How can I get rid of belly fat after menopause? What are the best exercises to target menopause belly fat? Do these 7 effective exercises help reduce belly fat during menopause.

Exercises to Tackle Menopause Belly Fat

During menopause, one common issue that most women face is the accumulation of stubborn belly fat. This can have a significant impact on your confidence and leave you feeling frustrated. The fact that the belly is the toughest area in the body to tone up only exacerbates the problem. However, it’s important to remember that with regular exercise, it is possible to get rid of that pesky belly fat. Apart from a balanced diet and proper sleep, you will need to work out on a regular basis to tone up your tummy.

7 Effective Exercises for Menopause Belly Fat

Here are 7 easy and effective exercises that can help you deal with belly fat during menopause:

1. Jumping Rope

Rope jumping is a fairly efficient type of cardio exercise! In fact, it is one of the best ways to burn calories and belly fat. It helps to tone your calves, tighten your core, build stamina, and improve your lung capacity. What’s more, it also strengthens the muscles of your legs, butt, shoulders, arms, and belly. Skipping is one of the simplest and most result-oriented exercises. Tip: Do it for 15 minutes daily.

2. Pilates

Pilates is known to strengthen muscles and tone up the body. The best part is that it is specifically designed to build core strength and improve flexibility. Hence, it helps to reduce belly fat by increasing the fat-burning efficiency of the body and, at the same time, toning up the area.

3. Boat Pose

Boat pose (Navasana) is a yoga pose that can strengthen the core, hip flexors, and spine. In addition, it helps to relieve stress and improves digestion. This pose works fabulously on your side and front tummy muscles, helping cut out the fat and toning up the areas.

4. Bicycle Crunch

Bicycle crunches are pretty good for the rectus abdominis and obliques when done correctly. This abdominal exercise will help burn that stubborn belly fat and improve your posture. If you add bicycle crunches to your workout routine, you’re likely to increase core strength, slim down your waist, and improve your flexibility.

5. Plank

A great core-busting exercise, the plank strengthens your core muscles and plays a significant role in fat burning. Plank is a good calorie burner that reduces belly fat and makes the tummy tight. In addition, it improves your body strength. Plank can engage multiple muscles at once and that’s why it is a beneficial exercise for burning the fat around your abdomen area. It also improves posture and flexibility.

6. Leg Raise

The leg raise is a strength training exercise that is great for your abs and obliques. Leg raises are known to strengthen your leg muscles, build stronger abs, enhance flexibility in the body, and reduce belly fat. This move is often used to strengthen rectus abdominal muscles as well as internal and external oblique muscles for a toned tummy. To get and keep a flat stomach, continue increasing your number of repetitions!

7. Steady-State Cardio Exercises

Steady-state cardio exercises improve your body’s ability to burn fat. In fact, according to a 2014 study, continuous aerobic activities are more effective than HIIT workouts at improving fat distribution in the body. Steady with moderate-intensity cardio workouts include repetitive exercises like walking, running, hiking, or biking. It is a good option for those who need an overall reduction of fat.

Tackling Menopause Belly: Diet and Exercise

If you are approaching perimenopause or menopause, you may be noticing a shift in your body – how the weight is distributed. Whereas in our 20s, 30s and 40s most women hold their fat in their hips, buttocks and thighs (where it helps to reserve fuel necessary for breastfeeding), as we hit the age of perimenopause and menopause – usually around age 40 – the fat gets redistributed to the belly area, particularly deep inside the tummy and becomes menopause belly. This leads to the muffin top – something I get asked about all the time!

If you don’t tackle menopause belly or this new mid-section weight gain, it can get out of control, and quickly! And the bottom line is it’s not healthy to have too much extra weight around your belly: A waistline larger than 35 inches on women is an indicator of health concerns like heart attack and diabetes.

So how do we tackle this “menopause belly fat”? Really it’s a two-pronged approach: Diet and Exercise!

When it comes to foods as we age, it is a good rule of thumb to focus on high-quality, whole, fresh foods as the basis of all your meals. Think of it as treating your body as well as you can now, for a healthy body for all the days and years to come! The more you care for your body during this transitional time, the better it will serve you in the long run.

