I recently visited my doctor for a wellness check. I told her that I’m definitely noticing changes in my body that are very obvious. Although I am very health conscious, I must admit that these changes make me aware that I’m not getting younger and as I age there are some changes that are to be expected.
Because I have high blood pressure, I make it a point to eat more healthier foods than not, exercise often, get plenty of sleep, and reduce stress. I know that as an African American, my hereditary disposition to develop cardiovascular disease is much higher because of high blood pressure and other factors.
Did you know that heart disease is the number one killer of women? Yes! Scary, right?
My doctor went on to talk to me about the possibility that I may be experiencing perimenopausal symptoms considering that I am 44 years of age (I’ll share the symptoms in another post).
Let me tell you, this is scary! As we (women) age, our bodies go through hormonal changes that can greatly affect our health IF we are not conscious and aware of these changes.
Let me give you one mental flow chart that my doctor talked about with me: perimenopausal (around ages 35-52) hormone changes occur and can cause weight gain in the form of stored fat. Our liver is responsible for metabolizing (breaking down) these hormones that cause the stored fat. If it cannot break them down, the “stored fat” increases around our midsections. This stored fat (visceral fat) is one of the main causes of heart disease, the number one killer of women.
Do you see the connection here to fat and heart disease?
So what do we do to fight against what naturally occurs? Well, we use NATURE…more whole foods, nuts, green veggies, and EXERCISE to BURN as much of that visceral fat as we can.
Of course, this is my summary in a nutshell, but I certainly took away some important facts: Yes, this is the natural progression of life, but there are things that I/we, as women, can do to take care of ourselves.
Being conscious and aware of how our diet and exercise benefits female health issues is my passion.
Reach out to me at kmoss@savvytusker.com if you’d like to talk more about how to burn visceral fat so that you can have optimal female health.