Full-Body Training: The Best Way to Beat Menopausal Fat

When a woman reaches menopause, several biological changes occur that can make it more difficult to lose weight. This is especially the case with menopausal fat that tends to accumulate in areas that are typically associated with male-pattern fat deposits. The decline in estrogen production combined with a more sedentary lifestyle is usually the cause of additional fat gain after menopause. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to beat menopausal fat. In addition, taking these steps also facilitates increased bone density, muscle strength and improved energy levels. Next, find out how full-body training beats menopausal fat.

Increase Your Aerobic Activity

Aerobic activities such as brisk walking, cycling, jogging or running help your body burn fat and increases the demands of your muscles for fuel, even when you aren’t exercising. Although the tendency in the menopausal years is to reduce physical activity, it’s more important than ever to keep moving. Unfortunately, you need to step up the duration or frequency of your exercise in order to get the same results you did when you were in your 20′s and 30′s. Maintaining an active lifestyle is one of the best ways to beat menopausal fat and offset the increased risks of cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes that accompany menopause.

Emphasize Healthy Eating Habits

With the lapse in attention to activity often comes the decline in eating habits and more reliance on convenience foods that can be high in sodium, fat and sugar. After menopause, you generally require fewer calories, so choosing less calorically-dense foods like lean meats, whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables can allow you to eat the same volume but without adding body fat. If your downfall is well-meaning family who encourages less than healthy foods, cook and serve healthier meals together that everyone can enjoy.

Get Stronger

Muscle, pound for pound, weighs more than fat and increasing your muscle mass helps burn calories and displaces fat, replacing it with lean muscle. The old adage is true, if you don’t use your muscles, you’ll lose them. After menopause, muscle mass naturally declines but doesn’t have to decrease as much as most people believe. Lifting weights at home or the gym, or using resistance bands or machines helps increase and maintain muscle mass and decreases the amount of body fat your body stores. Muscle also naturally requires more energy, so increasing strength causes a subsequent increase in metabolism that lasts throughout the day.

Change Your Eating Habits

Beating menopausal fat requires dietary changes and also requires that you change the way you eat your meals and snacks. Eating larger meals earlier in the day allows your body to process the food more efficiently. In addition, eating most of your calories during the more active portion of your day encourages you to burn more fat than eating too close to bedtime. Chew your food thoroughly and enjoy your meals, rather than eating on the run which can impair digestion. If you tend to eat alone, serve yourself single portions and avoid going back for more servings that can add calories, and fat.

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