Prevent injury by doing longer warm-up sessions when you work out. You need to maintain muscle mass and strength and preserve bone density, so you can consider combining walking with regular strength-training exercises for at least two to three days a week.

Dedicating a few minutes every day to your feet will help prevent common problems. Check your feet for any redness, swelling, blisters, dry patches, bumps and sores, moles and freckles as well as discolouration underneath the nails. Seek help from a health professional if you’re concerned and keep your feet and leg muscles and joints flexible with regular stretching.

Heel pain is common at this age and is very often caused by plantar fasciitis when tissue is damaged or torn due to too much pressure. See a physiotherapist to help stabilise the ankle and heel.

On average, women lose up to 10 per cent of their bone mass in the first five years of menopause. The good news is that you can reduce your risk of developing osteoporosis with a few lifestyle changes, such as avoiding excessive alcohol intake and not smoking.

Learning a new language or taking on other mentally stimulating activities has been shown to strengthen brain cell networks and help preserve mental functions. The cumulative effects of common life factors like chronic illness or loss of loved ones can lead to depression and anxiety. Don’t suffer in silence, seek help from a therapist and keep up with relaxation techniques. Yoga has been shown to have a positive effect on anxiety and depression, largely due to deep-breathing techniques, which reduce levels of stress hormone cortisol and regulate your heart rate.

Regular exercise has many proven health benefits and can help prevent, delay or manage many of the most common chronic diseases – think heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and obesity – which affects adults 50 and older.

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This post was first published in The Singapore Women’s Weekly August 2020 print issue.