Starting at 40 years, the bodies of women typically undergo several changes, especially at the hormonal level, which tend to cause confusion and frustration; but it is important to know that these are like a wake‑up call to start taking better care of oneself, because if you don’t, the consequences can be negative.
What begins with a progressive loss of muscle mass ends with a noticeable increase in fat that is hard to burn as menopause approaches. However, various experts agree that not all is lost, and that indeed at this age there is still time to achieve changes both physically and internally, and the key lies in strength training.
What the ‘oxidized bicycle’ syndrome consists of
According to the magazine Clara, expert Boticaria García has explained that from 40 years onward, if we do not move, our body begins to gain almost half a kilo of fat each year and to lose muscle without us noticing. In fact, the expert explains this process in a very simple way by comparing our body to two slices of Iberian ham: one with a lot of meat and the other full of fat. If we do nothing to prevent it, with age we go from being like the lean slice of meat to being like the bacon, reaching to lose up to 40% of our muscle as we get older.
Moreover, upon reaching menopause, fat tends to move to a different place, accumulating more in the abdomen. And at this point, even if one tries to burn it by exercising, things become quite tricky, since the body’s cells do not respond in the same way, making exercise results much slower and harder to achieve. That is why the expert compares them to a “oxidized bicycle”: they move the fat, but fail to burn it completely and half of it returns to its place. Additionally, if we eat poorly or endure a lot of stress, fat cells swell so much that they press against each other, preventing blood from flowing properly and causing inflammation throughout the body. Therefore, the solution is not to wait until you are older, but to start doing strength exercises before 40, or right around that age, since although it’s never too late to start, it’s always better to prevent problems as early as possible.
Include some exercise in Your routine
Meanwhile, trainer Sol Navarro supports Boticaria’s view and encourages people to view exercise from forty onward not as a heavy or exhausting obligation, but as a simple way to take care of our health and move intelligently. Moreover, contrary to what many people think, you don’t need to “kill yourself” in the gym or spend a lot of money; in fact, Boticaria García proposes small “microdoses” of only 15 minutes, two or three times a week. They can be easily done at home using your own body weight or a very affordable elastic band, working the legs, arms, abdomen and glutes in a single session.
To get started, the trainer recommends three basic movements that are very easy to perform, doing 3 to 4 sets of 15 repetitions of each. The first is the goblet squat, which involves lowering as if you were about to sit while holding a small weight against your chest, ideal for strengthening the legs, glutes and core. The second is the reverse lunge, taking a step back and bending the knees to gain firmness and balance in the legs. And the third is the Romanian deadlift, performed by bending the torso forward from the hips with the back straight to work the entire posterior chain, from the lower back to the thighs.
