What health or wellness changes have you made since becoming perimenopausal or postmenopausal? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
You know that aging is a gift, but the belly bulge and weight gain that have come with menopause feel like unwanted presents you are eager to return. You’ve tried diet after diet, and you’re exercising more, yet the scale won’t budge, and neither will that menopause pooch.
Sis, I get it. Due to a bout with breast cancer, I was hurled into medically induced menopause before my 40th birthday, and I’ve been packing on pounds ever since. My doctor even told me not to try to lose weight! And look, I’m not trying to be skinny or even get back the body I had in my 30s. But if the clothes in my closet fit, that would be great!
I’m not going to put myself down about my bodily changes, but I’m also not going to lose hope that I can make this body the best it can be for this era. I don’t want you to give up on your body either.
I did a bit of research on my own. I turned to fitness pros Christina Charley, owner and holistic health coach at Love Yourself Fitness (loveyourselffitness.net), and Tamera Jones, owner and personal trainer at 180 Degree Fitness and Nutrition, LLC (180-degree-fitness.com), for advice on what to do when nothing seems to work.
There’s no shortage of information on the internet and elsewhere about managing your weight after menopause. We hope these tips will help you find that breakthrough you’re seeking, but remember, this is not a one-size-fits-all process.
“I always tell my clients that although there is a lot of information regarding how to handle weight gain during menopause, you have to find the formula that fits you,” Jones said. “What might work for one woman might not work for you.”
Here are tips that could be the game-changer to tip the scale
“It is important for women to consult with their doctor, dietitian, nutritionist and personal trainer to design the correct formula to handle the issue of menopause and weight,” Jones said. Ask your health care provider about what’s right for you:
Walk off the weight
Walking has been called the most underrated form of exercise and should likely be part of your workout routine. One study found that walking may help prevent cardiovascular disease in obese postmenopausal women by reducing weight and vascular inflammatory factors.
Step up your current routine. If you’re already walking regularly, you might ramp up that workout by increasing distance, duration or frequency. Also consider walking with a weighted vest, or hitting the treadmill for some incline walking.
Strap on a weighted vest. Wearing a weighted vest while walking could increase calorie burn up to 15 percent without you increasing the speed or duration of your walk. Plus, it may help strengthen muscles and improve cardiovascular and bone health.
Raise the incline on your treadmill. If you’re already getting in your steps on a treadmill, consider kicking up that incline. One study found that participants burned 17 percent more calories at a five percent incline and 32 percent more calories at a 10 percent incline than walking on a flat surface.
Track your step count. Even if you exercise regularly, there’s a chance you may need to move more, especially if you’re sedentary the rest of the day. Charley said that adding more walks to your routine is a great way to start. To monitor your progress, she recommends tracking your steps.
Does this mean you should be walking 10,000 steps a day? “I think it’s important to start where you are,” Charley said. “It’s overwhelming to tell someone walking 2000 to 3000 steps to increase to 10,000. [Consider the] baseline of [your current step count] and then start adding 1000 steps a week.”
Cross-train on days you don’t walk. In addition to walking, Jones recommends trying dancing, swimming, bicycling or using cardio machines at the gym. If your joints can handle it, consider adding running to the mix. Charley is also a fan of HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, workouts.
Lift weights to lose weight
You may think that if you want to burn calories and lose weight, you need to do as much cardio as possible, but for women over 40, strength training is equally essential for weight loss and overall wellness.
“As we age, adults begin losing muscle mass in their 30s at a rate of about three to eight percent,” Jones explained. “In their 50s, this rate increases to five to 10 percent.”
Not only do we lose muscle faster post-menopause, but we also tend to gain more fat. But strength training can help us maintain—and even gain—muscle. More muscle means a higher metabolism, which means your body can burn more calories even while resting. As an added bonus, lifting weights builds muscle, increases strength and even helps with balance and agility.
Jones recommends doing strength training at least two to three days a week using dumbbells and kettlebells and, if you have access to a gym, mixing in work on weight training machines.
Ditch stress to drop pounds
Weight isn’t the only thing that can increase with menopause—so can anxiety. Your mood could do the same with your hormones going up and down.
Choose a mellow movement. And stress can make it even harder to lose weight. Charley recommends adding yoga and Pilates to your strength training regimen because not only can these activities make you stronger, but they can make you calmer too.
“When our bodies are in a state of fight or flight, it’s really hard for our bodies to lose weight,” Charley said. “So, having movement that’s also going to help with calming the body is going to be important for weight loss as well.”
Clear your mind. When trying to reduce your weight, you need to reduce your stress too. Stress increases cortisol levels, which can cause your body to hold on to fat. Jones recommends trying meditation, too.
Go to sleep! Your sleep regimen is as important as your workout regimen when trying to lose weight. “Poor sleep leads to higher cortisol, which leads to weight gain,” Charley explained. She recommends aiming for seven to nine hours of sleep each night.
Thanks to hot flashes and night sweats, getting a good night’s rest during the menopausal transition period can be tough. But avoiding screens, caffeine, exercise or naps late in the day and developing a regular sleep schedule may help. Also, consider discussing nonhormonal treatments for hot flashes with your doctor.
Be mindful at mealtime
Stay away from simple carbs. You’re probably already cutting back on sweets if you’re trying to lose weight and whittle your waist, but simply focusing on what you’re not eating is not enough. Of course, you need to avoid highly processed sugars and carbs, but consider what you need to eat more of, too.
Prioritize proteins. Charley stressed that prioritizing protein in your diet is important to help prevent muscle loss and balance blood sugar. She encourages us to reach for plant-based proteins like lentils and chickpeas, black beans, edamame, seeds, tofu and tempeh.
Fight inflammation. Because inflammation can cause your body to hold on to weight, focus on increasing your intake of anti-inflammatory foods like leafy greens.
Consider intermittent fasting. “I think menopausal women can really benefit from a 13-to-15 hour fasting window,” Charley said. “It gives the body time to reset insulin and burn fat efficiently.”
Cut back on the boozy brunches. In addition to adding calories, excess alcohol impairs your liver’s ability to detox your body and raises cortisol levels, Charley explained. Alcohol can also worsen hot flashes and night sweats and make it harder to get a good night’s sleep, which can hurt your weight loss efforts even more. So have brunch with the girls without the bottomless mimosas. And learn to unwind without that bottle of wine.
Reframing Menopause
If you have tried everything to lose weight and the pounds are still hanging on, you may need to see a professional.
“This time can be challenging,” Jones said. “But I encourage women always to look inward and focus on self-love, embrace who they are and be the happiest version of themselves.”
Because stress levels can impact weight and overall health, having a positive outlook about menopause could work wonders.
“If a lot of our thoughts are negative and overwhelmed and frustrated and fearful around this time of life, then our body is going to respond in like,” Charley said. “So, it’s really important to surround yourself with people who have a positive outlook about aging.”
She went on to say that your self-talk matters too.
“What do you think about your body?” she asked. “Because if you’re saying to yourself all day, every day, ‘I can’t lose this weight,’ your body is not going to release the weight. How we talk about ourselves, how we talk about our bodies, is very important.”
Charley, who works with clients nationwide, believes menopause marks the beginning of a new chapter in a woman’s life, a chapter in which she steps fully into her wisdom and intuition and can finally put caring for herself first.
“I’m 52, so I’m looking at this next chapter of my life to be the best half,” she said. “This could be a really beautiful time of life. I believe menopause is a sacred and powerful transition.”
What health or wellness changes have you made since becoming perimenopausal or postmenopausal? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
