If you're a woman, like it or not, menopause is heading your way. You can't stop menopause from occurring - it's a fact of life that your body is going to experience some changes as you age. One of those changes is a postmenopausal weight gain.

In our mid-forties and fifties, it's so easy to blame that additional luggage around the midsection that spills out over the tops of our jeans (muffin tops, anyone?) on postmenopause.

But the fact is that while postmenopause does indeed cause some weight gain, that weight gain is only a few slight pounds that could easily be taken off within a few weeks.

We all have them - bad habits that keep us locked into unproductive lifestyle choices. Unfortunately, many of these habits are the very things that keep the excess pounds clinging to our bodies too.

Below are some of the most common bad habits that can make you gain weight, or make it difficult to lose weight, along with tips for changing the bad habits into good habits once and for all:

With your hectic daily routine - getting ready for work, getting the kids ready for school, making sure your socks aren't floating in the dog's water bowl, a busy day at work, coming home and fixing dinner, cleaning up the house and getting everyone, including yourself, to sleep - exercise is usually the last thing on your mind!

Stress levels and obesity are at an all time high and health concerns are making themselves a priority in many people's lives.

However, exercise is the one thing that can energize you to handle such a busy lifestyle with flying colors! Exercising reduces stress, helps you sleep better, and keeps health concerns at bay, while also boosting your self-confidence.

No More Excuses Allowed

It's a good thing the human body is made the way it is, because there are many exercises you can do anywhere, at any time. All you need are a couple of makeshift weights you can find around the house and the physical weight of your body.

When exercising, remember to get a good warm-up and finish off with a slow cool-down. This is important to prevent injury and is easy to accomplish no matter where you are. Walking works well for both your warm-up and cool-down routine.

Here are 5 simple exercises you can do anywhere:

With the economic situation in the world being what it is, it's important to find ways of eating healthy on a budget. It's possible to purchase foods that are good for you and your budget; you merely have to plan ahead to get the best food you can for the money you have available.

Having a plan and sticking to it can help you get more food at less cost and allow you to prepare better, more healthy meals.

Here are some tips to help you succeed in eating healthy on a budget:

Are you one of those people who gobbles down your food so quickly that you barely taste it? If so, you may want to rethink that habit if you want to lose weight and keep it off. Eating too fast is one of the major causes for overeating, for two reasons. First, if you eat so fast that you barely taste the food, you won't feel satisfied and you will keep craving more. Secondly, eating too quickly doesn't allow time for your body to signal that it has had enough food, so you feel compelled to keep eating. Below are three good ways to change the habit of eating too quickly:

Fruits and vegetables are an important staple in any diet. While a diet containing a variety of fruits and vegetables is best, orange is one of the healthiest colors you can look for.

Orange vegetables contain beta-carotene, a form of Vitamin A, which is great for eyesight and eliminating free radicals. The beta-carotene gives the vegetable its orange color.

Some of the healthiest orange fruits and vegetables are sweet potatoes, squash, pumpkin, carrots, mangos, oranges and papaya. These fruits and vegetables are great sources of nutrients and usually have a sweet flavor, making them ideal for satisfying those cravings for sweets.

Let's look at why these top 7 orange fruits and vegetables are so incredibly healthy:

It happens to all of us: we're cruising along on our weight loss program, feeling great, staying on track - when suddenly a temptation is staring us right in the face. Maybe it's a box of donuts your oh-so-thoughtful coworker brought into the office. Maybe it's the scent of freshly baked bread from the bakery down the street. Maybe it's just a random craving that seemed to come out of nowhere, and now it has you in a death grip.
With most weight loss programs, there are only two possible responses: summon the willpower to ignore the craving and stay committed to the plan, or give in to the craving and feel like a failure.

Luckily, these are not the only two responses you can choose, and today we're going to share a few others to help you win the battle of wills the next time you face temptation:

You can lose weight if you set your mind to it! Are you ready to take action to achieve the body of your dreams?

The biggest barrier you face is actually your self-discipline and willpower.

You may have fallen into a vicious cycle. The cycle starts with eating a poor diet full of fats, carbs, and processed foods. These are the kinds of foods that make you feel tired and lethargic all the time. Then, because your body lacks proper energy, you don't feel much like exercising.

What's the end result? You end up with a huge loss of willpower and you feel miserable and hopeless.

But there is hope! You can make the change! If you truly want to lose weight, you first have to build the willpower to make it happen.

Here's a list of things to consider when boosting your willpower:

Does it seem like you're constantly on a diet? You're not alone! You may be surprised how many people feel the same way. These weight loss tips for the perpetual dieter may be what you've needed to finally make the dieting roller coaster stop so you can get off.

Maybe you've tried every diet that's come down the pike. You've eaten grapefruit to the point where you can't stand the sight of them. You've given up carbohydrates but still crave sugar, potatoes, and bread. Seeing that it was a losing battle, you gave up on every one.

You may have had some success at losing weight, only to gain it back. Let's face it, it gets discouraging when you hear that most dieters will regain the weight they've lost within three to five years. With those kinds of odds against you, you may wonder why you bother.

The reasons you keep trying to lose weight may vary. You know you need to lose weight to improve your overall health or reduce symptoms of disease. You can't fit into your clothes or you have a reunion to attend. There could be any number of other reasons.

Regardless of why you want to slim down or how many times you've dieted in the past, if you want to succeed at losing weight once and for all, you may be better served by following the example of those who've achieved their goal and kept the weight off.

Effective weight loss tactics for those who've succeeded include these techniques:

By now, you’ve probably seen an exercise ball. They’re those things that look like giant playground balls that you see people rolling and stretching on at the gym. If you’re like me, you’re probably hesitant about using one of these balls. You may be worried about looking silly or can’t actually figure out how they work. Well, next time you’re at the gym, why don’t you try one out? You’ll probably find the benefits well worth it. Here are different ways an exercise ball can help you out: