{"id":163097,"date":"2025-06-06T13:58:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-06T13:58:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/163097\/"},"modified":"2025-06-06T13:58:13","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T13:58:13","slug":"fight-menopausal-weight-gain-with-these-five-trainer-approved-exercises-to-build-a-body-that-supports-you-through-every-stage-of-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/163097\/","title":{"rendered":"Fight menopausal weight gain with these five trainer-approved exercises to \u201cbuild a body that supports you through every stage of life\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re struggling with <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fitandwell.com\/features\/does-menopause-cause-weight-gain\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.fitandwell.com\/features\/does-menopause-cause-weight-gain\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">menopausal weight gain<\/a> despite not changing your diet or exercise routine, you\u2019re not alone. Many of my personal training clients have recently voiced the same frustration.<\/p>\n<p>To understand what\u2019s happening\u2014and what women can do about it\u2014I spoke to menopause expert, certified personal trainer and founder of the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.owningyourmenopause.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.owningyourmenopause.com\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" rel=\"noopener\">Owning Your Menopause<\/a> app <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/katerh_fitness\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/katerh_fitness\/?hl=en\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" rel=\"noopener\">Kate Rowe-Ham<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs estrogen drops, it impacts how you store fat, especially around your middle. You also naturally lose muscle, which slows metabolism.<\/p>\n<p>You may like<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut it\u2019s not just hormones. Common menopause symptoms like poor sleep, anxiety and hot flushes can raise cortisol\u2014your stress hormone\u2014which tells your body to hang onto fat, particularly around your belly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo even if nothing\u2019s changed in your routine, everything has changed inside your body. It\u2019s not your fault. It\u2019s time to shift how you support your body through this phase, with strength, nourishment and rest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rowe-Ham has created a five-move strength training workout to \u201cbuild a body that supports us through every stage of life\u201d. Here\u2019s how to do it.<\/p>\n<p>How to do the menopause strength workout<\/p>\n<p><strong>The moves:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">Start your week with achievable workout ideas, health tips and wellbeing advice in your inbox.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Squat<\/li>\n<li>Push press<\/li>\n<li>Toe taps<\/li>\n<li>Cossack squat<\/li>\n<li>Bent-over row<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>All you need for this workout are light and medium sets of dumbbells. Rowe-Ham recommends 5-8kg but choose weights to suit your fitness level.<\/p>\n<p>Perform 12-14 repetitions in round one, 10-12 repetitions in round two and 8-10 repetitions in round three. Go lighter with your weights on the last two rounds and do the toe taps for 30 seconds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI chose these moves as they offer a way to train the whole body and include functional movement that is key as we navigate midlife and beyond,\u201d says Rowe-Ham.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe want to look at exercise as a way of staying independent for as long as possible and being able to carry out day-to-day tasks with confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Why is strength training important during perimenopause and menopause?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor women in midlife and beyond, strength training isn\u2019t just about maintaining or losing weight. It\u2019s about building a body that supports us through every stage of life,\u201d says Rowe-Ham.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs we age and our estrogen declines, so does our muscle mass and bone density. That decline can lead to weakness, instability and a higher risk of falls and fractures without intervention.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut strength training gives us back that control. It\u2019s one of the most powerful tools to future-proof our bodies. It helps us stay independent, energetic and capable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor women navigating perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause, it also supports better hormone balance, metabolism and mental well-being.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;ve seen firsthand how transformative it can be in my clients and in my own journey. It\u2019s never too late to start.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd it\u2019s not just about lifting weights in a gym. Strength can be built at home with bodyweight, resistance bands or even carrying your shopping with intention.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we train for strength, we\u2019re not just changing our bodies, we\u2019re changing how we move through the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you\u2019re struggling with menopausal weight gain despite not changing your diet or exercise routine, you\u2019re not alone.&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":163098,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4322],"tags":[1630,105,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-163097","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-fitness","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114636777576406147","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=163097"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163097\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/163098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=163097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=163097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=163097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}