Explaining Menopause Weight Gain.

Today I am pleased to have a great guest post, hope you find it as interesting as I did.

Explaining Menopause Weight Gain

Why Do We Gain During Menopause?

If you’re close to reaching menopause, it is entirely natural to feel a bit concerned about the changes you might notice in your body. Maybe you’re beginning to notice some weight gain, along with other menopause symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings and anxiety that often come with the change. What many women don’t know is that most weight gain happens during perimenopause – which is the period of time prior to menopause when your body begins to experience hormonal changes. As you age, your body composition changes because your lean muscle mass decreases. This results in a slower resting metabolism. Your estrogen levels decrease as well, which actually increases insulin and cortisol levels while your thyroid activity decreases. Your metabolism slows down even further as a result of these changes. As all these chemical changes are taking place may change pace, making it more difficult to perform as you used to. This means that energy is not as readily accessible during exercise as it previously was, and the amount of time you spend exercising may need to be increased to see the same results that came with exercise previously. Many women who never had a problem with their weight in the past suddenly find themselves in a struggle they never thought that they would have to fight.

To further increase the challenge of menopausal weight gain is the fact that the stress hormone cortisol increases during the change.  If you weren’t anxious before, you might be feeling increased moodiness and anxiety as a result of the physical changes you are noticing in your midsection.

Solutions to Menopause Weight Gain

Try combining cardiovascular exercise and strength training three to five times per week. Finding an exercise partner will help you keep yourself accountable for your exercise plan, plus you get to help someone else too. If you stick to your workout plan, chances are you won’t just keep that middle-age spread at bay, you’ll ease other menopause symptoms like mood swings and anxiety too.

Also, be sure to check into the various menopause treatment solutions available. There are literally dozens to choose from, some which are actually effective and others which are not. While Amberin does a lot of advertising, Kuhl Care(www.kuhlcare.com), a new menopause relief product, has a lot of women reporting significant reduction in a variety of menopause symptoms.

Gaining weight under any circumstance is challenging; but when your body is changing due to menopause, it can be even more difficult to understand and cope with. But eating right and exercising regularly, as well as finding a good product or supplement your hard work, you really can help keep your waistline in check.


Bio: This post was written by Linda Boudet, a proud "menopause veteran"