Say goodbye to belly fat after menopause with these 7 effective exercises

During menopause, one common thing most women notice is the accumulation of belly fat. Yes, it can have a significant impact on your confidence and make you feel frustrated. The fact that the belly is the toughest area in the body to tone up only makes the problem bigger.

It’s important to remember that with regular exercise, it is possible to get rid of all that belly fat. Apart from a good diet and proper sleep, you will need to workout on a regular basis to tone up the tummy.

Here are 7 easy and effective exercises to help you deal with belly fat during menopause:

1. Jumping rope

Rope jumping is a fairly efficient type of cardio exercise! In fact, it is the best way to burn calories and belly fat. It helps to tone your calves, tighten your core, build stamina and improve your lung capacity. What’s more, it also strengthens the muscles of your legs, butt, shoulder, arms, and belly.  

Skipping is one of the simplest and most result-oriented exercises EVER. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

Tip: Do it for 15 minutes daily.

2. Pilates

Pilates is known to strengthen muscles and tone up the body. The best part is that it is specifically designed to build core strength and improve flexibility. Hence, it helps to reduce belly fat by increasing the fat-burning efficiency of the body and at the same time, toning up the area.

3. Boat pose

Boat pose (Navasana) is a yoga pose that can strengthen the core, hip flexors, and spine. In addition, it helps to relieve stress and improves digestion. This pose works fabulously on your side and front tummy muscles, helping cut out the fat and toning up the areas. 

Navasana or the boat pose focuses on abdominal muscles and aids digestion. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

4. Bicycle crunch

Bicycle crunches are pretty good for rectus abdominis and obliques when done correctly. This abdominal exercise will help burn that stubborn belly fat and improve your posture. If you add bicycle crunches to your workout routine, you’re likely to increase core strength, slim down your waist, and improve your flexibility.

5. Plank

A great core busting exercise, it strengthens your core muscles and plays a significant role in fat burning. Plank is a good calorie burner that reduces belly fat and makes the tummy tight. In addition, it improves your body strength. A plank can engage multiple muscles at once and that’s why it is a beneficial exercise for burning the fat around your abdomen area. It also improves posture and flexibility.

Go into a plank to get complemented with great health.

6. Leg raise

The leg raise is a strength training exercise that is great for your abs and obliques. Leg raises are known to strengthen your leg muscles, build stronger abs, enhance flexibility in the body and reduce belly fat. This move is often used to strengthen rectus abdominal muscles as well as internal and external oblique muscles for a toned tummy. To get and keep a flat stomach, continue increasing your number of repetitions!

7. Steady-state cardio exercises

Steady-state cardio exercises improve your body’s ability to burn fat. In fact, according to a 2014 study, continuous aerobic activities are more effective than HIIT workouts at improving fat distribution in the body. Steady with moderate-intensity cardio workout includes repetitive exercises like walking, running, hiking, or biking. It is a good option for those also who need overall reduction of fat. 

So, ladies, try these exercises to cut down that stubborn belly fat!

How To Tackle Menopause Belly

If you are approaching perimenopause or menopause, you may be noticing a shift in your body – how the weight is distributed. Whereas in our 20s, 30s and 40s most women hold their fat in their hips, buttocks and thighs (where it helps to reserve fuel necessary for breastfeeding), as we hit the age of perimenopause and menopause – usually around age 40 – the fat gets redistributed to the belly area, particularly deep inside the tummy and becomes menopause belly. This leads to the muffin top – something I get asked about all the time!

If you don’t tackle menopause belly or this new mid-section weight gain, it can get out of control, and quickly! And the bottom line is it’s not healthy to have too much extra weight around your belly: A waistline larger than 35 inches on women is an indicator of health concerns like heart attack and diabetes.

So how do we tackle this “menopause belly fat”?

Really it’s a two-pronged approach: Diet and Exercise!

