Menopause Belly: Why Lifting Works, But Maybe Not for the Reason You Think

Let’s be honest for a moment — if your menopause belly has started to feel a bit different lately, you’re not imagining it. That softening, that subtle shift in shape, the way your jeans fit a little differently… it’s not because you’ve “let yourself go”. It’s because your hormonal landscape is changing.

Many women in perimenopause tell me, “I haven’t changed anything, but my body has changed anyway.” And that’s exactly it. As oestrogen begins to decline, the way your body stores fat, builds muscle, and uses energy starts to follow a new script.

What used to work smoothly — your training rhythm, nutrition, recovery — suddenly doesn’t land in the same way anymore. And that can feel unsettling if you don’t understand why it’s happening.

Before we talk training, let’s have a little science moment. If you’re anything like me, you like to understand the why behind things.

A Little Science Moment: What’s Really Going On

As oestrogen levels fall during perimenopause and menopause, your body quietly rewrites its metabolic map. This isn’t about sudden “weight gain” or personal failure — it’s about where your body now prefers to store energy, how it uses it, and what happens to lean muscle along the way.

Let’s start with fat, because not all fat is created equal.

• Subcutaneous fat lives just beneath the skin — it’s soft, pinchable, and while it may not be your favourite, it’s relatively harmless from a metabolic point of view.

• Visceral fat, on the other hand, sits deeper inside the abdomen, tucked around your organs. You can’t pinch it. It tends to make the belly feel firmer or more distended.

Here’s the crucial bit: visceral fat is metabolically active. It behaves almost like an organ itself, releasing inflammatory messengers that can nudge up the risk of cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes.¹²

As oestrogen declines, fat storage shifts from the hips and thighs to the abdomen.³ And because there’s less oestrogen in circulation, testosterone’s influence becomes more pronounced — encouraging even more central fat storage.

Meanwhile, muscle mass naturally begins to decline with age, and this process accelerates through the menopause transition. Less muscle means a slower resting metabolism and less structural support for the body. Add the sleep disruptions many women experience, and appetite-regulating hormones like leptin and ghrelin can swing out of balance too.

It might sound a little grim at first, but it’s actually empowering. Your body isn’t betraying you; it’s following a new hormonal script. And once you understand that script, you can work with it instead of against it.

Why Lifting Works (And It’s Not About the Abs or Spot-Reducing Your Menopause Belly)

Here’s the key: you can’t spot-reduce belly fat. Crunches won’t melt it away. Running won’t “target” it. But what you can do is change the system that governs how your body uses energy, builds tissue, and stores fat.

This is where resistance training steps in — not as punishment, but as a powerful ally. When you lift:

• You rebuild muscle, your most metabolically active tissue.

• You increase your resting energy expenditure, meaning your body uses more energy, even at rest.

• You improve insulin sensitivity, which helps reduce visceral fat over time.

• You shift body composition gradually and systemically — not just at your waist, but throughout your body.

And when lifting is paired with good nutrition, sleep, and stress support, the effects are amplified. It’s less about chasing a flatter stomach and more about building a body that’s metabolically resilient.

What This Looks Like in Real Life

You don’t need to live in the gym. Two to three well-structured strength sessions per week are plenty to make a difference. Think of it as giving your body the input it now needs to thrive.

In SoulSculpt, we build strength through:

• Functional, intelligent movement — hinges, squats, pushes, pulls, carries.

• Progressive overload — gradually increasing the challenge so the body adapts.

• Glute and back work for posture, balance, and bone health.

• Somatic awareness — connecting breath, alignment, and nervous system downshifting, so you leave sessions feeling grounded rather than drained.

  
  

On the nutrition side:

• Aim for protein at each meal (around 25–35 g) to support muscle repair and maintenance.

• Bring in plenty of fibre from plants — vegetables, fruits, pulses (if tolerated), nuts, seeds, buckwheat, quinoa.

• Include healthy fats, like olive oil, to support hormone production and satiety.

And don’t underestimate the basics: quality sleep, time outdoors, moments to breathe and slow down. Your nervous system is part of this picture too. It’s also why I created The Path Retreat — a space for women 40+ to weave somatic strength training together with soft hikes in nature. It’s about reconnecting with your body in this new phase, not fighting against it.

Bringing It All Together

The menopause belly isn’t a sign that your body is broken — it’s a sign that it’s changing. Once you understand what’s happening beneath the surface, you can respond intelligently and compassionately.

Strength training isn’t a quick fix for your waistline. It’s a long-term investment in your metabolism, your bones, your strength, and your sense of self. The goal isn’t to shrink yourself; it’s to become steadier, stronger, and more at home in your body.

Ready to Begin?

If this resonates with you, there are two simple ways to start:

👉 Download my Belly Fat Guide — a practical, no-fluff resource with tips on strength training, protein, fibre, and recovery.👉 Join SoulSculpt — try a free online class to get a feel for the method, or dive straight into full membership for live classes and replays designed for women navigating hormonal change.

Whichever you choose, you’re not starting from scratch — you’re starting from knowledge. And that makes all the difference.

With love,

Shaini

¹ British Menopause Society (2023)² Lovejoy et al. (2008). International Journal of Obesity.³ Zoe Health (2024). Menopause and Weight Gain: Why It Happens & How to Stop It.