3 Top Mistakes Women above 40 are making

We hit menopause around 50 years of age. We know how our body changes with menopause but we wait until it hits us to take action. We know we are at risk of losing bone mineral density which will eventually lead to osteoporosis, cardio vascular diseases, breast cancer, growing waistline, emotional turmoil yet we think we will wait till it happens before we take action.

Do you know it can be late by the time you realize it and even late before you can take action?

If not earlier, a woman should take action as soon as she hits 40. If you are above 40, you must start preparing your body to deal with the rigours that menopause will throw at you. You must take action now to smoothly glide through the menopause.

These are the common mistakes Women are making towards their health and fitness:

1. Not prioritizing their own health and well being:  During this time women go through demands at personal and professional life. Usually around this time professional women have attained seniority which brings a lot of demand from the workplace. At the home front there are growing children and aging parents to take care of. Between these overwhelming demands and competing priorities of home and work women put their own health and fitness in the back burner.
2. Not eating right: Keeping only calories in check will not promote health. Quality of calories also matter. It is also important to understand how food impacts our hormones. For example the calories in 1 piece of laddoo is less than the calories in 2 medium sized apple. However, 1 laddoo will unfavourably impact multiple hormones – Insulin, Leptin, Glucagon,  Cortisol, Estrogen and more  You may decide to burn off the calories by exercising. But what about the negative impact you created in your hormones? How will you reverse them?As the metabolism is slowing down, we often see a gradual rise in body weight. Calories are not the only cause of weight gain. Lack of sleep, lack of hydration, lack of exercising, over exercising, stress and nutrition deficiency can all result in unfavourable weight gain. Hormonal imbalances created in your body by eating the wrong types of food also create an environment for weight gain.
3. Doing the wrong exercises: Mostly, I find women leaning towards cardio vascular exercises like cross trainer, treadmill, walking or Zumba. Though these are good, a woman needs to additionally participate in strength training at least two to three times a week. Strength training has shown to increase bone mineral density in women and build stronger joints. Strength training should start at least at 40 if not earlier and should continue past menopause.Strength training also builds muscles. Skeletal muscles provide the needed support to thinning bones.

Strength training will help you deal better with anxiety which usually surfaces at this age due to competing responsibilities at personal and professional front. Studies have proven the benefit of strength training on anxiety and mild to moderate depression.

In the longer we can only spread happiness when we are happy. We will be happy when we are fit and healthy. We have to be healthy and happy first to give the best of us to our family. Investing 30-40 mins every day on our-self is the best investment..

Women’s Health Mastery – Starter kit is my step by step coaching system for women who are looking to enhance their vitality, reclaim their youth and aspire to live a life of their dreams. To know more please visit: https://school.navitae.com/p/women-s-health-mastery-starter-kit

-Ruma Pal

Certified Health and Fitness Coach, ISSA, USA
Women’s Fitness Specialist, NASM, USA

1. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51531037_Bone_mineral_density_in_women_above_40_years
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3296386/
3. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0898264309332839
4. https://journals.lww.com/ajpmr/Fulltext/2001/01000/SYSTEMATIC_STRENGTH_TRAINING_AS_A_MODEL_OF.17.aspx
5. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2013/exercise
6. https://startingstrength.com/article/the-prescription-of-strength-training-for-treating-depression-and-optimizing-cognitive-performance
7. https://dtc.ucsf.edu/types-of-diabetes/type1/understanding-type-1-diabetes/how-the-body-processes-sugar/blood-sugar-other-hormones/