Hot flashes, mood swings, night sweats and middle age spread. You cannot fight city hall they say, but ah, wait a minute. Yes, you can. If you are totally aware and conscious of all of these things that are taking place in your body you can fight back against it. It is not easy by any means, but by making a concentrated effort you will succeed in your quest.
Menopause is that time in a woman’s life when her menstrual cycle ceases and with it so does her childbearing capabilities. Some are relieved by this, especially those that have had their families and are exhausted. Some are relieved because they have been in perimenopause for so long and they are glad that it is finally over with. Some women get very depressed and saddened as it represents the finality of having children. A variety of symptoms take place throughout menopause and one of those is weight gain.
It is not uncommon for a woman to gain 15 pounds during menopause and it all settles around the middle. “Oh why, oh why must it?”, you say to yourself, but there it is. It is not pretty either. Trying to maintain your weight so that it does not increase is a feat in itself. Trying to lose weight is just about impossible according to most women.
During menopause your body’s hormones and metabolism are in a battle. They get confused and want to store the calories up as opposed to burning the calories up. Everything goes wacky. On top of that it all starts to travel in a southwardly direction. This does not sound good, does it? Well, I will not lie to you, it is not? Read on though because the good news is coming up.
Do not let this do you in. Do not throw in the towel and give up. You will not like yourself if you do. This is a warning, so be cautious. The following tips will help you to battle the menopausal bulge before it defeats you. You can conquer this with some ferocious and warrior-like attitude maneuvers.
PORTION CONTROL: Eat less of everything, plain and simple. You will get used to it. You do not need all of that food.
EXERCISE: It does not matter what you do, just keep moving. Take an aerobics class, take a walk, run, jump up and down, just move it or it will turn to mush. Not only will you burn more calories (fight them babies!), but you will be doing your body good in numerous healthy ways.
WATER: Drink lots of it, 64 ounces a day if you can. It will keep you flushed out and keep you full.
EAT HEALTHY: Eat foods that are low in sodium, fat, sugar and cholesterol 95 percent of the time. Treat yourself to something that you really want the other 5 percent of the time. You should be eating vegetables and fruits a good part of the time. Follow a healthy diet. Remember to include fiber in your diet as well.
You cannot lose this battle if you follow these few simple, but annoying rules. Good luck in your retaliation!
Angel Lynn writes in weight loss, single parenting, media and health.