The average woman gains about 2kg as she starts the transition to menopause in her 40s. And it’s a trend that doesn’t slow down, either:
Women continue to put on about 680grams each year in their 50s and 60s, according to a review published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

After menopause, your ovaries stop producing estrogen, and the only place where it can be generated is in your ABDOMINAL FAT CELLS.

Your body naturally gravitates towards storing fat in that area, in an effort to get estrogen. The stomach’s been called “the third ovary.”
But this type of fat, known as visceral fat, is toxic. It produces hormones such as the stress hormone cortisol as well as inflammatory proteins known as cytokines.

These chemicals force your body to churn out more insulin, which not only ramps up your appetite but also increases the storage of fat in fat cells. This, in turn, causes you to put on even more belly weight and also sets you up to develop insulin resistance, a key factor in the development of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Women face menopausal-induced physiological changes, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and osteoporosis. Amongst many others. 
Due to the decline in estrogen levels our muscles, bones, adipose tissue & liver are also adversely affected. And our body composition suffers negative modifications (more fat, less muscle)

It is VITAL, I will say it again, VITAL, and again if you didn’t hear me, VITAL. This is not negotiable, that women must incorporate resistance training weekly into their routine, ESPECIALLY when they reach their menopausal years.

There’s no such thing as being “too old” for strength training or starting “too late.”

Building muscle can increase what’s known as your basal metabolic rate, the amount of energy your body needs to keep working when you’re not moving. This energy is used for things like maintaining your body temperature, keeping your heart beating, and breathing. So, building muscle can help you burn more calories, which can help with weight control.

A 2016 study of post-menopausal women in their late 50s and 60s found that those who did an hour of strength training twice a week for eight weeks not only significantly reduced their body fat compared to a control group, they also reported less physical pain and felt better overall. If you’re resistant to pumping iron, consider yoga or pilates.

Women need to gain back the muscle they have lost. Try to get at least 3 weight training sessions a week. 

You will feel appreciably stronger, more capable, more confident in your body and your abilities, and more in control of your overall health after adopting strength training. Particularly in a time in your life when you may feel as though your health is a bit out of your control.

Effects of progressive resistance training on growth hormone and testosterone levels in young and elderly subjects. Mech Ageing Dev. 1989 Aug;49(2):159-69.
#Hormonal responses and adaptations to resistance exercise and training. Sports Med. 2005;35(4):339-61.
Sternfeld ie KA, Ensrud KE, et al. Efficacy of exercise for menopausal symptoms: a randomized controlled trial. Menopause. 2014;21(4):330-8. See Less

The facts stated above have been obtained from:
Jo Ann Pinkerton, M.D., executive director of the North American Menopause Society and professor of obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Virginia Health System
Deborah Clegg, M.D., a professor of internal medicine at the Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles
Pamela Peeke, M.D., professor of medicine at the University of Maryland

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