how to lose belly fat fast after menopause

happy 2021, ladies! it’s a new year filled with 365 possibilities. okay, today is the third of January, so we only have 363 more opportunities to live a happy and healthy life. and i love to emphasize healthy because there are so many myths about aging. of course, we’re not benjamin buttons aging backward or staying forever young. the clock is ticking for each and every one of us. for me, it’s not about looking younger but looking and feeling my best. there are so many things we can do to take care of our body both inside and out that make aging a journey, not a chore. if we exercise regularly, nourish our skin, and fuel our body properly, then we can defy the years. and we can learn how to lose belly fat fast after menopause. it’s a myth that aging and weight gain go hand in hand.

today, i thought i’d kick off the new year with five healthy lifestyle habits that we can adopt in 2021. i’m not reinventing the wheel or sharing a brand new secret that will revolutionize your life. no, it’s always about the basics with me whether it’s my wardrobe or lifestyle. but the basics work when incorporated day in and day out. and it’s never too late to change bad habits that have crept into our lives. we can start being the best version of ourselves today. it all begins with self-care. take baby steps if you have to. the point is to never give up. start with a simple question. “how can i honor my body today.” ladies, we can age with grace, strength, and beauty at age fifty and beyond. it’s our choice to make.

how to lose belly fat fast after menopause

after the age of fifty things begin to change in our bodies. fifty-one is the average age of menopause. once we hit postmenopausal (twelve months without menstruating) we produce less estrogen and are at a greater risk of osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and depression. which is why it’s more important than ever to take care of our bones, stay active, eat right, train our brain, get enough sleep, have a healthy gut, and treat our skin with kindness. for half a century or more, we’ve earned confidence and wisdom that comes along with aging. now it’s time to enjoy every minute of it. healthy habits will help us live our happiest days.

age 59 before FASTer Way to Fat Loss

nutrition

while this blog’s primary focus is on fashion if there’s one thing i’ve learned it’s that no outfit will look good if the person wearing it isn’t healthy. for the past three years, January 2018 to be exact i’ve supported a program that teaches women and men how to achieve a healthy lifestyle with proper nutrition and exercise. why do i keep sharing FASTer Way to Fat Loss? because it works. it’s not a program with pre-packaged foods that you buy for a month, stick to religiously, then go back to your old habits. slimming down starts with our mouth. so we need to make cleaning up our diet a top priority. FASTer Way to Fat Loss will do just that. yes, we can learn how to lose belly fat fast after menopause. FWTFL teaches how to incorporate intermittent fasting, carb cycling, and exercise into your life. 

for the past fifty years, we’ve been told to cut calories and exercise more. right?! wrong. while exercise is key to staying active, our diet is the most important factor in aging well. if i’ve said it once, i’ve said it a million times you can’t out-exercise a poor diet. it took me sixty years to let that one fact sink in. and we’ve also been fed a lie that it’s natural to gain weight as we age. especially fat around our mid-section. while it’s easy to gain weight after the age of fifty it isn’t impossible to lose it. if you are interested in how to lose belly fat fast after menopause and improving your eating habits, the next round of FASTer Way to Fat Loss begins monday, January 4th. 

What will you get when you join the FASTer Way to Fat Loss? 

• All program materials for $199, to accelerate your success in the FASTer Way.
• A low monthly membership fee of $99, after the first six weeks.
• LIVE training to set you up for success.
• Weekly workout plans that include low impact, home, and gym workouts.
• Community group with certified FASTer Way community specialists for daily accountability, training, and support.
• Meal plan and recipe guide to assist you in the FASTer Way.
• Nutrition recommendations with a focus on whole food nutrition, balanced macros, intermittent fasting, carb cycling, and effective workouts to transform your life.
• Options to pause or cancel your membership at any time.
• FASTer Way to Fat Loss app

me age 62

exercise

exercise benefits our bones, muscles, and heart. staying physically active also keeps our brains young. the hippocampus (the part of the brain associated with memory) shrinks as we age, leading to cognitive impairment. but research shows that exercise can lead to an increase in the hippocampus even if it’s only a forty-minute brisk walk several times a week. but we should incorporate three types of exercise into our routine for optimal health:

strength training to develop our muscles and increase our bone density, which is critical for the prevention of osteoporosis. the more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism becomes. strengthening your muscles surrounding and supporting joints will prevent injuries. stronger muscles better hold your joints in position. many of you ask how i can wear heels at the age of sixty-two. it’s simple – weight training, which keeps my legs strong. if you don’t use your muscles, you will lose them. so go pump some weights.

