In general, menopausal women aren’t having the time of their lives. However, menopause symptoms aren’t limited to night sweats and mood swings. Weight gain is a common result of both perimenopause and menopause. It’s estimated that most women will gain a pound a year during this time. Are the two situations really interrelated? Let’s take a look.
Most experts believe that the hormone levels that are brought about by a woman’s change in life are one cause of weight gain. Nevertheless, there are other things that lead to weight gain in women. Your age and lifestyle are also factors in the changes taking place in your body. Some of the reasons for weight gain are exercising less and eating more. Because of this, your body burns fewer calories because of its reduced physical activity. Your body composition alters as the ratio shifts to less muscle and more fat because of metabolic slowdown. Weight gain also depends a lot on your genes. If you come from a long line of stocky people, chances are good that you’ll be the same.
Drastic weight gain can lead to a number of health problems that might exacerbate menopausal symptoms. Experts have proven that women who gain more than 20 pounds after menopause are more prone to breast cancer by approximately 20 percent. However, those who lose some weight have better odds of escaping breast cancer. Those who lose about 20 pounds reduce their risk for breast cancer by 23 percent.
In order to keep from gaining weight and to maintain optimal health during menopause, a nutritious diet and regular exercise are highly recommended. When you exercise regularly, your metabolism remains higher and you burn off more fat on a regular basis. As well, you can increase your muscle mass by strength training, which also boosts your metabolism and helps maintain strong bones.
The benefits of a proper diet are well documented. However, it has been noted that in order to maintain your weight as you age, your body will need 200 fewer calories a day. This information relates to females in their forties. Once you enter perimenopause, adopting a nutritious eating plan will help you to avoid weight gain later during full menopause.
We should all accept the inevitable changes which will happen to our bodies. If you’re hoping to maintain the body you have now for the rest of your life, don’t hold your breath. We might despise the thought that our bodies won’t be taut forever, regardless of our efforts. But the best approach is to work at controlling the aspects of your health that can be improved.
