Menopause: A change of bodymind & weight gain
by Lesley Powell
It is so frustrating to see your body changing and gaining weight as I am in my 50′s.
You think that you are doing all the right things…Eating well, moving everyday. I have had health problems about digestion. A year ago, I was nauseous everyday for almost 2 years straight. Movement and eating made me more nauseous. It was hard to solve the problem. I finally found a Doctor who did tests how I was metabolising food. I had some food allegeries.
I don’t snack or binge. The main thing that I am working on, is getting more aerobics. It is hard. When I was dancing, I could dance all day. My own choreography was extremely aerobic. Aerobic machines are extremely boring for me. A decade ago, I tried running. My knees were killing me. The minute that I stop running, my knees were ok.
I am grateful for Pilates. Even with the weight gain, Pilates keeps my posture and tone. Without Pilates, I think that I would be worse. I am taking time out of my day to take classes with my teachers and in the mornings going to the park for an aerobic set. Our New class, Pilates Mat/Spring: Heart & Core has helped me a lot with my knees. I am back to doing small sets of running, walking and dancing in the park for my aerobics. I feel great.
Problems of tightness is affecting me now. I am not as mobile as I was ten years ago. Sometimes taking a yoga class with so much stretching, my muscles start tightening more if I push too much. Pilates has been more helpful because of training the muscles at the same time as stretching.
There is a joke about an old woman looking in the mirror and saying, “Who is that old woman?” That is how I feel sometimes.
View Lesley Powell's profile
I hear you! If you are interested in taking a more natural approach to aging/menopause, etc., I’ve found the womentowomen site to be really good. It’s part of the clinic that was founded by, among others, Dr. Christiane Northrup (Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom). Here’s something I always pass along — a Test Your Menopause I.Q. Test: http://www.womentowomen.com/community/survey/testyourmenopauseiq.aspx
Good luck!
Leslie,
Nordic walking burns more calories than regular walking and is easy on the knees.
I’m 51 and running successfully for the first time in my life. I credit pilates and the Pose Method of running for my success. Here’s the link to the website for the Pose Method: http://www.posetech.com/. Good Luck!
Hi, I noticed a very good article on menopause, symptoms due to it and the way to overcome using HRT therapy. Hope it is useful.
http://www.kanbal.com/index.php?/Disease/hormone-replacement-therapy-hrt-post-menopause.html
Leslie, I went through sudden drug and then surgery induced menopause at 27 and my body hasn’t been the same since. Now at 42 I weigh more, my joints hurt with high impact exercise, and I have the same response to yoga if I stretch too much. Pilates is the one constant that keeps me solid, mobile, centered, and pain free. I still wish I could maintain a lower weight
I have a expression at Movements Afoot, containment contentment. With concentration where the pelvic floor bones are, I only move to the place of connection. Before as a dancer, I would push mobility which as led to my sacral issues. Even when I take yoga, I pull back and use many props to not overstretch. I love Yoga for the standing work and full body movement.
The weight issue is so frustrating. In the last few months, I have been regularly doing aerobics, eating well, cutting out most drinking of wine and exercising almost everyday with my Pilates teachers at the studio. Not a single pound has shed.