When it comes to foods as we age, it is a good rule of thumb to focus on high-quality, whole, fresh foods as the basis of all your meals. Think of it as treating your body as well as you can now, for a healthy body for all the days and years to come! The more you care for and nurture yourself now, the healthier you will be (and feel) both physically and emotionally down the road! I am a firm believer in this, which is why I stick to the 80/20 rule: 80% of the time, I eat healthy – veggies and fruit take up most of my plate, with lean proteins and healthy fats such as extra virgin olive oil and nuts making up the rest. This not only helps me stick to a healthy eating plan, but it actually curbs my cravings for the bad stuff! But that doesn’t mean I don’t indulge – I love sweet treats and snacks like everyone else. I just keep them in moderation, or at 20%. And I find this to be a really easy and effective way to make sure I am giving back to my body, but also indulging every now and then. A win-win! If you need some guidance on a healthy eating plan, check out the free trial at DeniseAustin.com – specifically my 10-Week Plan, which is included in the membership and gives you access to a customized eating plan. You can choose low-sodium, vegetarian, gluten-free and more, and get three meals and two snacks for every day! It’s a great way to enjoy your food while not having to make the decisions about what to eat – perfect for sticking to a healthy eating plan!

Now to exercise – the best way to tackle that menopause belly muffin top is through a whole body workout along with some targeted ab exercises.   Aim for three to four days of cardio each week, and two to three days of strength training. My DeniseAustin.com membership gives you access to hundreds of cardio and strength training workouts, including aerobics, interval training, yoga cardio and more! It’s a great way to get motivated and stick with an effective cardio plan, no matter what your level of fitness!

Then add in some targeted waistline/ab exercises to really work the muscles in your midsection, to help tone and firm up the front and sides of the waistline. Here is a great Muffin Top workout and Menopause Belly workout for your abs – just for you!

 So if you want to tackle menopause belly and that dreaded muffin top, try the suggestions above, and sign up for a free trial of my DeniseAustin.com Plan – you will love it!

Sign Up Now

Let’s get fitter, together – inside and out,
Denise

 Video Transcript:

It’s time to firm our abdominals to tone and tighten up our core. Here’s some easy exercises that you could do to strengthen your abdominals. Let’s take a deep breath together. Inhale and exhale. Beautiful. One more deep breath. Inhale and exhale. And now let’s just stretch to the side. Lift your hips up and over. Stretch out through the waistline. Elongate the spine to stretch and tone through the waist, through the lift of the chest. That’s it. A full body reach and come down. And now let’s stretch over for side body stretch. Hold the stretch. That’s it. And now slowly come up and switch legs. The other leg. Go Up, lift up and overstretch through the rib cage. Elongate the spine. Open up through the chest. That’s it. Stretch through the side body. That’s it. Great. And come down and now up and over to the other side and stretch.

Elongate the back. Stretch through the waistline. Look up so you really feel that extra stretch and relax. And now let’s begin our abdominal workout. Sitting up nice and tall. Thinking about good posture. Had to take it down all the way down and lift your legs all the way up. Now slowly lift your hips up and release. Now you’re working the lower tummy. If you need to relax your hamstrings, bend your knees slightly. That’s okay. You’re working below the belly button right now. The area we all need to target. Tone, flatten the lower belly. That’s it. Initiate this movement through the lower tummy. We got one more. That’s great. And now slowly bring your elbows all the way up and lift baby lifts. Ready and lift up and lower. Beautiful. Now you’re working the front of your abs to flatten the belly. Beautiful. Flat in the belly.

Press your lower back into the mat. That’s it. Two more. Last one. Hold it up, baby pulses. lift, lift. Hold it up. That’s it. Beautiful. And relax and let’s go to the side of our waistlines. Now lift up, hold it up, reach it up. Stomach is in, back is flat. That’s at work. The size of the waistline and release. Let’s now stretch the legs. Try to do it all the way up, up, up, up, up, up, and release. One more time. Lift it straight up, up, up, waistline, up. That’s it. Curving through the waist and come back down. Let’s go to the other side. The first one, elbow down. That’s it. And lift up. Hold it up. That’s it. Tighten up through the belly. Tighten the core, the waistline, the oblique muscles, and come down. One more. Lift up, up, up. Pull it up, and then tell me tight.

