About Us
So Here’s How I Fight Back Against Menopause
1. I do HIIT
I do my own form of a high intensity interval training (HIIT) workout twice a week for about 30 minutes, which is a combination of fast walking and running.
Our metabolism has been slowing down for decades. Our muscle mass has been shrinking while our fat mass has been growing.
HIIT is a great way to fight back by boosting metabolism and burning more fat in a shorter period of time during the exercise and after.
No matter what type of aerobic exercise you do, you can add high intensity intervals to it.
Be sure to clear any exercise program with your doctor.
2. I lift weights
We’ve been losing muscle mass for years, but more so after the age of 50.
Muscle burns more calories than fat every second of the day, so if we’re not bailing hay or digging ditches, we need to add weight lifting to our weekly routines to help replace the muscle we’re losing.
If we do nothing about our muscle loss, it takes us longer to burn calories at 60 than at 20.
I lift weights a couple of times a week. If you’ve never done this before, be sure to learn what to do and how to do it from a trained professional, or you can unnecessarily injure yourself.
3. I eat LOTS of natural fiber-rich foods
Food plays a huge role in beating menopausal fatness.
Personally, I believe you can’t stay slim without having at least 75 percent of what you eat be natural fiber-rich foods.
But over the years I’ve taken things further--I’ve become a vegan. I really adore fiber foods and love how I feel when eating them and what they do for my body.
So I eat two fiber-packed meals a day: breakfast around 8:00 a.m. and lunch around 2:00 p.m., skipping supper most days of the week. I never snack, because these meals fill me up for hours so I’m not hungry between meals.
4. I dealt with my sugar addiction
I call myself a recovered sugar addict. Chances are you’ve got issues with sweets too, right?
It’s a common problem for women...of all ages.
So if we want to avoid menopausal fatness, we’ve got to deal with this because it ain’t going away on its own, if you know what I mean.
My problem areas with sweets are cookies, cupcakes and cakes.
So here’s what I do to stay in control:
- I only eat vegan sweets. That eliminates 98 percent of the sweets in the world. Sweet.
- I keep all vegan goodies out of my home and car; no sense making things harder on me.
- I enjoy some vegan sweets twice a week, after I eat a good meal in which 75 percent of my plate is made up of high-fiber foods. That way there’s less room for sweets.
Do I ever mess up and binge? Sure. But I don’t beat myself up about it. I just pick myself up and get right back to eating the way I should at the very next meal.
Little secret: I love baking vegan cookies. In my case that is not an asset. So when I am baking, I make sure the cookies are going to be shared with others. That way I don’t eat the whole batch myself
5. I have a water drinking routine
Even mild dehydration can make you feel tired and sluggish, so you end up moving less, which doesn’t help with staying slim.
Plus, as we get older things start drying up, so we need to drink more water.
In addition, natural fiber-rich foods love water, so if we’re eating more of these foods, we need more water.
I drink about 10 cups of water a day between meals.
I hardly ever feel thirsty, so I just created a water-drinking schedule that helps me reach my goal most days of the week: 3 cups before breakfast, a quart before lunch, and 3 cups in the evening.
I have a quart bottle on my desk, which keeps me on track while I’m working. It’s just water for me, because liquid calories don’t satisfy my appetite and lead to weight gain.
6. I take sleep seriously
Menopause can sure mess up the joys of sleep.
There are numerous issues involved, which we can’t deal with in this post. But let me mention a few things.
First, a reminder: HIIT exercise that helps boost your metabolism will also help improve sleep. Lots of research has shown that staying up late increases levels of the hormone ghrelin, which increases carb cravings. Just what we don’t need.
So I try to have lights out by 9:30-10:00 p.m. most nights of the week. Since research has also shown that getting away from the TV, cell phones, laptops, etc. an hour before going to bed improves sleep, that’s what I try to do.
For me, skipping suppers is beneficial, because I just can’t sleep with a stomach full of food.
Also, don’t forget that caffeine, even in the morning, can be a sleep stealer; so I became a recovered caffeine addict years ago.
It’s Not the Genes
Some of you may be thinking that I can’t really get heavy because I’m genetically predisposed to be thin. Let me bust that myth for you right now.
While it’s true that I inherited a slim build, it has always been easy for me to gain weight.
I’m reminded of that every year when I spend a couple of weeks with my family over the Christmas holiday. Exercise stops, restaurant and sweet eating soar. Result: I gain 5 pounds in two weeks!
You Can Do This
So that’s my story.
I’m not sharing it to tell you what to do, but to give you an idea of what life looks like for someone who is escaping menopausal fatness.
We can’t stop the clock, but we can slow down the whole process and enjoy life more.
You can do this.
Believe me when I tell you that you won’t be sorry for the time and energy you invest in staying slim and being healthy. It’s priceless.
