It hit Susan like a train wreck she said. “I seemed to gain weight overnight, and I need help for losing weight after menopause.”
She is a regular for pain related acupuncture but we’ve never talked about menopause or weight gain. “My butt is as big as a caboose don’t you think?” Susan asked me turning around to show me where the fat had deposited itself. Like many women, her body had betrayed her. Why? Simple.
Menopause means a change. That’s what my mother called it. It’s right – a change in hormones. A change in your lifestyle. Particularly food and fitness.
Handing my patient a tissue I explained this.
Start Before It Happens
First thing is don’t wait until you notice symptoms. Start in your 40’s by being proactive. Use acupuncture for wellness care. In my office, we can do acupuncture through health insurance even when you don’t have acupuncture as a covered benefit. Acupuncture is one of the leading ways to reduce stress a major factor in weight gain.
Vary your exercise from walking to cycling. Do weight lifting and some yoga.
Start removing grains, pseudo-grains if you haven’t already.
Losing Weight After Menopause
Susan like many other women I work with in my practice had done an exercise routine for years. She explained that she did these videos at home and then walked every lunch hour for 10 minutes. Yet her belly and butt got bigger. The scale showed a gain too.
Two sizes bigger she felt that losing weight after menopause would be impossible. Not true!
As an acupuncturist, I know that acupuncture will boost the metabolism. I know as a functional medicine practitioner that certain supplements, food, and exercise will help you with losing weight after menopause.
Change Up Your Eating and Exercise
Begin a move toward a Paleo eating lifestyle if you haven’t already. Remove grains, sugar, and dairy from your diet for a while. Work with someone like myself who is an acupuncturist and a health coach.You’ll need to plan the changes in your eating habits. Cleaning out the kitchen, learning to cook or new ways to prepare tasty yet easy meals. You don’t have to do this alone.‘ Food is the most abused anxiety drug. Exercise is the most underutilized antidepressant.’ Unknown
Exercise[1] is about to change. Yes, you can still walk daily but the 10 minutes is now 45-60 minutes – daily. If you’re open to it, try other forms of cardio. Going to a spin class or a dance class for women. For Susan, we needed to add strength training. I suggested weightlifting. She preferred to try Yoga and Pilates. It all works.
The point is you have to change some things up. What worked when you were 40 doesn’t work when you’re 50. It will not work when you’re 60 either. You may move from high-impact to lower impact.
Mix it up at any age Susan did. She found a “spin room” on her way home from work and a Yoga place nearby. She still walks just further outside for longer.
She donated her exercise videos and bought a few light weights. On some days, she lifts weight in front of a mirror in her home.
Expected The Unexpected
Let it be fun. Your acupuncture treatment should be relaxing and a special time for you. Enjoy it. If you get your nails or hair done professionally then invest in your wellness and longevity through acupuncture care too.
Think about finding new recipes with our website.. Aren’t you tired of the same old thing? It’s exciting to eat new flavors and try old favorites with a new approach. A lot of women have gotten away from cooking. Using a health coach helps you find what fits your professional and personal lifestyle.
Susan resisted the idea of anything other than walking. Her busy schedule interfered with fitness classes. Deciding to give it a try she chose the “Spin room”. Indoor cycling helped to relieve stress more than walking. She began to sleep better. Losing weight after menopause became easier.
‘Let exercise be your stress reliever, not food.’ Unknown
Not everyone will have Susan’s amazing results of returning to her old dress size and have a shapelier body yet it’s possible for you too.
Losing weight after menopause always works if you apply my 2 tips. Susan latest comments about her body to me this past week, “Look! My butt looks better than it did when I was 40!”
I don’t know about you but some days I can’t make it to the gym even though it’s only 5 minutes from my Littleton acupuncture office. Still I know I need a total body workout and I like the idea of burn 100 calories in 10 minutes at home. The problem is it possible without being a super athlete. I know I’m not one and maybe you’re not either.
Are You Seeking A Total Body Workout?
