Читать книгу The GI Walking Diet: Lose 10lbs and Look 10 Years Younger in 6 Weeks - Joanna Hall - Страница 24

Menopause is defined as the 12 months after a woman’s final menstrual period, which is usually around the age of 52. Although we tend to think of menopause as a single point in the body’s journey, both peri-menopause and menopause are more like peaks and troughs than finite events. After menopause, women lose about 66 per cent of their oestrogen and 50 to 60 per cent of their testosterone. Oestrogen tends to decline at a faster rate than testosterone, and so testosterone can start to have a greater effect on the body. In most cases, body fat is redistributed from the hips to the midriff. This ‘shape-shifting’ phenomenon compounds the middle-age spread that you may have started to experience during peri-menopause. Blood pressure and cholesterol levels rise. The loss of oestrogen’s protective influence on bone tissue leads to decreases in bone mineral density. On average, women lose 2 per cent of bone mass each year during menopause, yet it is possible to lose up to 20 per cent of bone in the five to seven years after menopause.

While all these changes are happening inside the body, women can experience a range of unpleasant symptoms such as:

Hot flushes

Memory loss

Slowed metabolism

Mood swings

Sexual difficulties

Some of the physical effects of menopause – weight gain, the ‘shape-shifting’ scenario and changes in blood pressure and cholesterol – can put women at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

How the GI Walking Diet Can Help

The six-week walking plan will be particularly valuable for your health. You don’t have to be super fit – just head to The Walking Plan and you can choose a starting level to suit you. It really is that simple to start walking off your weight.