Functional Movement Patterns for Women 40+
Perimenopause to Post menopause is, as I mentioned before is a subject that nobody wants to bring up because many (aka: doctors, society, older generations) either don’t know much about it and/or feel that it’s a time in a woman’s life where she just has to “deal” with these changes that are happening and just live with it! Well… that’s NOT acceptable!
I’m diving deeper into all aspects of the perimenopause to postmenopausal subject and educating all (women AND men) who want to know more about it. As we’re all rallying together, sharing our “interesting” experiences through this crazy time, it seems its challenging to find out WHAT we can do about them.
Since I have a deep love for movement, this is where I am beginning. Let the journey begin ladies!
Functional movement patterns are key during this time. Heck, these movements should have been encouraged to us in our early to mid 30’s, since that’s when our muscle mass and bone density begin to decline.
Functional movements/fitness are types of exercises that prepares the body for real-life movements and activities such as sitting, lifting and pushing.
Here’s where your functional movement focus should be in the peri-post menopause stages:
1. Squat
2. Lunge
3. Push vertically/horizontally
4. Pull vertically/horizontally
5. Bend to Extend
6. Balance
7. Rotate
8. Tilt
9. Swing
10. Slam
11. Shift
12. Bounce
13. Throw/Catch
These movements should be integrated into your exercise workouts to maximize muscle strength, range of motion, bone density, balance, and stability. If some of these areas are weak, compensation in the body can occur, which can lead to injury.
I would recommend practicing these movements in the different planes of motion starting light or with less repetitions and gradually increase as you become stronger where you can do more reps or take on more load while performing the movements. The feeling of strength and the ability to move about freely is an amazing experience the human body can achieve. Don’t stop and just keep moving!
Don’t feel comfortable with some of the movement patterns on your own and would like a customized exercise program created just for you? Let’s connect! Schedule a FREE consultation with us at the link below or under the Free Consultation tab.
Photo courtesy of ACE Fitness
