Menopause Can Make You Fat...Duh!

Just yesterday I read an article indicating women were having less sex due to menopause. It’s a theory I dispute based on my own personal experience but, nonetheless, it was an interesting article. Today, another article has come out indicating that menopause can make you FAT. “The declining estrogen levels associated with the change can interfere with metabolic processes leading to weight gain,” US researchers said on Monday, confirming what many women already knew.

Yes, I am in the category of women who already knew this information. My wonderful gynecologist gave me the 4-1-1 on perimenopause and menopause a few years back just as I was beginning to experience some of the symptoms. She is one of the main reasons I have become knowledgeable on the subject. She is also one of the inspirations behind my book, Whatever! A Baby Boomer’s Journey Into Middle Age, in which I discuss my whole menopause experience and non-medical ways to deal with those annoying symptoms.

What the article doesn’t address are factors like stress and eating habits that also play a significant role in weight gain and menopause. The article also doesn’t talk about what needs to be done to give your metabolism a much needed jump start. We, as women, are led to believe that a 30-minute walk three times a week will help us maintain our weight but what needs to be done to DROP the fat? That’s what I talk about in my book. Are there really that many uninformed menopausal women out here who don’t have a clue about what’s going on with their bodies? Or is it possible there are too many doctors failing to provide the necessary treatment and information to their patients?

Next question, how much did these researchers get paid to supply this information? Could it be I’m in the wrong business?

Here’s the link to read the entire article:http://www.ebiologynews.com/2696.html

Less Sex in Menopause? Whatever!

A new poll released recently indicates more than half of menopausal women are settling for less sex. Apparently, about a thousand women were surveyed for the study. I don’t know how many women are currently in some phase of menopause but I would guess it’s at least a million. If that’s the case, 1000 women is a very small fraction of the female menopausal population. I might be inclined to believe the survey if the number of women surveyed were significantly higher.

One thing I didn’t see addressed in the survey is what the women had to say about their relationships with their mates. That is a key piece of information because if there isn’t a lot of happiness and support on the homefront, there definitely won’t be anything to sing about in the bedroom. Another thing, what are their stress levels or other midlife drama issues that may be affecting their low sex drive?

I wish someone had asked for my opinion. I would’ve been more than happy to tell them. Personally, I'm not having any problems. My husband makes me hotter than a hot flash! Yes, I do experience vaginal dryness from time to time but I know there are remedies for that. I’ve also learned over the years is sex and intimacy begin in the mind so if you convince yourself that you're not interested, over time you won't be.

Hot Flashes and NO Air Conditioning

What do you do when you have a hot flash and NO air conditioning? I certainly hope I don’t have to find out because the police may have to pay a visit to my home. I’ve been pretty fortunate lately. I haven’t had a hot flash in awhile. I attribute that to the strenuous exercise I’ve been doing. I figure if I sweat hard enough, I can sweat away a hot flash. Whatever! Right?

Yesterday, the air conditioner went on the blink. It just stopped working for no reason at all. Here we are in the midst of a heat wave and it decides it wants to act up! Even my dear, sweet husband---who ALWAYS complains about how COLD it is in the house—was feeling the heat. I went outside to have a talk with the thing. I asked it did it not care that I was a woman in menopause and I could flip out at any moment and throw it down the embankment next to my home. I could also go on a rampage in my neighborhood forcing my unsuspecting neighbors to call 9-1-1 to have me committed.

But then I thought about the sermon my pastor preached earlier that morning. He said if we have a strong foundation we would always be able to find peace in the midst of our storms. OK…That made sense. It’s how you handle the trials and tribulations that come your way. Getting upset over no air conditioning would only make me hotter and madder and probably raise my blood pressure. Besides, if it got really bad, I’m sure one of my nice neighbors would invite me to come into their nice, cool homes to cool down. Focusing my attention on other things---like finding a good scripture to meditate on---or picking up one of the many books I’ve finished yet also helps.

OK so although I have no air conditioning at the moment, I haven’t had a hot flash either so I’m alright.

Thank God for my strong foundation because, otherwise, I’d be blogging from prison.

Fellow Baby Boomers: What Message am I Missing?

OK, I decided to brave the heat this morning and take another trip to the Duke Trail. For those of you who don’t know, this is the place where the REAL exercise warriors go. It’s a rugged three-plus mile course, complete with it’s version of Heartbreak Hill. Trust me, by the time you make it up that hill, SOMETHING IS DEFINITELY BROKEN!!!

