Health Benefits of Exercise for Women

When it comes to looking and feeling great through the seasons of life, the closest thing to a one-size-fits-all solution may be the most obvious: exercise.

“When we think of healthcare, we often focus on doctor visits, preventive care, lab tests and immunizations. But there are other factors that are in our personal control, like improving our diets, reducing stress and adding fun to our lives,” says Jordan Horowitz, M.D., a gynecologist with Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation and clinical professor at University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine. “Exercise is one of these controllable factors, and it’s highly effective at improving health.”

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, regular exercise provides a great array of health benefits, including lowering blood pressure, reducing cholesterol and cardiovascular disease, preventing diabetes, improving mood and cognitive function, and reducing mortality. For women, those benefits expand, thanks to their particular combination of hormones and health risks.

“Many of the health issues that women face can be improved substantially with consistent exercise. It’s one of the best preventive options available and should be encouraged in childhood and throughout life,” says Dr. Horowitz.

Of course, exercise takes a fair amount of effort, time and self-discipline. So why bother? Here are four ways exercise specifically benefits women, no matter what your age:

Exercise helps counteract hormonally-driven mood swings.

From the first menstrual cycle until menopause, women live with a shifting level of estrogen and progesterone that impacts their fertility patterns as well as also their brain chemistry and moods. When estrogen levels drop, such as before and during a woman’s period or leading up to menopause, women lose a natural source of the “feel good” brain chemical called serotonin. This makes them more susceptible to moodiness, depression and anxiety attacks, such as the symptoms found in severe premenstrual syndrome or post-partum depression.

Exercise counters these hormonally-triggered mood swings by releasing endorphins, another mood regulator. Sometimes called the “runner’s high,” endorphins leave you feeling happy and relaxed after a workout.

“It’s our body’s way of substituting one natural chemical for one that is waning,” Dr. Horowitz says. “For some women, this may reduce or eliminate the need for serotonin raising medications known as anti-depressants.”

Even after menopause, when estrogen levels have permanently diminished, exercise can improve mood. One study of 60 women experiencing postmenopausal anxiety and depression found that the group of participants who exercised showed an 18 to 22 percent improvement in symptoms, while those who did not exercise showed no improvement.

Exercise prevents bone loss and osteoporosis.

Women are far more vulnerable than men to develop osteoporosis and related bone fracture and loss of height as they age. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, eight out of 10 of Americans with osteoporosis are women, and half of women over age 50 who have osteoporosis will break a bone. This is largely because women have thinner bones than men and lose bone strength more rapidly as they age due to the loss of estrogen. Hip fracture, a consequence of osteoporosis, can lead to immobility and premature death.

One of the best ways to build strong bones is through exercise, preferably starting in the younger years. “During the teen and young adult years is when women build most of the bone mass that can protect them from osteoporosis later in life,” Dr. Horowitz says.

Weight-bearing and muscle strengthening exercises particularly promote bone health, no matter what your age. Tennis, hiking, aerobics or jogging build bones and keep them strong. Lifting weights, using exercise bands or simply standing up and rising to your toes, builds strength, balance and flexibility that can prevent falls. Be sure to talk to your doctor, physical therapist or exercise professional to help you determine the best and safest exercises for your age and condition.

Exercise keeps weight in check.

Although men and women both tend to gain weight as they age, women have special challenges. Younger women may find that the weight gain of pregnancy can linger long past delivery. Then, as middle-aged women lose estrogen in menopause, the body redistributes fat cells to the belly, which can frustrate weight loss. And because muscle burns more calories than fat, women can struggle with maintaining or losing weight as their muscle mass declines with age.

Exercise can counter these factors by helping women maintain and build lean muscle mass that makes them look and feel slimmer. Exercise also burns excess calories that would otherwise accumulate as fat. In one 20-year study of 3,500 men and women conducted by researchers at Northwestern University, all participants gained weight as they aged, but those who exercised gained substantially less weight. Women, especially, benefitted, gaining 13 pounds less, on average, than inactive women.

Exercise improves sleep.

A national poll of 1,506 adults nationwide, conducted in 2005, discovered that women have more difficulty falling and staying asleep compared to men and experience more daytime sleepiness. This tendency can grow even more disruptive due to new motherhood, monthly hormonal changes and perimenopausal symptoms like night sweats.

Thankfully, exercise has an excellent track record of improving sleep. In one study of 2,600 participants, published in the Journal of Mental Health and Physical Activity, participants who incorporated 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity into their week reported a 65 percent improvement in sleep quality. They said they also felt less sleepy during the day.

Even with all these benefits in mind, women may find it difficult to find time or energy to exercise regularly. Dr. Horowitz says the motivation must start with looking in the mirror and telling yourself, “Now is the time to do something.”

“It takes personal commitment and readiness. Yet you don’t need to start exercising in a self-punishing way. Just get out there and do something active. Find a friend or a trainer who motivates you to get up and get moving,” he says. “And remember, it’s not about instant results but long-term change that will bring you better health and self-esteem for a lifetime.”