Getting a stronger core and firmer midsection after 50 can feel like an uphill battle. For personal trainer Deborah Kelly, it certainly did.
Despite spending her career helping other people lose weight and improve their fitness, Kelly found herself struggling with unexpected weight gain, declining energy levels and a growing sense of frustration as she entered perimenopause.
‘For years, I thought I had everything under control, but perimenopause completely changed my body,’ she says. ‘I gained weight in a way I never thought I would.’
Rather than accepting the changes, Kelly decided to understand them.
As a personal trainer, sports massage therapist and weight-loss nutrition specialist, exercise had always been a central part of her life. But perimenopause forced her to rethink many of the strategies that had previously worked.
When she sought medical advice, the solution offered wasn’t what she expected.
‘I was prescribed antidepressants, but I knew it wasn’t depression,’ she says. ‘These were severe symptoms caused by perimenopause.’
Instead, she decided to educate herself.
The process wasn’t easy. There were periods when her motivation disappeared entirely.
‘I was losing the desire to train and, if I’m honest, losing the desire to live life in the way I used to,’ she says.
Even on the hardest days, however, she continued moving. Sometimes that simply meant going for a walk.
‘That small habit made a huge difference.’
How she regained control
Over time, Kelly began rebuilding her health.
Alongside hormone replacement therapy (HRT), she studied nutrition and created a plan that reflected her body’s changing needs.
‘I learned how to reduce calories without feeling deprived and without giving up training,’ she says.
The changes didn’t happen overnight, but they were consistent. Gradually, her energy returned, her confidence improved and her passion for fitness came back.
Today, Kelly says she feels stronger and happier than she has in years.
‘I’m still not exactly where I want to be, but I’m happier with myself than I’ve been in a very long time.’
Why exercise matters even more after 50
For Kelly, training during perimenopause isn’t about aesthetics alone.
Research shows that regular exercise can help support mood, cardiovascular health, bone density and muscle retention during menopause and beyond.
Maintaining muscle mass becomes particularly important because age-related muscle loss accelerates during this stage of life. Some estimates suggest women can lose up to 10% of their muscle mass during the menopausal transition if strength training isn’t prioritised.
But when it comes to abdominal training specifically, Kelly believes many women make the same mistake.
‘People try to train their core the same way they did in their thirties,’ she says. ‘It’s not about doing endless crunches. It’s about training the core more effectively and understanding how your body responds now.’
The 3 core exercises she recommends
According to Kelly, these exercises help strengthen the trunk, improve stability and target the lower abdominal region without placing excessive stress on the body.
The dead bug is one of Kelly’s favourite exercises for teaching core stability.
Lying on your back while holding a light dumbbell, you slowly coordinate opposite arm and leg movements while keeping your core engaged throughout.
‘It’s a brilliant exercise because it teaches the body how to stabilise properly,’ she says.
2. Toe tap
Also performed lying on your back, toe taps involve lowering your feet towards the floor in a controlled manner while maintaining tension through the core.
It may look simple, but Kelly says the exercise requires a surprising amount of control.
‘If you perform it correctly, you’ll feel your entire lower abdominal region working.’
3. Weighted leg extension
This variation increases the challenge by adding external resistance.
The goal is to extend the legs while keeping the core braced and avoiding excessive arching through the lower back.
‘It’s one of my favourites because it combines strength and control,’ Kelly says.
The real secret is consistency
Kelly recommends performing 20 repetitions of each exercise for three sets, repeating the circuit five times, three days per week.
But she believes the most important factor isn’t the programme itself. It’s consistency.
‘The thing that helped me most was refusing to give up,’ she says. ‘Even when I wasn’t seeing results, I kept going.’
Her message to women navigating perimenopause and menopause is simple: your body may change, but that doesn’t mean progress is impossible.
‘We can still feel strong, capable and confident at any age,’ she says. ‘It’s not about becoming who we used to be. It’s about becoming the best version of ourselves now.
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Marina Salamanca Blanco, digital fitness writer for Womans Health, analyzes and shares the latest trends in the sector. Graduated in Journalism from the Complutense University of Madrid, her passion for sports has led her to specialize in this area, becoming a reference for those looking for up-to-date and reliable information on training, well-being and an active lifestyle.
All her life she has been linked to the world of basketball, allowing her to meet first-hand numerous experts in training and physiotherapy specialized in women. Thanks to this experience, their approach is comprehensive and rigorous, combining practical and theoretical knowledge to provide useful and quality content.