Menopause - Is it me or is it hot in here?

Do you sometimes feel that your living room has turned into a sauna?

Do you find yourself wearing T-shirts in winter when everyone else is wrapped up in thick woolies? Was your favourite Christmas present a battery-operated fan?

The menopause is not something women have any choice in, but simple changes to diet, attitude and activity can have really positive benefits.

Women often tend to notice changes to their body shape or gain weight around this time of their life and it’s not always down to eating too much. There are lots of changes going on.

Calories, muscles and hormones

Calorie expenditure drops, as your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) decreases naturally with age. As women get older, they experience a gradual decrease in muscle mass and an increase in body fat, resulting in a gradual slowing down of metabolism. Muscle burns more calories than body fat so, as a result, the number of calories needed to maintain body weight is reduced.

Research shows that weight gained in women of menopausal age is more to do with the natural ageing process than to the hormonal changes that occur with menopause. Hormonal changes are more likely responsible for the thickening of the waist and extra abdominal fat women tend to accumulate at that time.

Lifestyle

Changes to lifestyle can be a factor, too. For example, your children become independent and you don’t have to rush around all over the place with them, so although you eat the same you don’t lose weight. You may be still cooking for your whole family when there are just the two of you and then you eat the meal between you, having larger portions.

Some people have more available income at this time of life, too, so your social life may improve. So is it all bad? Definitely not! In fact, you need look no further than Rosemary for inspiration.

Good times ahead

The menopause doesn’t have to be a time of stress – it can be a time of celebration. It’s the start of the next exciting phase of your life. You have time for yourself at last and time to spend with your partner doing all the things you wanted to but couldn’t fit in before. You have money to indulge yourself and spoil the family.

You may have spent almost 40 years having periods with all the monthly misery that can bring. You’re going to have to put up with only a few years of menopausal symptoms and then you’ll be free!

If you’re in an exercise class with other women your age you can bet that at least one of them will be having a hot flush when you do. They last only a minute or two and so what if anyone sees it? Call them your own personal summer, a power surge, a senior moment or a tropical experience and learn to be relaxed about it.

Build up your bones

Menopausal women are more at risk of developing osteoporosis, so it’s important that you keep up the calcium and get plenty of sunlight to help make vitamin D.

Soya mimics the effects of oestrogen and can help maintain bone strength. Cut down on caffeine – it hinders the absorption of calcium, which we need for bone strength. So drink less coffee and tea, and try green tea or fruit teas instead.

And finally … need we say it? Exercise!

Exercise plays an important part by keeping the heart, circulation and blood pressure healthy. Impact aerobic work and toning helps to minimise loss of bone density. Exercise and activity generally helps us to relax by releasing natural mood-enhancing chemicals. Last but not least, of course, it burns fat.

Are you worried that the menopause means you’ll gain weight? Have you avoided going on HRT for the same reason? Clear up the myths with the help of Dr Hilary Jones and Rosemary.