The ‘middle aged spread’ is real. Weight gain – particularly around the middle – the stomach – is common as you grow older. It’s a natural part of ageing – but not one you need to sit idly by and accept.

What is the Middle Aged Spread?

Hormones in both men and women begin to fluctuate as you age, preventing you from holding on to as much muscle mass as you did when you were younger. Your metabolism slows down and the amount of energy you can burn decreases. 

Burning less calories = more weight gain. 

Fat building up around your abdominal area is a big cause of concern, and it’s often associated with cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. That’s why it’s so important to burn it away!

With an active lifestyle and a healthy diet, you can fight the fat around the middle. 

It all starts with the right exercises and training regime. 

Types of Exercise 

There’s more to a flat stomach than crunches and sit ups! Simply doing these exercises alone might get you those abs you dream of, but they’ll be hiding behind that layer of belly fat you forgot to target.

First of all, focus on combining cardiovascular and strength training every time you work out:

1. Prioritise cardiovascular training  

The main way to target that belly fat is to increase the amount of calories you burn. If your body is slowing down the energy it burns naturally, you need to compensate for that. 

Focus on CV training as the biggest part of your training regime. This could be anything from running or cycling to rowing or swimming, as long as you perform the activity for at least 20 minutes, 3-5 days a week. 

To prevent boredom, alternate between activities during the week, or join in aerobic classes such as boxing, HIIT or Zumba.

Cardio encourages your body to burn away excess fat, and although there isn’t a way to specifically target your belly fat, your whole body will be given a great workout.
 

2. But don’t neglect strength training

Building muscle mass helps burn more calories on a day-to-day basis, as your muscles demand more energy than the rest of your body. So don’t just focus on cardio or your stomach muscles – work on all your muscle groups.

Concentrate on challenging your muscles; mix it up with resistance bands, dumbbells and medicine balls, not just weight machines.

And even though you might not feel it, your core and abdominals are being indirectly used during every exercise you do to ensure you keep proper form when you’re squatting, curling or benching.

3. Finish workouts with toning exercises 

As you start to burn your belly fat away, you’ll want to tone and sculpt your stomach. At the end of every workout, get into the habit of regular core exercises like:

• Ab Twist

Sitting on your bum, create a V shape with your torso and thighs, with your lower legs also lifted off the ground. Hold a medicine ball in front of you with both hands and twist from your waist whilst maintaining the V shape with your body.

Make sure you engage your stomach muscles so your back is straight throughout.

• Elevenses 

Lying on your back, raise your knees off the floor and bend to 90 degrees. From here, extend your legs straight and as low to the ground as possible, while you push your arms in the opposite direction, behind your head.

Throughout this motion, it is essential to have your stomach muscles engaged and your back flat on the ground. Don’t worry if you can’t get your legs low to begin with – it will come with time! 

• Half-way Sit Ups

Just like a regular sit-up but only coming half way up.

Make sure you don’t rush the movement – control with your core!

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