What helps with weight gain and metabolism during menopause?

Each year over the age of 30 women lose lean body mass that help burn calories.  Over the age of 30, women can lose up to 1/2 lbs of muscle mass every year.  That's 25 calories less you must eat, or more you must exercise off every day.  Just think, a 55 year old women could lose up to 12.5 lbs of lean body mass if she doesn't do some form of weight training.  That's over 300 calories less she must eat to stay the same weight! 

It really ads up every year.  Add to this, even more lean body mass loss by sitting watching tv or working on the computer.  No wonder obesity is such a problem.  The key is to build up lean body mass by strength training and do cardiovascular exercise.  It's worth your effort.

Strength training (weight lifting) will aid in managing your weight and help prevent bone loss that is associated with menopause. Adults who do not strength train lose between five to seven pounds of muscle every decade. Because muscle is a very active tissue, muscle loss is accompanied with a reduction in our metabolism. Research shows that you can add approximately 3 pounds of muscle in six to eight weeks by doing a strength training program 2-3 times a week at a moderate intensity.  When you add 3 pounds of muscle (this is the great part!), you can increase your metabolism approximately 5 percent. This means you can burn more calories even as you sleep.

Research also shows that the same training stimulus that increases muscle mass also helps prevent and possibly even increase bone density. This bone density loss is a concern for all adults, but especially for women during menopause and after.

• Strength training increases lean body mass, re: bone density and muscle mass.
• Daily walk/jog, where a person carries his/her body weight against gravity for 30 minutes minimum.
• Try to exercise in the morning vs. the evening. AM activity changes your metabolic rate for a few hours post exercise. He/she loses this post exercise metabolic benefit when one exercises in the evening and then goes to sleep.

All of the above affect the Daily Metabolic Rate (DMR), increase daily caloric output, and help the menopausal women to lose weight.