Getting Started With Hiit
HIIT can look daunting, but the keys to success are starting out at a pace that works for you, not comparing yourself to others, and sticking with it for 4-6 weeks. Dont give up! After a few weeks, youll start to notice that the sessions are getting a little easier, you are less winded and sore, and you feel stronger and more confident. Weve seen women in their 60s and 70s in HIIT classes alongside women in their 20s and 30s, kicking butt, and adapting the exercises as they need to. Even if you are nursing new or old injuries, most people can adapt HIIT to work around them. These older women inspired us to give HIIT a try, and we were happy we did. We lost weight, gained more energy, and found that several annoying menopause symptoms like hot flashes, insomnia, and brain fog started to diminish.
If youre having trouble losing belly fat, or weight in general, during menopause, HIIT may be worth a try. If anything, it can be fun to try a new exercise routine – and it just might be the change you need to see the results youre seeking. You might surprise yourself by just how much your body is capable of doing!
For more recommendations on losing your belly fat and staying fit as you age, sign up for Lisa Health and join our Stay Active Journey.
Tip #: Drink Your Morning Coffee
For you coffee lovers, this is music to your ears. Drinking coffee actually increases your metabolism.
Studies have shown that the metabolic increase from coffee is actually greater in lean people as opposed to those that are obese. A lean personâs metabolism can be increased by as much as 29% by drinking coffee.
If you arenât lean, donât despair â a heavier personâs metabolism will still increase from the coffee intake, but usually only about 10%. Hey, thatâs still an increase!
Again, increasing your metabolism can help you burn calories, ultimately leading to weight loss.
Challenges In The Management Of Menopausal Obesity
The management of obesity in menopausal women is a great challenge. Current weight management interventions result in modest weight loss outcomes, which are poorly sustained in the long term. This can be attributed to a number of barriers that undermine the efficacy of weight-loss strategies producing insignificant weight loss. Some of these factors include specific physiological state, underlying metabolic condition or psychological distress, behavioral issues , obesogenic environment, and lack of social support. Most of these barriers are commonly present at menopausal stage making weight management even more challenging.
Menopausal women encounter more barriers during weight loss attempts than the general adult population. These challenges are specific to their physiological stage. The menopausal stage favors adiposity and might coexist with a number of metabolic comorbidities, functional disability, and body image issues. The presence of menopausal symptoms may also impede successful compliance with weight loss advice. Failure to lose and maintain weight enhances psychological distress, which acts as cues for unhealthy eating behavior and noncompliance to the given weight loss regime favoring further weight gain.
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New Menopausal Years: Alternative Approaches For Women 30
New Menopausal Years, predictably, deals with the most common symptoms of menopause but also has very useful sections on thyroid health, hair problems, and fibromyalgia and what herbs and spices to take to relieve symptoms. The last sections of the book address what happens after menopause and how to keep your heart, bones, and joints healthy. Called indispensable or a treasure trove of information by enthusiastic readers, its a great resource for women who want to know what’s going on with their bodies while doing away with discomfort without the secondary effects most pills have.
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Higher levels of visceral fat increase your risk of cardiovascular disease and other chronic conditions.
While menopause may not directly cause weight gain, many scientists believe that changes in your hormone levels contribute to these differences in fat mass and fat distribution.
Estrogen is one of the main sex hormones in women. During menopause, estrogen levels begin to decrease.
As estrogen levels decrease, the accumulation and distribution of fat changes. A recent study found that the number of fat cells in female participants actually decreased, but the amount of fat stored in each fat cell increased.
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Time Your Activity Well
Most of us choose one time of day to get our exercise inwhether thats first thing in the morning or right after work.
Though having a routine is helpful, Katherine suggests incorporating physical activity into both morning and night. For example, if you typically only exercise in the morning, then do a little something in the afternoon or early evening to bring the heart rate back up for a bit.
Evening exercisers can do the same thing in the morning, she says. Ten to 15 minutes of some activity in the morning will jump-start your metabolism for the day and will do a world of good.
Find A Friend Or A Group To Exercise With
To attack belly fat and any other menopause weight gain, youll need to burn between 400 and 500 calories most days of the week from cardiovascular exercise, such as walking briskly, jogging, bicycling, dancing, or swimming, Peeke says. Need motivation? Find a friend who needs to exercise as much as you do, and set a date to work out together. Research published in April 2015 in the British Journal of Health Psychology found that actively looking for a new workout partner and exercising together is beneficial for both exercise and emotional support.