I went on a hunt for a simple workout that didn’t require equipment and I can do at home on days when I’m in a hurry. If you only have 10 minutes you can’t pull out heavy machines or weights. In my research, I found some ads that promised 100 calories in 10 minutes if you – you guessed it ‘paid’ them money to learn more. I want something I can share with my clients and patients especially those coming in for weight loss here Littleton.
My Goal: Burn 100 Calories In 10 Minutes At Home
What I discovered and tried were a series 10 movements you do until you’re done. So the faster you move the sooner you finish. I don’t recommend these for my acupuncture patients who have pain and trouble with the high-impact or high-intensity workout. Although you can modify every exercise without a trainer to let you know what to change it could be difficult.
So let’s look at the different drills
Butt Kickers: If you can’t get your feet up high enough just lift them as high as you can.
Jumping Jacks: If you can’t do all of them start with one!
Uppercuts: She says sitting on the floor though the video also shows standing – much easier!
Hip raises: Believe in yourself and lift as far as you can. Soon you’ll be raising higher and higher.
Renegade Rows: I modified these by leaning against the wall on not the floor until I could use our picnic table! I still can’t row on the ground, but that’s okay. It’s all about doing it right. Watch your form.
Pikes: Start slow do a few and add more as you can. If you try to over-do-it, you become sore and will not be back the next day.
High Knees: This is my favorite exercise; it’s so easy to do. Lift as high as you can and aspire to raise higher
Mountain climbers: These can be fun once you get use to doing them. A hint keep your neck straight or you get dizzy looking back at your feet!
Crab Touches: Definitely you feel your core muscles getting stronger as you do these.
Push-Up Jacks: Don’t worry if you can’t do these on the floor. I do them either against a wall or sturdy table. Watch the video for more modifications.
Jenna’s video no longer is available on The Today Show however she has a Pinterest page with the exercises. Jenna Wolfe
This Is A Workout You Can Do At Home
Acupuncture can help with weight loss and pain management though both should also include an eating program and fitness routine. When working with locals here in Littleton with acupuncture I believe in empowering them with an at home fitness plan. Losing weight doesn’t mean hours at a gym just think you can burn 100 calories in 10 minutes and get a total body workout.
Images: BigStock
Today Show http://www.today.com/health/burn-100-calories-10-minutes-jenna-wolfes-total-body-workout-2D80198245
An update: In 2010, I wrote an article for my previous Littleton Acupuncture website about back pain. The stretches in the video started me on a path to doing more Yoga on a daily basis. This practice has changed my life for the second time.
Physically I feel healthier than when in my 30’s and 40’s. I sleep great because exercise helps you be able to relax. Yoga something I do not teach but recommend it daily. My health coaching clients know ‘recommend’ is a strong word for me. Everyone is intuitive. I coach people to listen better to this inner voice. If you suffer from back pain, stretches will help you.
Using Yoga and Acupuncture To Heal
You choose if you want to move into doing Yoga. When I learned it from Swami Rama over thirty-five years ago we did not’ do ‘hot’ Yoga, and many of the pop-yoga practices were not around.
Acupuncture is also important. Not just for pain but many other health problems. It also is one of the best ways to stay young and healthy. See an acupuncturist. If not me, then someone else making sure they have a L.Ac. Don’t go to a someone who got a different degree and ‘added’ acupuncture in weekend classes. This is your body and health, take care of it. Stress can also contribute to problems
The video shows basic movement that is all exercise is, moving. Whatever name you put on it, just do it. If you are not in pain, use this video to prevent problems down the road. Here is what I wrote back in September 2010.
Back then, I wrote…Recently I tweaked my back causing severe back pain. Even an acupuncturist can have pain and hurt. I took my advice especially when it came to getting acupuncture and doing some simple yet effective stretches. I made a video for my patients and friends.
Coming Back From Back Pain
Pain is no laughing matter, and it is the most common problem I see in my office. We hope you found this video on back pain exercises helpful! It can take a number of things combined to get you back to enjoying life again.Don’t rush your recovery is the first thing. Be patient and look at your age, weight and eating habits since some foods increase inflammation. Be sure to get acupuncture and chose a stretching program that can help with stiffness and tight muscles between visits. Don’t skimp on the water it is essential for healing. The more committed you are, the higher your return to health.
