With a Master of Science in Dietetics and Exercise Science, 11 years of experience in fitness, and 5 years in nutrition, Hollee Mohni is a professional dedicated to improving individuals' health and confidence through sustainable habits.
As we age, maintaining a slim figure becomes more difficult. We start to pack on the pounds in places we never did before, and one of those places is often the belly.
It’s not a coincidence that so many people struggle with their weight as they age. This is because as we grow older, our metabolism starts to slow down and we lose muscle mass. This makes it harder to lose weight and keep it off.
However, there are some things you can do to fight back, one of which is exercise. Exercise is a great way to boost your metabolism and build muscle. Therefore, it’s particularly important as you get older.
In this article, we’ll share three of the best exercises for losing belly fat after 50. These exercises are also designed to help you burn more fat, build muscle, and improve your overall health.
Getting rid of belly fat after the age of 50 requires adopting a holistic approach. This involves a combination of regular exercise, a balanced diet, and making any necessary lifestyle changes needed to succeed in this goal.
Some of the key points to consider when working toward losing belly fat after 50 include:
Therefore, a combination of regular exercise, a healthy diet, proper hydration, sufficient sleep, and stress management are the key components to effectively combating belly fat and reducing your waistline after the age of 50.
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Losing belly fat after the age of 50 requires a strategic and varied exercise routine that targets both cardiovascular health and muscle strength. The three most common types of exercise that successfully target belly fat are:
These exercise styles will help you burn calories, enhance metabolism, and promote overall well-being.
Let’s take a closer look at these three exercise clusters.
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
HIIT involves short bursts of intense activity followed by brief periods of rest or lower-intensity exercise. This approach is efficient for burning calories during exercise and contributes to an increased calorie burn for up to 24 hours post-exercise. It also improves cardiovascular health. HIIT exercises include:
Strength Training
Strength training is essential for building lean muscle mass, which contributes to a more efficient metabolism. It also helps tone and tighten the abdominal muscles. Exercises for strength training include:
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercises focus on sustained, rhythmic activities that elevate the heart rate and promote fat burning. These exercises are excellent for overall cardiovascular health. Types of aerobic exercise include:
Read more: Is The Japanese Towel Exercise an Effective Way to Burn Belly Fat?
HIIT is a type of exercise that alternates between short bursts of high-intensity activity and longer periods of low-intensity activity. This type of workout has been proven to be effective for fat loss, especially in older adults.
HIIT is particularly helpful when you’re trying to lose belly fat. This is because it helps you burn more calories in a shorter amount of time, in addition to building muscle (10). Muscle is more metabolically active than fat, so it helps you burn more calories even when you’re at rest.
Structuring an HIIT workout is simple. You can do it with any type of cardio exercise, such as walking, running, biking, or rowing. Just make sure to alternate between periods of high intensity and low intensity. For example, you could walk for 2 minutes at a moderate pace, then jog for a minute at a faster pace.
Due to the intense nature of HIIT, it’s important to start slowly and increase the intensity gradually. If you’re new to HIIT, you should start with workouts that are 20 minutes or less. Also, make sure you give yourself plenty of rest between HIIT sessions.
Strength training is another great type of exercise for people who are trying to lose belly fat as it helps build muscle. As previously mentioned, muscle is more metabolically active than fat (16).
In one study, people who did strength training 3 times a week for 12 weeks lost more visceral fat (the harmful belly fat) than those who didn’t do strength training.
A key part of effective strength training is using the correct exercises. Exercises that work your whole body are most effective for fat loss. Such exercises include squats, deadlifts, push-ups, presses, rows, and pull-ups.
It’s important to note that you can’t spot-reduce fat from your belly with strength training. However, as you build muscle throughout your body, you’ll also tone your belly. Some specific exercises that target the abdominal muscles and help tone the belly include burpees, crunches, planks, and side bends.
To get started with strength training, we recommend working with a personal trainer or coach. They can help you create a workout plan that’s tailored to your specific goals.
Aerobic exercise is any type of activity that gets your heart rate up and makes you breathe harder. Walking, jogging, biking, swimming, and dancing are all excellent examples of aerobic exercise.
In addition, aerobic exercise is important for your overall health (11) and it’s also helpful when you’re trying to lose belly fat. This is because aerobic exercise helps you burn calories and reduce visceral fat.
