How To Get In Shape During Menopause

“Where did the firewood come from?”

First, let’s figure out where the unnecessary kilograms come from. During menopause, the production of estrogen hormones is significantly reduced, and the metabolism slows down. In response, the body begins to store body fat in the form of a “life buoy” at the waist and “angel wings” on the upper arms and back. Due to changes in hormonal levels and a decrease in physical activity, muscle mass decreases, which previously helped burn excess fat. Like the icing on the cake, debilitating hot flashes and mood swings begin, depriving women of a full night’s sleep, and this has been proven to be directly related to weight gain. Add to this the stress seizure caused by the alarming coronavirus news, and now the scale arrow threatens to go beyond the dial.

Eat to your health!

When your favorite skirt ceases to converge at the waist, the first desire arises to hang the lock on the refrigerator, and at the same time on your mouth. But for menopause, this method is absolutely not suitable! Because of changes in metabolism, fasting instead of losing weight threatens to reward you with new extra pounds. In addition, any strict diet designed for rapid weight loss can deprive the body of vitamins and minerals that are necessary during this period, which will negatively affect health in general. What to do? Doctors assure that it is enough to start eating right, and the weight will return to normal. But you need to tune in to a gradual weight loss – no more than 1-2 kg per month. Yes, perhaps this summer your meeting with the wasp waist will not take place at such a pace, but the results of your efforts will benefit your health and will be persistent, which is important. Here’s what the experts advise.

1. Eat less. A calorie deficit can cause the body to use up its fat stores. But getting hooked during this period on radical low-calorie diets means exposing the body to additional stress. It is enough to reduce the portions and cut the usual number of calories by about 200.

2. Give up harmful foods. Your main enemies are processed foods, processed foods, and foods that contain trans or saturated fats and are high in sugar and salt, as well as foods that increase blood sugar levels. It’s time to say goodbye to both alcohol and coffee – the harm from them, alas, outweighs all the pleasure.

3. Eat simply but varied. As much as you value your reputation as a skilled hostess, during menopause it is better to refuse complex dishes with a lot of appetizing seasonings and sauces to avoid overeating. You need vitamins and minerals more than ever, so your diet should include a variety of foods: lean protein (chicken breast, quail and rabbit meat, turkey, legumes), low-fat dairy and sour-milk products, cereals, colored fruits and vegetables, berries, low-fat fish … By the way, do not deny yourself a sweet! If you have a sweet tooth, such refusal will become unnecessary stress for you. Eat small amounts of sweets in the morning and replace them with healthier dark chocolate over time. If micro doses are not about you, arrange for yourself a cheat day (that is, a day when everything is possible) once a week, but wait patiently for it all the other days.

4. Drink plenty of water and green tea. Water flushes out toxins and supports metabolism, and green tea, which slender Chinese women love so much, helps burn fat. Do not drink a lot at night – you will wake up many times, and the next morning you will get up with swelling. 

5. Rely on phytoestrogens. These are natural substances found in some foods and herbs. In composition and structure, they are similar to estrogens, therefore, they are able in certain quantities to make up for their lack in the body and become real natural helpers in the fight against the negative manifestations of menopause and weight gain. Phytoestrogens are found in legumes, soybeans, apples, pomegranates and wheat. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to completely compensate for the estrogen deficiency with food alone. It makes sense to pay attention to the preparations specially developed by specialists, which contain phytoestrogens in the required quantities, and their reinforcing and complementary components. We will talk about one of these drugs a little later.

Dissolve fat in pleasure!

Women who have entered the time of menopause begin to feel sorry for themselves more, gradually giving up physical activity. “I have hot flashes, what other sport!”, “I have been running all day, what other activities!” As a result, muscle mass decreases rapidly, and metabolism slows down, and the body loses its natural “stove” for calories. They turn into fat and settle where you least want them to be. There is only one way out: to supplement proper nutrition with physical activity.

