40+ wanting to get fit - any advice?

[LlamaNoDrama]

I want to get fit and lose weight. I've put on 3/4 stone in the last few years and need to lose it. Last time I was fit I was doing regular hiit and running (the running never helped with weight loss but kept my cardio fitness up).

Now I'm probably peri menopausal and watch too much insta! I keep seeing things about high cortisol? Over 40s shouldn't do x y z and I'm just getting confused with the best approach to take.

I did buy some weights so was planning on focussing on strength workouts is that ok?

Can someone done speak some senses to me! Thanks.

I recently joined HasFit through their app and am working my way through their 90 day Menopause programme. It's not expensive (£45 ish for a year) but you may hate the way they work, so check out their free videos on their YouTube channel first. I really enjoy their strength training workouts, and their emphasis on working to your own abilities, but pushing yourself. I did a 30 min hiit workout the other day and loved it. I'd like to do it again but I've promised myself I'd follow the full 90 day programme first. I have to say that after just a couple of weeks, I can feel a real difference (which you will feel, irrespective of what workout programme you follow - it's the discipline that works really).

It's actually a lot simpler than Insta influencers rubbish on about.

For middle-aged women:

• Calorie deficit - but only 250-300 kCals a day - not huge!
• Up your regular everyday exercise eg steps walked. Get rid of your car! I average around 15k steps each day - it's great
• Up your protein intake
• Cut white carbs & rubbish food
• Drink about 2 litres of water a day
• Take up some sort of weight-bearing/resistance exercise that you enjoy - I discovered standard powerlifting at 58 and it's fabulous! I now lift heavy shit off the floor weekly

I really like the weight lifting programming of MegSquats. James Smith PT on Instagram talks sense although his style is er ... hmmmm

Slow and steady, build in changes that you can manage and then add to them, people fail when they go in guns blazing, change everything and burn themselves out!
Increase your steps as a basic, whatever you are doing now, try to increase it by 1000 a day to start with, get outside if you can as it makes such a difference, however I do have a treadmill which means I can get a few steps in when dinner is cooking for example
Strength training is good, I do go to the gym but following some you tube videos at home will be a good start
Cut the snacks and cook fresh where you can
I found that once I started making small changes I felt so much better about myself and now I'm back to running etc after a longer break than I should have had!

I'm 54 and have recently done this.

Starting weight on 1st Feb 13:12, I'm 5'7.
Current weight 10:10.

So just over 3st lost.

End January I joined a gym and do CrossFit twice a week.
From March started walking more steps, an extra 5k per day.
Also downloaded the couch to 10k app.

I did fast800 for 12 weeks, then moved to counting calories around 1200-1400.
Cut out the majority of processed carbs.

Now aiming to maintain.

I feel so much better and fitter, healthy bmi and clothes fit or are loose. Also managed to run a 10k race a few weeks back.

It was quite a lot to do but I just couldn't carry on how I was and needed some results to come quickly!

I think it's always really hard to use willpower alone - otherwise we'd all be eating the right things and exercising daily without any issue! With this in mind, I find accountability around exercise is what keeps me at it. I do a bootcamp class twice a week (when calendar allows), yoga weekly, see a PT fortnightly, and try to walk with friends at least once a week (this is more a social thing, but we're fast walkers, so there is some exercise benefit!). Most of what I do requires someone else to be there, and I don't want to let them down (and they feel the same way), so if one of us commits, we're there.

I've been quite interested in the Zoe research since their work during Covid, and listen to their podcasts which has encouraged me to be more mindful about my eating - I try (and often fail, but every day's a new day!) to reduce my consumption of UPFs, have incorporated some fasting, so now only eat breakfast if I've worked out, and try to eat a good variety of fresh fruit and veg each week (Zoe advocates 30 different fruit/veg/seeds/nuts/herbs a week which isn't as difficult as it initially sounds!).

This combination has helped me lose about 4kg/7lbs this year (and I'm not huge - 5'7" and started at about 70kg, now about 66kg), without really feelign any kind of deprivation. And when my diet is going really well, I feel really good, plus the exercise keeps my energy levels up. This does help encourage me to keep striving to improve and make better choices (but also be kind and realistic with myself, so I'm not going to beat myself up over those peanut M&Ms, or having cakes in the office).

You could try the Own Your Menopause app. Loads of workouts on there including beginners strength sessions.

Fluidform also has a menopause programme (and loads more).

I got fit again from a very low post-pregnancy base from walking and short post-natal pilates videos, then layered in strength (with weights) and running when I felt ready across months. I was in my 30s then and kind of blundered with what worked around family life, but it turns out to be a good base for my 40s.

Little and often is the best approach for starting. It's more managable for the body to adjust to and more managable to fit in and create routines by doing short bursts.

For long term functional fitness you need strength, flexibility and to get your heart rate up. In the early days, yoga/ pilates will cover bodyweight strength 2 in 1, and strength and flexibility tend to work together anyway.

For diet, reduce carbs (focus on smaller portions of better quality, less refined carbs) increased plants and increased proteins.