Types of Aerobic Exercise for Women During Menopause and Beyond

When you're planning an aerobic exercise program to use as you go through the menopausal years, you'll find plenty of choice.

Some types of aerobic exercise won't appeal to you at all, but consider trying one or two that are outside your normal comfort zone. You could be pleasantly surprised - and it's great to have variety when you exercise because it keeps you motivated and interested.

Types of Aerobic Exercise: Walking

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As a midlife woman, walking may be your exercise of choice simply because you already do it as part of your daily life.

Walking is a wonderful way to exercise, both in the years when you're going through the menopause, and on into your sixties and beyond.

There are lots of health benefits to walking, and you may find that regular brisk walking helps with mood swings and other menopause signs.

To be effective as an aerobic exercise, you have to walk at speed and for bouts of 30 minutes or more.

See how you can lose weight walking, and learn about calories burned by walking.

If walking is the one thing you lurve to do, up your ambulatory anti and crack the 10000 steps a day marker.

Types of Aerobic Exercise: Jump Rope/Skipping

Adding jump rope workouts to your aerobic exercise program is a great way to get extra exercise without any fuss.

All you need is a suitable skipping rope and enough space, preferably on a surface that isn't too hard.

Jumping rope has lots of health benefits, giving both upper and lower body a great workout, helping you to lose belly fat and improving stamina and flexibility. It's good for your brain as well, helping you with balance and co-ordination.

Types of Aerobic Exercise: Mini Trampoline

A mini trampoline workout is a fun and easy way to exercise at home, in your own time. The equipment is inexpensive and there are numerous benefits to your physical health and mental wellbeing.

Exercising on a rebounder is also kind to your joints and a very safe way to get fitter.

Types of Aerobic Exercise: Circuit Training Workouts

Circuit training is perfect if you get bored with concentrating on just one type of aerobic exercise.

To do a "circuit" you (or the circuit leader, if you're working out at the gym) select 6-10 exercises, including a mix of aerobic and strength training exercises to work different parts of the body.

Perform the exercises in turn for up to a minute each, or a specified number of repetitions if you prefer. Go straight from one exercise into the next, or have up to - but no more than - 30 seconds rest between each exercise. The aim is to keep your heart pumping through the whole circuit training workout.

When you've worked through the whole list of exercises, you've done one "circuit" - stop there if you're a beginner, or repeat the sequence up to three more times. At a circuit session organised by a gym or fitness centre, the exercises may be written on cards which are placed around the hall in a circuit. If you work at home, you can do your exercises in a smaller space.

Designing your own circuit? Pick a mix of exercises so that you:

• Build muscles in different parts of your body
• Work on balance and agility - try a short jump rope workout.
• Increase speed and stamina - add 1-minute sprinting if you have space.

Types of Aerobic Exercise: Running

Running is a wonderful form of aerobic exercise. Check out these many running health benefits and you'll see what a powerful form of exercise this is. You can run outdoors, or inside, on a treadmill.

If it's many a year since you did more than run for the occasional bus, start here, with

running for beginners. Read one woman's account of how she began running in midlife. Once you're into the swing of it, you can also try running to lose weight to tackle that menopausal weight gain..

Go from Types of Aerobic Exercise to Beat Menopause Weight Gain.