HIIT Workout for Menopause: A Guide
The most bothersome menopausal symptoms, according to the majority of women, are hot flashes, sleeplessness, or brain fog. Many women also claim that the most disturbing sign is weight gain. This new menopausal weight gain affects virtually all women, regardless of size or level of activity, and drives them a bit crazy or at the very least makes them feel horrible about themselves.
The causes are mostly slow metabolism and changes in hormone levels. Since most of this weight gets accumulated around the abdomen, it gets particularly challenging to reduce.
Nothing is more annoying than a new type of obstinate fluffiness around the waist. Solutions for these stubborn inches are workout plans and among those, the most successful one has been the HIIT workout for menopause.
What Is HIIT?
HIIT is just a workout technique intended to burn more calories in less time. When it comes to losing total weight and fat after menopause, HIIT workouts can be much more successful than endurance exercises for most women.
It helps gain essential muscle mass, improves your health, speeds up your recovery from injuries, and lowers your risk of heart disease.
Some recent studies compared HIIT and moderate-intensity exercise across several trials. But compared to moderate-intensity exercise, HIIT was linked to a reduction in total absolute fat mass that was more than 28% larger.
Getting results faster is a big advantage of HIIT. Three shorter HIIT exercises a week are equally as beneficial as exercising for an hour, five days a week.
Hormonal Weight Gain and Menopause
Estrogen levels in women decline throughout perimenopause due to hormonal changes, and this is the time when many women start putting on weight. Menopause is frequently blamed as the cause. But weight gain isn’t a direct result of insufficient estrogen.
While ethnicity and degree of physical activity are important variables as well, the aging process is truly what contributes to menopause weight gain. Menopause causes a faster gain of body fat and redistribution of that fat to the belly. In a nutshell, menopause increases belly fat, while aging promotes weight gain!
Unfortunately, extra fat doesn’t go readily and seems to emerge overnight. With each year that goes by, our metabolism slows down, which means that the tummy will certainly develop additional fat deposits.
The loss of muscle mass is another issue that comes with becoming older. This decline in muscle mass and concomitant increase in body fat percentage are caused by lower levels of testosterone and estrogen throughout this period of life.
To be physically strong, with healthy bones, and lose weight, women also need to develop and maintain muscle mass. Even when we aren’t moving around, muscle mass aids in calorie burning.
HIIT Workout Examples
You may try these simple HIIT workouts to burn calories in less time:
Circuit 1: Long Jumps
Jump as far forward as you can while keeping your knees bent and both feet shoulder-width apart. After landing, make another long leap while turning around and moving the other way.
For 40 seconds, leap ahead, jump to turn, and jump forward again.
Lunge With a Side-to-Side Jump
Put the right leg out to the side with the left knee bent into a runner’s lunge for the side-to-side jump lunge. Go as a downside as you can and touch the floor with your hand. To quickly change the direction of the lunge, quickly move your leg in the air.
40 seconds of repetition is followed by a 20-second break.
Kick With a Side Knee
While bringing the right elbow down toward the knee, raise the left knee to the side. For 40 seconds, put your right leg down and kick your left leg as quickly as you can out to the side.
In the second circuit, do the same technique on the other side.
Burpees
Put your hands close to your feet on the ground while squatting. Hop your feet backward making a push-up posture, jump your feet back between the hands, and then jump your feet forward to stand up. If you want it to be more intense, add a leap towards the conclusion. After 40 seconds of repetition, pause for 20 sec.
Perform every exercise for not less than 40 seconds, followed by a 20-sec break. Repeat twice until 8 mins get over. Have at least 30 to 60 seconds of rest.
Circuit 2- Speed Skaters
Leaping to the right, you land on your right foot. Take the same lateral leap to the left, right away, jumping as farther as you can while remaining as low near the ground in spite of jumping high.
Forty seconds of repetition is followed by a 20-second break.
Stands and Sits
Place your hands near your hips when you sit down facing a step or platform. Legs spread out ahead of you as you lean back. Return the feet inside, and then stand up taking support of your hands if necessary. By removing the hands or including a hop after the action, you may increase intensity.
After 40 seconds of repetition, pause for 20 seconds.
High-knee Jogging
If you can, jog while keeping your knees to the maximum possible height, ideally at the waist level every time. Keep your knees bent when you land to help the impact be absorbed. Forty seconds of repetition followed by a 20-second break.
Perform every exercise for 40 sec, followed by a 20-second break. For a total of 8 mins, repeat twice. Have at least 30 to 60 seconds of rest.
Step With a Toe Tap
Face a small platform or any stepper while standing there. Immediately move your feet into the air and then tap the platform with your right toe after tapping it with your left toe.
Forty seconds of quick foot alternate with 20 seconds of rest.
