Whether you’re in your 20’s, 30’s, 40’s or beyond this message is for you. Because when you get to the age when your body starts to change seemingly outside of your control. When you get to the age where weight loss is harder. Fatigued and feel like you’ve lost your zest. Your knowledge is going to be your absolute powder.

This message contains 10 things every woman needs to know about her body’s transition. Facts that can hopefully help influence your choices and the habits you create. Because what you do today matters tomorrow and beyond.

1. ACCEPTANCE

Time to accept that your body is going to go through changes that can affect both how you look and feel.

Accept that you can’t change the fact you age BUT know that you can absolutely influence the way you age.

And know that this isn’t about vanity metrics.

It’s about being at your best and all that that encompasses.

That means having a strong body that does what you ask of it, performs the best it can and you are confident in.

It’s about being confident in your body in every way. A body where age really is just a number.

It’s about feeling good physically and mentally.

About a body where you don’t accept getting something wrong with you just because it’s ‘expected at this age’

It’s about feeling and being healthy at every age. A body you can rely on.

It’s about mind and body energy and not feeling tired, sluggish, or lacking vitality.

Not hiding behind clothes, or hiding behind anything.

It’s about not just liking what you see in the mirror but loving what you see. So, yes that does include aesthetically but oh so much more.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

To change the way you age you need to be proactive, it takes effort and you need to make friends with patience and consistency.

2. LOSS OF MUSCLE MASS

You lose muscle mass at a rate of between 3-8% per decade after age 30 and this rate climbs even higher after age 60. It’s why our metabolism slows. And why we gain weight, and in part menopause weight gain. Plus, along with weaker bones, it’s why we become weaker and more fragile in old age.

Essentially, losing muscle mass affects your body shape, your strength, functionality, how you move & perform and your metabolism and in turn your body weight.

The good news is, you can take charge.

MENOPAUSE WEIGHT GAIN – WHAT YOU CAN DO

Consume a diet with sufficient calories and plenty of protein. This should be around 25-30g at each meal. (more to lose weight). Read more about weight loss foods to see just how much protein you need to take control of any menopause weight gain.

Supplement with Pretty Pea Vitamin+ Shakes if you need to supplement to reach this number.

Get adequate Vitamin D – Increased levels of the active form of Vitamin D are associated with improved muscle function.

Get active to keep your muscles active, sedentary lifestyles lead to faster muscle loss

Start strength/ resistance training to build and increase your muscle mass.

Don’t be a cardio bunny – too much cardio can impact your muscle mass.

3. DECREASED METABOLISM

Muscle tissue uses a lot of energy, this decline in muscle mass means the body needs less calories to run, meaning a resulting in a lower metabolic rate. This means that those who don’t make lifestyle changes fat gain is very possible.

MENOPAUSE WEIGHT GAIN – WHAT YOU CAN DO

Build muscle with resistance/ strength training. Whilst many women turn to cardio to lose weight it, running alone won’t shift the wobbly bits, build strength.

Plus high intensity exercise can be too hard on hormonal bodies, causing more hormonal stress.

Resistance training type exercises are invariably functional movements that we perform in everyday life. Think squatting, bending, lifting etc.

Starting to build muscle in your 30’s, 40’s you can balance out the natural decline and go on to build even greater muscle mass.

Resistance training stimulates your growth hormone which in turn triggers your metabolism.

Muscle health really is the key to sustained energy and metabolism.

Note, performing this type of exercise 4x a week does not mean you will end up look big and bulky. Quite the opposite.

Men and women build muscle at much different rates thanks to testosterone.

It can typically take 1 month for women to gain between 0.5 – 1 lb of muscle. So the sooner you start to build muscle the sooner you can take control of any menopause weight gain.

4. HORMONE CHAOS IS COMING – GET THE FUNDAMENTALS IN PLACE

We know how hormones affect us during puberty, during monthly cycles and during pregnancy. And during perimenopause and menopause are right up there with them and how they affect us.

