August 25, 2025 • 26 mins
Build muscle and lose fat (no dieting or bulking) with the 90-Day Body Recomp Workshop replay + bonuses (90-day week-by-week plan, custom nutrition plan, and training programs for 3, 4, and 5 days per week):
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--
You've been told that belly fat gain during midlife is inevitable... just part of aging and declining hormones that you have to accept.
Recent research from the landmark SWAN study that followed 308 women for 12 years reveals the truth: "menopause belly" isn't random aging.
It's a specific, predictable hormonal reshaping of where your body stores fat that begins 3 years before menopause and can be prevented and reversed.
Discover the exact timing windows when intervention works best, why some women don't experience this shift at all, and the science-backed strategies that can help you take control of your body composition during this transition... no matter where you are in the process.
Main Takeaways:
- Menopause belly is a measurable shift from protective fat storage (hips/thighs) to dangerous visceral fat around organs (not just general weight gain)
- Fat redistribution accelerates dramatically during the menopause transition but begins up to 3 years earlier
- You can prevent and reverse this fat redistribution
Episode Resources:
- 90-Day Body Recomp Workshop with replay and bonuses: live.witsandweights.com
- Chef's Foundry non-toxic ceramic cookware (50% off): witsandweights.com/chefsfoundry
Timestamps:
0:00 - The research on menopause belly fat
5:41 - Visceral vs. android vs. gynoid fat patterns
7:50 - When fat redistribution actually begins
9:33 - Biological mechanisms
12:59 - Individual differences
14:40 - 5 ways to reverse menopause belly fat
24:23 - Why this research is empowering for all women
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Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Philip Pape (00:01):
You've been told that belly fat gain during
midlife is just part of aging,that it's inevitable that your
metabolism is shot and there'snothing you can do about it.
But what if I told you that'snot the whole story?
Recent research found thatmenopause belly isn't just about
getting older.
It's a specific hormonalreshaping of where your body
stores fat, one that beginsyears before menopause and
(00:23):
accelerates during thetransition.
But the same research revealsthe exact timing windows when
intervention works best, plussome insights about why some
women don't experience thisshift at all.
Today we'll break down thescience behind what's really
happening to your body duringmenopause and the specific
strategies that can not onlyprevent but actually reverse
(00:43):
central fat gain.
Welcome to Wits and Weights, theshow that helps you build a
strong, healthy physique usingevidence, engineering and
efficiency.
I'm your host, philip Pape, andtoday we're gonna break down
(01:06):
recent research that changeseverything we thought we knew
about menopause and fat gain thefrustrating shift from storing
fat in your hips and thighs toyour belly, your abdomen.
This is not random, it is notjust aging and it's definitely
not inevitable.
This episode is gonna arm youwith science-based strategies to
(01:28):
take control of your bodycomposition during the menopause
transition, no matter where youare in the process, whether you
are in your 20s and it hasn'tcome, if you're in perimenopause
, if you're close to menopauseor you're past.
It doesn't matter the how todayis going to work for you,
either to prevent or reversewhat we talk about, but it's
(01:48):
important to understand the why.
So let's start doing that, andbefore I do, I want to share
something that Kate sent me.
Kate is one of our students inWits and Weights Physique
University and she said I justwant to give a shout out to
Philip Pape at Wits and Weights.
I've been listening to hispodcast for about a year now and
they're great, thoughtful,straightforward and useful
information related to strengthtraining and nutrition.
(02:09):
In a world filled withconflicting advice, philip
really cuts through all of it.
I actually liked the info somuch that I joined Physique
University and have been in itfor several months.
Since then, I've learned moreabout structuring my own workout
programs, become way moreconsistent with my exercise and
have let go of a lot of baggageabout how I eat.
(02:30):
I'm still on my health andfitness journey, but I really
appreciate the tools Philip hasgiven me to keep going, and I
love that, because that is whatwe're about on this show, we're
cutting through the noise, we'regiving you practical tools that
work and then, if you choose,to get the accelerator of
support and community, we havethat for you as well.
And related to that, we had aworkshop last week and I want to
(02:53):
mention this because it'srelevant today.
We had a 90 day body recompworkshop and, just like Kate was
talking about, with tools andcommunity and all that, we
talked about how to build muscleand lose fat at the same time,
and why I'm mentioning that nowis that when it comes to
menopause belly, when it comesto women in peri and post
menopause, I understand thatthere are fears with gaining fat
(03:13):
by building muscle and fearswith restricting and dieting and
binging and all those issueswhen going in a calorie deficit.
