How To Avoid Menopause Weight Gain

One of the common things associated with menopause is weight gain. While some of this might just be the result of you getting older, medical research has identified that the cause of the problem can be hormonal rather than dietary.

No matter how old you are it can be very distressing to put on a few pounds even though you are still eating and exercising the same as always. As you age your metabolism slows down which results in more fat stored on the body. It is a natural process and is now believed to even have a slightly positive aspect in coping with the other negative symptoms associated with the menopause.

If you want to keep a perfect figure for as long as possible then first of all you should keep a close eye on the number of calories that you consume. Since your metabolism is slowing, one way you can counteract that is to reduce the amount of protein, sugars, and carbohydrates you consume.

A balanced diet with the right amount of vitamins, nutrients, and minerals will still provide you with more than adequate energy and cutting out any junk food and making sure you get enough vitamins can help ease other symptoms of menopause as well. Never reduce your diet to such an extent that your feel tired and weak as this will all cause you other problems.

Water retention can also be a reason for excess weight around the time of the menopause. Cut back on diuretics such as tea, coffee, and alcohol as these will only contribute to the problem. Green teas are an excellent way to keep the body hydrated while also consuming anti-oxidants.

Of course, usually the best method to prevent or lose weight is to exercise and adding some more exercise to your daily routine can help boost your metabolism. You will need to get the blood pumping to shed pounds from difficult areas such as your hips and abdomen. You do not need to join a gym to be able to lose weight. There are many exercises you can carry out at home. For example a cycle machine or treadmill is the perfect piece of gym equipment that can be put to home use. Forty five minutes cycling or jogging each day will soon burn off the excess weight.

In addition to this type of exercise, you might consider adding a muscle building routine to your workout. This will help you in many ways not the least of which is to insure your muscles will be stronger as you age which can help to prevent unsteadiness which can result in falls (a major problem in older people). Building muscle also helps to keep your metabolism running at a higher rate and, since the exercises are non impact, will not cause excess wear to your joints.