How does the body change shape after menopause?

by Elizabeth
(Beat Menopause Weight Gain)

I remember seeing it in my mother - her body changed shape after menopause, going from a slender, trim silhouette, to one that was rather solid around the midriff.

In those days, gyms didn't exist and the idea of doing exercise-for-exercise-sake was unheard of. Mum resigned herself to saying goodbye to ever for her waistline and, on her 60th birthday, announced that she was now 'an old lady'.

But times have changed, thankfully, and I don't know any 60-year-old women now who are ready to think of themselves as 'old ladies'.

Yes, the female body does have a tendency to change shape in midlife, because hormones dictate that any fat you gain will go on around the middle - and because changed metabolism, decreased physical activity and an unhealthy diet can all conspire to get those extra pounds sneaking on.

What to do? You can beat menopause weight gain and keep a trim shape, and to do it you need to concentrate on three things:
- a healthy menopause diet - drop the junk, and eat smaller, healthier meals

- exercise - and that includes strength training exercises, those muscle-building routines that can help strengthen your abs and fine down your waistline

- de-stress - find ways to relieve stress in your life, because too much of it releases the hormone cortisol, which encourages your body to store fat around the middle.