Why do 40-year-old women gain weight?

When people reach middle age, their physical fitness has actually begun to decline. At this time, not only do diseases start to strike, but many people also find that their weight starts to increase. If a 40-year-old woman starts to gain weight, it is obviously not caused by her eating habits. So, what is the reason why women in their 40s start to gain weight? In fact, it is mainly caused by four major factors.

One of the biggest reasons why women gain weight after the age of 40 is that their metabolic rate slows down. Even women who exercise will find that excess weight accumulates around their waists. In fact, from the age of 20, when the growth hormone in the body decreases, metabolism begins to slow down, usually decreasing by 5% every 10 years.

When you are 40 years old, you have entered the third 5% decline period. Moreover, girls in menopause are at greater risk of hypothyroidism than when they were younger, which can have an impact on metabolism, making weight loss at this stage a considerable challenge. Regular exercise, avoiding muscle loss and controlling diet are the best ways to maintain your metabolic rate.

This stage is the most severe muscle loss stage in life. Because after the age of 40, you will spend more and more time sitting down, and you will have fewer opportunities to run after your children or take them out. In addition, if you have no exercise habits or are busy at work and have no time to exercise, you will have to pay the price of losing 3kg of muscle every 10 years with this lifestyle!

Muscle is a "calorie burning furnace". If you lose muscle at the above rate, it means that you have reduced your ability to burn 400 calories per day.

When you are 40 years old, your body's demand for energy will drop by 15% compared to when you are 20 years old. Therefore, if your eating habits remain the same as before, it will be very difficult not to gain weight! Although it is inevitable that weight will increase more or less after the age of 40 due to metabolism and estrogen secretion, the survey found that girls who exercise regularly gain the least weight.

When girls are young, estrogen is an activator of fat storage in the hips, thighs and buttocks. The purpose of fat accumulation is mainly for future breastfeeding. During menopause, estrogen levels become unstable, peaking and then declining, and fat deposits shift to the abdomen. These soft and fluffy fats outside the abdominal muscles not only give you an extra layer of fat, but are also a major health risk.

According to research, people with abdominal obesity have a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease, which is much higher than those with standard body shapes or those with obesity in other parts of the body.

4. Chronic toxic stress

Toxic stress refers to stress caused by events in daily life, which will make you feel a heavy psychological burden and affect your physiological routine, such as overeating or not being able to eat at all. In the long run, not only will your weight continue to expand like a balloon, but what's worse is that your health will also be affected!