Friday, February 27, 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 do menopausal women find it so difficult to maintain their low weight? There is a certain amount of people who think a change in hormonal levels is the cause of weight gain. But what is more evident is the alteration in the mature person's lifestyle.

The days when a woman had a ton of energy to do a bunch of activies plus exercise are over. Since the consumption of food becomes a pastime, the vigor has changed the eating habit. Furthermore, with age the body tends to substitute muscle with fat, resulting in the burning of fewer calories.

In turn, fat burns lesser calories than muscle does and more fat decreases the body's metabolic rate. If all this doesn't seem applicable, then the increase in weight could be attributed to genetic factors when family members and relatives show the same tendency.

Some people find it comfortable to have a little flab but getting too overweight has serious consequences. It is commonplace to hear family, friends, or colleagues who suffer from high blood pressure, osteoporosis and heart disease simply because of their heaviness.

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.

Maybe you are asking yourself, hos can a woman reverse this menopausal phenomenon? You get fat by eating too much and exercising too little, so you can get slimmer by exercising more and eating less. The end result is an exercise program which will shed fat and build healthy muscle tissue.

Aerobic and weight training exercise are effective means of losing weight and also full of fun. There is pysical activities you can do such as dancing, biking, moving to the groove, and just walking if exercising is to strenuous.

On the other hand, one may still enjoy delicious meals and snacks as long as the calories and the choice of food are being carefully monitored. Moderation is always to the best of the persons interest.

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. - 16004

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