menopause weight gain

Metabolism and Menopause

When you reach the age of menopause there are a lot of changes that happen to your body. Some of these changes may include hot flashes, night sweats, periods become irregular and your body changes physically.

Some of these changes your body may have is vaginal dryness and a slower metabolism. An easy way to combat vaginal dryness is by taking a supplement. This may be an easy enough answer, but boosting your metabolism may be a little more difficult. There are ways to increase your metabolism.

Exercise

Exercise is one of the best ways to increase your metabolism. It is important to engage in both strength training as well as aerobic exercise. Strength training is important because your resting metabolic rate will increase with the more muscle you have. By increasing your strength training, you will build more muscle mass, therefore burning more calories.

Doing aerobic exercises for 30 minutes a day will burn calories and help manage weight. There are many ways to participate in aerobic exercise such as: running, brisk walking, elliptical machine or rowing machine.

Sleep

The more you sleep, the quicker your metabolism. Sleep can affect your metabolism in multiple ways. A sleepless night can reduce your resting heart rate by five percent. If you get a good amount of sleep, you are likely to eat fewer calories, but if you are skimping on sleep you are likely to burn 20 percent fewer calories. Be sure to try to get seven to eight hours of sleep every night.

Eat

During perimenopause, your body is going through many changes and if experiencing vaginal dryness isn’t bad enough, women also tend to gain weight. One way to combat weight gain is by changing your diet up a little bit. It is important to eat, but try to eat a little less. During your 50s, you should eat approximately 200 calories less than in your 40s. Eat fruits and vegetables over potato chips and candy.

Eat more protein. Protein takes more energy for your body to digest so that means more calories burned. Out of all the calories you eat throughout the day, try to get about 20 percent of those calories protein. You can get protein from chicken, turkey, fish, other meats and eggs.

Menopause may not be something most women look forward to, but you can make it more bearable by combating vaginal dryness, painful intercourse and slower metabolism. It is possible to do this by taking a daily supplement and making sure you eat, sleep and exercise every day.

Resources:

http://wellness.nysbs.com/tag/how-to-boost-your-metabolism-during-menopause/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/419884-how-to-jump-start-your-metabolism-while-in-menopause/

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