Aerobic exercises are generally low impact in comparison to other types of exercise, which makes them a good choice for those who are trying to lose belly fat after 50.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise every week. This translates to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise 5 days a week (12).
Incorporating activities such as walking and stair climbing into your daily routine is a great way to get aerobic exercise. This is particularly important if you don’t have time for a structured workout.
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Losing belly fat after 50 is more difficult than it is at other ages for several reasons, including:
After the age of 50, both men and women experience a natural slowdown in metabolism. This makes it more difficult to lose weight and keep it off as fewer calories are burned throughout the day (3).
As women enter perimenopause and menopause, hormonal changes can also make it more difficult for them to lose weight, particularly around the belly (7).
With age, we tend to lose muscle mass, particularly if we are sedentary, which can further slow down metabolism and make it harder to lose weight and keep it off (3).
Poor sleep is associated with an increased risk of weight gain and obesity (17), and it can be particularly hard to get quality sleep as we age. Some research has found that poor sleep can lead to changes in hormones, making it more difficult to lose belly fat.
Both work-related and home-related stress can contribute to weight gain (8) and managing stress as we age can be particularly hard.
Fortunately, there are some things you can do to lose belly fat after 50:
Exercise is one of the best ways to lose weight and keep it off, and it’s particularly important as we age. The 3 types of exercise for belly fat loss mentioned earlier are all great choices.
Many people ask, “what is the best exercise to lose belly fat after 50?” The truth is, there’s no one exercise that’s best for getting rid of belly fat. A combination of aerobic exercise and strength training is actually the most effective way.
You should choose exercises you enjoy and can fit into your schedule, and try to make working out a part of your daily routine.
Making healthy dietary changes is also important for weight loss, particularly as we age.
You should:
In addition to exercise and diet, there are other lifestyle changes you can make to lose weight and keep it off, including:
Making lifestyle changes can be tough, but it’s worth it if you’re looking to lose weight and keep it off.
Intermittent fasting is a popular weight loss method and it can be helpful for those over 50 (13).
With intermittent fasting, you cycle between periods of eating and fasting. There are many different ways of doing this, but the most common method is to fast for 16 hours and eat for 8 hours (16:8). This could mean skipping breakfast and only eating lunch and dinner, or fasting overnight and eating during the day.
Intermittent fasting can help boost weight loss by reducing your overall caloric intake and reducing your appetite. It’s also been shown to have other health benefits, including reducing inflammation and improving brain health (13).
If you’re interested in trying intermittent fasting, you should consult your doctor to make sure it’s safe for you.
If you’re struggling to lose weight, you may want to try a weight loss supplement. There are many different supplements on the market, but not all of them are effective.
Some popular weight loss supplements include:
When you purchase a weight loss supplement, make sure you read the label carefully to find out whether it’s safe for you and that it contains ingredients that are proven to help with weight loss.
You should bear in mind that even the most concentrated and “pure” forms of these supplements may not be effective if you don’t make other lifestyle changes too. Therefore, make sure you combine them with a healthy diet and exercise program.
Read more: 24 Weight Loss Smoothies, 2 Diet Plans, and 5 Belly Fat Smoothie Secrets
In simple terms, yes, walking helps with fat reduction. However, if you’re wondering how to lose weight after 50, incorporating it with other activities will only increase the effectiveness of walking:
– Walking can contribute to overall fat loss, including belly fat, by creating a calorie deficit.
– It engages abdominal muscles, which promotes core strength and toning.
– Regular walking supports cardiovascular health, aiding with weight management.
Some of the best ways to get rid of a hanging belly include:
There are no foods that specifically burn belly fat, but here are common foods that are consumed by lean individuals:
If you’re wondering how you can speed up your metabolism after 50, including these foods in a balanced diet can contribute to the reduction of belly fat when combined with a caloric deficit.
If you’ve been wondering why you can’t get rid of belly fat despite exercising, the following could be the problem:
Addressing your diet and exercise consistency and variety, and managing stress and sleep can enhance the effectiveness of an exercise routine for reducing belly fat.
If you’re over 50 and looking to lose belly fat, exercise and healthy diet changes are key. You should try doing HIIT, strength training, and aerobic exercises, which are all great exercises for losing belly fat after 50.
However, there’s no one exercise or food that will magically target your belly fat. By making lifestyle changes and incorporating the exercises for belly fat loss mentioned earlier, you’ll be well on your way to a slimmer waistline.
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