1. Importance of exercise
Beneficial. Moderate physical activity is a very healthy activity at menopause. On the other hand, exercise is also important for the prevention of cardiovascular disease because, in addition to combat stress and make the heart work regularly, helps establish a positive lipid profile, increasing HDL-cholesterol.

Gymnastics, tennis, running, cycling, among others, are regarded as excellent physical activity. Because gravity is reduced as swimming, this seems not to contribute significantly to the increase in bone mass, however, is extraordinary to improve the ability of the heart and lungs, without overloading the joints.

As for the highly competitive sports are not recommended for the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Unable to perform some physical activities mentioned, we can walk regularly, at least 3 times a week, walking gait (somewhat faster than normal pace) for one hour, as it is considered as one of the best exercise there is.

2. Preventing loss of urine
Regarding the prevention of pelvic floor dysfunction, the menopause can be a good time to begin the practical exercise of contraction and relaxation of the perineum with the aim of achieving good control of urination.

Not forgetting, of course, that this prevention begins with an appropriate obstetric management, and to avoid constipation and overweight throughout life.

These are called Kegel exercises, and are women who performed pelvic floor to prevent or correct urinary incontinence, and also serve to improve somehow, sexual function of the vagina.

To know exactly what muscles to work, women can begin to interrupt the urinary flow and start to urinate, so either find which muscles must contract and relax to perform this task.

Once good control these movements, the muscles must contract for about 4 seconds (not the moment of urination), about 15 or 20 times a day, always allowing complete relaxation of the muscles between contractions.

This series of exercises should be repeated about 4 or 5 times a day. The results were noticed between 3 to 6 months of daily exercises.

3. Other habits

Bad habits
Avoid snuff or excessive consumption of alcohol are one of the basic principles to have a healthier menopause.

It appears that the menopause occurs at a younger age in women smokers than in nonsmokers, in a manner that anticipates the onset of estrogen deficiency and therefore there is an increased risk of osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. Alcohol and increasing the calcium deficiency predisposes to hypertension and obesity, thereby enhancing the risk of osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.

Water intake
It is recommended to be approximately 2 liters a day. Among other benefits, requires “work” over the kidneys and reduces the incidence of urinary tract infections.

Maintaining ideal weight
For guidance, through the Body Mass Index (BMI), we can get a rough idea of the weight a person should have in relation to its height.

It’s simple: just divide your weight in kilograms by the square of height in meters.

1. Women, the main affected
Worldwide it is estimated that 200 million women suffer from the disease, and that at least one third of women over age 50 may suffer an osteoporotic fracture during their lifetime. If we add the population of Europe and the U.S., it is possible that more than 30 million women are affected by this disease.

In general, the risk of osteoporosis is lower in males, because they have higher rates of bone mass and thus bone loss that can withstand is also greater.

Males also have a lower life expectancy and not suffer a sudden reduction in sex hormones as well as a period of accelerated bone loss, as is the case in women during menopause.

However, other factors such as sedentary lifestyle, the snuff, excessive alcohol consumption, poor diet or use of steroid medication can also increase the risk of fractures in both men and women. In fact, 30% of all fractures occurring in males occurs.

2. Menopause and osteoporosis
The human body’s amazing ability to renew and heal itself guarantees that a perfect balance between the losses suffered and what heals. Just as they do the skin cells, bone is removed and renewed constantly, which keeps the skeleton strong and healthy.

In this process, known as “bone renewal, cells called osteoclasts adhere to the bone surface, remove a small area of old bone and create a cavity.

Immediately after this, appearing osteoblasts, which are cells that synthesize the same amount of new bone tissue had been removed by osteoclasts. This perfect balance is maintained.

However, in women approaching menopause, and after the commencement thereof, the balance between the removal and replacement of the bone is altered, and bone loss is greater than the renewal.

If this imbalance continues, the result is usually the presence of osteoporosis. Over time, women with osteoporosis can lose up to half of their bone mass (bone mineral density or BMD).

Studies have shown that a loss of only 10% of bone mass in the spine increases twice the risk of suffering a spinal fracture, and 10% mass loss at the hip increased by 2, 5 times’s the risk of suffering a hip fracture.

3. Factors influencing bone loss
Several factors may influence bone loss in women, among them include poor diet and lack of exercise. But a key factor in bone loss experienced by many women after menopause is a gradual loss of estrogen, which are hormones produced by the ovaries and, in addition to regular menstrual periods, play a key role in keeping the mass and resistance bone.

The most common osteoporotic fractures are the hip, wrist and spine. Spinal fractures are associated with a loss of height and curvature of the spine. Many spine fractures occur because some daily efforts, such as lifting the shopping bag, causing them to break the bones are already weakened.