I often see women who tell me that despite eating less and increasing their exercise, they are still gaining weight.
At menopause women have a natural tendency to put on weight. This is due to the hormonal changes that are occurring at this time in life. The weight gain tends to occur around the abdominal region and unfortunately this type of weight gain is what leads to heart disease and other health conditions more associated with men. In fact, heart disease is one of the leading causes of death for women in their post menopausal years.
I find that if I understand how something works I am much more likely to be compliant or “follow the rules”. Therefore I have put together the information below to help you understand all the factors that cause women to put on weight which have nothing to do with diet or exercise. That way, you can know what to do to prevent unnecessary weight gain without significantly changing your current lifestyle.
Four key elements that effect weight gain involve what and how you:
- Drink
- Eat
- Sleep
- Stress
Here’s the reasons and what you can do to improve your body’s functioning:
1. Stop eating 3-4 hours before you go to bed
Eating just before bedtime is a big no no! Have you ever noticed that every time you eat your meal late in the night you wake up the next day feeling sluggish?
Even if the meal you eat is not completely healthy, as long as you finish eating at least 3 hours before bed it your body has time to process and digest the food. This allows your body to start the process of detoxification and regeneration of cells from the moment you fall asleep – rather than still digesting the late night snack you’ve just eaten and having to start the detoxification process hours later.
Take note of how you feel when you wake up when you consistently give yourself time to digest before bed.
2. Get enough hours sleep
You may have been able to get away with less sleep in your younger years but at perimenopause many women are already sleep deprived due to hot flushes, night sweats and hormone surges that cause women to wake throughout the night. Getting to bed early and getting a full night’s sleep is important. Click on this article to learn how to get more sleep.
3. Drink more water
Water is the key to help detoxify your body. If you don’t drink adequate amounts of water it makes detoxification more difficult. With limited liquid to use in your body – the water you do drink will be used for the most vital functions within your body however, there will be less free flowing fluid in your body to flush out the toxins.
On a side note, it is possible to drink too much water, so don’t suddenly start drinking 3-4 litres per day, if you were not drinking enough previously. Check with your health professional before radically altering your water intake.
4. Reduce Stress
I know that everyone keeps telling you this, but during perimenopause it is even more important than ever before. There is so much change going on physiologically, that you need to give your body time to breath. Adding things onto the “to-do” list is not only unhelpful it can be detrimental to your health and can cause you to gain weight. Learning to say “no” is one of the biggest skills you can attain at this time in your life.
If you follow the four steps above your body will thank you for it. All the vital processes will occur much more efficiently and, not only will find it much easier to keep off the extra weight, you will have more energy throughout each day.
If you are looking for support to work through any issues regarding weight gain and/or perimenopause book in for a consultation – and in 90 minutes we will get you ready to live a healthier and happier life.