Most women know about the importance of maintaining balanced estrogen and progesterone levels during menopause, but they may be surprised to hear that there’s a third hormone they need to take into consideration — testosterone. Commonly misclassified as the “male sex hormone”, testosterone plays an important role in boosting female libido, preventing bone fractures and breaks, and elevating mood. Keep reading to learn about the best exercises to help balance testosterone levels during menopause.
Work Out to Balance Out Testosterone Levels
If you’re looking to lose weight, tone up, and boost your sexual desire, it’s time to start training! Incorporate resistance training into your workout to help boost your natural testosterone levels, which help regulate important physical functions like weight, bone health, and libido. Start feeling great with these three exercises:
1. Pump Some Iron
Workouts consisting of good resistance training help to build muscle, boost testosterone, and prevent bone fractures and breaks. Make sure you’re doing compound exercises — like bench presses and dead lifts — that involve the movement of more than one joint and multiple muscle groups. For best results, perform 3-4 sets of each exercise.
2. Start Squatting
Squats are all about building resistance. In order to be executed correctly, you should bend at your knees until your hips become parallel with the floor. Shift your weight to your heels as to relieve some of the pressure on your knees and keep your back straight. Hold yourself in that position for a few seconds and then slowly raise yourself to a near-standing position. When you feel ready, introduce free weights into the exercise to add extra resistance.
This exercise is great for toning, gaining flexibility, and strengthening the knees. Just be sure to consult with a trainer to make sure you are performing this exercise correctly. Too many poorly executed squats can blow your knees!
3. Get Your Heart Pumping
Menopausal women often find they gain weight around the midsection. When this occurs, estrogen levels may become elevated, preventing the release of testosterone. While weightlifting is the primary exercise used to boost testosterone, it should be paired with a cardiovascular activity for optimal results. Running, power walking, or aerobics classes are great exercises that burn fat and reduce stress.
Recommendation
While testosterone plays an important role in bone health and libido, women should avoid taking testosterone-boosting supplements, as these generally raise testosterone to unhealthy levels. Find ways to boost testosterone naturally, rather than relying on synthetic sources. Click here to read more about testosterone imbalance treatment.
• Rail, Kevin. ¨How to Increase Testosterone with Exercise¨. http://www.livestrong.com/article/23031-increase-testosterone-exercise/
• ¨Squats: How to Master the Proper Technique Once and For All ¨. http://stronglifts.com/how-to-squat-with-proper-technique-fix-common-problems/
• Shifren JL (2004). The role of androgens in female sexual dysfunction. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 79(Suppl): S19-S24.
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