Wondering how to lose excess weight? This is the best workout plan for women over 40, so you can finally see results.
One of the most common questions we get asked by women over 40 is: “What’s the best workout plan to drop a dress size as a woman over 40?”
We’ve worked with so many women over forty who felt stuck because they didn’t know what type of workouts would work for them. They were trying all the things which used to work in their 20s and 30s: HIIT workouts, spinning, online gym classes, dog walking, jogging and swimming. Yet after a long week of exercising, they’d step on the scales and see zero movement.
And when you’re not seeing results it’s very hard to stay motivated.
Women’s bodies and hormones start to change as they get older, which can make it easier to gain weight. It also makes it harder to lose it again with normal methods of exercise.
But with the right workout plan? You can quickly and easily get the scales moving, drop a couple of dress sizes and feel incredible wearing anything you like in as little as 12 weeks!
In today’s blog, we’re going to reveal the best exercises for women over forty so you can do exactly that! You can also listen to this blog as a podcast.
There is no one best exercise for women over 40
It’s more about the type of exercise you’re doing which is right for you, your body and your goals. For example, cardio, HIIT, and strength training all work for a certain goal. But not many work well for women over 40 looking to lose weight.
For women over 40, significant changes happen physiologically. Your sensitivity to the stress hormone cortisol increases with age, and this increases 3 times more for women than for men.
So, if cortisol levels are too high, it makes losing weight very difficult. It can cause:
- Leptin resistance: Causes increased cravings and not feeling full even after eating
- Insulin resistance: Makes it harder to lose weight, especially from around the middle
- Thyroid deregulation: Slows your metabolism down, meaning you have to eat a lot less to lose weight
All of which make it much harder to avoid gaining weight, let alone lose weight.
Plus, changes in the female sex hormones oestrogen and progesterone start to happen, even years before clinical menopause. This can lead to:
- Joint aches and pains
- Mobility issues
These are both made worse if you are carrying a bit of extra weight, as it puts more load on the joints and causes more inflammation.
Additionally, muscle mass and bone density decreases with age (if you don’t do anything to counteract it). This can lead to:
- Feeling less toned and more flabby
- Having less shape to your body
- Feeling weaker, having poorer balance and less energetic
- Osteoporosis
- A slower metabolism
Therefore the best type of exercise must do 3 things:
- Keep cortisol levels low to moderate, as this blocks weight loss
- Not overload the joints, as this will quickly lead to injury
- Maintain muscle mass and bone density, to keep your metabolism high and maintain your health
This rules out a lot of exercises, such as long distance cardio or HIIT training. This exercise is great for improving cardiovascular fitness, but it also reduces muscle mass, makes you flabbier and can be high impact too.
So, what is best?
In our experience, low-impact strength training (LIST training) is by far the most effective training for women over 40. This involves slow, controlled movements with body weight or moderate weights.
The benefits are huge. It keeps stress on the body low, meaning your body stays in an optimum state for losing weight. Plus, it actively builds muscle which tones you up all over, reduces bingo wings, flattens your stomach AND increases your metabolism! This means you can eat more and still lose weight easily.
Plus, LIST training is very efficient. Our clients only train 3 times a week for 40-45 minutes and they often lose 1-2 stone in 12 weeks!