Your body is going to experience enormous changes as your estrogen producing ovaries, that gave you your feminine wiles, effectively shut up shop. They stop producing estrogen and effectively take with them your curves, youthful hair and skin.

Plus your mood and sleep are affected by the sharp decline in your harmony hormone progesterone.

MENOPAUSE WEIGHT GAIN – WHAT YOU CAN DO

Be radar ready and know the symptoms. Be girl scout prepared as knowledge is most definitely power when it comes to your body.

Whilst the typical age for menopause is 51, it’s affecting more and more women at a younger age.

I was 40 and I was completely blindsided. Menopause was certainly not on my radar.

Perimenopause, the years leading up to menopause can last anywhere up to 10 years.

The average time being 4 years and therefor affecting many women in their 30’s.

Know that prioritising good sleep, good nutrition, exercise and low stress are the 4 fundamentals to get in place now. An over-stressed under nourished body can only aggravate symptoms.

Adrenal fatigue (burnout) can cause severe symptoms and even the onset of premature symptoms. It’s time to prioritise you NOW.

If you are feeling frazzled, check out the benefits of Pretty Pea ZEN it can be a game-changer.

5. KNOW THE SYMPTOMS

Symptoms start as the sex hormones estrogen, progesterone and testosterone decline.

They decline at different rates causing hormonal imbalances. The level of symptoms each woman experiences is very individual.

Some mild, some severe.

I fell into the statistic of being 1 in 10 women being forced to leave the workplace due to the severity of symptoms.

The usual suspects of menopause symptoms includes:

Hot flushes

Low Energy & Fatigue

Mood swings

Depression

Anxiety

Difficulty sleeping

Irregular periods

Worsening of PMS

Breast tenderness

Lower sex drive

Urine leaking or urgency

Brain fog / Forgetfulness

Weight gain

If you are already experiencing any of these symptoms please do seek medical advise, know that help is available in terms of both HRT and natural remedies such as Pretty Pea Balance supplement. ‘

If you’d like to know more about how you can manage your symptoms please drop me a message and I’ll send you a free guide.

6. THE RISE OF THE BELLY AND FALL OF THE FLAT BUMS

Hormonal changes at perimenopause make it easier for women to put on belly fat.

The decline of sex hormones reduces the energy we expend at rest (Resting Energy Expenditure/ REE).

This means the number of calories our body needs throughout the day decreases.

Unless lifestyle changes it’s likely that you’ll gain weight.

MENOPAUSE WEIGHT GAIN – WHAT YOU CAN DO

Get more active on a regular basis. Being moderately active for the best part of the day every day is better than 1 hour of intense exercise a few times a week.

When it comes to belly fat forget crunches and sit up’s. Yes they will tone and sculpt an already lean body.

But it’s impossible to spot fat reduce. You cannot tell your body where you’d like to lose fat from.

It’s down to diet, nutrition and lots of squats and lunges.

Exercises that target your biggest muscle groups will burn most calories and build muscle.

Continue to build muscle to build up the rate in which your body burns calories.

See more about weight gain and age WHY IS LOSING WEIGHT SO HARD AFTER 40 – Pretty Pea

7. FLAT BUMS

The decrease in estrogen affects the way in which fat is stored in your body.

Fat that was typically once stored on the hips, thighs and buttocks is now more easily stored around the belly.

Women lose their curves and bums become flatter – not fatter.

MENOPAUSE WEIGHT GAIN – WHAT YOU CAN DO

Specifically target your glutes and perform exercises such as squats, reverse lunges, glute bridges, hip thrusts and donkey kicks 3x a week.

Resistance / strength training builds muscle and will give you curves. It takes patience and consistency (months/years) but getting peachy is absolutely do-able.

8. FAT LOSS BECOMES ABOUT HORMONES, NOT CALORIES

Fat stored around the middle contributes to insulin resistance where your cells become resistant to insulins attempt to give them energy (from your food).

This means that energy (from the sugar in your food, namely carbohydrates) stays circulating in your blood and your body goes from fat burning mode to fat storing mode.

