HOT flushes, forgetfulness, night sweats – and bingo wings?
There are probably many symptoms of the menopause that come to mind, but floppy arms might not one one them.
Menopause Health and Fitness Specialist Helen Barness says the biggest mistake women make is assuming that arm fat is nothing to do with the hormonal change.
Helen, head trainer for menopause fitness and nutrition app Results Wellness Lifestyle, says: “A lot of women just assume arm fat is down to ageing.
“They know that hot flushes and confusion are symptoms of menopause, but physical changes to their muscles are often not on their radar.
“On average, 90 per cent of women begin to experience symptoms of some sort in their 40s, although most have no idea.
“Typically, once women enter their 50s, common symptoms become more obvious and a third of women will continue to experience symptoms after their 60th birthday.
“Despite this long period of time ‘going through’ the menopause, most women don’t foresee arm fat as one of the bi-products of ‘The Change’.”
Muscular changes can begin during the perimenopause – when hormones begin to decline but often periods are still regular.
Helen says: “As women head towards menopause and experience perimenopause, muscle mass and strength starts to decline.
“Instead of naturally retaining a level of strength doing day-to-day tasks, muscle depletes.
“Muscle mass changes happen due to a decline in oestrogen, which is our anabolic hormone, that simply means it is the hormone responsible for muscle building.
“As soon as this key hormone begins to reduce, women have to work to keep muscle tone – we’re not talking about gaining it, we’re talking about maintaining it!
“If we don’t begin to take our arm strength seriously, us women will very quickly notice our arms beginning to look ‘fat’ and ‘floppy’ – when what is actually happening is that our arm muscle is dropping and hanging below the arm rather than sitting nice and tightly like it did before.
“The truth is, the menopause significantly changes how a women’s body works, and if you don’t work with it, it continues to change forever.”
Luckily, exercise can delay these muscular changes and blast your drooping bingo wings.
Helen says: “The good news is that, unlike some of the other menopause symptoms, menopause arm fat can be solved without the need for HRT.
“The key is increasing your activity levels to keep those muscles moving.
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London-based personal trainer Will Duru shared five exercises to get a trimmer tummy this summer.
1. Knee tucks
Lie on your back and place your hands in a V shape at the bottom of your spine for support.
Lift your legs off the ground and bend them in towards your chest, before extending them out in front of you.
Do four sets of these, with 20 reps in each.
2. Plank side-to-side twist
Get into a plank position, resting on your forearms with your body in a straight line.
Twist from one side to the other, dipping your hips.
Do four sets of 20 reps.
3. Mountain climbers
Start in a plank position, weight resting on your palms and making sure your bum isn’t sticking up.
Alternate bringing one knee into your chest and back out again.
You can do these slowly with control, or speed up to a ‘running’ pace.
Do four sets, 40 seconds each.
4. Toe touches
Lie on your back and extend your legs at a 45 degree angle in front of you.
Extend you arms towards your toes and curl your torso off the floor, engaging your core to do this.
Repeat the movement 20 times. Do four sets in total.
5. Butterfly sit ups
Lie on the floor, bend your knees and place the soles of your feet together so your legs are ‘butterflying’ out.
Stretch your arms above your head, resting them on the floor, or out in front of your chest.
Sit all the way up, bracing your core, and bring your hands as close to your feet as possible, before curling back into the floor.
Do four sets of 10.
Watch Will demonstrate how to do the exercises here.
“And while many women assume lifting weights is way behind them – actually, going through the menopause is the perfect time to START picking up weights and begin a regular strength routine.
“There is no other time in a woman’s life that it is as important to strength train than during menopause.”
Adding resistance training to your repertoire and keeping it up is key to toning your arms and addressing other menopause-related changes, like painful joint problems and a reduction in bone density.
“The reality is, resistance training is the only way we can replicate that muscle growth stimulus and keeping it up regularly is key,” Helen adds.
“We can sculpt our upper body and keep upper body strength as we head towards menopause and beyond.”
The ultimate arm fat busting plan
This plan will target all major arm and shoulder muscles – and blast those pesky bingo wings.
Complete these exercises at least three times a week to maintain arm muscle and fight off muscle loss during menopause.
If you are new to exercise, start with light weights, around 2kg. If you have a level of fitness, start with 5kg weights.
Perform 12 reps of each move, three times.
1. Press ups
These might sound intimidating, but the best way to start building arm strength is to begin with wall press ups and work up your strength until floor press ups are an option.
Not only does it hit those tricep muscles, but helps lift the chest and works the shoulders and core too.
Stand a few feet away from a wall the place your hands directly in front of you so you are in an upright press-up position; arms straight, palms flat on the wall.
Bend your elbows to bring your chest towards the wall then hold this position for a couple of seconds before pushing the arms back to straight.
2. Arnold press
To do an Arnold press, you’ll need a set of dumbbells.
If you suffer from lower back problems, it’s a good idea to do this exercise sitting down against a bench, or sofa.
This move is fantastic as it targets muscles around the shoulders, chest and back.
Start standing or sitting. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, with arms by your sides, palms facing toward you.
In one movement, lift the dumbbells above your head while also rotating your palms so they face outwards.
Once your arms are fully extended straight above your head, reverse the moment to bring you back to the start
3. Banded Bicep Curls
The perfect way to begin building strength is to use a large resistance band. They are cheap and easy to use and this move will help build those arm muscles.
Stand on your band so it is fixed with your weight and hold the band with palms facing up, arms straight down in front of you.
Keeping elbows tight into your body, bicep curl both arms up until wrists meet your shoulders.
Slowly lower back to the start position
4. Tricep kickbacks
Target those key arm muscles with this focused strength move.
You need two dumbbells for this move.
Lean forward, with a little bend in your knees, to create a flat back position.
Holding a weight in each hand (or using a resistance band under your feet) start with your elbows bent and weights tight into your sides.
From here, straighten the arm at the elbow, sending the weights back behind you as the rest of your body remains still.
Return the arm back towards your armpits to that start position.
Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
