Are You A Woman Over 40? Do You Want To Lose Weight? 7 Things You Need to Know About Your Hormones

Hormones are great: They make us happy, falling in love and alert, can produce a dream figure and a soft skin. Of course, they have a different side too: They could make you down and sad, stimulate acne outbreaks and spare tires. Even little amounts can create big changes, because they regulate our bodies. The hormone system of women over 40 is changing- and one of the effects is that it's much tougher to lose weight permanently.

Let's have a look at the most crucial hormones:

Estrogen makes sexy, gives the right curves and keeps your skin firm. However, the comparative quantity of estrogen to other hormones must be right for that.
Strive for a hormone system that’s working as perfectly as possible- it’s really worth the effort.

The level of progesterone is declining after menopause, leading to excess estrogen. Your thyroid might be affected by this: thyroid hormones can be blocked if estrogen is not balanced correctly by progesterone. And this happens even if the thyroid gland works properly. A decline in thyroid activity is often found for women in menopause.

DHEA is another important hormone: It halts fat storage, making it an ideal candidate to look at for women over 40 who want to lose weight permanently.
Whatever you do to get your estrogen levels well-balanced will assist your DHEA levels too. In particular, you can eat extra virgin olive oil, amaranth seed or rice ban to increase DHEA levels.

As you probably know: Thyroid hormones are very important: They are contributing to your good mood, help smooth the skin and are active in digestion. The secretion of thyroid hormones can be disturbed easily. What you can do to get your thyroid going:

• Have adequate iodine. It can be found naturally in shellfish and fish

• Protein is essential to get the hormones going, so integrate lean sources of protein into your diet

• If you are stressed out all the time, your thyroid is always active. If you are having too much stress, your thyroid might respond negatively. Many women over 40 have a hectic day, making it hard to lose weight permanently.
  

Cortisol, Adrenalin and other stress hormones are able to get your body bulging and bloated. They are responsible for enhanced fat storage in your stomach.
If you want to lose weight permanently over 40 you need a well-balanced, stress-reduced life style.

The male sex hormone testosterone is important for women too: It strengthens the tissue and helps to increase muscle mass, thus improving burning fat. To increase your testosterone level you can have a look at:

• Believe it or not, but sex is really good to get the testosterone production going

• Have a look at your vitamin consumption, especially A, C, E and B. Zinc is important too. You can find those in whole grain products, fish, dairy and nuts

• Stay away from smoking, too much alcohol and consuming fatty foods

• Regular physical exercise increases testosterone levels as well
  

For women over 40 the progesterone level declines, what has another effect regarding your beauty: Your body builds less collagen. Your skin begins to get flabbier and you’re getting more wrinkles- you see that in many women over 40. The distribution of fat on the body shifts too: Fat accumulates more on belly and butt, thighs and upper arms. These modifications in the figure make it a top priority for many women over 40 to lose weight permanently.
Another typical problem for women over 40 is cellulite- induced by less collagen.

Let’s summarize what you can do for a balanced, healthy hormone system:

• Eat healthy

• Work out on a regular basis

• A harmonious life style with plenty time for rest
  

All of these activities are highly recommended for women over 40 to lose weight permanently. If you are balancing your hormone system, you are helping your body to lose weight too. If you are searching for a weight loss program, try to find a plan that is working for you in your unique situation. A generic program will only give average results. Additionally, a standard plan that is not concentrating on your unique position will be hard to follow and to stick with- what might be easy to do for many people might not suit you at all. -Perry Permann