If you dont have a buddy to join you on your weight loss mission, it may be time to try a group fitness class at your local gym or community center. Data published in November 2017 in the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine found that participating in regular group fitness classes resulted in a significant decrease in stress and a rise in physical, mental, and emotional quality of life compared with exercising regularly on your own or not engaging in regular exercise at all.
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Secrets For Establishing A Healthy Weight For Life
Do you struggle with midlife weight gain? What have you done to lose weight and feel better?
Choose Fats Wisely And Eat Meals With Healthy Fats To Counter Weight Gain
Fat adds flavor, makes our food taste better, and is part of a healthy diet. So the good news is that it isnt necessary or recommended to completely eliminate it from your diet altogether. You just need to learn how to be more choosy, says Palumbo. Think more walnuts, and fewer Whoppers.
The healthiest fats are the ones that derive from vegetable sources like olives and nuts, but keep in mind that healthy fats like those found in avocados have the same number of calories as the fat found in an ice cream sundae. An ounce of nuts has 170 calories, so you have to be very careful, says Palumbo. The same goes with extra virgin olive oil. The American way is to go overboard, so you have to be extremely cautious when you use it and measure the amounts of fats and oils that you consume.
And restaurant meals once again are not your friends in the fat department. Restaurants are not in business to make us healthy. They add a lot of flavor carriers, which are known as fats, Palumbo says. Salad dressings are one of the biggest sources of added fat in our diet, so be sure to order your salad with the dressing on the side.
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Dr Susan Love’s Menopause And Hormone Book: Making Informed Choices
This is a revised edition of a bestselling book by Dr Susan Love, where she discusses the dangers of taking hormone replacement therapy for prolonged periods, backed up by recent studies in the field. For instance, this book about menopause mentions the influence that hormone replacement therapy has on womens bones, breasts, and hearts, sometimes leading to serious diseases. Thus, she discusses alternative options to this type of therapy and how to cope with symptoms in the most natural way possible, using herbs and homoeopathic remedies for example.
Boost Metabolism By Adding More Calories To Your Diet
The number one thing we need to be doing is eating more, and I know that sounds scary. But if youre on really low calories, you need to start increasing your calories. When you are on alow calorie diet this increase in calories will help you burn fat more efficiently.
What happens with people following a low calorie diet is that they go through a metabolic adaptation, but you can reverse that following an approach called reverse dieting. The idea behind this method is to increase your calories by 50 or up to 100 calories per week. Just do it gradually gradually if you dont want to gain a ton of fat.
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Opt For Organic Foods
Eager to shave off a few pounds after your 40th birthday? Start by opting for organic produce instead of the conventionally-grown stuff. A review in Interdisciplinary Toxicology found that organochlorine pesticides can alter the levels of thyroid hormone in the human bloodstream, potentially increasing weight gain and causing thyroid issues. Considering that older women are already at an increased risk for thyroid problems, like hypothyroidism and Hashimotos thyroiditis, its a good idea to go organic ASAP.
Recommendations For Physical Activity
Physical activity helps to achieve negative calorie balance and relieves vasomotor symptoms. Menopausal women are generally advised 150 min/week of moderate-intensity physical activity such as aerobic exercise coupled with household activities. The incorporation of resistance training exercises helps to maintain bone and muscle mass. A combination of aerobics, resistance training, and balance exercises is the most effective in managing weight, vasomotor symptom severity, and psychological distress in these women. Walking and aerobics have protective effect on vasomotor symptoms. Practicing yoga helps to relieve hot flashes and improves the quality of sleep in menopausal women.
The physical activity regime has to be progressive and individualized according to patient’s needs. Steps to a progressive activity regime incorporating recommended activities for menopausal women are given below:
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Why Exercise Is Important Now
Losing excess weight may be a top priority, but there are so many positive effects of exercise for menopausal women. Remember the long list of unwanted symptoms? It is essential to understand that movement can reduce the severity and frequency of several symptoms. Exercise is known to cause the release of endorphins , promote peaceful sleep, regulate hormone levels, and boost libido.
