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‘At 47, I Lost 20 Pounds Of Perimenopausal Weight Gain By Following This 3-Month Workout And Meal Plan’
I wasn’t active growing up. My parents are of Indian origin and, even though I grew up in the United Kingdom, they taught me to prioritize studying instead of fitness. Plus, a lot of professional athletes aren’t from India, so I didn’t have role models around me.
The way I learned to think of health was by being well-fed—in my household, the ability to have food was seen as a sign of wealth and status. So, I always ate until my plate was clean, even if I was full. In fact, I’d sometimes have two dinners, one at a friend’s house and one at my house. Even though I’m grateful that my parents were able to provide for me, I never felt comfortable in my skin. Growing up, I had low self-esteem because I was chubby.
At 21, I went to university. Being there was a total eye-opener: It was the first time I saw people balancing academics and sports. I really started looking after myself and prioritizing exercise. I started going to the gym multiple times a week, but most of the workouts I did on my own were really random—I was just picking classes and programs that looked fun. Even though I was building strength and muscle—it was just under quite a lot of body fat—so I still didn’t see a big change in how my body looked, because I didn’t know how to eat properly.
Since early adulthood, being active has been part of my lifestyle—but the COVID-19 lockdown affected how I exercised.
I was 47 at the time and started experiencing perimenopause symptoms—such as weight gain, which was exacerbated by the pandemic. All the gyms were shut down, I was working from home, and I didn’t feel like I had any healthy release for my stress and anxiety. But even during this difficult time, I was determined to get things under control.
Some of my coworkers did Joe Wicks'at-home strength training workouts, so I started one of his three-month plans in May 2020. It was simple but structured, which made it so doable: Complete the recommended workouts five days a week, follow the meal plans, and drink more water.
I didn’t think the program would help me lose weight, but the biggest change came from how I ate. One meal plan had me limit my pasta intake while adding protein and vegetables, which helped me feel full. The plan also had me set specific times for eating meals and snacks so I ate regularly throughout the day, instead of reaching for the nearest snack at random times. The plan did allow me to drink alcohol, but I wanted to see how much progress I could make—and what my life would be like—without it. I’ve been alcohol-free for four years now, and I’ve never looked back.
At the end of July, after completing my initial plan, I decided to try three more months. By December, I’d lost about 20 pounds.
After I went back to the gym, I discovered a new love: Hyrox races.
In 2022, I went back to the gym. One day, I was doing burpees when a man in his late fifties came up to me and asked if I was training for Hyrox. I had no clue what he was talking about, and he showed me the race on Instagram: You run 1 kilometer, then do one functional workout station (SkiERG, sled push, sled pull, burpee broad jumps, rowing, farmer’s carry, sandbag lunges, and wall balls), and repeat that cycle eight times. I thought it looked interesting, so in November 2023, I bought my husband and myself tickets to Hyrox London in April 2024 so I’d have enough time to train.
At my first Hyrox, I immediately got the bug—I love the hybrid race format because everyone excels in different parts. Since then, I’ve also done Hyrox Malaga in April 2024, where I made podium and placed third in my age group, and Hyrox London Olympia in May 2024. I never thought I'd place—I just wanted to do my best, but at Hyrox Malaga, I finished in one hour, 32 minutes, and 46 seconds, shaving two minutes and five seconds off of my first Hyrox time.
Now, my training is Hyrox/hybrid racing-focused for my six upcoming races.
I work out five days a week with my coach, Samantha Bilbie, and each session lasts between 60 and 90 minutes. Three sessions are running: An interval run, a long steady run, and a compromised run, which is a tempo run followed by strength training exercises. This is helpful because that’s Hyrox’s format—you have to be able to run after you've just used a completely different energy system with the strength training or power exercises.
On the other two days, I strength train with one upper body session and one lower body session. Some of the exercises I do are rowing, lat pulldowns, pull ups, the ski-ERG, and kettlebell deadlifts. We mix up the volume I do, so sometimes I’ll do a medium amount of reps of back squats with a heavier weight, and then right after, I’ll go into a higher amount of reps of kettlebell squats with a moderate weight.
I also listen to my body if it needs rest because some of the training is so intense. I give myself two rest days per week, but sometimes I take more if I need to, and that’s okay because now I’m comfortable in my own skin.
I still use Joe Wicks’ Body Coach app for my three main meals everyday.
