Speed Up Your Metabolism at Midlife

• Living longer. One large study found that exercise reduced risk factors for all causes of death in postmenopausal women.
• Getting into the habit of exercise. Studies find that the perimenopausal period—i.e., mid-30s through your 40s—is critical in determining whether you'll remain physically active after menopause.
• Reducing blood pressure level and levels of "bad" cholesterol while raising levels of "good" cholesterol.
• Slowing your resting heart rate, enabling your heart to work more efficiently.
• Reducing your risk of colon cancer, kidney stones, gallstone surgery and diverticular disease.
• Increasing bone density and preventing osteoporosis.
• Reducing your risk of breast cancer.
• Helping you sleep better, faster and longer.
• Improving your emotional state, whether relieving depression or simply making you feel better overall.
• Helping you cope with stress.

No one is suggesting you head out for a five-mile run. Just add some movement to your everyday life. For instance, did you know that simply walking at a pace fast enough to get you out of breath for about half an hour a day can cut your risk of heart disease by more than a third?

So how about:

• Giving up the power tools. Toss that riding mower and leaf blower back in the garage, and cancel the lawn service. Get into the garden and do your own yard work. One of the best ways to maintain your bone strength after menopause is with gardening.
• Walking first, driving second. Park at the far end of the parking lot, walk into restaurants to get your food, take an extra lap around the grocery store during the weekly shopping.
• Partnering with another woman. You're much more likely to get up at 6 a.m. on a cold morning to walk 45 minutes if you know your neighbor is waiting for you.
• Turning your house into a gym. Run up and down the stairs for 20 minutes a day, using gallon jugs of milk as weights, pace around the house while you're on the phone, and carry your own heavy parcels into the house—twice.
• Breaking up your exercise into shorter bouts. Can't find a 30-minute chunk of time for that two-mile walk? Take the dog out three times a day for a 10-minute walk. You'll get the same benefits.

One caveat: Aim for an hour or two a week of resistance training—lifting weights, Pilates or yoga classes, even calisthenics (knee bends, lunges, pull-ups, push-ups, etc.). These exercises are essential to improving and maintaining muscle tone—and to burning calories. Muscle tone is critical to maintaining our balance and staying steady on our feet as we age.

Make a chart and track the days on which you get at least 30 minutes of exercise. Like any new habit, it will take about two or three weeks before it becomes routine. And then, just like putting on your seatbelt when you get in the car or flossing your teeth before bed, it will become such a regular part of your life you'll feel strange on the days you miss it.