Print This Page

Exercise For Menopause Weight Loss

Menopause and weight gain can easily concern a woman. So the question arises as to whether there is an exercise for menopause weight loss.

It is not uncommon to see a menopausal weight gain of 10 to 15 pounds appear almost overnight. Many women are told to accept this menopause weight gain because it is a fact of life. But menopausal weight loss may not be as difficult as people have come to believe.

Although menopause weight gain is a given fact that comes with perimenopause and menopause hormonal changes, there are often environmental factors that can be controlled which can lead to menopausal weight loss or even reversal.

The outside factors that affect menopause and weight loss, or gain, are the consumption of extra food perhaps caused by stress. When combined with a thyroid dysfunction and perhaps an underlying medical condition, then menopause and weight gain go hand in hand. Hormonal imbalances can be multiplied when estrogen levels drop during menopause.

Menopause And Weight Gain Are Not Unavoidable

Before accepting a weight gain as something unavoidable, a woman should consult her doctor or gynecologist to assure herself that there are not underlying medical conditions that are having an effect. She should use the visit to have her doctor confirm that it would be safe and proper for her to start a strength training exercise and cardiovascular program.

In the plight to insure menopause weight loss no woman should undergo strenuous exercise beyond what the doctor recommends, considering any underlying conditions.

When considering menopausal weight loss exercises, a woman should concentrate on cardiovascular exercises that improve her oxygen intake and stimulate her metabolism as well as strength training programs which build lean body muscle mass. It has been said time and time again that muscle mass burns calories simply by being muscles that need to burn calories to exist.

Perimenopause and menopause bring about a drop in estrogen levels. This can bring about those common symptoms as hot flashes, insomnia, night sweats, and depression.

Exercise Combats The Menopausal Weight Gain Factors

Menopause exercises are a major predictor as to how well a woman travels through her menopause years. Exercise is also vital to the bones at a time when they tend to lose substance and start on their path toward osteoporosis. Studies on diabetes have shown that regular exercise by postmenopausal women reduces by 31% their probability of developing diabetes. Regular exercise at four times per week lowered the risk to a significant 50%, or half what can be expected.

An exercise program for menopause weight loss can do double duty. Besides strength training, it should include cardiovascular expansion, relaxation and joint flexibility. A physical fitness trainer should be able to guide a menopausal women as to the types of exercise that promote mobility and flexibility.

It is also good to do menopause exercises that build strength in the legs. Not only are the legs as a good source of muscle mass, they make it easier to do other exercises such a walking and running. A brisk walk for about 30 minutes done three times a week can do wonders not only for bringing about that menopause weight loss but for heart health. So walk the dog, park far away from the shopping center entrance, or use stairs whenever possible. Try to increase the daily walking time.

Menopausal Weight Loss In The Morning

Doing exercise in the morning before eating anything may tend to increase the metabolic rate more than doing the same exercise later in the day. Do not forgo exercise because there is no time to do it in the morning. It is much better to do something to hinder that menopausal weight gain than to do nothing.

Stiffness in the joints may also be related to menopausal factors. It is helpful to do a type of exercise which stimulates flexibility and motion in the joints. It reduces the soreness and stiffness. Do warm ups to flex the muscles before doing stretching exercises and spend 10 minutes stretching knees, wrists, shoulders, waist, ankles, fingers, elbows and the spine.

Being flexible multiplies the effects of other exercise when it burns calories in the joints. Besides, flexible joints make a person more functional.

Menopause and weight gain seem interrelated and going after menopause weight loss through exercise may be something totally new to some women. It can be difficult to adjust. The thing to do is to enjoy a 30 minute brisk walk on a daily basis. It is far better to do this than to do nothing. It is easy to become accustomed to a new routine. Eventually jogging and even sports may be something to look forward to.

Types Of Menopause Exercises

Look for sports that are enjoyable or that have been neglected since earlier years. The National Institutes of Health found that women who practiced tennis every day for only 10 minutes a day or practiced aerobic dancing had six fewer inches around their waist than women who refrained from exercising.

Exercise, it was found, does not eliminate night sweats or hot flashes, but women who have a healthy weight have more infrequent night sweats and less severe hot flashes. Exercise promoted more vitality, less pain, and an overall sense of well being.

Conclusion On Menopause Weight Loss

There is no doubt among researchers that exercise is important at any age but more particularly for women who show signs of menopausal weight gain. The good part is that menopause exercises can be started at any time and show results early.

The Journal of Advanced Nursing discovered that women who engaged for a year in an exercise program to prevent menopause weight gain also experienced noticeable improvements in their overall physical health and in their mental health. Those who did not showed increased but opposite symptoms.

Menopausal weight gain is not a given thing. There are exercise menopause programs for everyone that fits their physical abilities. Select one that is enjoyable and most importantly one that fits the current lifestyle so that the program is not dropped.

The previous article is on Menopause Memory Loss.

Other wiki resources: menopause symptoms, symptoms of menopause, signs of menopause, early menopause symptoms, pre menopause symptoms, health and menopause