Can You Lose Weight During Menopause?
I’m thrilled to share with you a snippet of an interview I did this past week on my radio show Phenomenal 50’s with friend and owner of fitness studio Mo-Mentum Fitness in Huntington Beach, CA. She talked about topics from menopause and weight loss to what it’s like to be up for IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year this year. Check out some of our interview!
Amanda, you have a Master’s degree in Exercise Science and your thesis was on bone mineral density in post-menopausal women. Why did you choose to study this and what did you find through this study?
I became a single mom to twins at a very young age, 20 years old. I have twins, a girl and a boy named Stephanie and Tyler. At that time I couldn’t afford a gym membership taking care of twin babies and going to college at the same time. So I became a group fitness instructor and personal trainer.
I discovered how much better I felt physically and mentally through exercise and even though I was only in my mid-20’s at the time, I became interested in how exercise affects weight loss and aging. Most of my clients over 40 were beginning to ask me questions about menopause and weight loss and if they could lose weight while going through menopause.
I decided to focus my thesis on body composition and bone mineral density in post-menopausal women. To make a long story short, I found that sedentary women, that is women who did little to no exercise, had a lot more body fat, lower bone mineral density, and less lean muscle mass than the women who exercised regularly.
This misconception comes up a lot with women in midlife – “I can’t lose weight during menopause.” What’s your take on this?
Although it can be more difficult to lose weight during menopause, it’s not impossible. What makes losing weight during menopause most difficult is expecting to lose weight without the willingness to change your habits. If you don’t change the habits that are keeping fat on your body, then expecting to go on a “special weight loss program” will absolutely cause you to put the weight back on.
Additionally, when one hormone is out of balance, it causes others to be out of balance. Understand however, that low estrogen levels are NOT the only culprit. High cortisol levels can throw off insulin levels, which will make you hungrier and cause you to store excess fat. What’s more, high cortisol levels also throw off progesterone and thyroid hormones.
Amanda, you are one of three trainers up for IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year. What does it mean to you even being just one of final three?
I am beyond honored to be considered one of three trainers up for the IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year! IDEA Fitness Association is the world’s largest and most respected fitness association. Their aim is to help fitness professionals inspire the world to become more active. I have been attending the IDEA World Conferences each summer since I was new to the fitness industry.
This award is something that I’ve dreamt of for years. After fighting myself over the idea that I wasn’t good enough, I surrounded myself with positive and inspirational people in the mastermind group that both me and Kim are a part of and it gave me the courage to stand up and say “Why not me?”
I love how Amanda surround herself with positive and supportive people, which helped her build up the courage to ask herself, “Why not me?” I’d like to ask you, in what area of your life can you ask YOURSELF, “Why not me?”
To learn more about Amanda and her studio in Huntington Beach, CA., visit her online sites:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AmandaMittleman & www.facebook.com/Mo-Mentum-Fitness
Website: www.Mo-MentumFitness.com
Wishing you joyful health in your 50’s,
Kim
