LEADING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE THROUGH MENOPAUSE

Section: Magazine -

My name is Christine Lanois 50 yrs young; a single mom; Registered Nurse; Wellness Consultant and Elite athlete!

I truly believe I am living proof of the great benefits exercise and eating clean (healthy balance diet) can offer any women going through peri-menopause/menopause or not! Exercise and healthy eating is the best fountain of youth and the best remedy out there. We all have to go through the changes in life (menopause) but a healthy lifestyle makes it that much more bearable and less dramatic. I've become a great role model to my 13 yr old son and I've been a great motivator and an inspiration to women of all ages all around the world. Remember ladies leading a healthy lifestyle will help you through all stages of our life including Menopause. Pay yourself 1st with a healthy lifestyle which will benefit you for a lifetime and keep you young at heart!! Below are TIPS that can make a difference in all aspects of your life - especially peri-menopause/menopause changes!!

LEADING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE THROUGH MENOPAUSE

MENOPAUSE IS NOT A DISEASE -- it's a natural part of life!

On average, women are 51 at natural menopause, notes the National Institute on Aging. But menopause can start earlier or later. A few women start menopause as young as 40, and a very small percentage as late as 60. Women who smoke tend to go through menopause a few years earlier than nonsmokers. There is no proven way to predict menopause age. It's only after a woman has missed her periods for 12 straight months.

Living a healthy lifestyle is important throughout a woman's life. And, it's not too late to start at menopause. Get a checkup that includes measuring your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar and make appointments for routine screenings such as mammograms. Menopause is also a great time to upgrade your diet, physical activity, and stress management skills -- your doctor can give you pointers as you work together to plan for a healthy menopause.

One of the smartest things a woman can do as she transitions to menopause and afterward is to get regular physical activity. That includes aerobic exercise for her heart and weight-bearing exercise for her bones -- both of which may help ward off weight gain and provide a mood boost. Even if a woman hasn't been very active in her younger years, it's never too late to start. Menopause is a new beginning, and the perfect time to weave more activity into your life.

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE THROUGH MENOPAUSE

A question: Are women doomed to gain weight mid-life?

Here are some answers to some questions middled-aged women commonly ask about weight and menopause.

Question: Do women inevitably gain fat with menopause?

No! Women do not always gain weight with menopause. Yes, women commonly get fatter and thicker around the middle as the fat settles in and around the abdominal area. But the changes are due more to lack of exercise and a surplus of calories than to a reduction of hormones.

In a three-year study with more than 3,000 women (initial age 42 to 52 years), the average weight gain was 4.6 pounds. The weight gain occurred in all women, regardless of their menopause status. (Sternfeld, Am J Epidemiol, 2004).

Question: If weight gain is not due to the hormonal shifts of menopause, what does cause it?

Here are a few culprits:

Menopause occurs during a time of life when women may become less active. That is, if your children have grown up and left home, you may find yourself sitting more in front of a TV or computer screen, rather than running up and down stairs, carrying endless loads of laundry.

A less active lifestyle not only reduces your calorie needs, but also results in a decline in muscle mass. Because muscle drives your metabolic rate, less muscle means a slower metabolism and fewer calories burned. (That is, of course, unless you wisely preserve your muscle by lifting weights and doing other strengthening exercises.)

Sleep patterns commonly change in mid-life. Add on top of that sleep-disrupting night sweats and a husband who snores, and many women end up feeling exhausted most of the time. Exhaustion and sleep deprivation can easily drain motivation to routinely exercise.

Sleep deprivation is associated with weight gain. Adults who sleep less than seven hours per night tend to be heavier than their well-slept counterparts. When you are sleep deprived, your appetite grows. The hormone that curbs your appetite (leptin) is reduced and the hormone that increases your appetite (grehlin) become more active. Hence, you can have a hard time differentiating between "Am I tired?" or "Am I hungry?" You hear the cookie monster answer "You're hungry; you need cookies . . . !"

Menopause coincides with career success, including business meals at nice restaurants, extra wine, plush vacations and cruises. Read: more calories and less exercise.

By mid-life, most women are tired of dieting and depriving themselves of tempting foods; they may have been dieting since puberty! The "No, thank you" that prevailed at previous birthday parties now becomes "Yes, please."

TIPS FOR PREVENTING MID-LIFE WEIGHT GAIN AND OPTIMIZING HEALTH

The best way to prevent weight gain is to keep running and maintaining an active lifestyle. Research suggests women who exercise do not the gain the weight and waist of their non- exercising peers. The exercise program should include both aerobic exercise (to enhance cardiovascular health) and strengthening exercise (to preserve muscle strength and bone density). The book Strong Women Stay Thin by Miriam Nelson is a good resource for developing a health-protective exercise program.

Despite popular belief, taking hormones to counter the symptoms of menopause does not contribute to weight gain. If anything, hormone replacement therapy may help curb mid-life weight gain.

Menopausal women need a strong calcium intake: 1,200 to 1,500 mg of calcium per day, or the equivalent of a serving of milk or yogurt at each meal. If you are tempted to take a supplement instead of consume low fat dairy foods, think again. One supplement does not replace the whole package of health- protective nutrients in low fat milk and yogurt. Also, recent research suggests women who have three or more servings of milk or yogurt per day tend to be leaner than milk-abstainers. Milk can help you lose--not gain--weight.

