After the age of 40, your metabolism begins to slow down, especially once you hit menopause. Also, according to Women Fitness, your flexibility, fitness level and strength steadily decline up to nine percent every decade after the age of 20. Women who desire to keep their figure will likely need to workout harder during menopause. There are also other benefits of exercise after the age of 40 aside from weight maintenance.
Function
Your metabolism is the rate at which your body converts calories from foods into energy. Exercising not only burns calories and fat, but also increases your metabolic rate. Overtime, you are likely to burn more calories during daily activities than if you were sedentary or relying on dieting alone. Strength-building exercises encourage lean muscle mass. Muscles help burn calories, even when your body is resting.
Benefits
A boosted metabolism obtained from regular exercise will likely help you maintain your weight, and may even help you shed pounds. According to Women Fitness, exercise stimulates your adrenal glands, increasing production of the hormone oestrogen. Regular exercise also helps increase HDL cholesterol and decrease LDL or "bad" cholesterol levels. The American Osteopathic Association reports that women over the age of 40 reap other benefits of regular exercise, including osteoporosis prevention, arthritis relief, increased cardiovascular health and bowel function maintenance.
Types
Aerobic exercises, such as walking, swimming, dancing and running, all burn calories and boost your metabolism. Strength-training exercises through weight lifting also reap these benefits. Keep in mind that building muscle also optimizes your metabolism during periods of rest. In order to maximize your workouts, incorporate strength-training into aerobic exercises. For example, try bicep-curls with dumbbells while walking.
Exercise and Diet
Consistent exercise of at least 30 minutes per day will maximize your results, as reported by the American Osteopathic Association. However, the metabolic gains through fitness will not be helpful if you do not control your diet as well. The Association suggests you monitor daily caloric intake to prevent you from consuming more calories than you burn through workouts.
Considerations
Some menopausal women opt for hormone replacement therapy to help control symptoms such as restlessness, fatigue, hot flashes and mood swings. However, prescription hormone replacements should not be relied on as a source of metabolic boost and weight loss. The Mayo Clinic reports that studies on whether hormone replacement therapy can help burn fat are mixed. Exercise and a sensible diet are the two most effective ways you can boost your metabolism and help prevent weight gain during menopause.
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