Investigating Resistance Training for Vascular Function and Quality of Life in Perimenopausal Women
University of Michigan
Summary
Women's blood vessel health gets worse after menopause, or "the change of life". Some women exercise less during menopause. Exercise can improve blood vessel health. The investigators want to know if resistance exercise, like lifting weights, can improve blood vessel health in women who are just starting menopause. The investigators also want to know if lifting weights can improve mood, sleep, and quality of life in women going through menopause. The investigators will have two groups of women for this study. One group will lift weights (do resistance exercise) twice per week, and the other group will get emails with information about menopause. The investigators will measure blood vessel health, sleep, mood, and menopause symptoms at the start and the end of this study and compare women who did and did not exercise.
Description
Perimenopause is an important time when heart disease risk increases. Perimenopause is also related to worse health-related quality of life, sleep disruptions, and mood. Poor sleep and mood are both related to cardiovascular disease risk. Resistance exercise is effective at reducing cardiovascular disease risk in premenopausal women, and also improves mood, menopausal symptoms, and sleep quality in post-menopausal women. Resistance exercise does not consistently improve vascular function, such as arterial stiffness and blood vessel reactivity, in post-menopausal women. This study aims to inves…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 40–60 years
- Sex
- Female
- Healthy volunteers
- No
* Are between 40-60 years old * Have had menstrual irregularities in the last 12 months * Do not currently complete more than two 30-min sessions of structured exercise per week and do not do any resistance training exercise; * Are not currently pregnant * Do not smoke or vape nicotine or marijuana * Have not had an oophorectomy, hysterectomy, or surgical menopause * Are not currently taking hormone replacement therapy * Have not taken hormone replacement therapy in the last 6 months * Are not taking steroidal medication or medication to treat diabetes, cholesterol, or high blood pressure * Ar…
Interventions
- BehavioralResistance Training Intervention
Participants will complete a brief aerobic warm-up and dynamic stretching prior to each strength training session. Participants will complete 9 exercises for all major muscle groups. Strength testing at the baseline study visit will be used to determine initial load. Participants will complete 1 set of moderate-intensity loads (\~50% maximum and \~12 repetitions) in week 1, 2 sets in week 2, and 3 sets in week 3. By week 4, participants will be completing 3 sets at 60% of maximum. Weight loads will be progressively increased so volitional fatigue is reached by 8-12 repetitions/set.
Location
- University of Michigan School of KinesiologyAnn Arbor, Michigan