Are you a woman in your 50’s? Here’s one womans view of how walking can help you navigate the physical and emotional challenges of this transitional decade and move you towards a healthy later life.
The menopause: it gets a lot of bad press. And I know it’s not easy. Hot flashes, brain fog, night sweats. And the symptoms that hit me most – vaginal dryness (OUCH), loss of libido and regular UTIs. But there is some really good news at the end of it – NO MORE PERIODS. No more monthly mood swings, no more having to remember the date, no more worries about getting pregnant or leaking all over your white bikini. To be honest, I had almost forgotten what a stranglehold periods used to on my life. A moment’s reflection brought back some memories: sitting in class at the age of 14 worrying if I was going to have a blood stain on my skirt when I stood up; desperate feelings of overwhelm every month, pregnancy scares, bouts of really heavy periods that left me anaemic and ill.
As a mum of two children I am grateful for the reproductive system that allowed me to experience motherhood. But today at 59, I am so happy that I no longer have periods. I feel I can explore again what it is to be me: the me before I turned 13 and periods and everything they signify, dominated my life. For me, this is the golden light at the end of the tunnel. But getting through that tunnel can be hugely challenging, both physically and emotionally.
Although every woman experiences the menopause in different ways, I think for most of us it is a radical period of change, when the demands of our body force us to re-negotiate many of our key relationships and how we organise our lives. I know many women who quit careers at the top of their game, because they simply couldn’t balance the demands of work with the changes that were happening in their bodies. Equally I know women – and I would count myself as one of them – who found that a changing sex drive and ability to comfortably have sex created real friction (excuse the pun) in their long term relationships.
And there are other sources of change that hit in your 50’s. This can be the time when your children leave home and your own parents might require your care. Divorce, downsizing, retirement, health issues, loss of a parent: a whole host of deeply significant life changes may be happening and the roles you have been playing for the past 2 decades radically re-form themselves. This can be confusing and scary. I remember feeling in my early 50’s that I wasn’t sure who I was anymore. My identity seemed to be built on shifting sand and I didn’t know how to make sense of the way I was feeling.
In the midst of this turmoil, the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other can provide a refuge, a time for you to reflect and a fitness option that is KIND to your body AND that can reduce the symptoms of menopause.
Studies show that walking can:
- Reduce the frequency and severity of hot flashes
- Boost your mood through the release of endorphins
- Promote weight loss
- Improve bone density that can decline during menopause
And for me there is another more intangible benefit. The very steady act of walking creates a state of balance and peace that I find both reassuring and grounding. When everything else seems chaotic, a long walk brings me back to a place of security where my relationship to myself and to the world becomes strengthened. And because I walk everyday, I experience the daily ‘moods’ and transitions of the natural word. I walk through rainy days, windy days, sunny days, calm days. I watch the changes that mark the movement between the seasons. Nature shows me that change is normal. Nothing stays the same. Now with my 60’s approaching, the highs and lows of perimenopause and menopause are behind me. Ahead of me lie a new set of challenges, related to ageing and death.
It comforts me to know that walking every day is a scientifically proven way to future proof my body against today’s modern diseases: type 2 diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis and some cancers.
Equally important is my knowledge that in the midst of change, going for a walk is like a reassuring hug: it makes me feel that whatever my body and mind are experiencing, I’m OK, exactly as I am.
Note On The Author
Harriet is Creative Director at children’s music business Boogie Mites and author of the upcoming book ‘Walk Yourself Wonderful in 28 Days: The Simple Way to A Healthy Body And A Happy Mind.’
Grab Harriet’s Free Guide: Walk Yourself Wonderful and find out how you can transform your health and wellbeing with a simple daily walk.