The production of female sex hormones begins to decline already years before the onset of menopause, sometimes even before the age of 45. One of the early signs of the climacteric period are discreet changes in body fat composition and irregular menstrual cycles. Many women also complain about a lack of vitality, thinner hair and a decrease in skin elasticity. Bone stability decreases and cardio-pulmonary diseases begin to develop. With some changes in your life-style you too, can confront age-related changes. The following tips will help you to stay fit and healthy during the years to come.
Healthy food will keep you slim
Our body composition changes over the years. The tummy turns rounder, the buttocks flatter. In women who gain weight after menopause, excess weight is usually deposited in breast and waist. The female body now needs less energy, and if eating habits remain unchanged, a woman will inevitably gain weight. In addition, older people tend to eat foods that rich in carbohydrates and that lack valuable nutrients. Processed foods further deprive the body from much needed vitamins, minerals and trace elements. It is therefore particularly important to ensure a balanced diet which contains lots of fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Food that is rich in meat and in fat should be reduced and especially sweets should be avoided since they are rich in carbohydrates, yet poor in nutrients.
Calcium protects your bones
Bones need calcium, and especially in pregnant and postmenopausal women the demand ist not always met with a normal diet. Since the mineral is abundant in milk and milk products, they should be part of a balanced diet during menopause. A number of vegetables such as leek and broccoli also contain significant amounts of calcium. Caffeine-containing drinks such as coffee strip the body from calcium and should therefore be enjoyed with moderation. Sausages and processed foods also inhibit calcium intake from the gut.
Avoid smoking and alcohol
There are many reasons why one should refrain from excessive smoking and alcohol intake. The unfavourable effects of both vices however, are particularly important in women who have reached menopause. Women who smoke experience menopause significantly sooner than non-smokers - the more a woman smokes, the sooner she will undergo menopause. This may have to do with a decreased perfusion of the ovaries in smokers. In any case, smoking results in a premature cessation of the menstrual cycle and in consequence to more pronounced climacteric symptoms. Both smoking and alcohol have an unfavourable effect on skin elasticity. Even if enjoyed in moderation, both also decrease bone density, and the negative effect of alcohol on breast cancer risk has been known for years. Women who drink two glasses of wine per day and who use hormone replacement therapy double their risk of developing breast cancer.
Food and cardiovascular disease
During their fertile years, women are less likely to suffer from a myocardial infarct or stroke than men. With the cessation of sex hormones during menopause, this protection is lost and already in women aged 45 and more, cardiovascular events are the #1 killer in the industrialized world. Arterial clogging (»arteriosclerosis«) and fatty deposits (»plaques«) are the main causes, and animal-derived saturated fatty acids (present in butter, sausages, or entrails) are the main culprits. Instead, unsaturated fatty acids should be preferred, which can be found in plant-derived oils and fish.
Exercise keeps you in shape
Exercise prevents bone loss. Biking, hiking, jogging or swimming all result in net bone development. Only bones that are challenged by exercise can maintain their stability. In addition, exercise is a good way to burn those unwanted calories. And a minimum of 30 minutes of sunlight per day enable the body to convert enough Vitamin D to protect the bone. Try to exercise at least 2-3 times per week. It is less important whether you chose running, swimming, biking or any other kind of sport, as long as you are comfortable and enjoy what you are doing.
Take breaks
Women of today are more challenged than ever. Managing both, a professional career, a house, a spouse and children at the same time can cost a lot of substance. Even if children have become more independent over the years, it now becomes increasingly difficult to balance both work and family during menopause. And usually neither husband nor colleagues are really helpful in problem solving. It becomes more and more evident that you now need a real alternative to find your own personal way out of daily routine. Try to find a hobby or learn a sport that you have always been interested in but never found time. New contacts and a fresh view on old problems are especially important now.
Train your Brain Muscle
When memory and concentration become less reliable over time, this does not necessarily have to be the consequence of increasing age. Often enough it is simply a lack of stimuli to the brain. As much as a muscle needs training to grow, the brain needs to be challenged in order to maintain its mental capacities. Not without reason the brain is sometimes referred to as »brain muscle«. In principle, training the brain is no different from a training unit in a fitness studio: it has to be individualized and must be oriented towards already existing mental capacities. And in any case it should be fun as well. A number of clubs and institutions now offer a wide range of courses that all focus around brain training.
You are never too old for prevention
Most malignant tumors develop with increasing age. A number of reasons are responsible for this association: Repair mechanisms which prevent malignant transformation in growing cells become less and less effective, and certain life-style factors such as smoking, fatty foods, and alcohol consumption are responsible for the increase of malignant disease. Some of these factors can be modified, others cannot. We now know that certain cancers can be prevented or at least detected in an early stage by regular screening programmes. Screening programmes for breast cancer, cervical cancer, and colon cancer are particularly effective. A number of other screening examinations, such as regular blood pressure measurements and cholesterol checks have demonstrated their usefulness in detecting disease before it can cause major damage to the body.