Women Health Care Experience

What I discovered about metabolism blew me away. As a woman over 55 who never experienced a diet in her life, when I found out that once you reach menopause and you say goodbye to more than just that monthly female nuisance, your metabolism screeches to a halt. It literally quits. Zip. Zero. Zilch. All gone!

It doesn’t matter if you eat no more than 750 calories a day, you will STILL gain 10 pounds a year. It’s not the food that is the problem for a woman over 50, it is the metabolism. And what happens after menopause is you start storing that fat exactly where the men do: in the abdomen. It is called visceral fat and it can be life threatening. It winds itself into your organs and it is incredibly uncomfortable to be toting around as well!

The best thing you can do to get back on track is to:

1. Eat foods that increase metabolism.
2. Begin an exercise regimen.
3. Try not to spend a lot of time sitting. Even standing burns calories.
4. Join a gym or start a swimming program.
5. Try a natural estrogen supplement daily.
6. Walk for twenty minutes every day (not as part of an exercise program).

Additionally, they have found that muscle put on in your younger years, turns to fat as you grow older. Unless you are Ms. Super Athlete or Wonder Woman, you will need to adjust your diet and lifestyle to accommodate this change.

You can do this by:

• Eating a healthy, low fat diet, rich with fiber (helps with those irritable bowels)
• Regular exercise – 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day
• Maintain your muscle strength and mass by using light weights for your arms and cycling or walking for your legs.

And by all means, consult with your doctor before starting any exercise regimen if you have any medical conditions or you are out of shape.