Jennifer Aniston‘s fitness regime is better for menopausal women than government guidance, a new study has found.
The 55-year-old actor started her Pvolve exercise programme in 2021, before joining the company in 2023.
Research funded by Pvolve and using a team from the University of Exeter Medical School set out to examine whether the workout could improve balance, strength and body composition compared to 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week.
Pvolve is a low-impact exercise programme based around a grid mat with 12 boxes. The classes, around half-an-hour long, incorporate strength-building exercises using equipment such as resistance bands, and increasing in intensity over the 12 weeks.
It examined 72 moderately active women between 40 and 60 who were not taking hormone replacement therapy. Forty-five followed the Pvolve programme and the rest did a standard routine. Fitness and strength were assessed before and after the 12-week testing period.
The 12-week at-home low-resistance exercise programme was found to improve lower-body strength by 20% and lower-body flexibility by 21% more than a standard exercise regime.
Pre-, peri- and post-menopausal women who tried the experiment also saw a 10% increase in balance and stability, a 19% improvement in hip function and an increase in muscle without a spike in body mass.
Both the Pvolve and conventional exercise programmes both appeared to have the same beneficial effect on shoulder strength, the study, published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, found.
Changes in the body during menopause are thought to accelerate a loss of muscle mass, strength and stability, the researchers said. ‘This is the first study to demonstrate that the decline in sex hormones, and increase in age, across the menopause transition does not affect the ability of lower-limb (hip) strength and balance to adapt to a low-impact resistance exercise training program in females not taking HRT,’ the authors continued.
‘I’ve seen more transformation in my body from Pvolve workouts than I have with anything else,’ Aniston said to WH earlier this year.
Professor Francis Stephens, from the University of Exeter Medical School, who led the study said: ‘Women often see a decline in their muscle strength and balance shortly before, during and after the menopause. This ultimately increases the risk of falls and fractures later in life, particularly of the hip, which is why it’s so important to find a way for women to maintain that strength and balance as they get older.
‘We’ve now shown these simple resistance exercises, easily performed at home, are effective at improving strength and balance in women during and post-menopause. In fact, some measures of balance appeared to increase to a greater degree in post-menopausal women, suggesting that these exercises are not hindered by the menopause transition.’
.Julie Cartwright, the Pvolve president, said: ‘Women undergo tremendous physical change during the menopause transition, and this research shows that the Pvolve method can serve as an intervention.’
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