Article updated August, 2023. Original article by Michelle Wright.
For many women, once they have a regular exercise routine, it’s easy to just stick to what they know. While some women may like to change up their main exercise option every few years, to keep them interested, it actually makes perfect sense that your workouts might change with the times, just as your wardrobe will. According to personal trainer, Michelle Wright, it’s worth adjusting your exercise routine to suit the life cycle stage that you’re in.
“It is a very masculine view to consider our different fitness goals and workouts by age rather than life cycle. Men have relatively few hormonal fluctuations over their life span. Women on the other hand, experience significant changes… not just on a monthly cycle, but also when we change from adulthood through to pregnancy, postnatal and then perimenopausal and post-menopausal periods of our lives,” she says. “Each of these uniquely female ‘life cycles’ creates a unique and significant set of implications that impact our fitness goals and workouts.”
How does exercise change during women's life cycles?
Exercising Pre-pregnancy or During Earlier Adulthood
Start as you mean to go on. This is the stage where lifetime habits are made, so it’s important to find your groove and make exercise a priority, not an afterthought.
“Girls, who are more active as teenagers with sport, often lose their exercise regime when shifting to full-time employment. [Try] revisiting an activity that was enjoyed as an adolescent, like netball, soccer – look at corporate games,” says Wright. “The goal should be to start moving or remain active. The best way to achieve it is to do an exercise that you enjoy.”
Workouts to try:
Incorporating a social side to your exercise is a great way to make it more enjoyable, and the commitment to another person or a team can help you to stay accountable. A local netball or OzTag competition, a regular class at the gym, or even just meeting a buddy at the same time each week for a jog and a coffee is a great place to start.
Things to avoid:
Your period can mess with your energy levels and both your ability and comfort when it comes to exercise. Listen to your body to avoid pushing yourself too far and increasing your chances of injury. If you’re just not feeling it, try swapping out a run for a walk – the key is to still show up.
You can document your menstrual cycle and how you’re feeling via a range of apps and wearables, which can help you track your energy levels and how your cycle affects your exercise routine.
Exercising through Pregnancy
This stage in your life is all about keeping moving, in a safe manner.
“Remaining active is key – this helps with maintaining a good pregnancy weight and research has shown that active mothers are less likely to have obese children. It is not the time to join a boot camp or get fit for the first time. Ideally, you should be under the supervision of a specialised personal trainer who understands that each trimester represents different challenges,” says Wright.
There is increasing awareness in the fitness industry around proper pre and postnatal care of women when it comes to exercise, so it’s a good idea to seek out a trainer who has undergone further education. Safe Return to Exercise is a great resource for finding a fitness professional near you and for gaining a better understanding of your own body.
Exercises to do:
- Pelvic floor exercises: “They are key, as women who have incontinence during pregnancy are more likely to have incontinence postnatally,” says Wright.
- Squats: “These are fantastic. If you can build your leg and butt strength, this will come in handy for labour (and let’s face it – they don’t call it labour because it is a picnic!).”
- Breathing exercises: “Great preparation for birth and help build the synergy that lies between your diaphragm and pelvic floor.”
- Bicep exercises: “Strong biceps can come in very handy – you will be lugging lots of things post birth, like your baby, capsule, baby bag, lifting pram, etc.”
Workouts to try:
“Walking is fantastic throughout pregnancy, and swimming is wonderful – the weightlessness during the later stages of pregnancy literally takes a load off,” says Wright.
Of course, no two pregnancies are the same, so it’s important to discuss your individual circumstances with your health professional. Pilates can be very helpful for pregnant women, but be sure to advise your instructor that you are pregnant so that movements are modified accordingly.
“Many women worry about heart rate – rule of thumb if you can keep up a conversation while exerting – you are good,” Wright adds.
Things to avoid:
Lifting heavy weights and high-impact workouts with a lot of jumping can put excessive strain on the pelvic floor and are best avoided during this time. While lighter resistance work may be fine for some women, it’s still recommended that you consult with a professional to make sure that the positions you’re in and the movements you are performing are safe for you and your baby. Pregnancy hormones can cause ligaments to become extra stretchy and so the risk of soft tissue injury is increased.
Postnatal Exercise
Studies have shown over and over again, that women who engage in regular physical activity significantly reduce their risk of postnatal depression. It’s important to return to or increase your level of exercise in a gradual and safe manner. As mentioned previously, Safe Return to Exercise or visiting a specialist women’s health physio is a good place to start. Checking in with a trained professional allows for common postnatal issues such as diastasis recti to be identified and addressed through a personalised exercise plan.
“Even if you have no stitches and your birth was a breeze, you will still have soft tissue damage. We would not put our footballers back on the field with soft tissue injuries/stitches without rehab, so why should we do it to our postnatal women?” says Wright.
This life stage isn’t just for new mums — it’s for every woman who has had a child but hasn’t reached the next stage of menopause yet. Many women who have ‘recovered’ from childbirth have unresolved bladder weakness, abdominal separation, or hip issues that can be made worse if not managed correctly.
Exercises to do:
Again, it’s advisable to work with a fitness professional who has undergone specific training in postnatal exercise to get the best possible results for your body and reduce the risk of causing harm.
- Pelvic Floor: “Up to 30 percent of women who think they are doing their pelvic floor exercises are in fact ‘bearing down’,” Wright says.
- Squats: “Ensure you are engaging your glutes (backside), not your thighs (quads).”
- Transversus abdominal exercises: “These will not make you break into a sweat, but they will help with returning your belly to a flatter state.”
- Rowing exercise: “Any pull or row exercise that counteracts the rolling forward of the shoulders that happens with feeding and holding a baby and creates upper back and neck aches and pains is great.”
Workouts to try:
Walking is a great way to get your heart rate up, and can easily be done with your baby in a pram. Unlike running, walking is low impact and also gets you outside in the sunshine for some Vitamin D. Swimming can also be fabulous cardio, while remaining gentle on the joints.
Pilates can be very beneficial for strengthening the pelvic floor. If you’re getting back to your old workout routine, it’s important to ease back slowly and carefully rather than rushing back into it.
Exercising through peri-menopause, menopause, and post-menopause
As women age, bone density needs to be actively built on. “Bone density will be at the highest possible level going into menopause and will only diminish from there,” says Wright.
Strength training is key for keeping bone density, so if you aren’t already lifting weights or engaged in a form of resistance training, now is the time to seek professional advice and start a resistance program. It’s also a great idea to incorporate balance work into your workout as you get older, to minimise the risk of falls in the future.
Exercises to do:
“Weight training programs that are pelvic floor friendly and continued pelvic floor muscle training should be a focus,” says Wright. “One of the biggest reasons women are put into aged care facilities is because of incontinence. The changed hormonal state and loss of oestrogen make them susceptible to pelvic organ prolapse.”
Combining light weights with balance work can be both mentally and physically challenging and is extremely beneficial, but should be done with care. Balance work can be as simple as standing on one leg or closing your eyes, but there are some great training aids available such as a BOSU or Cormax, if you’re looking to mix things up.
Workouts to try:
Making exercise social is one way to keep it interesting and the interaction with others is an added boost for mental health. A group exercise class might be your jam, or maybe you could join the local Pickleball competition.
Why not meet a friend at the local climbing gym once a week or schedule a regular hike outdoors? Combining social meetups with physical activity, rather than simply wine-ing and dining, can have a positive impact on your physical health as well as keeping your brain active.
Walking, swimming, running and other activities can also be fine – just ensure you’re listening to your body and not pushing it too far, as unfortunately as we age we become more susceptible to injuries.
Things to avoid:
Anything that will put excessive strain on your pelvic floor.
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