Fit and Firm For Ever

First the bad news: during menopause women on average can expect to gain at least 5.5 kg.

Not only that, they become bigger in places where flab was never a problem before: their upper arms, their tummies, their backs and those funny little pouches under the arm that Kath and Kim refer to as fadoobadahs.

And not only that, but this unwelcome new arrival stubbornly refuses to budge. What's going on?

A combination of muscle loss, inactivity, sluggish metabolism and dwindling supplies of estrogen conspire to produce a midlife figure crisis that many women find more distressing than any other menopausal symptom.

There are genuine health concerns to consider as well. The fat that takes up residence in the mid-section increases the risk of insulin resistance, diabetes, heart disease and other nasty conditions all the way to Alzheimer's disease.

And now the good news. This eminently practical and upbeat book by fit and firm health writer Paula Goodyer offers hope and help for older gals lamenting their bingo wings.

She explains that the main strategy for winning the metabolic war is to build and maintain lots of mighty muscle. Muscle defines the physique, boosts the metabolism and stimulates production of that invaluable chemical agent, human growth hormone.

It makes weight loss easier, holds the spine upright, maintains healthy blood sugar levels and provides bundles of energy. If you want to stay shapely, lean and healthy during and after menopause you need to learn how to outsmart the mid-life fat cell and prevent it from hanging around.

Here is a contagiously positive guide to help you banish spare-tyre creep, defy gravity and find new levels of vitality and confidence.