Can Menopause Cause You To Shrink?

As a child growing up, do you remember comparing your height to every relative who stood still for five minutes? Remember your joy as you slowly grew taller than an aunt or your mother?

Suddenly, even though you stopped growing, you kept getting taller and taller over them. What happened?

The fact is that your female relatives may very well have lost several inches in height. They could, indeed, be shrinking . . .

The average woman stands to lose between 2 to eight inches of her height once she reaches menopause. Many medical experts believed at one time that this loss was inevitable. Now the medical community realizes that it isn't.

Osteoporosis appears to be the main culprit in this phenomenon. Even though both men and women get osteoporosis, it is more women that have the noticeable side effects. So is there any way to prevent this from happening to you? Yes - have a regular fitness program and take calcium supplements.

If you are 40 years old or over - it is vital that fitness is part of your daily routine. In order to stay at your current height, it is important to retain your bone mass and this can be done through exercise. By exercising regularly, you will reduce your risk of developing a large number of health issues involving your cardiovascular system and even cancer or diabetes.

The key to doing exercise on a regular basis is to do something that you really enjoy. Think about things you really like doing - walking, dancing, biking etc. It does not have to be a brutal workout at the gym.

Whatever you exercise you choose, you should also incorporate some form of weight training. This will help to keep your bones strong by stimulation of the mineralization and remodelling process. Since every major muscle is attached to the bones by tendons, whenever these muscles contract, the force that is exerted on that bone will help build bone mass.

Although any activity such as t'ai chi or even yoga can build bone mass, the best way is through actual weight lifting. And no, you do not have to be the female version of Arnold Schwarzenegger to get the benefits.

But, there are some outstanding - and astounding - benefits that accompany this particular exercise. Just read the results of this study conducted by Miriam Nelson, Ph.D. of Tufts University.

Two groups of post-menopausal women were studied by Dr. Nelson. None of women in either group were doing a regular fitness program or taking any hormone replacement supplements.

One group remained sedentary; the other began a simple weight lifting program. They only exercised twice a week for 40 minutes at a time. At the end of one year, the women who lifted weights had vastly improved results in their strength tests. In fact, their scores matched those of women in their late 30s and early 40s. And just about all the women lost inches from their body - if not weight - without changing their diets.

But the most delightful transformation in these women was seen in how they spent their free time. They were freed from the sedentary life they once lived. Some of these postmenopausal women took up canoeing . . . others began to go dancing on a regular basis . . . still others participated in in-line skating.

As we reach 40 years of age and older, fitness becomes more and more important not only to our health but to enriching our lives. The key is to select one or two activities that you really enjoy that will keep you fit and do them regularly. The more active you are - the stronger your bones will stay - and the taller you will stand in your life.

Article Source: http://www.orbitaloc.com/

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