Menopause Belly

What Causes It and How to Fix It

 Happy Wednesday golden Divas!

I am four years into my post-menopause body, and I tell you these symptoms are no joke, especially the belly weight gain. There was once upon a time the fitted, and the bold was my friend, and now I have settled into the loose and flowing ensemble. However, I am about to make a comeback, and so can you, the menopause belly has to go!!

Divas, you know, when I find a great article with anything involving menopause, I have to share it with you. So, let’s talk about the causes and how we can fix the menopause belly.

As you may know, one of the most frustrating changes in our bodies during postmenopausal for women is ‘The Body Shift!’

You know where the body fat storage shifts to the front and sides of our abdomen. This my Golden Divas, you guessed it, is known as the ‘Menopause Belly!’

It is due to the shifting hormones, activation of a “menopausal gene,” and changes in your exercise and diet.

A deterioration in estrogen causes the fat cells in the abdominal area to store more fat. And let’s be clear, there’s nothing, I mean nothing pretty about this shift.

You see, when the “menopause gene” is switched on, it interposes to belly fat. Unfortunately, most women gain between five to ten pounds during the first decade after menopause.

Research shows that postmenopausal women have an increase in intra-abdominal and trunk fat when compared to premenopausal women.

The shift in body fat storage is more than just a cosmetic issue. The studies found that during early menopause, there’s an increase in intra-abdominal fat—the deeper visceral body fat. These changes were consistent across age and weight. An increase in intra-abdominal fat is linked to a higher risk of high blood pressure, myocardial infarction, diabetes, and elevated cholesterol.

This is some serious stuff, ladies. Did you know the reduction in hormones during and after menopause is just one part of the menopause belly, and your level of activity will slow down with age? That is why it is so important to stay healthy and exercise.

You must reduce your caloric intake to match the lowered activity. Your lower activity level, coupled with the reduction in muscle mass from less exercise, lowers your metabolic rate, and this will lead to an increase in stored fat.

Okay, I know we don’t have much control over the hormonally generated body fat delivery, but there are ways you can achieve a flatter tummy with the following tips.

Here are three simple ways you can turn this gene off.

Dietary Modifications

Reducing the menopause belly starts with a review of your diet as well. If you’re taking in more calories than you burn, the excess is stored. Ladies, now, if you are honest, you know you’re not burning off those calories as you should.

• The main postmenopausal storage depot is the tummy. Our metabolism slows as we age, so the number of calories you use to eat without gaining weight has changed. This frustrates me tremendously! There was a time I never had to exercise (emphasis on had) I wanted to exercise. Now, I must exercise.
• Taking a clear-eyed view of your diet and caloric intake is the first way to derail the slide into postmenopausal weight gain. I’m kind of late on this one; however, better late than never.
• Aaptiv can help with those stubborn extra pounds. Open the Aaptiv app today to view our newest fitness classes. Golden Divas, this is worth taking a look at to get you started.

Track What You Eat

• The estimated caloric recommendation for moderately active women aged 55 and older is around 1,600 calories a day (less if sedentary or more if very active).
• If you’re noticing your weight creeping up, keep a food diary for several days and calculate your daily caloric intake. Doing this will enable you to pinpoint where your diet may be off track and give you a starting point for weight loss.
• A simple way to kick-start fat loss is by reducing your daily caloric intake by 250 calories and upping your energy expenditure an extra 250 calories. As an example, cutting out a mid-afternoon bag of chips will take care of the caloric reduction. Adding a 45-minute walk each day will add up to a 500 calorie daily reduction.
• This equals 3,500 calories, or a pound of weight loss each week. It’s a painless way to achieve slow, stable weight loss. For some postmenopausal women, part of the menopause belly issue is due to bloating. The usual culprits are foods that cause gas or water retention.
  For some, the lactose in dairy products can cause bloating and stomach distress.
• Also, the hormonal shifts after menopause can cause your body to retain fluids more quickly, a good reason for limiting your sodium. Processed foods tend to contain a lot of hidden sodium, as well as other less-than-healthy ingredients. Ideally, you should eat less than 2,300 mg of sodium a day, and even less if water retention is an issue.

Top Bloat Offenders

Carbonated beverages.
Vegetables, such as onions, broccoli, beans, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts.
Soy products.
Foods are high in fructose (some processed foods, and fruits such as apples, cherries, watermelon, and pears).
Sugar substitutes, such as sorbitol, mannitol, or xylitol (found in some chewing gums and sugar-free foods).
High fiber foods. Although fiber is good for you, adding too much fiber (especially insoluble fiber) too quickly into your diet can cause bloating.

If you notice belly-bloating after eating, keep a food record to determine which foods may be causing the problem. Try eliminating them from your diet to see if that helps. Some women find that taking a probiotic product (like this top brand), especially those that contain the strain Bifidobacterium infantis, can help with bloating.

Exercise

You can reduce the appearance of your tummy by strengthening the muscles that support the core. Focus on exercises that’ll increase your muscle mass like those you can find in the Aaptiv app.

Although there’s an age-related reduction in muscle mass, you can significantly reverse that trajectory with a strength-training program.

Muscles are metabolically active. Part of the decline in metabolism with age can be attributed to the loss of this tissue.

Think a three-fold approach of cardio—higher intensity weight training (shorter reps with more challenging weight) and core exercises that strengthen the recti, transverse, and oblique muscle groups.

Core exercises won’t reduce abdominal fat, but strengthening the abdominal muscles increases belly support and tone. The transverse abdominal muscles function as a girdle for the area below your belly button.

Targeting that muscle group (see Sahrmann exercises link below) will help tighten the appearance of your menopause belly.

Aaptiv has core and HIIT workouts you can do to get rid of belly fat. Download the app today!

Abdominal Exercises
Front and side planks
Reverse crunches
Medicine ball twists
Sahrmann transverse exercises

Posture

When you think of an older person, you probably envision someone with a stooped, rounded back posture. The older adult stoop isn’t inevitable.

You can improve your posture at any age with exercise. Activities, such as yoga and tai chi, along with cardio and strength training exercises, enable your body to maintain the strength and flexibility needed to keep your spine straight and your body standing tall.

Try doing the following exercises several times during your day to help reset your posture.

Wall Stand
Stand with your back against a wall and arms at your side with palms facing up. Slowly raise your arms overhead while maintaining contact with the wall and hold for five seconds. Return to start position and repeat several times.

Chin Tuck
Start by rolling your shoulders back and relax down. Look straight ahead, place two fingers on your chin, and tuck your chin straight back towards your shoulders. Hold for five seconds and repeat several times.

Doorway Stretch
Stand at an open doorway with your hands on either side of the door frame at shoulder height. Lean forward until you feel your chest muscles stretch. Hold for five seconds and repeat several times.

Be patient. It takes time to reset your body to the point where you see a change in your tummy.

You may need to continue to modify your diet or exercise to find that sweet spot where menopause belly fat starts to budge. Don’t give up if you don’t see changes right away.

Thank you, Catherine Cram. She is an exercise physiologist and a leading expert in the field of maternal fitness. Her consulting company, “Prenatal and Postpartum Fitness,” specializes in providing the most current maternal exercise information and continuing education courses to health and fitness professionals.

Golden Divas, are you ready to start your journey with Aaptiv? Let’s get rid of those 5-10 extra pounds using this app today.

Resource:
https://aaptiv.com/magazine/menopause-belly