Pull the belly button in and relax. Can you go all the way up now? All the way up, up, up, up. Hold it up there and relax. Beautiful. And now I slowly want you to relax your neck. Relax your shoulders, bring one leg, all the way up, the air. Place one hand behind you. Lift the other hand here and baby pulses up with the use of your arm. Hold yourself up. That’s it. It really aids in. Really lifting through the tummy. Lift and pull yourself higher belly button down and flat. That’s beautiful. Great exercise. Now we turn it to the side and release to the side. Great and twist for the obliques. Last one and release and just switch legs all the way up. And now slowly bring your hand on your thigh and twist and release. That’s it. Lift and lower it. Twist and release.

Twist for the waistline. That’s it. And hold it up there. Little baby pulses. Lift, lift up, Chin Up. That’s it. As if you have an apple or an orange between your chin and chest. Hold it up. Their little baby lifts up, up, up. Hold it. Bring your legs together, lift your chest up slightly. That’s it. And reach for your toes. Reach up. Beautiful. Now you’re flattening that belly. Now you’re really target Tony. Bend your knees. If you have tight hamstrings, that’s okay. You’re still getting the belly to wear. To flatten the belly. Breathe you exhale, exhale and flatten the belly. Last one, and release. Beautiful. And now slowly roll up. Let me see your smiling face. Inhale and exhale to the side. Bring your elbow down and stretch. Lift up and over to the other side and stretch. That’s it. And now turn your body to the side, twist and to the other side, twist beautiful, and take a deep breath. Inhale and exhale. And there you have a quick, easy abdominal workout. Your core crushers.

The Experts’ Best Exercise Choice

Swap Boxing For Yoga: The Best Menopause Exercise Choice

Exercise is important at any age. But after 45, it’s essential—for several good reasons

Reason 1: Exercise eases menopausal symptoms

Regular exercise has been proven to improve women’s mental and physical health before and during menopause. And they complement well the skin care of the body after 40 years.

Scientists of the University of Granada in Spain conducted a study for 12 months with the participation of the fair sex aged 45-72 years. We observed how different types of exercise (aerobic exercise, stretching, muscle strengthening and relaxation exercises) affect the condition of women.

And as a result, they found that during the experiment, those who regularly did exercises improved their medical indicators, while women from the control group (who ignored the exercises), on the contrary, decreased their health scores.

– By the end of our study, the proportion of women with severe menopausal symptoms decreased to 37% in the first group. And at the same time it grew to 66% in the second. These figures indicate that regular exercise significantly alleviates the manifestations of unpleasant symptoms associated with age-related changes in the body of women after forty , summed up the conclusions of the large-scale work , Professor of the University of Granada Carmen Villaverde-Gutiérrez.

Reason 2: Exercise keeps the body toned well into old age

Optimists believe that human aging begins after fifty. Pessimists – what with thirty. And only realists know: the process leading to aging begins exactly at the moment when a person is born, it is from this moment that all his organs and systems grow and develop in order to reach their climax and begin to fade away.

This process is especially well seen in the example of the musculoskeletal tissue of women. After forty, it rapidly melts. In some muscles, the process of atrophy begins. Contractile tissue is replaced by adipose tissue. That is why, after forty, many people notice: where their muscles used to “play” when walking, fat is now shaking. First of all, it becomes noticeable on the calves, thighs, buttocks and upper arms.

The reason for such metamorphoses is the age-related restructuring of hormones. After forty, the level of some of them drops (estradiol, testosterone, thyroxine, ghrelin), while some, on the contrary, increase (cortisol, adrenaline, norepinephrine). Accordingly, the functioning of organs and systems that were supported by the work of these hormones changes.

For example, with a decrease in thyroxine, metabolism slows down. A decrease in estradiol affects the condition of the bones of the skeleton.

The aging process is, unfortunately, irreversible. But it can be slowed down. For this, training is needed that would help maintain a muscular corset, maintain an even (and therefore young) posture and push back the onset of menopause as far as possible. And do not forget to add to this the correct body skin care after 40 years.

BTW

Specialists from Osaka University of Japan proved that a person’s age can be determined at a glance. It is enough to take a closer look at his gait. It turns out that the older a person is, the more he swings his arms when walking, hunches more, his muscle tension decreases, and instead of a measured step, fussiness and what is called “mind and shuffle” appear. Such an senile gait negates all other efforts to care for the skin of the body after 40 years.

