16843

Friday, March 14, 2008

Menopause And Weight Gain

If you're like many women who are thirty-and-forty-something, you've probably noticed that you're gaining weight that stubbornly refuses to take its departure. You're also probably thinking that this extra weight couldn't possibly be due to menopause - after all, you're still experiencing regular periods.

Weight gain in pre-menopausal women is quite normal because menopause actually occurs in three major stages and can take 15 years or longer, depending on your age and family history. The first stage of menopause is known as perimenopause, and symptoms include spotting, hot flashes, night sweats, irritability, irregular periods and weight gain.

Most women will notice weight gain as one of the first symptoms of menopause, especially around the abdomen. This is due to the fact that their hormone levels are declining drastically.

One of the hormones that will have an effect on women as they approach and experience menopause is estrogen, which is the female sex hormone that is responsible for causing monthly ovulation. During your menopausal years, your estrogen levels decline rapidly, causing your body to eventually stop ovulating. This is the hormone that seems to play a big role in menopausal weight gain. When your ovaries produce less estrogen, your body will look for other places from where to get needed estrogen. Fat cells in your body can produce estrogen, so your body works harder to convert calories into fat to increase estrogen levels.

Another hormone responsible for your new body is androgen, which can be blamed for sending your new weight to your middle section. In fact, weight gain during these menopausal years is often referred to as middle age spread due to the rapid growth of the mid-section. Often, this is one of the very first signs of menopause.

Women also experience a drop in their testosterone levels during these years. While its true that testosterone is known as the male hormone, women have testosterone too, and this hormone helps your body to create lean muscle mass out of the calories that you consume. Since muscle cells burn more calories than fat cells do, with higher testosterone levels youll have increased metabolism. Because your body is producing less testosterone during menopause youll notice a loss of muscle, an increase in body fat and a much lower metabolism. Muscle burns more calories than fat does, so the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism will be. As you know, the lower your metabolism, the slower your body burns calories.

Women can benefit a great deal by committing to a regular exercise routine. It's important to know that weight training plays a very important role in losing the extra weight you've gained. You can keep the weight off by building muscle to help burn calories.

In summary, every woman's hormone levels decline at some point in their lives. Yes, this is going to result in some uncomfortable symptoms, but it's certainly not the end of the world. You can naturally reduce a lot of menopausal symptoms by simply making some lifestyle changes that will help to make you look and feel beautiful and energized.

Susan Megge is the founder of http://www.40isbeautiful.com, a website designed to assist mature women as they approach and experience menopause. She is a grandmother, who started experiencing symptoms of menopause several years ago and researched various avenues to deal with these symptoms naturally. This led to her discovery of the significant role that exercise plays in making menopause a very manageable, and even wonderful time in a woman's life.

Diet Fast Loss Plan Weight
Hockey Strength Training
Slim Quick Diet Pills Reviews
California County Home In New Orange
Free Example Of Water Aerobic Exercise
California County License Marriage Orange
10 Day Free Trial Wow
Free Losing Weight Fast
Weight Watcher Core
Weight Loss Center Texas
Fast Weight Loss Tips
Austin Daily Newspaper Texas
Embassy Suite Austin Texas
Basketball History Jordan Michael Player
California County House In Orange Rent
One Plane Golf Swing
California County Inmate Jail Orange
Fitness Equipment
Diabetes Diet Loss Plan Weight
Low Carb Diet Plan
Hoodia Cactus
Atkins Diet Free Menu Plan
Free Fitness Workout Plans
Weight Watcher Taco Soup
Russian Kettlebell
Orange County California Divorce Lawyer
Weight Watcher Snacks
Center La Loss Weight
French Fashion Magazine
1800 Calorie Diet Meal Plan
Personal Trainer 4
Weight Watcher Cook Book
Diet Loss Modesto Quick Weight
Center Jorie Loss Weight
Strength Training For Kid
Type Of Aerobic Exercise
Free Microsoft Office Trial
Water Bottle 2 Liter
3 Day Diet Meal Plan
Basketball Player Name
Weight Watcher Recipe
Free Weight Loss Tracker
Orange County California
Personal Trainer Boston
Moving Services
Sample Meal Plan
Carb Diet High Low Menu Protein
Diet Meal Plan For Man
Free Quick Weight Loss Diet
Austin Texas Home
Diet Food
Diary Exercise Food Printable
La Weight Loss 8 Week Program
Nude Basketball Players
Phoenix Craigslist Arizona
High Cholesterol Diet Plan
Austin Roads Texas Toll
Diet Menu Planner
California County Orange Weather
Personal Trainer Job Description
Download Free Movie Trial
Fitness From Precor Strength Training
Strength Training For Runner
Diet Weekly Meal Plan Menu
Free Fast Weight Loss Diets
Personal Trainer Degree Nutrition
Low Carb Diet Meal Plan
Diet Extreme Loss Plan Weight
Herbal Life Diet
Austin Texas Apartment For Sale
Austin Texas Chamber Of Commerce
Home Strength Training
Pure Weight Loss Centers
Agent Austin Estate Real Texas
Furnished Apartment Austin Texas
Weight Watcher Program
Free Weight Loss Menu
Aerobic Ball Exercise
Diet Free Healthy Loss Plan Weight
Strength Training Tip
Diet Free Loss Tip Weight
Gnc Health Store Vitamin
Food And Exercise Diary
Seton Hospital Austin Texas
Free Healthy Meal Plan
Weight Watcher Diet Plan
Herbalife Weight Loss Diet Products
Soccer Strength Training
Weight Watcher Journal
Student Apartment Austin Texas
Austin County Texas
Ear Training Software Intervals
Major Muscle Groups
Strength Training For Beginner
Things To Do In Austin Texas Attractions
Apartment Search
Free Microsoft Trial Word
Dr Atkins Diet Menu
1200 Calorie A Day Diet Plan
Acerage Austin Estate Real Texas

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home