cardio exercise gets our hearts pumping and large muscle groups working. cardio exercises our hearts and can also help lower blood pressure. regular physical activity can also help lower blood sugar and help regulate insulin levels. and it can help boost your mood. there’s nothing better than a sweaty workout to get those endorphins flowing. ’nuff said.

low impact workouts like yoga or pilates help increase our flexibility and posture, which leads to better balance. both are wonderful exercises to incorporate for toning and strengthening all of the muscle groups. now that’s a win/win because we all want to avoid falls at this stage of the game.

sleep

good night sleep is one of the most important yet overlooked components of our health and well-being. did you know that sleep is connected to losing weight? poor sleep is connected with glucose intolerance and insulin resistance. if we want to lose belly fat fast after menopause, we need to concentrate on getting seven to eight hours of sleep each night. we need those eight hours to help our bodies and brains to recharge, and our muscles recover. listen to your circadian rhythm and establish a realistic bedtime and stick to it. leave your screen behind. that’s right, put away your phone, tablet, computer, and television at least one hour prior to bedtime. don’t let them into the bedroom. abstain from caffeine or alcohol several hours prior to bedtime. and maintain a comfortable temperature and low light levels.

brain health

y’all know i take my health seriously. and that includes mental health too. but did you know that our physical health is directly tied to our cognitive health? exercise is key not only for our bodies but our brains when it comes to aging with grace, strength, and beauty. exercise improves our blood flow and memory. it also stimulates chemical changes in the brain that enhance learning, mood, and thinking. you’ve heard it before: healthy body, healthy mind. we also need to stay connected. leading an active social life can help protect against memory loss.

there are also many things we can today to reduce our risks that impact both our long and short-term memory. brain health activities like crossword puzzles are good for us. so take a moment out of your day and solve those puzzles! mental exercises promote new brain cell growth.

nutrition is key as well. foods rich in antioxidants can help fend off the harmful effects of oxidation in our brain. 

skincare

after the age of fifty, our skin can lose radiance and plumpness due to loss of collagen. and we can notice the appearance of sunspots and creepy skin. so it’s time to take action. adding a hydroxy or glycolic acid cleanser or cream helps to brighten our skin and improve the appearance of fine lines. vitamin C, Retin A, or a retinol can also help. great skin is not simply based on DNA. our daily habits have a big impact on what we see in the mirror. and that means incorporating a skincare routine. it is our largest organ after all so it needs some TLC just like our brain and our heart. and it needs protection against pollution, the sun, the cold, and even germs. who has been washing their hands more frequently the past year? exactly! adopting a skincare routine doesn’t have to be complicated. simply incorporating sunscreen, cleanser, moisturizer, serums, and toners will get you up and running.

don’t overlook a yearly visit to your dermatologist to check for any abnormalities that can lead to skin cancer. last week i had a cyst removed that came back benign. staying on top of my skincare prompted me to have it looked at in the first place. and the dermatologist has lots of non-surgical treatments available to plump up our collagen like micro-needling and laser treatments to remove sunspots. as a matter of fact, i’m scheduled for both treatments this week. i’ll share all the deets in a future post.

okay, ladies, are you ready to stay fit and active in the coming year? let me know your plans and actions in the comments below. cheers to a healthy, happy, and prosperous new year!

Beth Djalali

is the Founder and CEO of Style at a Certain Age. She writes Sundays-Fridays on all topics ranging from fashion, health, wellness, home design and more.

She’s 65, 5’8, and size 8.

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