I make it my goal to move every day whenever I’m on vacation. Movement is absolutely essential for those of us in perimenopause and menopause! Using my apple watch or oura ring, I track that I’m hitting my 10,000 steps every day. I also love getting out and riding a bike around town.
Something else I try to incorporate most days is strength training exercises. For women going through menopause and perimenopause, strength training is MORE important than cardio! It helps you burn more calories than any other exercise which helps us say, “goodbye menopausal belly fat!” Toning up after 50 is so important because it has the power to change your menopause journey for the better!
So how do we continue doing that while on vacation? Let me share with you my best strength training exercises for menopause while on the road.
Why menopausal women need to focus on building strength
Before I share 3 ways to strength train while on vacation, I want to explain the benefits of strength training. Menopause naturally brings physical changes to your body. Your muscles and bones get weaker, your flexibility decreases, your posture and balance become less stable and the dreaded weight gain happens. Strength training is so important as you go through this menopause transition because it slows down physical aging by making your body stronger.
One big misconception is that we need to spend hours on end in the gym to build muscle. In reality even 10-15 minutes a day is helpful. And when you’re on vacation, that may be all the time you have to give to it!
Health benefits of strength training
- Builds strong muscles and bones
- Prevents weight gain – I know you’re looking for this one!
- Slows down aging
- Balances hormones
- Natural Mood Booster
- Alleviates stress
- Aides in the production of collagen and elastin.
3 Best Strength Training Exercises for Menopause while traveling
- Doing a simple yoga practice is a great way to incorporate strength training while on vacation. Because you’re using your own body weight – think all those plank poses! – you don’t need to pack any equipment beside a yoga mat. You can easily search Youtube or use a fitness app to do a 20-30 minute yoga class. Better yet, search for a yoga studio where you’re vacationing to try out a local class.
- At my beach house I have a few sets of weights I use to do a short circuit of strength training moves to target different muscle groups. If you don’t have access to light weights when you’re traveling you can always use water bottles or canned foods to substitute or throw some resistance bands in your suitcase and you’ll be good to go! All it takes is 10-15 minutes to target a few muscle groups and repeat two to three times. Need some guidance? This link has 11 best resistance band exercises and this Women’s Health article gives the top 49 dumbbell exercises for women.
- There are so many ways to creatively strength train while traveling so use what’s available at the house or hotel like a railing or wall space! I love using the railing on my balcony to do a bicep curl variation while in a squat position or a modified pushup. This article gives 4 wall workouts to build strength.
If you want to research even more benefits of strength training during menopause, this article is very informative.
What’s your favorite simple strength training exercise while on vacation?
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