I love his nutrition plans because they’re not just grilled chicken and steamed broccoli—he has tasty meals, like burgers, pizzas, curries, and pasta. I also have a morning and afternoon snack, which is usually an apple or rice cakes with peanut butter, protein yogurt, or protein bars. I carb cycle, so I’ll eat more carbs on a workout day, and fewer carbs and more good fats on a rest day. At the end of the day, I’ve recently started drinking a milk-based protein called Casein to help with muscle protein synthesis and recovery overnight. Now, I know I don’t need to always have a clean plate, and I stop eating when I’m full.
Staying consistent was key to my strength transformation.
Even when I’m in the middle of training for my next Hyrox competition, I take it one day at a time. And if I skip a day of working out or a meal recommendation, I don't let a bad day turn into a bad week—I just keep going. Consistency is going to look different every day. Some days, I’ll have a hundred percent and I’ll be smashing it, and other days, I’ll wonder why I should continue. No matter how I feel, I just keep going and don’t look back.
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- https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/at-47-i-lost-20-pounds-of-perimenopausal-weight-gain-by-following-this-3-month-workout-and-meal-plan/ar-AA1sraMr?ocid=00000000
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Fitness pros say these moves will ignite EVERY inch of your core. 🔥 If you and your doctor agree that your health is in good shape, there’s certainly no need to do anything differently. But, if you have excess weight around your midsection that doesn’t make you feel your best, you may prioritize the best stomach exercises to lose belly fat at home. Just know this: Contrary to popular belief, hundreds of daily stomach-toning crunches—or in technical terms, spot reduction workouts—won’t get you to your six-pack goal any faster than a well-rounded regimen will. “Spot reduction isn’t a viable approach to losing belly fat,” explains fitness trainer and nutrition expert Corey Phelps, fitness trainer, nutrition expert, and creator of the Cultivate by Corey Fitness Program. “But there are some great core-focused exercises that will torch fat all over the body, resulting in a strong and more chiseled core.” Research confirms this—a study published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that six weeks of regular isolated ab workouts alone was not sufficient to reduce abdominal fat compared to a control group. Meet the experts: Ramona Braganza, celebrity trainer; Chris DiVecchio, trainer and founder of Premier Body & Mind; Sahmura Gonzalez, personal trainer; Jillian Michaels, celebrity trainer and nutrition expert; Albert Matheny, R.D., C.S.C.S., co-founder of SoHo Strength Lab; Adam Sanford, personal trainer and founder of Adam Sanford Fitness; Tyler Spraul, C.S.C.S., certified strength and conditioning specialist and head trainer at Exercise.com. Instead of limiting your focus to one area for weight loss exercises, celebrity trainer and nutrition expert Jillian Michaels recommends doing exercises that combine cardio, strength, and core work to ultimately help you reduce body fat. “I’m a big fan of exercises that are core-focused, but work multiple muscle groups simultaneously with a HIIT component for added calorie burn,” she says. Of course, it’s worth noting that exercise is only one component of weight loss—what you eat plays a role, too. Consuming nutritious, vitamin-rich foods and a balanced diet aid in overall fitness and helping you reach your goals. But if you have a healthy eating plan in place and you want to work toward weight-loss goals through working out, personal trainers say these are the best exercises you can do to strengthen your core and tone your midsection. What is belly fat? Belly fat is simply fat around your midsection, says Albert Matheny, R.D., C.S.C.S., co-founder of SoHo Strength Lab. “It’s not necessarily different in any kind of unique way from other types of fat,” he says. Most people gain belly fat as their overall body fat percentage increases, Matheny says. “There are some genetic differences in terms of where people gain fat,” he says. One concern with belly fat is its link to serious health conditions. People with higher amounts of belly fat are at higher risk of heart disease and high blood pressure compared to those with less fat in that area. Keep in mind, though, that “healthy” looks different for everyone. So if you have questions about your own health risks, consult your doctor before setting specific weight-loss goals. How to boost fat loss Matheny says there’s “a lot of misinformation about this online.” Fat loss ultimately comes down to burning more calories than you take in, he explains (a.k.a. a calorie deficit). And, again, he stresses that you can’t pick and choose where you lose weight. “It comes down to your overall body fat percentage—your body will holistically lose weight all over,” Matheny says. “Unfortunately, the belly is often the last area where you’ll lose fat.” To boost fat loss, Matheny recommends being mindful of the calories you’re taking in, while also being aware of how much you burn. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has a handy body weight planner that can help you figure out what number of daily calories you should aim for if you have a goal weight in mind. Read on for exercises to help in your journey. Stomach exercises to lose belly fat at home without equipment
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