Yet the most significant contributions exercise can make is the relief of stress. High levels of stress can cause weight gain, hot flashes, and anxiety. Exercise has been found to lower the level of stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. Quality of life can improve significantly during these challenging years by exercising regularly and at a higher level of intensity than what youre used to.
Other Exercise Tips To Help Ensure Success
Before you begin exercising:
- Talk to your doctor about a new exercise program. Choose activities you enjoy so you’ll stick with your workouts.
- Find an exercise partner to help you stay motivated.
- Buy supportive shoes — the right ones for your activity.
- Pick a start date and start.
After you begin exercising:
- Allow at least 10 minutes to warm up before starting to exercise rigorously. To do this, choose an activity that gently works major muscles.
- Before you work out, stretch the muscles that will absorb most of the shock of your exercise routine.
- If you have any new pain while exercising, stop and let your doctor know.
- Gradually boost the distance, length, or intensity of your workout.
- Mix it up. Do different exercises to keep from getting bored and to keep your body challenged.
For the best fitness results, combine your exercise efforts with good nutrition. Here are just a few tips:
- Choose whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean protein.
- Stay away from processed foods.
- Keep a food diary, or explore programs for your computer or apps for your cell phone, to help you watch how many calories you eat.
- Don’t eat too late in the evening.
- When you eat out, take half the serving home.
- Eat smaller amounts but more often.
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Menopause Is Not A Disease That Needs To Be Cured
As Dr Susan Love explains in her book, menopause is not a disease to be cured. Rather, its a period of life every woman goes through and should be enjoyed. She claims that menopause should not be automatically treated, but only women with symptoms that prevent them from leading their normal life should receive medication. In particular, when there are many alternative treatments available that will increase womens life quality without putting them at risk for other diseases.
Risk Factors Of Menopausal Obesity
Obesity in menopausal women is a result of several modifiable and nonmodifiable factors. Nonmodifiable factors comprise of physiological factors, whereas psychosocial and lifestyle-related behaviors are categorized as modifiable risk factors, as depicted in . Physiological risk factors such as chronological aging, slower basal metabolic rate , hormonal fluctuations, and the presence of metabolic disorders affect the pace of weight gain. Hormonal fluctuations experienced during the transition are strongly associated with psychological distress. Women generally deal with distress by indulging in unhealthy eating behavior. Excessive caloric intake coupled with an overall sedentary lifestyle is conventionally associated with weight gain in menopausal women. The key factors driving the prevalence of obesity in menopausal women are briefly discussed below:
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Move More Once You Hit Midlife Say Experts
Weight gain may feel like its inevitable once youve entered your fourth decade, but the truth is, it doesnt have to be. Natural hormonal changes mean you may start to notice symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes, night sweats, and mood swings, but you dont need to idly accept that the number on the bathroom scale will steadily creep up, too.
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Heres whats going on with your body if elastic-waist pants are now your go-to fashion staple: Weight distribution changes as you hit menopause, with the added pounds accumulating right around your belly. I named the extra fat that collects around your middle the menopot, says Pamela Peeke, MD, MPH, author of Body for Life for Women.
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What we did when we were 30 and what we do when were 60 is very different, says Kathryn A. Boling, MD, a family medicine physician at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. We have to adjust our exercise some as we get older. If youve lost some gusto, create incentives for yourself to stay moving. I have an Apple Watch, and I like to see that circle closed, she says. Peeke says you dont have to go to a gym, but you do need to do enough strength training to keep your muscles strong and your metabolism revved. Try activities that have you lifting, pushing, and pulling, she says.
The 6 Best Books To Read During Menopause
While menopause seems to be discussed almost everywhere, it can still be a taboo topic. Nobody wants to share details about whats happening to them with family, friends, co-workers, and sometimes its even hard to talk about it with a health professional.
Most women stop getting their periods when they are around 50 years old, but the changes and transformations in their bodies start a lot earlier. Maybe you just sail through this period in life without complications, but many other women experience hot flashes, gut problems, mood swings, and even have problems sleeping through the night.
This may be common but it doesnt mean you should suffer in silence. Today, there are countless solutions you can find to relieve your menopause symptoms that go from medication and therapy to herbal remedies and lifestyle changes.
And in case you find it hard to pick the best solution for your symptoms, why not read books written by experts to better understand whats going on with your body and what steps you can take to make it better? Below, youll find the best books about menopause that can enlighten and support you through this journey. Lets go!
Contents:
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