Anyway, just as I was preparing for my workout, here comes a fellow baby boomer looking like she just came from a make-up session at Nordstrom’s. AND it was the SAME WOMAN I saw on the trail earlier this week. Her face was completely done up in make-up again! She smiled as our eyes met. She looked beautiful with her matching outfit and there wasn’t one drop of sweat anywhere that I could see. I wanted to ask her what was the deal with the face-paint but just kept on walking.

Is there a new trend among baby boomer women that has us working out looking our best from head to toe? I had a similar encounter when I went to the gym yesterday. A fellow boomer was also wearing make-up and was completely color coordinated right down to her tennis shoes. Are my beat up shorts and non-matching T-shirt no longer acceptable? Oh, and let’s not even talk about my hair. If you saw me, you’d think I had just been in a fight!

Well, I don’t know what’s going on with some of these blooming boomers but I can tell you one thing for sure, it’ll be a cold day in hell before you see me walking that trail in make-up....but I will try to dress a little better though :)

Too Much Cardio Can Make You FAT!

OK…so now I know what my problem is. I’ve been exercising TOO MUCH! I went to the gym this morning and saw a big sign hanging on the wall that read, “Did you know too much cardio can make you fat?”

Well, golly gee---I didn’t know that at all. And here I thought I was doing my middle-aged body some good by burning off all of those excess calories. My gynecologist told me my metabolism started slowing down at 30. I figure at 50 it barely moves so a good shot of daily cardio would be just what the doctor ordered. But not so, according to gym employees who are apparently inspired by the increasing numbers of out of shape, downright fat baby boomers who keep walking through their doors.

The sign went on to inform me how I could learn more about getting rid of excess fat by signing up for a personal trainer. Oh! So that was the catch. It’s not enough that they have all of these machines in the gym to workout on. They want me to spend even MORE MONEY to hire a personal trainer to keep me from exercising so much.

But you know what? I don’t need a personal trainer for that. This baby boomer diva can come up with plenty of excuses on any given day to keep her from working out. You see, I've got something called MENOPAUSE on my side!

Hot Flashes in this Heat!

Is it just me or is anyone else trying to figure out if they’re having hot flashes while exercising or is it just this unbearable, intense heat wave we’re experiencing?

I woke up this morning at 7:15 am---I was going to head out to the Duke Trail to get my morning walk/run in. I turned on the TV. It was already 77 degrees and the humidity was over 80! OK…I had to ask myself, “Am I going to go out there and perspire like a pig like I did yesterday?”

Yesterday’s temperature was 75 degrees when I woke up but the humidity was in the lower 70s. I figured I could handle that so I took my bottled water and off I went. I hadn’t even walked a quarter of a mile when I began sweating profusely! I thought I was having a hot flash! I took a swig of water. It was hot enough to make tea. People were passing me left and right. One woman passed me wearing makeup! And to top it all off, she didn’t have a drop of sweat on her face. I figured she must be testing a new product because it made absolutely no sense to be wearing makeup in that heat. Or maybe she was hoping to catch the eye of one of those sweaty baby boomer men who came running by.

Well, I decided not to go to the trail today. Besides, I have a gym membership so this would be a good day to use it---even if I have to drive 15 miles to get there. Another thing…I’d much rather have a hot flash in the gym because of a thing called air conditioning.

Robin Roberts' Breast Cancer Diagnosis is an URGENT Wake-Up Call

This week’s announcement that Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts has breast cancer came as a complete shock to me.

I couldn’t believe it when I heard the news!. I always thought of Robin as the epitome of good health but this just goes to show you that cancer can strike anyone at anytime.

In her own words, Robin outlined how she came to discover the cancer:

“It all started a few weeks ago. We had gotten the news that our dear colleague and friend Joel Siegel had passed away and we began preparing for our special tribute show for him. I did a piece about Joel's courageous battle with cancer, reporting on the way my friend had lived his life and been such a successful advocate for the importance of early cancer screenings. That very night when I went to bed, I did a self breast exam and found something that women everywhere fear: I found a lump.

At first I thought, "This can't be. I am a young, healthy woman." Nevertheless, I faced my fear head on and made an appointment to see the doctor. Much as I was hoping the doctor would say it was nothing, she did a biopsy and confirmed that the lump I'd found was indeed an early form of breast cancer. Hearing the doctor say those words out loud was surreal.”

Just last year I was so excited when Robin agreed to read a copy of my book Whatever! A Baby Boomer's Journey Into Middle Age. I named her one of my “Spectacular Baby Boomer Divas” in the book.

I'm really glad she caught her breast cancer early because that may have saved her life and her actions should be a wake-up call for ALL women---especially African-American women. We must be vigilant when it comes to our health. What happened to Robin can happen to any one of us and if we ignore it we are doomed.