If you have gained undesired fat, do not diet. If you have been dieting for 35 to 40 years of your adult life, you should have learned by now that dieting does not work. Rather, you need to learn how to eat healthfully. This means, fuel your body with enough breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snack to curb your appetite (and energize your exercise program). Then, eat a lighter dinner. Think small calorie deficit. That is, consuming 100 fewer calories after dinner (theoretically) translates into losing ten pounds of fat per year.

To find peace with food and your body, meet with a registered dietitian (RD) who specializes in sports nutrition. This professional can develop a personalized food plan that fits your needs. To find a local RD, go to www.eatright.org and enter your Zip code into the referral network.

Also ask yourself: Am I really overweight? Maybe there is just more of you to love. Your body may not be quite as perfect as it once was at the height of your running career, but it can be good enough. I encourage you to focus on being fit and healthy, rather than being thin at any cost. No weight will ever do the enormous job of creating mid-life happiness

EXERCISE AND MENOPAUSE

Without doubt, exercise is the most important alternative therapy available to the menopausal woman. Exercise allows you to control your body and emotions by using your internal resources. Each time you exercise, your adrenal glands are stimulated to convert the male hormone androstenedione into estrogen. A minimum of four 30-minute exercise sessions a week will be enough to keep you "topped off' with estrogen. As you grow older, your cardio-respiratory fitness, your strength, and your flexibility begin to decline, but for people who remain active, they decrease at a lower rate (an average of five percent per decade after the age of 20, as opposed to nine percent per decade).

Exercise counteracts many of the unfavorable metabolic changes that occur after menopause by: reducing weight gain, increasing fat utilization, maintaining skeletal muscle mass, improving cholesterol and triglycerides, and increasing the body’s response to insulin. Strength training will help prevent the decline in muscle mass and offsets the decline in metabolic rate. Adequate calcium intake is especially important for postmenopausal women. In addition to dairy products, some vegetables, fish with bones, and fortified foods (e.g., orange juice, cereal) are good sources of calcium. During the first 5-7 years of menopause women lose up to 20% of their skeletal mass (DHHS. Washington DC: Office of the Surgeon General). Consuming 1200 mg of calcium per day may minimize that loss.

THE BENEFITS OF REGULAR EXERCISE

Your cells receive more oxygen, which improves blood circulation, creates energy, and improves your ability to handle stress.

Exercise can help you deal with depression and improve your sense of well - being.

Improved health will add year's to your life.

Constipation may decrease or disappear.

You sleep better.

You have an easier time controlling your weight, because regular exercise helps to bum calories, diminish your appetite, and speed your body’s metabolism.

Your bones become stronger, helping prevent osteoporosis.

Your risk of heart disease declines.

Lung function and endurance improve.

Your chances of getting colon cancer decrease.

Your risk of developing adult-onset diabetes decreases, as exercise improves your body’s ability to use sugar in the blood.

Joint stiffness, arthritis, and low-back pain lessen.

Maintenance of muscle strength.

Higher levels of the healthy type of cholesterol in the blood.

A more efficient immune system.

Reduced body fat.

Increased mental agility.

Fewer headaches.

YOUR CHANGE THROUGH MENOPAUSE

No two women experience menopause in the same way. Some may have difficulties, while others may be symptom-free. Generally, however, fluctuating hormone levels may lead to:

irregular periods
night sweats
hot flashes
fatigue
aches and pains
a change in sexual desire
changes to skin texture and appearance
bladder control difficulty
vaginal fluid changes (dryness)
disruption of sleep patterns (difficulty sleeping)
mood swings
memory loss
depression
anxiety

MENOPAUSE SUPPLEMENTS RECOMMENDATIONS

Black Cohosh

20 mg of a highly concentrated herbal extract taken twice per day

Studies have shown black cohosh to be a safe and effective treatment for women with hot flashes associated with menopause.

Black Cohosh and St. John's Wort
(Depression)

Two tablets twice a day for 8 weeks, then one tablet twice a day for 8 weeks, each tablet supplying 1 mg of triterpene glycosides from black cohosh and 0.25 mg of hypericin from St. John's wort

Menopausal and depression symptoms improved in post-menopausal women after they took a combination of black cohosh and St. John's wort.

Progesterone

Apply enough topical cream to provide 20 mg of the supplement to the skin daily

Progesterone, either natural or synthetic, has been linked to improved hot flashes, anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and sexual functioning, and quality of life.

Pycnogenol

200 mg per day

In a double-blind trial, perimenopausal women who took Pycnogenol experienced reduced menopause symptoms.

Red Clover

80 mg of isoflavones daily

Red clover is an herb with weak estrogen-like actions similar to soy. In one study, isoflavones from red clover reduced the frequency of hot flashes in postmenopausal women.

Sage and Alfalfa

4 to 6 grams daily of dried herb or equivalent

Supplementing with sage leaf and alfalfa extract completely eliminated hot flushes and night sweats in 20 of 30 women in one study.

Vitamin E