The secret to ‘dissolving’ belly fat after age 40

After age 40, the body begins to age clearly. Losing weight and belly fat becomes more difficult due to muscle loss, fat accumulation and water retention. However, according to Jill Brown, fitness trainer at Step Aerobics, keeping toned abs in middle age is not as difficult as many people think. If you focus on your core muscles, results will come quickly.

Brown said, losing weight in middle age requires focusing on diet and moderate exercise. Everyone needs to understand about age-related muscle loss, called sarcopenia, which begins around age 30 and occurs in both men and women.

When muscle is lost, metabolism slows down. If a 40 year old person eats the same amount of calories as a 20-30 year old but is sedentary, the body will gain weight and fat will accumulate in the thighs and buttocks. In women, falling estrogen levels during perimenopause, along with chronic stress and elevated cortisol, cause more fat to accumulate in the abdominal area.

According to Brown, diet is more important than exercise in middle age. She emphasized: “Muscles are created in the gym, and abs are created in the kitchen.” Experts agree that diet determines 80% of fat loss effectiveness, while exercise only accounts for 20%.

“To have a slim waist after age 40, nutrition must be a top priority. Practicing planks or crunches regularly does not necessarily help burn fat. But with a specific nutrition plan, prioritizing high-quality protein and strategy weight loss strategy based on calorie deficit, belly fat will gradually disappear,” the female trainer explained. When the body eats fewer calories than it needs, excess fat will be used to create energy, thereby being consumed.

Still, Brown emphasizes that exercise is still necessary to build abs or any muscle group. People over 40 should focus on core exercises, because the more muscle mass, the more effective it is to stay in shape. Muscle helps increase your resting metabolic rate (RMR), compensating for age-related metabolic decline. The higher the RMR, the more calories the body burns each day.

Cardio exercises are effective when they make the practitioner sweat. However, gentle forms of exercise such as walking or jogging at a steady pace do not build muscle, but still aid in burning calories.

The biggest challenges when exercising in middle age are frustration, exhaustion, and a higher risk of injury due to aging. Brown advises: “Ask yourself how important it is to have strong abs. If you don’t have favorable genetics, you will have to put in a lot of effort. Do you want abs just for beauty, or for health?” Strong?”.

Some people have subcutaneous fat, located above the muscle, which is not dangerous to their health. But visceral fat, which surrounds organs, can cause chronic disease such as heart disease, stroke, dementia and even premature death. Reducing visceral fat through diet and exercise can improve both types of fat.

Ultimately, Brown emphasizes that losing fat isn’t the hardest part. Maintaining results and preventing fat from accumulating again requires more effort. To have long lasting toned abs, permanent lifestyle and habit changes are needed, rather than just following short-term 60 or 90 day weight loss programs.