, including respiratory and circulatory problems as a result of becoming more bed-bound. “For women, it is very important to build a base of strength and bone density in your 20s and 30s, because it becomes much harder to generate new bone in your 40s, 50s and 60s,” Mcguinness said. “Not that it’s impossible to build it later in life, it’s just more difficult.”
In addition to rebuilding bone density, running is also excellent for helping women address some of the other effects of menopause, said Mishori, 51, a runner and former tri-athlete.
Running can reduce hot flushes, improve sleep and cardiovascular function, alleviate pain and discomfort associated with arthritic joints, and even help with cognition and depression, Mishori said.
“I absolutely urge women who run to continue running after menopause,” Mishori said. “And there’s no reason to not start running in your 50s.”
Mishori tells her patients that they can start small, working their way up to one mile, then two and maybe even up to a 5km. “I know women who started in their 50s and 60s and are running halfmarathons,” she said.
If running isn’t an option, Mcguinness suggests resistance training (with or without weights) and yoga, which can build bone density as well as help maintain strength and motor control.
If you’ve been a runner since your 20s or 30s, Mishori said, you’re going to notice differences post-menopause.
For example, the body becomes less adaptive at digesting sugars, breaking down carbohydrates and regulating its temperature, Mishori said.
This might mean that post menopausal women consider fuelling longer runs with fruit, such as a banana or dates, or using just half or even a quarter of a sport energy gel.
And Mishori recommends bringing a frozen headband on your runs so that as it thaws it slowly releases cold water onto your hair and shirt. And bring light layers, she added.
Ageing runners, whether experienced or not, don’t recover as quickly as they once did, said Claire Bartholic, a fivetime Boston Marathon qualifier, competitive masters athlete, and coach at Runners Connect, an online community of runners and coaches.
“If you raced on a Saturday in your younger years, you might have been able to do some speed work a few days later and have no problems,” she said. “Now we need to take our time and get back to some slower running, easier recovery running, to feel good again.”
Another effect of lower oestrogen levels is that the body wants to store more fat just as it’s losing muscle, and fat slows you down, Bartholic said. This is important whether or not you’re a competitive runner if you enjoy participating in certain organized races, including the Marine Corps Marathon, which specifies that all runners maintain a 14-minute-permile pace across the course.
“You’d rather have lean muscle on board to keep you moving faster,” said Bartholic, who recommends regular strengthtraining sessions to all of her runners but especially to her postmenopausal runners.
Carolee Belkin Walker is a wellness blogger and the author of “This Is My Brain on Endorphins: How I Got Fit, Healthier, And Happier (And You Can, Too),” out in February 2018.