Reason 3: Prevents weight gain

Menopause and extra pounds always go hand in hand. The reason lies in the decrease in the hormone estrogen – along with it, the metabolic rate decreases, which makes it increasingly difficult for the body to convert stored energy into muscles.

And if so, then metabolism must be adjusted artificially! How? All the same – training.

If you don’t do this, your muscles will soon turn into fat.

Just one example for comparison: the body of a 25-year-old woman on average contains 16-17% muscle tissue and 26% fat, after forty the amount of fat increases to 33%. And after fifty – up to 42% and more. At the same time, muscle mass (the main building material of a person) is becoming less and less.

That is why the body of young people is always even and elastic, while the body of women who waved their hand at themselves is flabby and “lumpy”. And the figure from the shape of an hourglass turns into a decanter.

Summary: just caring for the skin of the body after 40 years is not enough, regular exercise is important.

Incidentally, a review by the US National Institutes of Health found that people who did aerobic exercise every day for at least 10 minutes had a 17 cm smaller waist compared to those who did not exercise at all.

Output? The more active your exercises, the less fat and more muscle you have. And thinner waist!

What exercises are best for menopause?

Training is different. When maintaining weight and maintaining a young body, it is not the quantity of exercises that is decisive, but their quality. What exercise is best for menopause?

Strength Training helps build muscle and improve metabolism. It also maintains bone mass. Moreover, to achieve results, you don’t have to go “swing” every day at all, two or three workouts a week – this will be enough. Please note: strength exercises do not necessarily mean a barbell bench press from the chest – for women after forty, dumbbells, some types of yoga and … gardening are more suitable (try digging holes for 15 minutes – you will immediately feel the result!).

Low Intensity Aerobics is a great cardio workout, perfect for your heart and lungs. For aerobic exercise, it is not at all necessary to dance break dance, a 30-minute walk at a fast pace will be enough. Other examples of cardio exercises include swimming, cycling, tennis, and ballroom dancing.

And no matter what kind of exercise you choose, during menopause, regularity should come first. Then, even with little effort, you will notice an improvement in your condition. And the menopause will no longer seem so terrible!

Project sponsor

Climaxan® is a non-hormonal remedy based on natural ingredients that can significantly reduce the main manifestations of menopausal syndrome: reducing the frequency and intensity of hot flashes, relieving dizziness and headache attacks, restoring normal sleep and emotional state.

THERE ARE CONTRAINDICATIONS. CONSULT WITH A SPECIALIST.

THERE ARE CONTRAINDICATIONS. CONSULT WITH A SPECIALIST.

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Exercise can help relieve hot flashes during menopause

According to a study published in The Journal of Physiology, exercising during menopause can help relieve hot flashes, one of the most common symptoms in women.

Hot flashes are characterized by a sudden onset of intense heat, reddening of the skin due to increased blood flow to it, sweating and decreased blood flow to the brain. A 2–3-minute flush causes an increase in cutaneous vasodilation, or superficial blood flow, by approximately 80%, as well as an increase in sweating by 5 times and an increase in body temperature by 0.4–0.6 ° C. This is comparable to the changes that occur in the body after 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, for example, after riding a bicycle.

The causes of hot flashes have not been studied in detail, but hot flashes have been found to be associated with elevated blood lipids and insulin resistance, both risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

To analyze how exercise affects the development of hot flashes, researchers conducted a study on 21 menopausal women. 14 participants (test group) completed a training program in the gym for 16 weeks, the rest (control group) did not make any changes to their daily routine. During the study, they all completed self-assessment questionnaires regarding the frequency and intensity of hot flashes. The researchers also assessed the frequency and intensity of hot flashes in women by placing them in hot water to induce hot flashes and record the physiological response to their occurrence. The symptoms of hot flashes described by the participants during the questionnaire coincided with those indicated above. These included skin sweating, flushing, dizziness, and increased blood circulation.

Participants in the test group performed various physical activities – jogging, cycling and other exercises for 30 minutes 3 times a week at the beginning of the study and increased such activities to 45 minutes 5 times a week at the end of the study. After 4 months, scientists assessed the number and intensity of hot flashes in all participants in the study.

The results showed that those who exercised had a decrease in sweating during hot flashes. Blood flow to the skin decreased by 9% in the chest area and 7% in the forearm area.