Moving Through Menopause: How Exercise and Culture Can Transform Women’s Health

Study name: Breaking the Silence and Building Strength: Rethinking Menopause Care through Exercise and Cultural Insight (Delanerolle et al., 2025)

What’s this about?

This international study looked at how exercise can help women manage menopause symptoms like hot flashes, anxiety, sleep problems, and memory issues, especially in places where medical care is limited and menopause is rarely discussed openly.

When and who?

The study was published in September 2025. It wasn’t a single clinical trial but a large global review and analysis. It gathered evidence and cultural insights from women in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and beyond, involving dozens of researchers and healthcare professionals.

What did they find?

• Menopause is often ignored in health systems, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
  
• Hormone therapy is not always available or affordable.
  
• Exercise is a safe, low-cost, and powerful tool for easing symptoms, boosting mood, and protecting long-term brain and heart health.
  
• Cultural and religious beliefs can stop women from talking about menopause or even from exercising in public.
  

Why does it matter?

By 2030, most women experiencing menopause will live in developing countries. Without affordable and culturally sensitive support, millions could suffer unnecessarily. Normalizing menopause and promoting movement as medicine could change that.

What am I doing about it?

I’m a huge advocate of exercise…with or without hormone therapy. There are just too many benefits to exercise that we shouldn’t ignore. Moving your body can not only be part of the solution, but it also protects your future self. Whether it’s walking, dancing, yoga, or resistance training, exercise is more than fitness. It’s empowerment.

Practical tips you can use now:

• Aim for at least 30 minutes of movement most days, walking, cycling, or dancing counts.
  
• Try strength training twice a week to protect your bones and muscles.
  
• Incorporate yoga or stretching for stress relief and better sleep.
• Think mobility, agility and flexibility and blend them into your weekly training. Your future 80 year old self will thank you.
  
• Create a support network to talk openly about menopause with friends, family, or community groups.
  
• If cultural or social barriers exist, look for private or home-based exercise options, or try online classes.

Reference: Delanerolle, G., et al. (2025). Breaking the silence and building strength: Rethinking menopause care through exercise and cultural insight. Pre-Prints.Org