Three Simply Ways to Shed Your Menopausal Tummy

Millions of women worldwide experience weight gain after menopause. The weight gained during this period seems to go straight to your mid-section and can seem near impossible to shift. You may even feel that there simply is no solution to this problem; however losing weight gained during the menopause is fundamentally no different to weight loss at any other stage in life.

At its most basic level, losing weight comes down to two major factors.

– You must eat foods that are healthy, nutritious and support good body function.
– Exercising to burn off extra calories and tone your muscles.

While there are other contributing factors to weight gain, if you can focus on eating the right foods and doing a moderate amount of exercise, you will find weight loss much easier and the other factors much simpler to deal with.

So how can you make a start?

Increase Your Physical Activity

This need not be as difficult as it sounds. Many people do not realise that a brisk walk, gardening or even dancing to your favourite music are all great forms of aerobic exercise. Exercise does not simply mean 30 minutes on a treadmill at the gym.

There are plenty of ways to get your body moving and increase your heart rate. From yoga and swimming to jogging or cycling, choose something that you really enjoy doing. Start slowly and build it up to a level you are comfortable with. Doing some exercise with a friend can also increase the enjoyment you get out of it. Whatever you choose to do, try to do it for 30 minutes daily or at least every other day

Try and include some resistance work into your exercise routine as this form of exercise is a great way to strengthen bones and reduce the risk of developing brittle bones or osteoporosis later in life. Resistance training gives you a double benefit of better tone and a reduction in your body fat by helping to build up some muscle which burns more calories than fat.

Remember however before beginning any exercise programme, speak to you health practitioner for their advice on what is the best course of action for you.

Cutting Down Your Calorie Intake

As we age, our bodies require roughly 200 less calories on a daily basis. This is not so much and therefore cutting back is very easy. Start by cooking your meals from scratch, this will eliminate a number of calories found in processed and ready made meals.

Replace the unhealthy snacks you may have been having by adding fresh fruit and vegetables to your diet.

Remember if you chew your food slowly and listen to your body it will tell you that you’re full. Most people eat so fast that the brain does not have time to signal to your stomach that you are full, and therefore many people tend to over-eat. Put your cutlery down between each mouthful and really savour the taste and flavour of your meal.

Eating the Right Fats

How many times have you heard that fat is bad for you? What you need to understand is that eating the correct amount of the right fat is very beneficial to your body and can help you maintain a healthy weight. Eating bad fats however will encourage weight gain and will contribute to poor general health. Bad fats can be found in foods such as chocolate, potato chips, beef and fried foods. These foods deposit droplets of toxic fat into your body which will harden and clog your arteries. Eating foods high in good fats such as avocados, nuts, seeds and fish will help to keep your metabolic rate up and will make your weight loss easier.

Staying on the subject of good fat have you ever thought about trying sardines? They are a great source of long chain omega-3 fats, such as EPA and DHA. As an alternative if the thought of eating sardines doesn’t appeal try Krill Oil! You can obtain this in capsule form and it is a valuable source of the potent antioxidant, Astaxanthin as well as omega three, omega six and omega nine fatty acids. Finally as Krill Oil contains higher levels of these good fats you need to take less Krill Oil when compared to fish oil.

I hope that you can now see that losing your weight gained after menopause really is not as hard as you may think it is. By getting focused on which areas of your life need to change, you really can win the battle of the bulge! Losing weight at this time in your life can help to keep you fitter, healthier and happier for longer. The alternative is to keep putting on weight and dramatically increase your risk of developing heart, liver and kidney diseases, diabetes and high cholesterol and blood pressure levels.