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Menopause is a sensitive time when women can expect to gain about a pound of additional weight each year. This weight gain is a common experience for maturing women. The menopausal transition that begins in a woman's forties and fifties makes maintaining an ideal weight very challenging. Your body composition undergoes both internal and external changes; these include hormone levels, ageing, and lifestyle changes. It important that you begin assessing your diet and exercise plans early, as menopausal weight can be in the form of stubborn fat. You want to be one-step of weight gain at all times. Diet Assessment Begin by paying close attention to the types of meals that you eat. Protein - A very important and essential ingredient that should be included in every meal. Lean chicken, turkey, cottage cheese, and egg whites are some great sources of lean protein that you should incorporate into your meals. Protein satisfies hunger and plays an essential part in helping to build muscle. Carbohydrates - A necessary component of a healthy diet, also need to be included in every meal. The important point is to choose 'good' carbs over 'bad' carbs. You want to avoid the bad or 'simple' carbs. These are mainly white or processed products such as white bread, white pasta, sugar, and flour. Complex carbs, also known as good carbs, come from wholegrain or natural foods. These carbs are high in fiber and packed with essential vitamins and nutrients. Some excellent sources of good carbs include fruits, vegetables, and whole grain products such as whole-wheat bread, whole-wheat pasta, oatmeal and brown rice. Fat - Do not be mistaken thinking that all fat must be avoided. You need to include healthy fats in your diets. Healthy unsaturated fats are essential to your health and become even more important as your body matures. Natural unsalted nuts, cold pressed olive oil, avocadoes, and natural peanut butter are all excellent sources of healthy unsaturated fats. Getting Active As you mature, your lifestyle usually changes and you become less active than younger women. As well, women in their forties and fifties start to lose lean muscle tissue at a rate of about one pound each year. With time against you, you should begin replacing this muscle if you are to stand any chance against weight gain resulting from menopause. You need to start becoming more physically active each day. Spending a little more time doing activities that you enjoy can make a huge difference. Do what you enjoy. If you enjoy gardening,
dancing, bike riding, swimming, or walking, do it every day and work towards increasing the time you spend doing it. Make it your goal to be active at least 30 minutes every day. This will significantly improve your fitness level. Your body needs resistance exercise in addition to aerobic exercise. Resistance exercise helps to build and replace muscle mass and to increase bone density. Join the local YMCA or gym where you have instructors to help you learn proper resistance training techniques. Or you can buy some small hand weights and use a DVD training workout at home. This type of strength training will be the single most important thing you can do that will alter your body composition. Resistance training or strength training can be very rewarding. It will mean more lean muscle on your body, which means less fat, more energy and stronger bones. There is no secret or magic formula to avoid weight gain as you get older. The same strategies for maintaining a healthy weight at any age apply. Watch what you eat, stay active and be confident that it is possible to avoid weight gain as you get older.
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