Thursday, February 26, 2009

Weight Gain During Menopause and How to Avoid it

By Ricardo d Argence

Remember the days when you had a model figure like the ones you see on the cover of glossy magazines. It would seem like ages ago especially when you have reached the menopause stage. By that time bulging in the abdomen would be pretty obvious and would continue to gain around one pound per year. This may not be a good thing, but women need to face up to it.

Why is it so hard to maintain one's body weight after menopause? Some people would suspect a change in the hormonal levels for the gain in body mass. But what is more evident is the alteration in the mature person's lifestyle.

The days when you had tons of energy to do a bunch of activies and exercise are over. Food is now used as a pastime, for most people. And the older one gets, the slower the metabolism becomes, this promotes the body to replace muscle with fat.

Then fat burns fewer calories than muscle and the more fat in your body, the slower its metabolism. The increase in weight could also be attributed to genetic factors if your relatives show the same tendency.

Being slightly overweight may not be uncomfortable for some, but putting on too much weight can cause real problems. You may know people who suffer from the consequences of obesity, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and osteoporosis.

What's worse is that it could result to a heart attack or stroke and lead to death. In addition, the risk for high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes accelerates with the increase in weight. Unfortunately, for women who gain an excess of twenty pounds after menopause, the likelihood of breast cancer is likewise imminent.

How can a mature woman reverse the weight increase phenomenon? Since decrased activity and increased food consumption cause one to gain weight, doing the opposite is a sure way to lose weight. What this means is that you need to start up a workout routine to assist in transforming your fat into muscle.

Cardio-boosting aerobic exercises, as well as weight training, are fun ways to affect weight loss. Any form of physical activity which gets you moving, such as walking, biking or dancing, will do until you are ready for more strenuous exercise.

The choice of the food should be carefully monitor by the way of calories. One may enjoy delicious meals and snacks. It is in a person's best interest to use moderation.

In the end, prevention is always the best and cheapest medicine. Consequently, one doesn't have to wait for menopause to cram on weight loss programs. While still young, one should focus on maintaining the ideal weight by eating the right kind of food that promotes proper nutrition. The key to good health throughout life is patience and discipline. Menopause or not, maintain that healthy body and weight with the right attitude. - 16036

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