Mar 10
10
Menopause Myth #5: You will gain a lot of weight with menopause
Achieving or maintaining a healthy weight tremendously affects your overall health.
The weight gain is commonly seen in people who reach “middle age” of both sexes.
The term “middle aged spread” came about decades ago to describe the tendency of the over- forty body to take on excess weight.
Not everyone gains weight during perimenopause or after menopause and not everyone who does gain weight, gains huge amounts. The majority of women do report weight gain around this time. Even the ones who don’t gain weight may see a change in their body shape.
The body’s metabolism changes as you move into “middle age.” As you age, your body burns calories much more slowly (some studies say 4-5 %) as each decade passes. Instead of burning off the calories that you eat, the body converts them to fat.
You may feel you eat no more than you were or are actually eating less, but the body needs less fuel to perform the same functions. Most people do tend to slow down and become less active at the “middle age” time, which will contribute to unwanted weight gain.
There is no medicine more powerful than physical activity. Our bodies are meant to move and when they don’t, we may become susceptible to numerous health problems.
Regular moderate exercise can help with the following:
- reduces high blood pressure
- controls weight
- lowers risk for heart disease
- lowers risk for colon cancer and breast cancer
- keeps bones, muscles and joints healthy
- lowers blood glucose and risk for type 2 diabetes
- improves mood and sleep
- relieves stress, anxiety and depression
- boosts energy
- improves self confidence
- helps you look and feel better
If you develop diabetes or joint pain like arthritis, you will tend to move around slower too, which will affect your metabolism.
If you are interested in finding out what you are eating on a daily basis, keep a food journal. List everything you eat, and the sizes. It can be valuable and it will not fool you. It can show you exactly everything going into your body on a daily basis.
Pay attention to what you are putting into your body!
Sheri Goddard is a professional Health and Wellness Coach, specializing in women who are going through menopause or perimenopause. As a coach, mentor, teacher and author in the field of natural health and wellness, she began searching for reliable information when she began going through the “life change” herself, and has published an eBook as well as a blog to help women sift through the myths and truths of menopause.
Read more from Sheri’s blog at The Menopause Coach
