A lot of people feel as if weight gain is rather inevitable once entering those middle years, but this is not a fact and it does not necessarily have to be that way. Women may start to notice symptoms of menopause due to natural hormonal changes such as mood swings, night sweats, and hot flashes, but weight gain is one of those symptoms that you don’t have to simply sit back and accept.
With menopause your weight distribution will change, the added pounds will most likely be accumulating around your belly now. Your estrogen levels begin to wane and your metabolism will slow making it more difficult to lose weight, particularly around the middle section. Unfortunately, studies show that fat in this area is extra unhealthy, increasing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, some cancer, and even early death, which is why one should fight back against the muffin top of menopot.
If you exercise more often, more intensely you can counter midlife weight gain. Now you don’t have to go full out right off the gate, try starting with a mix of moderate exercises with those that are more vigorous, slowly increasing intensity to burn off that weight gain. Try including aerobic exercises as well as resistance or strength training working up to employing high-intensity interval training. A gradual increase in activities is the best route for success.
Whenever you can stand rather than sit if you are able to. This small change keeps the body in motion making it burn more calories, and it will help to prevent other health problems. A study published in the journal Obesity found that prolonged sitting is connected to higher levels of abdominal fat as well as fat accumulated around internal organs. Try to stay upright more, stand in place or walk in a circle when on the phone, stretch or do yoga while watching tv, and take standing breaks if you sit at a computer all day. A study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found that a person weighing 143 pounds could potentially burn 54 calories a day by standing rather than sitting for 6 hours a day.
Part 2 will follow soon. In wellness, Andrea
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