Women going through menopause often find it more difficult to shed excess weight and reduce body fat. Celebrity personal trainer Faye Edwards spoke exclusively to Express.co.uk about why combat and dance related exercise should be staples of a woman’s workout week.
Faye told Express.co.uk: “There are so many changes in the body during the perimenopause along with some uncomfortable symptoms, so it’s important to stay as active as possible, fuel the body with balanced, healthy food options and do the things that make you feel good.”
The celeb PT recommends that women going through the menopause opt for combat and danced based workouts, as they are a “great way to improve cardiovascular fitness, help reduce body fat and uplift your mood”.
She continued: “Movement is medicine.”
And moving to music makes it all the more enjoyable, meaning those on their weight loss journey are less likely to quit.
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Faye shared that music based workouts allow fitness fiends to experiment with all kinds of styles, be it Drum and Bass, Garage, Caribbean music or Dancehall.
Rather than doing something like running which may feel monotonous, moving to music -whether it be in a combat or dance class- “makes us put passion and purpose into each of the movements”.
And as well as being fun, taking part in a a “high energy” combat or dance session can burn between 500-700 calories per hour, according to the expert.
But these dance and combat based workouts don’t have to be incredibly intense if you don’t want them to be, and can be made “accessible” to all fitness levels.
“It’s about going at your pace, and that’s why these workouts are good, because they offer modifications.”
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Factors such as intensity and tempo can be changed depending on the individual, for those who want an extra challenge can add some hand weights to their exercises.
So what are the benefits of dance and combat workouts for women going through menopause?
Aside from melting away up to 700 calories per session, Faye listed some “key” benefits as improving your cardiovascular fitness, coordination, and memory.
“It’s also a good endurance workout.”
And at a time where women can experience a rollercoaster of emotions, another benefit is that these exercises are sure to “release those feel good hormones, endorphins”.
“You know you’ll leave feeling good after your workout.”
Combat classes in particular are a great “stress-buster”, which is particularly beneficial as cortisol (the stress hormone) can increase in perimenopausal women.
Some of the main moves Faye focuses on in combat classes include punch strikes such as jabs, cross, hooks and uppercuts.
It is fantastic for engaging the upper body and building muscle.
As for dance, Faye likes “hip moves that make you feel a bit sassy”.
Dance also looks at footwork, be it jumps or heel digs.
“I would say a mixture of high impact moves and slow controlled moves using the hips.
“The higher impact modes will make you feel fierce.”
