Can Somatic Exercises Help with Your Menopause Symptoms?

Menopause can come with a few extra pounds and a lot of new stress. Ideally, you’d hit the gym, but between fatigue, the cost, and your already busy life, how are you supposed to do that? Somatic exercises and wall pilates take some of the pressure off of working out while still helping you tone up and relax. 

You probably won’t find somatics at your local gym, but a member of our team tried BetterMe, an exercise app that comes with workouts for menopause. It has somatic exercises, wall pilates, and more, so you have the freedom to explore what makes you feel strong again.

Do Your Workout Needs Change During Menopause?

Hormones redistribute your muscle and fat, which can cause weight gain during menopause. In terms of workouts, it might mean you now need to work your core and arms when you used to focus on your legs. But you don’t have to—and, honestly, you shouldn’t—jump straight into high-intensity workouts. 

Low- or moderate-intensity movement, like walking, yoga, pilates, and somatics, can help more than pushing your body to its limit every week. In fact, pushing your body too hard can stress it out more and make you gain more weight. But there’s good news, too! These workouts are easy to do at home, which makes them more accessible, and there are plenty of tools to keep you motivated.

What Do Somatics Do That the Gym Doesn’t?

Unless you’ve got a personal trainer, your typical gym workout probably won’t include going easier on your body. Somatic exercises, on the other hand, work on both your body and mind. The idea behind them is to release trauma and stress through intentional movement. 

Weight loss and strength building aren’t the main goals behind somatics. Instead, they’re meant to lower your stress long-term using a gentle sequence of movements. Still, even if it’s not the main goal, somatic exercises can still help you lose weight and tone your body.

Is There an App for That?

The BetterMe app has exercises geared toward women at any stage of their lives and fitness journey. It has programs and recommendations to help you enjoy your workouts—and it gives you meal plan suggestions to support you toward your goal. 

When you first start using the app, it will prompt you to take an in-depth quiz about where you are now and where you’d like to be. From there, the app tailors a meal plan and workout routine to you. You can also go into its workout library and find other exercises to try, including somatics, wall pilates, and pilates for menopause.

BetterMe ranks its workouts in newbie, medium, and advanced levels, so you can start where you’re most comfortable. Many of them are under 15 minutes, so you can fit them into your schedule and gradually work toward where you want to be. 

There’s a lot of flexibility with the app, but it’s not perfect. It bases your health info mainly on Body Mass Index (BMI), which doesn’t give you an accurate picture of your health by itself. And beyond the quiz, you don’t get a lot of customization for your plans. That said, BetterMe gives you predictions for when you’ll likely reach your weight goal, directions for how to prepare meals, courses, and challenges you can use to motivate yourself.

Somatic Exercises: Gentle Movement and Stress Relief

When it comes to menopause, somatic exercises work well because they don’t take long—some sessions are as short as 5-10 minutes. You can also modify them for your body. Since menopause comes with so many changes (and, sometimes, trauma), somatics help maintain a healthier mind while you discover what your body can do in this new stage of life.

All of BetterMe’s somatic exercise workouts are newbie level. They’re not meant to strain your body. You can use them to get ready for the day, wind down in the evening, and fit them around your workday and social life. Somatic exercises keep your mind and body functioning in sync and strengthen both.

Aside from the physical benefits, you might also see mental ones with somatics. These movements can lower your anxiety, relax you, and help you process your feelings—and we all know menopause brings up plenty of those. Plus, lowering your stress can help reduce menopause symptoms, like insomnia and hot flashes.

Wall Pilates: Supportive Toning for Your Body

BetterMe’s wall pilates courses offer more support for your body than pilates on a mat. You can try these exercises at different levels and tone any area of your body you want. BetterMe breaks up the workouts into different body parts to tone your core, back, legs, and butt. There’s even one for mobility that focuses on stretching.

During menopause, you might need extra support in your workouts. Wall pilates focuses on intentional movement in a similar way to somatic exercises. You’ll see improvement in your posture, mobility, flexibility, and overall stability. 

If pilates has felt more challenging—or if you’ve had to take a break from your usual exercise routine—wall pilates works as a gateway back into fitness. It helps you gain muscle and lose weight over time, but it’s a gradual process, not instant gratification. Like somatics, it can also help you curb your menopause symptoms and come with better sleep, fewer hot flashes and night sweats, and reduce your risk of other health issues during and after menopause.

More Exercises to Explore with BetterMe

If you feel comfortable enough to move from the wall to the open mat, BetterMe has a Pilates for Menopause collection. Its workouts are tailored for menopausal women to help you tone up, and all of them are less than 30 minutes. 

If you like to make your workouts fun, BetterMe gives you plenty of ways to switch things up. Try its dance, walking, tai-chi, and yoga workouts, or give yourself a challenge to make things exciting. And for lazy days (because, let’s be real, you’re lying if you say you don’t have those), you can try Pajama Pilates or Sofa Yoga to get some movement in your day.

Strengthen Your Body and Mind Through Menopause

Somatic exercises and wall pilates balance exercise with mental strength. BetterMe gives you the flexibility to figure out what works for your body and schedule. It’s a little different from other workout apps in that it makes room for relaxing, gentle movements made for bodies in menopause. By getting your mind and body on the same page, you give yourself more tools to navigate menopause.