You won’t be able to lose weight like you did when you were in your 20’s.

Fat loss becomes a hormonal issue and not just about calorie counting.

When you become insulin resistant you are likely to gain weight because insulin is a storage hormone and when insulin is high your body is storing energy rather than releasing it.

Unexpended energy = bodyfat.

Plus, when you are insulin resistant your cells aren’t getting enough energy triggering cravings and excess calories being consumed.

Excess calories = excess bodyfat.

So unless lifestyle changes are made you’ll stay in this vicious cycle of insulin resistance and being unable to lose bodyfat no matter what.

An insulin resistant body is a fat storing body – not fat burning body

MENOPAUSE WEIGHT GAIN – WHAT YOU CAN DO

You can break this cycle by your food choices.

Because it’s insulin’s job to move the sugar out of your blood it’s important for you to know which foods cause your blood sugar and insulin levels to rise.

Carbohydrates raise blood sugar and insulin the most.

Protein causes a modest rise

Dietary fats cause little to no rise. They in fact stabilise blood sugar and make it easier for you to control your hunger. Healthy fats come from avocado, coconut oil, nuts, seeds and high quality dairy, meat and fish.

Know that carbohydrates come in the form of cake, wholemeal pasta and carrots.

It’s not just the sweet stuff you need to be aware of but starchy carbs too such as grains, potatoes some root vegetables and fruit.

So when it comes to food labels it’s time to pay attention to NET CARBS.

NET CARBS = Total carbs less the amount of fibre

If you’d like to know more about controlling your carbs and a free guide please drop me a message. You can also control carbs with Carb Control and also Green Coffee Bean

MENOPAUSE WEIGHT GAIN – WHAT CAN YOU DO

Keep your face out of the sun. There is a proven link between loss of collagen and UV damage.

Don’t smoke. Smoking directly damages collagen and can lead to premature wrinkles.

Ditch sugar. Diets high in sugar cause inflammation in the body and this affects skin cells and can lead to damaging collagen promoting premature ageing.

De-stress. Stress can also trigger both inflammation and stress both of which can lower your body’s natural ability to produce collagen.

Get your Vitamin C – antioxidant rich and is the necessary co-factor in the production of collagen.

Supplement with a collagen based supplement such as Pretty Pea’s Hair, Skin & Nails formula to increase skin elasticity, hydration and plumpness and keep wrinkles at bay.

Make your own DIY face mask for glowing skin too.

9. YOUR SKIN NOTICEABLY STARTS TO AGE

Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body. However, your 20’s onwards your body produces around 1% less collagen each year.

Collagen is what gives skin its integrity, it’s literally the glue holding it altogether. It makes up around 70% of the skin’s protein. So a decline in levels causes skin to become thinner, wrinkle, lose elasticity and it’s youthful plumpness.

The decline in collagen is the number one reason of skin ageing. When we are younger the body produces more collagen than it breaks down. It’s when we reach middle age that the balance tips and your body can no longer keep up with production as with age tissue regeneration decreases. This lack of collagen becomes more and more noticeable each decade we age.

Even though it’s a completely natural process lifestyle factors such as inflammation caused by poor diet, stress, smoking and too much UV exposure and pollution can speed up the process even more so.

10. YOU TOTALLY OWN WHO YOU ARE

The older you get the less you care about what others think. You realise that your opinion about you and your body is the only opinion that really matters. You’ve stepped into the woman you want to be. You embrace you and you know you can take steps to change anything you want to change, because you know you’re capable of almost of anything when you set your mind to.

Need I say more.

Pretty Pea

P.S. Comment below and let me know what number(s) you relate to, I’d love to know if you can relate. I’d love you to share with someone who you think would benefit from hearing these tips too.

RELATED ARTICLES

Want to know more about menopause weight gain?

DISCLAIMER The information provided on www.prettypea.blog is for education purposes only. The information provided is based on my own experience as well as my own interpretations of current research available at the time. This page does not provide medical advice; it is intended for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never ignore obtaining or following professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you have read on the internet. Always seek professional medical advice.