4. Your next prescription might be about exercise
For women going through perimenopause and menopause, several clinical trials have shown that exercise, including yoga and strength training, can improve metabolic and cardiovascular health, bone density, and blood pressure, among other benefits. Other systematic reviews have shown that strength training can reduce hot flashes, night sweats and heart palpitations.
But many women don’t get the exercise they need. Data shows that only 7 percent of middle-aged women regularly meet physical activity guidelines and only 24 percent engage in strength training twice a week.
Getting people to exercise can be difficult, and advice about exercise can be overwhelming, says Dr. Amy Comander, who works with breast cancer patients as medical director and director of breast oncology and cancer survivorship at Mass General Cancer Center.
Enter exercise prescriptions: a doctor’s specific instructions on what and how much aerobic and strengthening activities you should do and how to incorporate them into your daily routine.
The prescriptions address common barriers, such as not knowing where to start, says Comander, who discussed exercise prescriptions at the Menopause Society meeting. Patients may say, ‘I don’t want to go to a gym,’ or ‘I’m afraid to go to a gym with muscular guys,'” Comander says.
In this case, a prescription may include specific exercises to do at home, such as planks, squats, lunges, and push-ups.
Another element of exercise prescriptions is the psychology behind the written instruction. “It’s motivating if your doctor gives you a piece of paper with a prescription on it,” says Comander. Put it in the refrigerator: “then you’re committed,” adds Faubion. “And the more engagement there is, the more likely you are to follow through.” »
Research has shown that these prescriptions can make a difference. An older randomized controlled trial of 1,089 relatively inactive women found that those who received an exercise prescription with coaching became more physically active and improved their scores on physical and mental health measures.
5. Women succeed at shared medical appointments
During a traditional doctor’s appointment, a person sees their clinician for an average of less than 20 minutes. But new research suggests that shared medical appointments, in which a group of 10 to 12 people meet for 1.5 to 2 hours at a time, may be a promising model for helping women initiate beneficial lifestyle changes during menopause.
For the new study, Dr. Karen Adams, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Stanford University and Farwell Family Director of the Stanford Program on Menopause and Healthy Aging in Palo Alto, California, led a program that included 28 women. After a first individual meeting, 14 women were divided into two groups and met practically once a week for six weeks.
Six months after the dates ended, shared date participants were more likely than their peers who met with Adams face-to-face to report engaging in behaviors that promoted exercise, sleep, stress management, and sexual function.
The length of appointments is part of what makes them so valuable, Adams says. Individual appointments are generally too short to explore all these questions in depth.
Group dynamics also support behavior change. “The science of motivation tells us that group experiences are almost like engagement mechanisms,” says Adams. “If you set a goal, the week before (you introduce yourself to the group) will help you achieve that goal.” The community provided by the shared medical appointment is also therapeutic, she says. “People live longer and do better if they stay connected to others. »
Importantly, Adams was able to make appointments financially feasible, which can be a barrier for doctors. And while the approach requires clinical trials to assess its effectiveness, particularly as it relates to behavior change, Adams says, “It’s really exciting to me: the opportunity to make a difference for people in quarantine.” »
Gn Health