In this video, you will learn that anxiety can happen when you have stiffness, aching discomfort. Solving back pain sometimes takes more that home care. You may need to work with someone to keep your body at it’s best. You’ll learn how the acupuncture meridians can be worked on at home doing simple Yoga and that your home program will promote acupuncture healing.
Readers and patients alike often ask which supplements for fitness training are best. The truth is none. The answer is a healthy diet along with proper exercise help you stay healthy. Vitamins don’t make your workout better. As we age though food may not be enough. Our body’s may require supplementation to stay healthy. Take vitamin D for instance. Many people need more than they get daily.
When we speak of diet, I don’t mean limiting your food intake, I am talking about eating for a healthier you. Gaiam Life had a great article on not eating enough during the day, a common problem that stops weight loss. For most professionals, the gym bag or walking shoes sit beside your desk, ready to go but you don’t move come lunch time. That report needs to be done, or the idea of coming back to work after sweating, makes it easy to talk ourselves out of lunchtime workouts. So you decide to eat less and the cycle stalls your metabolism. This is not the time to grab supplements for fitness training instead of working out.
Sports Experts Weigh In About Supplements For Fitness Training
Gary Stuart, a professional trainer, writes for the Washington Post and has this to say. “My general opinion is that supplements are unnecessary.”
Gary says, “If you’re doing a long workout and want protein, the best shake protein appears to be whey.” This is because it is assimilated 70% quicker than soy or casein. This means it goes to your muscles faster. I’m not sure I agree because I’ve seen the benefits of taking the right supplements for fitness training before going to the gym along with eating protein.
“As for the belief that you must eat or have protein within 30 minutes of a workout, there is no proof or evidence this is important,” he continues on to say. Again I disagree.
Another favorite vitamin or mineral by gym goers or those exercising is Creatine. There is a large body of evidence supporting it adds muscle mass. It’s important to note it also causes water storage. Not so great if you want to look slim, reduce joint pain or losing weight. It is great news if you’re a bodybuilder looking to put on weight. For the person who sits at a desk all day, this only adds to your feeling of heaviness in the afternoons.
Can Supplements For Fitness Training Do More Harm Than Good?
This is something to note about joint pain for everyone. Our bodies store water in muscle, fat, and joint tissue. Water storage is never good for your health.
So how do caffeine or energy drinks help with training or workouts? They can give you the ability to exercise longer. I am not a fan of using caffeine to get the job done, and that includes your real job. The supplements for fitness training I take before hand are ones that are to be taken on an empty stomach. This includes Biotin, detox support, and Chromium,
How Much Exercise Or Training Is Best?
This can be 15-45 minutes daily. It should be a mix of walking, jogging or cycling. Include weight lifting 1-3 times weekly. This can add your own body weight through yoga or similar exercising. Some time ago we had an article with a cool fat blaster infographic to do. Weight loss is easy, if you do this list along with a proper eating plan.
If you include natural or organic vegetables daily in your diet with high-quality protein, you can keep vitamins to a minimum. You do not need supplements to build muscle or losing pounds. They simply ‘supplement’ a diet poor in nutritional value.
The bottom line, the best weight training supplements are what comes naturally in food. Take the money and spend it on higher quality food instead of supplements for training.
All the pictures we use are protected. They are from Bigstock, Dreamtime, Fotolia, or from Google free to use even commercially.
We are in network with most insurance providers, but because of Covid-19, not all plans cover benefits, even if you have insurance. The VA and Tri-West are covering acupuncture and light therapy.
For Susan, we needed to add strength training. I suggested weightlifting. She preferred to try Yoga and Pilates. It all works.
Don’t rush your recovery is the first thing. Be patient and look at your age, weight and eating habits since some foods increase inflammation. Be sure to get acupuncture and chose a stretching program that can help with stiffness and tight muscles between visits. Don’t skimp on the water it is essential for healing. The more committed you are, the higher your return to health.
