Ideas On How To Speed Up Metabolism During Menopause

By Daphne Bowen


Menopause is associated with many physical and psychological changes. One of the biggest changes that women may notice is an abnormal increase in body weight. Research has established that, this is related both to reduced activity and the hormonal changes that favor putting on weight. A reduction in estrogen hormone activity is responsible for most of the changes. Here is how to speed up metabolism during menopause.

The starting point is to try out the conservative options. It should be understood that the metabolic rate is controlled to a great extent by muscular muscle requirement which is in turn related to physical activity. More activity translates to more energy requirement and higher metabolism. Increase your daily activity gradually so that you have at least thirty minutes of intense workout for three days in a week.

Hormone replacement therapy is a widely used intervention that is easily accessible. In the therapy, estrogen and progesterone are administered for a given period of time to restore the initial hormonal balance. The duration of therapy is highly variable and is mainly determined by the initial deficiency. The doctor may need to conduct periodic tests in a bid to monitor the hormone levels.

Estrogen has two main effects; increasing the rate of metabolism and influencing the site of fat deposition. In presence of normal hormonal levels, fat deposition takes place mainly in areas around the hip, thighs and buttocks. In its absence, it is mainly deposited around the abdominal region. This type of fat is associated with an increased risk of diabetes, metabolic syndrome and other conditions.

Proper weight control during the menopausal period has many benefits. For example, it helps reduce the risk of suffering non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. The levels of cholesterol are lowered and this also reduces the risk of suffering from heart attack and stroke. Other diseases whose incidence has been shown to be greatly reduced include diverticular disease, kidney stones and colon cancer.

Adequate sleep is important. Contrary to popular opinion, being awake for long hours does not increase the metabolic rate. Enough sleep does. Studies indicate that there is about 5% reduction in the rate whenever a night of sleep is missed. Ensure that you sleep between seven and eight hours. A better rate of metabolism will improve your quality of sleep.

Dietary modification will most certainly be required. Since different foods have different levels of calories, the metabolic rates will also be different. The idea is to have a metabolic rate that is sustained over a long period of time. In this regard, having small frequent meals will be more helpful. Large fewer meals may cause sudden drops in glucose and release of cortisol hormone. The hormone breaks down muscle and reduces the basal metabolic rate.

The metabolic rate slows down as we grow older. The effect is most evident among women in menopause due to the gradual changes in hormone levels that take place. Making lifestyle adjustments should be the first step in dealing with the problem. If this fails to yield fruits, hormone replacement therapy should be considered.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment