The Best Exercise Routine for Fat Loss and Lean Muscle in Menopause [Ep 40]

In this episode, host Lisa DuPree breaks down the most effective exercise strategy for women over 50 looking to burn fat and build lean muscle, especially through menopause. Drawing from her own experience, Lisa explains why traditional workout routines might stop working and introduces a smarter, targeted approach that includes strength training, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and low-impact steady state cardio (LISS).

Walk away with practical tips to build strength, boost metabolism, and protect your bones—no matter your current fitness level. Plus, Lisa shares an exciting opportunity to join her upcoming free 5-day mini-course, "The Midlife Mojo Jumpstart," designed to help women in midlife take their health and wellness to the next level. Whether you’re new to exercise or have been active for years, this episode offers actionable insights for a strong and healthy midlife. 

Episode Highlights
[00:00] Introduction to Menopause-Specific Exercise 
[02:17] The Three-Part Exercise Formula 
[03:03] Strength Training Benefits and Tips
[05:12] Why High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Works 
[07:10] Low-Impact Steady-State Cardio (LISS) for Endurance
[08:34] Importance of Recovery and Sleep
[09:15] Exciting Announcement: Free Mini-Course for Women Over 50

Mentioned in this episode: Why Strength Training is Essential for Women Over 50 [Ep 39]

Thanks for listening!

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Transcript

[00:00:00] When it comes to fat loss and muscle building and menopause, it's not just about exercising more. It's really about being smarter and more strategic with how you're exercising. Because our hormones are shifting at this stage of life, our bodies may not respond to the same routines that used to work in our 20s You know, that's a bummer.

[00:00:20] However, it is absolutely possible to lose fat and build muscle, no matter what age we are, it just requires a slightly different approach at this stage of the game.

[00:00:35] Welcome to Midlife Mojo, the podcast all about how to be fit and flourish in your fifties with me, your host with over 25 years of experience in the health, fitness, and wellness industry, Lisa DuPree. We'll be talking about all the things that support living life to the fullest. Let's dive in. 

[00:01:00] Hello. Hello. And welcome back. Today we're talking about something I get a lot of questions about, and that's what's the best way to exercise to burn fat and build lean muscle after 50 and after menopause. I know firsthand how challenging this can be. When I hit my own midlife transition, going from perimenopause to menopause, the workout routines that I've been doing for years just were no longer delivering the results.

[00:01:24] My body just wasn't responding the same way. So today I'm going to talk about how to put together an exercise routine so that you feel strong, energized, and confident. I'm going to share specific types of workouts that are most effective for women over 50 to burn fat and build lean muscle. So whether you have been active for several decades, or you are just getting back into a routine or just getting started, this episode is going to give you some really practical information and tips you can use right away.

[00:01:57] Let's dive right in. When it comes to fat loss and muscle building and menopause, it's not just about exercising more. It's really about being smarter and more strategic with how you're exercising because our hormones are shifting at this stage of life. Our bodies may not respond to the same routines that used to work in our twenties and thirties.

[00:02:17] And you know, that's a bummer. However, it is absolutely possible to lose fat and build muscle, no matter what age we are. It just requires a slightly different approach at this stage of the game. So getting right into it, what is the best type of exercise to do this? Well, it's a combination of three powerful workout modalities.

[00:02:42] Those are strength training, high intensity interval training, and low impact steady state training. So I'll break each of those down. First, I'm going to go to strength training because if you've been listening to the podcast or following me for a while, you know that I'm a very strong advocate for this type of exercise, especially for women.

[00:03:03] And even more so for women over 50. There's a lot of reasons along with a lot of scientific evidence that backs this up. I take a deeper dive into why strength training is essential during menopause in episode 39. So I'll put a link in the show notes if you want to go to that and check out that episode to learn why strength training is just a non-negotiable for women over 50.

[00:03:29] One of the most important reasons Is that strength training helps build lean muscle, but it also boosts your metabolism, which tends to slow down as we age and our estrogen levels start dropping. The more muscle that you have, the more calories your body consumes overall, even at rest. It also improves your bone density because you are putting extra good stress on your bones, your ligaments, your tendons, and that promotes bone health and protects against osteoporosis.

[00:04:03] Now, you don't need to lift super heavy weights to get the benefits. Bodyweight exercises like lunges, squats, push ups are a great place to start. Those build strength. Once you have built strength and you are comfortable with those, you can add dumbbells or resistance bands to your routine. Those kind of things are what give you a little bit more intensity.

[00:04:26] And then you can also work out in the gym if you like being in the gym. In fact, for me, I really prefer to do a mix of body weight exercises at home as well as doing a variety of machines and free weights in the gym. There are just so many great options and you can keep changing things up, keep challenging yourself, and that leads to continuing to build muscle.

[00:04:50] Just make sure that you have a strong foundation in the basics before moving on to more complex moves and adding a lot of extra weight. You want to make sure that you are doing the exercises effectively with good form and that you're doing them safely. Aim to train about two to three times per week all the major muscle groups.

[00:05:12] So think legs, arms, chest, back, core. Next step is interval training. More specifically, high intensity interval training, which is also known as HIT for short. This type of exercise consists of short bursts of intense effort that really gets your heart pumping, followed by active recovery periods. It should be challenging, but doable.

[00:05:37] I'm talking about breathing heavy, you know, your body is going to be glistening from sweat. So you're continuously moving throughout this type of workout. It's just the intensity level is. is alternating between a higher intensity and a lower intensity. It's fantastic for fat burning because it keeps your metabolism elevated even after your workout is done.

[00:06:00] And the best part is that you get an incredibly effective, efficient workout because a 20 minute HIIT workout done like two to three times a week can really do wonders for overall fat loss. And it also improves your cardiovascular fitness. You can see increases in what we call VO2 max, and that is a measure of how well your body uses oxygen when you're exercising.

[00:06:26] The higher your VO2 max, the better your body is at using oxygen to keep going without getting too tired. So the more fit you are, the higher your VO2 max is. HIIT workouts can be as simple as alternating between a Jogging and walking or walking fast up a hill and then going downhill at a leisurely pace.

[00:06:49] You can also do things like mixing up calisthenic type exercises. Doing a short interval of jumping jacks and then rest, doing a set of burpees and then rest and then mountain climbers and rest. You get the idea. Overall HIIT workouts really give you a lot of benefits for the time and effort that you're putting in.

[00:07:10] It's also pretty accessible because you don't need a lot of equipment. All right, the third element is low impact steady state cardio. And sometimes you'll hear that described as LIS for short. And this type of exercise includes things like brisk walking, riding a bicycle, using machines like the elliptical machine or the stair climber.

[00:07:31] These types of exercises are typically lower intensity, done for longer periods of time. They are generally lower impact and easier on the joints. And this can improve cardiovascular endurance, while also burning calories. and not putting a lot of stress on your body. So the key here with low intensity steady state exercise is to, well, be consistent for one, like that's the key for all of this, but aim for at least 30 minutes, at least 30 minutes of steady state cardio.

[00:08:07] Three to four times a week and go at a pace that's going to increase your breathing rate a bit. You're going to still be able to chat with a friend during your walk. You're just going to need to breathe every sentence or so. And so when you combine these three workout styles, strength training, HIIT and LISS, you have got the winning formula for an overall boost in cardiovascular health plus fat loss.

[00:08:34] I want to touch on a bonus element in this winning formula for losing weight and building muscle over 50, for women especially, and that is recovery. Taking time to recover is just as important as doing the workouts. Our bodies need adequate time to repair and rebuild, especially at this stage. So making sure that you're giving yourself the time 

[00:08:54] to rest that you need and you're incorporating activities that help with recovery like stretching and not skimping on sleep. Prioritizing getting seven to nine hours of sleep every night is an important part of the overall formula because a lot of muscle repair happens in that time that we're sleeping.

[00:09:15] Now I've got an exciting opportunity I want to tell you about. I've been working on this for a little while and in just a few weeks I'm going to be launching a free five day mini course. called the Midlife Mojo Jumpstart. And this mini course is perfect for any woman in her 50s who's looking to take fitness and wellbeing to the next level.

[00:09:35] Over the course of five days, I'll be sharing more evidence-based strategies to help you feel leaner, stronger, and more energized as you finish out this year and head into the new year. We'll be covering simple, actionable steps you can take to eat better, exercise smarter, improve your sleep, and boost your recovery, all so that you can accomplish your goals and feel and look your absolute best.

[00:09:58] And as an added bonus, everyone who signs up will get access to my weekly live office hours. That means you can get personalized coaching and support from me. To help you stay accountable and to get the results you're after registration for this five day free mini course is going to be opening right after Thanksgiving so that you can really finish the year strong and get a jump start on your goals for the new year.

[00:10:23] If you want to get a notification when registration opens, send me an email. To Lisa@LisaDupreeCoaching.com or connect with me on Instagram @LisaDupreeCoaching and send me a message with the word “notify”. And I'll make sure to let you know when that registration opens for the free mini course. To recap the best exercise routine to burn fat and build lean muscle over 50 in menopause is a mix of strength training, high intensity interval training and low impact steady state cardio plus recovery.

[00:10:59] If you're enjoying the Midlife Mojo podcast, be sure to follow the show and leave a review as that helps the podcast reach more women who want to be fit and flourish over 50. And I am looking forward to having you join me in the free five day mini course and getting to meet you in the bonus office hours.

[00:11:16] Thank you for listening. Until next time, get out there and keep your mojo rising.