Submitted by admin on Mon, 2006-11-06 08:00. ::
Call it part of the midlife crisis. Once we hit middle age, it seems like a spare tire settles around our mid-section, pants with a defined waist no longer fit and flabby arms ban sleeveless clothes from our wardrobe. Are we doomed to gain weight as we age, or is there something we can do about it?
Most women change from a pear shape (larger thighs and smaller waist) to an apple shape (larger tummy) as we go into menopause. Part of this is due to decreased levels of estrogen, but simply taking hormones doesn't help lose the extra weight.
Typical menopause weight gain stacks up to 12 to 15 pounds, a source of constant complaint along with the night sweats and hot flashes. In addition, our metabolic rate - the calories our body burns just to exist - decreases by five percent per decade as we go into midlife. That means even if we eat the same amount of calories we always did, we'll still gain weight. Who said life was fair?
Estrogen, metabolism — can we blame anything else? Almost 10 percent of women develop hypothyroidism. Hypo means lower or less - and hypothyroidism means your thyroid is producing less of the hormones that keep your metabolism humming. Hypothyroidism is another reason behind decreased metabolic rate, although in this instance taking thyroid medication truly does help and is definitely recommended.
Step 1: We don't have to take midlife weight gain lying down. In fact, the more we get up and move around, the less weight we'll gain. Women who exercise more - especially vigorous exercise that gets your heart pumping hard - tend to have smaller waists and lower percentages of body fat. If you're currently exercising, ramp up the intensity of at least half of your workouts. Reroute your morning walk so you have to go up hills - and walk up them as fast as you can. Set the treadmill to either a higher speed or steeper incline. Add jogging to your walks, or running to your jogs.
If daily activity isn't currently part of your schedule, start off more gradually. Set a goal of doing something active for 10 minutes every day. After one or two weeks, go for 15 minutes every day. Keep increasing until you fit in 60 minutes of activity every day. The good news is you can spread that activity out and still reap the weight loss benefits. How about parking 10 minutes away from your workplace (20 total minutes brisk walking) plus a 40-minute workout on the elliptical trainer in the evening?
Step 2: Cut back on alcohol. Parties with friends, neighborhood get-togethers and dinners out seem to happen more often once we hit midlife. Often a big part of these activities is alcohol - a source of calories that seems to pack on the pounds in our mid-section as we age. Cut back on alcohol intake and you'll lose weight. Just be sure to substitute something calorie free: seltzer water, for example.
This is cache, read story here