Menopause is always accompanied by stress, and with it an increased level of cortisol, which increases the deposition of extra pounds in the waist area. To effectively lose weight, everything you do, including fitness, should be fun and stress-reducing. If the physical activity is enjoyable, you will have an additional incentive to do it regularly, otherwise it won’t work!

The best option for building and maintaining muscle during menopause is a balanced combination of aerobic or cardio training and resistance training. On the one hand, the load must be sufficient to burn fat, on the other hand, it is impossible to overdo it so as not to endanger the weakened bone and cardiovascular systems. For aerobic workouts, aerobics, Pilates, swimming or Nordic walking are good – devote at least 150 minutes a week to them, spread over three to four days. Aim for strength training at least two days a week.

If you have not previously played sports, it is never too late to start: for example, with yoga. Some note that relaxation techniques helped them move harmoniously into more intense exercise. If the sport is not yours at all, walk in the park (about 8000 steps a day), dance (this is great for posture), climb to the desired floor without an elevator, do physical workouts during the day if the work is sedentary.

Be in the mood!

Psychologists say that one of the reasons for gaining excess weight during menopause is the wrong attitude of a woman. She convinces herself in advance that menopause is a line beyond which she will no longer be beautiful, desirable, sexy, slim, and as a result gives up in self-care. If you’ve seen something like this, think of the many great-looking TV presenters, actresses, and other celebrities who have stepped over the age of “berry” long ago and do not think to fade.

Practice visualization: close your eyes and visualize yourself as thin as a reed in every detail. What dress you are in, how you look, how much lighter you feel. Do this exercise every day. Without a well-defined and felt goal, you run the risk of being stuck in a seemingly meaningless routine of constant constraints and not being successful.

Be sure to monitor your sleep quality. In most cases, menopause is accompanied by bouts of increased night sweats and excruciating hot flashes, which make you constantly wake up, especially in summer. Those who sleep poorly at night not only have a drop in mood and an increase in the amount of cortisol, which we have already mentioned. Lack of night rest increases levels of the “hunger hormone” ghrelin, and leptin, the “satiety hormone”, decreases levels, which causes overeating. Psychotherapy can improve the quality of your sleep, as well as special biocomplexes designed to alleviate the symptoms of menopause and provide a good night’s rest.  

Harmonize hormones!

In the fight against excess weight during menopause, proper nutrition and exercise will be especially effective if you pay attention to the normalization of hormonal levels. For this purpose, special non-hormonal drugs have been developed that smooth out the unpleasant symptoms of menopause without causing side effects, unlike the same hormonal therapy.

Non-hormonal biocomplex Lady’s formula Menopause Enhanced Formula contains phytoestrogens of sacred vitex, angelica, red clover, which compensate for the lack of its own estrogen in the body, normalize hormonal balance, eliminate menopausal symptoms and help maintain excellent health and mood. In addition, phytoestrogens have a fairly pronounced anti-aging effect, improve the condition of the skin, making it more elastic and elastic. In addition to phytoestrogens, the biocomplex includes all vitamins and minerals necessary during menopause, as well as maitake mushroom extract – a special natural ingredient that helps maintain slimness. Maitake mushrooms in Japan have been called geisha mushrooms for many centuries for their ability to prevent the deposition of fat in problem areas, in particular on the waist, hips and forearms. They have a number of very useful qualities: they improve metabolism, remove carcinogens, and strengthen the immune system. Such a carefully selected composition of the biocomplex can significantly alleviate the course of menopause, maintain external attractiveness, stabilize weight, and maintain excellent health for many years.

We hope that, armed with the necessary knowledge, you will learn to perceive the period of menopause as a bright new stage of an inspiring life-long journey, and excess weight as a natural, but completely surmountable obstacle along the way. Best advice: focus on physical and mental health, not numbers on the scale! Becoming healthier and happier, you will say goodbye to extra pounds, you will feel better and look great!