Five ways to prevent perimenopause weight gain
Mar 31, 2022
Weight gain in perimenopause is a big issue for women heading into their next chapter. Midlife weight gain is an issue that affects women of all DNA and cultural backgrounds. Is weight gain something that women can control in later life?
How can some people only have to look at a piece of cake, and the scales go up? It’s irritating, isn’t it?
Is weight gain linked to genetics, or is some of it under our control?
Many women notice that they begin to put on weight during their midlife phase, and weight gain can happen despite not eating anymore or doing anything different.
For some women, managing their weight as they get older is something that they should not ignore.
Here are five essential things that to help prevent weight gain.
1. Sleep
Did you know that 70% of people who do not get enough sleep every night end up putting on weight?
A recommended good night’s sleep is around eight hours. Many women won’t get anything like that amount, however. Stress or routine can make it hard to drop off at night.
When you don’t get enough sleep, food cravings increase. You might find that you make poor food choices but are also more hungry.
Watch my video about how sleep affects food cravings to find out more.
To aid good sleep, think about your sleep hygiene.
What do you do before you go to bed? Do you look at your phone, watch a tablet or work late before you turn out the light?
A healthy adult should follow a 24-hour sleep-wake cycle. As the sun rises, the body produces cortisol, and as daylight fades, another hormone, melatonin, elicits feelings of sleepiness.
The argument that blue light can affect your Melatonin production is, to date, inconclusive. Sleep research suggests that electronic back-lit devices like phones, tablets, and computers emit blue light, which has been shown to affect the natural production of melatonin. On the other hand, counter studies state that there is no link.
What is true is that any activity before bed stimulates your brain.
Whatever you’re watching or doing is likely to keep your brain awake.
2. Surround yourself with positive people
Some people are radiators of positivity, and others are drains.
We all know that one person who moans every time you see them…
"Oh, isn't the weather awful?"
"Oh gosh, I hate how I'm feeling today."
"Oh, my parents are driving me mad."
And the first comment that they say is always something negative.
Think about how you feel when you have spent time with someone who makes you feel good. Your mood is lifted, you smile or laugh more, and the effect is very positive.
Happiness breeds happiness. When you are happy, you are better placed to make better decisions about your health.
3. Move more
Research suggests that if you do 60 minutes a day of movement consistently for six days a week, it will have a lasting effect on maintaining a healthy weight.
Find a class that you’d enjoy. Join a walking group or sign up for yoga. Perhaps even walk the dog.
Whatever boosts your midlife fitness, make a conscious decision to get stronger.
Do some exercise where you lift some weight, be it your body weight or actual weights. It doesn’t matter. Resistance training is vital for improved muscle strength and tone and to protect your joints from injury.
If you haven't found a class that suits you yet, check out my menopause fitness classes.
4. Be consistent
Success is more likely if you make consistent lifestyle choices. Fads don’t last, and taking up any activity in fits and starts will not help it become a daily part of your life.
For your better choices to become part of your routine, you need to make them healthy habits. It only takes 21 days to do the same thing for it to become a habit.
Try to follow the 80:20 rule to introduce more of a healthy balance.
The 80:20 rule means that for 80% of the time, you avoid alcohol, eat a healthy diet, go to bed at the right time and get regular exercise.
For 20% of the time, you can go out for the evening, work late, go on holiday, or laze on a sunbed; guilt-free.
Look critically at your lifestyle now. If you live a 50:50 lifestyle, it will contribute to the failure and helplessness that you feel.
5. Reward yourself
We know from childhood that rewards help to keep us on track. The incentive of achieving something or rewarding yourself helps to retain the motivation to succeed.
That reward could be as simple as planning a lie-in, taking a day’s holiday, enjoying lunch with friends, or treating yourself to a new piece of sports kit that makes you feel good.
Everybody has a different idea of what a ‘treat’ is, so it’s up to you to decide what works for you.
Menopause Support
Do you need some motivation to get moving? Perhaps you need advice on reducing stress and getting a better night’s sleep? Or maybe you’re lacking a support network to make lifestyle changes?
It’s easy to read advice about healthy food, exercise and making good lifestyle choices online.
The hard part is putting them into practice with the proper support.
If you are ready to make some changes to ease your menopause symptoms, I can help!
The Move Over Menopause online programme is designed to support busy women through a series of lifestyle changes to relieve their menopause symptoms. Just follow the set-out plan, and the magic will happen.
Want to know more?
Book a free discovery call with menopause expert Sam Palmer.
☎️ Book your no-obligation call today
