By Sarah Stevenson

Have you hit your forties and simultaneously sudden hit a wall when it comes to losing weight? Trust me; you’re not alone. The closer we inch toward menopause, the more difficult it is to keep weight off. Hormonal shifts, muscle mass shrinkage, and less movement can all play a role in the battle against age and weight. You don’t have to just sit there and take it. There’s plenty you can do to jump-start that metabolism, regardless of what age you are. Here are 5 of them.

•  Lift Weights: As you build muscle mass, you increase the amount of calories you burn each day. Muscle weighs more than fat by volume and uses more energy. A person who lifts weights 2 to 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes can burn about 100 more calories a day (1).
• Decrease Your Calorie Intake: As we age our body burns fewer calories, due to a dip in our hormone levels, decrease in activity level or simply genetic pre-disposition (2). If you’ve become a little pudgy, a slight calorie reduction diet may be just what you need– no more than 500-calorie deficit. Once you reach your goal, increase calories, but not entirely up to what you used to eat. Start with 100-200 less calories a day and see how that treats you.
•  No Starving Yourself: While a slight calorie deficit can be beneficial, a massive calorie deficit can work against you. When you eat too little, your body thinks you’ve run out of food, so it slows your metabolism to maintain fat stores. That’s why I suggest no more than a 500-calorie deficit — and never dip below 1200 daily calories. That’s a baseline for most people.
•  Get Intense: By increasing the intensity of your workout, you ensure that you will burn more calories at the resting stage. Your body has to restore muscles and energy systems after a hard workout — and that takes calories. This process is called excess post exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) (3). You know you’re getting an intense workout when you can’t hold a conversation at the same time. So take your breath away and burn some calories.
•  Fill Your Tummy Bright and Early: When you start your day with a healthy breakfast, you wake up your metabolism as well. According to the National Weight Control Registry (a continual study that tracks 5,000 people who lost an average of 66 pounds and kept it off more than five years), 78% of people who keep weight off start their day with a healthy breakfast (4). Try out any of these yummy breakfast foods:

• Veggie egg white omelet
• Scrambled egg seasoned with salt and pepper
• Oatmeal with fruit and nuts
• Whole grain cereal with skim milk
• Sugar free yogurt sweetened with fresh fruit

• Snack All Day Long: If you add a couple healthy snacks to your diet, you might actually eat less. When we get really hungry we tend to over eat — we also don’t make the best choices. Also, when you eat more often (three meals and 2-3 snacks), you keep your blood sugar steady. The trick is to remember that when you add calories via snacks, you’re going to want to reduce the calories in your meals.

Being fabulous at forty isn’t as simple as a walk in the park. (Although a daily walk in the park would help!) But with a little tweaking, you can still keep up your “Wow!” factor. Learning new ways to get the most out of life keeps you young and beautiful. So get out there and rev up your metabolism, ladies!

Sarah Stevenson, a.k.a., The Tini Yogini, is a Certified Yoga Instructor in Southern California and one of the fitness and wellness experts at www.beachbody.com. She has a degree in Behavioral Psychology and teaches not only yoga classes but also life affirming workshops. Beachbody provides effective and popular work out videos, including the Insanity Workout, a high intensity workout for total body conditioning. Beachbody also has premium supplements for weight loss, sports performance, and better health and home gym accessories.

Sources:

1. Mishra, Nalini, and Devanshi VN Mishra. “Exercise beyond menopause: Dos and Don’ts.” Journal of Mid-life Health 2.2 (2011): 51.
2. Guthrie, J. R., L. Dennerstein, and E. C. Dudley. “Weight gain and the menopause: a 5-year prospective study.” Climacteric 2.3 (1999): 205-211.
3. Gaesser, Glenn A., and George A. Brooks. “Metabolic bases of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption: a review.” Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 16.1 (1984): 29.
4. Wyatt, Holly R., et al. “Long-term weight loss and breakfast in subjects in the National Weight Control Registry.” Obesity 10.2 (2002): 78-82.

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