2 Big Obstacles to Gaining Lean Muscle and Fat Loss After 40

Chances are if you tuned into this based on the title you’re not exactly where you want to be right now. Fat loss after 40 could be a challenge in spite of your best effort. Gaining lean muscle could feel like it’s slipping through your fingers.

To those regular listeners who are here no matter what, I thank you too, even if you’re not necessarily dealing with failed results, maybe you’re loving life right now! Someone you know may be and you can help them understand it is my hope from this episode.

Spoiler alert, I’m going to tell you the two most common endocrine-related reasons right up front. And, there’s more to the story. Because just knowing isn’t enough. One, most of us when we do know what to do have to overcome habit gravity and decades of dogma about the messages you’ve been given.

But for you listener, it’s possible that you have limiting beliefs acquired simply by living and being subject to the environment you were.

You may be listening and have always worked hard and believe hard and more is the answer.

Or… You may be under the impression, “girls don’t run” or lift, or fear injury from exercise.

Ironic, that we can have grown up in the same era but have such diverse beliefs but I’ve found working with women over 40 for 4 decades, there is definitely a wide continuum of belief about exercise success.

That… if you’re willing or open… can change. We all harbor some limiting beliefs. Once we recognize them we can still hold onto them.

Why Gaining Lean and Fat Loss After 40 are More Challenging

1. Too little anabolic hormone influence

2. Too much catabolic hormone influence

   (by exercise, nutrition and lifestyle habits)

Questions We Answer in this Episode:

• What are the biggest obstacles to fat loss after 40? [00:14:30]
• Why do we hear this and struggle to implement it? [00:17:20]
• How do you know which you might be doing? [00:25:40]
• How do you deal with prior injury and fear of reinjury? [00:29:40]
• What makes you more prone to struggle with fat loss after 40? [00:21:20]

These alone are not the problem...

Anabolic hormones include:

• Estrogen
• Testosterone
• Growth Hormone
• Insulin (to a small extent)

Catabolic hormones include:

• Cortisol
• Insulin

Let’s look at the physiology of menopause.

• Hormonal Shifts: Estrogen, testosterone, and growth hormone decrease related to your age and lifestyle habits than menopause alone. Collectively though those three hormones can make or break your progress.
• Insulin’s Role: While insulin helps regulate blood sugar, too much can lead to fat storage, especially if muscles and the liver can’t absorb it efficiently.
• Liver Health: A liver overloaded with toxins or processed foods may struggle to support metabolism and hormone function.
• Muscle: If you have little muscle and don’t move regularly, your body has limited capacity to store glycogen (which insulin uses to lower blood sugar) and is instead stored as fat.
• Cortisol and Stress: This stress hormone can break down muscle and increase fat storage. Prolonged exercise elevates cortisol, while short, intense workouts raise it temporarily but allow it to drop post-workout.
• Exercise Balance: Overdoing endurance activities might increase fat storage. Finding balance in your workouts is key.
• Strength Training: Essential for maintaining muscle mass and bone density, strength training should complement other activities like Pilates or yoga.

Other Episodes You Might Like:

• What They Don’t Teach Women About Strength Training and should: https://www.flippingfifty.com/teach-women-about-strength-training/
• Muscle is an endocrine organ – Muscle is HRT for Women 40+: https://www.flippingfifty.com/hrt-for-women/
• 21 Reasons Weight Training Should Be Mandatory Exercise After 50: https://www.flippingfifty.com/weight-training-should-be-mandatory/

Resources:

• STRONGER: https://www.flippingfifty.com/getstronger