Midlife Belly Fat & Stress
Stress and Menopausal Belly Fat
If stress is running the show, no amount of perfect macro counting, consistent workouts, or heavy lifting will make a dent in stubborn belly fat.
Why is this?
When you’re stressed, your body goes into “fight or flight” mode.
And while this response is helpful in emergencies, staying in it all the time can seriously affect your health.
How Chronic Stress Impacts the body:
- Constantly elevated cortisol levels
- Adrenal fatigue and constant exhaustion
- Increased visceral fat (the dangerous kind)
- High blood sugar, leading to insulin resistance or diabetes
- Muscle weakness and low energy
- A slower metabolism
- Poor sleep from hormone imbalances (when cortisol is high at night instead of melatonin)
- Chronic inflammation causing joint pain and fatigue.
Why This Matters
Chronic stress can contribute to a higher likelihood of developing obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and even some cancers. But when stress is managed, everything in your body works better. And fat loss is much easier!
FITNESS SIMPLIFIED
Feeling Stressed?
When you’re stressed, your sympathetic nervous system kicks into overdrive.
This makes you take short, shallow breaths using your neck and chest muscles.
And can lead to constant neck tension, headaches, knots in your shoulders, and even chest pain.
Fitness Tip To Reduce Stress
Practice Deep Belly Breathing
Deep breathing is one of the few things that can:
- Actively calm your stress response
- Lower your blood pressure
- Release muscle tension
Take a minute or two each day to train your breathing mechanics.
It helps in the moment to calm your body.
AND protects you long-term from the negative effects of chronic stress.
How to Breathe Correctly using your Core Muscles
- Place your thumbs at your bottom rib with your finger tips across your belly.
- Let your shoulders relax as you inhale to expand your belly, exhale to contract your belly.
- Exhale longer than you inhale.
Extra tip: If your shoulders are struggling to relax when practicing this, first do 5 shoulder circles in each direction, gradually getting slower with each circle.
Did You Know...
- In midlife, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone decline. These hormones help counteract stress by keeping your body in a calmer, parasympathetic state. Without them, the physical effects of stress are much greater.
- Chronic stress is linked to higher levels of visceral fat — the deep fat around your organs that is dangerous for your health. This is different from subcutaneous fat, which sits just under your skin.
- After menopause, visceral fat can make up 15–20% of your total body fat, compared to just 5–8% before menopause.
NUTRITION SIMPLIFIED
If you tend to reach for food when you’re stressed, you’re not alone.
That’s mood-eating, aka “stress eating”.
And I’ve got a tip to help you break the cycle!
Nutrition Tip of The Week
Use Mindfulness to Overcome Mood Eating
Mood eating happens when we use food to cope with your emotions.
To manage it better -
Know Your Triggers: Notice when and why you reach for food.
Find Other Mood Boosters: Make a list of feel-good activities like walking, deep breathing, or calling a friend.
Pause Before You Eat: Instead of saying “No,” try saying “Not yet.”
Give yourself time to try other mood boosters first.
Enjoy the Treat: If you still want the chocolate, eat it! Just make sure it’s your favorite kind and savor every bite.
Also, being overly hungry can make stress eating even harder to resist, so eating well-balanced meals at regular times can really help.
Here’s a healthy, easy-to-make meal for those especially busy days...
Egg Roll in a Bowl
More stress-free meal ideas:
- Veggie-filled breakfast casserole like this one (makes breakfasts easy all week long!)
- Rotisserie chicken from the deli with a bagged salad kit
- Greek yogurt cup with nuts, seeds, and mixed berries on top
MINDSET SIMPLIFIED
You might not be able to get rid of all the stress in your life (hello, family members!).
But you can protect your health by using daily stress-relief strategies.
The key is to practice them consistently, even when you don’t feel like it.
Try These Simple Stress Busters:
- Deep belly breathing- Walking in nature
- Turning off screens and reading a book
- Knitting, painting, or crafting with calming music
Pick 2-3 strategies and set aside a few minutes for them each day.
Mindset Tip of The Week
Make stress management a daily habit
THE TAKEAWAY
Chronic stress can increase belly fat by raising cortisol levels and causing inflammation, especially in midlife when hormone levels drop. Managing stress daily with simple habits helps protect your health and support a healthier body now and far into the future.
- Practice Deep Breathing
- Use Mindfulness to Overcome Mood Eating
- Make Stress Management a Daily Habit
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Self Care Simplified podcast
Ep 356: Is Stress Silently Killing You?
Ep 332: Splurging, Mindless Snacking & Stress Eating: Your Biggest Nutrition Struggles Solved
Ep 324: Menopausal Belly Fat & Why It’s Killing You
SPECIAL RESOURCE
Carrying a lot of tension in your neck and shoulders? These stretches are perfect for after a long, stressful day. This short routine includes feel-good passive stretches and targeted breathing to dramatically release pain and tension in your neck and shoulders. Follow along and give this a try with me!
Stretches for Neck and Shoulder // Relieve Pain and Tension
Until next week... Be strong