Puddle Jumps
Starting with the feet together, take a broad stride to your left and at the same time swing your arms overhead, pushing off the right foot. Now take a broad stride to the opposite side while pushing off your left foot. To increase heart rate, keep your body low near the ground and take as many broad steps as possible.
After 40 seconds of repetition, pause for 20 sec.
Jump Squats
Put your hips behind you as you squat down from a standing position with your feet at least hip-width distance. Jump as high as you can while raising your arms, utilizing the strength of your hips and legs. Land softly, allowing your muscles to take the impact.
After 40 seconds of repetition, pause for 20 seconds.
Abs Ski
Start with a plank posture, hop your feet in the direction of your left shoulder, and land with your knees slightly bent and your feet in front of your left hand. Now, jump your feet back into the plank position before landing with your knees bent and your feet in front of your right hand. For 40 seconds, keep hopping following an in and out and side-by-side motion.
Perform every exercise for 40 sec, followed by a 20-sec break. For 8 mins in total, repeat twice.
Have at least 30 to 60 seconds of rest.
Jump Lunges
Lunge into a posture with your knees bent, getting as low as you can. Keep your hands on your hips or raise them for greater force as you spring as high into the air as you can. To begin your lunge, gently touch the balls of your feet.
Twenty sec of action, 20 sec of switching sides, and 20 sec of relaxation.
A Line Tap
Using weight as a marker, squat to its right with your fingers on the floor. Jump up and place your left foot near the weight when you land.
Forty seconds of repetition followed by a 20-second break.
Alpine Climbers
Run the knees in and then out as rapidly as possible while performing pushups, and switching sides. With each run, touch the floor through your toes or try keeping them up.
After 40 seconds of repetition, pause for 20 sec.
The Ice-breakers
Jump into the air from a squat stance, in such a manner that you turn your right arm around and then down into a chop as you land. Return to the air and chop down with your left arm this time.
After 40 seconds of side-by-side exercise, rest for 20 sec.
Why Choose HIIT?
For women who are transitioning into menopause, HIIT is very beneficial. One benefit is that it enhances insulin sensitivity and decreases fasting blood sugar levels, both of which are advantageous for their general metabolic and cardiovascular health, particularly during the menopausal transition when blood sugar management can be challenging.
Additionally, it boosts the ability to burn fat, raises the quantity of energy-producing mitochondria, increases heartbeat volume (the amount of blood the heart pumps with each beat), and aids in managing visceral (deep belly) fat, which rises throughout menopause.
HIIT raises testosterone and, by placing a high demand on your muscles, tells your brain that you need more human growth hormone (HGH), which aids menopausal women in regaining the muscular mass they require to produce more energy in daily life.
Is HIIT Dangerous During Menopause?
Keep in mind that HIIT is exactly what it sounds like, high intensity, so it’s not always designed for people who are just starting with fitness. Start with shorter, less intensive workouts if you haven’t done any recently. But, if you’re used to regular exercise, HIIT can be precisely what you need to liven things up and get the desired effects in terms of weight reduction.
HIIT is helpful for weight reduction, but you don’t need to conduct any other physical exercise if you want to see benefits. You may combine HIIT with other workouts you want. For instance, if you enjoy walking, running, cycling, or kickboxing, you may periodically combine these activities with HIIT exercises to promote healthy weight maintenance and long-term weight loss.
FAQS
Are HIIT Workouts Good for Menopause?
YES. In women, HIIT workouts effectively reduce body weight as well as total and abdominal fat mass. During menopause, these workouts can burn tummy fat faster and effectively improve health.
You can also try some natural remedies for menopause weight gain.
What Is the Best Exercise for Menopause?
Particularly in postmenopausal women, cycling HIIT appeared to be more beneficial than running, and training regimens lasted longer than eight weeks and included three sessions (per week).
Can People Over 50 Do HIIT?
HIIT exercises are good for people of all ages and fitness levels. But older folks, particularly those over 50, really benefit the most from them. HIIT, which alternates between brief bursts of intensive exercise and rest intervals, has shown to be effective in helping seniors increase strength as well as in supporting the body’s chemical functions.
Does HIIT Help Hormones?
The short answer is YES. HIIT is proven to raise human growth hormone (HGH), which can help you feel strong and healthy. This sort of exercise has been shown to burn fat more efficiently than aerobic exercise alone. That’s a result of HGH’s promotion of metabolism, muscular development, and recuperation.
Conclusion
HIIT could be worth a go if you’re having problems reducing weight overall or abdominal fat after menopause. You’ll be surprised by what your body is capable of!
Although HIIT may seem difficult, the key to success includes beginning at a rate that’s comfortable for you, not comparing yourself to others, and committing to it for four to six weeks. Never give up! You’ll start to realize after a few weeks that the sessions are becoming a bit less difficult, that you’re less exhausted and hurting, and that you feel confident and strong.
If you want to see the results faster, you may also try Optima Healthy Gut Solution to help you lose weight while doing HIIT workouts.
