Do you feel like you’re doing everything you’re supposed to, but you still can’t lose your belly fat? It can be so frustrating to eat well, exercise regularly, and prioritize self-care only to watch your belly stay the same size.
This scenario happens often for middle-aged women. Hate to break it to you, but your body works differently now than it did in your twenties and thirties. It’s not as easy to melt away the stubborn fat around your middle.
One way that middle-aged women try to combat this problem is by doubling-down on cardio. High-intensity cardio workouts are all the rage right now, but guess what? While cardio might help you lose weight, especially in the beginning of your weight loss journey, it won’t touch your belly fat.
The Real Secret to Losing Your Belly Fat
Seems counter-intuitive, doesn’t it? But here’s why. Yes, you burn a lot of calories doing cardio, but only during the time when you’re exercising. On the flip side, and here’s the real secret to shedding belly fat—strength training burns calories up to 36 hours after your workout.
The truth is building muscle has a much bigger return on investment because the more muscle tissue you have, the more your metabolic rate increases. You burn way more calories at rest the more muscle you build!
Is cardio still valuable for fitness?
Listen, this doesn’t mean cardio has no place in your fitness playbook. It’s awesome for your cardiovascular health. But overdoing it triggers your body’s stress response—a release of cortisol, also known as the “belly fat hormone.” See how that could be a problem?!
In today’s podcast, I go over all the ins and outs of strength training versus cardio for losing belly fat. If you’re ready to understand how your body works, especially at middle age, you’ll learn:
Why cardio is the least effective method for losing belly fat
What to do when you plateau in your weight loss journey
How strength training works to increase your metabolic rate to help you burn more calories at rest
If you are a faith-based woman who is looking to lose belly fat, gain energy, and decrease stress in your life, this podcast is for you!