So there is a middle groundthat you can accomplish and you
can do it very effectively.
We held a workshop on this.
The workshop is done, but thereplay is available, as are all
the bonuses, and the bonusesinclude a complete, mapped out
90 day plan for body recomp, afree custom nutrition plan,
(03:37):
training programs whether youwork out three, four or five
days a week at a gym at homedoesn't matter your level
everything you need.
If you go tolivewitsandweightscom or click
in the show notes, you can graball of that the replay and all
the bonuses and get the supportin Physique University, get your
entire first month included allof that for $27.
So if you're interested,livewitsandweightscom and those
(04:00):
principles that we taught inthat workshop apply perfectly to
what we are discussing today,and so let's do that.
Let me start with what might bethe most important finding in
menopause research in years, andit's about four years old now,
2021.
Dr Greil Greendale and her teamfollowed 308 women for 12 years
as part of the often talkedabout SWAN study, and I think
(04:23):
this study is referenced with alot of the Ozempic research as
well.
It's the study of women'shealth across the nation, and
they didn't just track weight,they also tracked body
composition.
I believe they use researchgrade, consistently performed
DEXA scans, which is very commonin research, to see where fat
was being stored, and what theyfound was, I'll say, remarkable
(04:44):
on one hand, but probably notsurprising to a lot of you out
there.
A lot of you women, whetheryou're in past or not yet in
menopause, you're aware of this,and that is the dreaded
menopause belly.
It isn't just women are gettingolder and gaining weight
everywhere and thus havemenopause.
Belly.
It is a specific, measurableshift in how your body stores
fat, in your fat distribution.
(05:05):
Before menopause, women arestoring fat primarily in what
researchers call the gynoidpattern, that is, hips, thighs,
butt Think pear-shaped.
And then during the menopausetransition, fat storage shifts
rather dramatically to theandroid pattern that is abdomen
(05:26):
and upper body think apple shape.
So go from gynoid, which ispear shape, to android, which is
apple shape, and the numbersare really mind-blowing because
the change pre and postmenopause is vastly different.
Visceral fat that is, thedangerous fat around your organs
, that that is representing thisbelly fat we're all concerned
(05:47):
about.
It increased before menopausebut only in small amounts.
Then, during the transition, itaccelerated to 6.2% a year.
That's a lot, that's a hugechange, a little bit of an
increase to a massive increaseevery year.
And then android fat showed adramatic change where
pre-menopause it increased by1.2% a year.
And then android fat showed adramatic change where
premenopause had increased by1.2% a year, during the
(06:07):
transition by 5.5% a year.
And this isn't just aboutappearance, even though that
might be the source of thefrustration.
Visceral fat right, the bellyfat around the organs is
strongly linked tocardiovascular disease, type 2
diabetes, systemic inflammation.
So we're talking about afundamental change in health
(06:30):
risk, and I love that improvingyour physique can also improve
your health.
There's nothing wrong with that.
In fact, to me, that's veryefficient.
Everything we talk about on theshow will effectively hit all
the check marks of longevity,health, strength, physique
fitness, function and, yes, howyou look.
(06:52):
It's beautiful, it workstogether.
So let's talk more about thattransition and when this starts,
because there's confusion there.
Most women think menopause bellybegins when menopause begins,
which is technically when yourperiods have stopped for about a
year, and the research showsthat the fat redistribution
begins earlier than that,actually three years before your
(07:12):
final menstrual period, whichis about two years before the
start of menopause.
Let's say so.
Let's just call it three years,right?
So if you're in perimenopauseright now, which is generally in
your forties, for some womenit's early, as early as their
late thirties, the phase whenyour cycles become irregular but
you haven't stopped completely,or when the hormones are
starting to decline this processhas already begun.
(07:35):
It's begun right, and I knowit's begun because I talk to
women every day and there'sstudents in our physique
university who are in theirforties.
You know they're not reallythat close to menopause yet, and
yet they're seeing some of thechallenges Some are, some aren't
right Like.
It's very individual and this,this understanding about timing,
is really important because itopens up a larger window of
(07:57):
intervention that most womendon't know exist, where, by the
time you realize what'shappening, you know you've
already gone through the mosteffective prevention period.
I'll call it.
That will make it easier whenyou get to that point.
Having said that, now is thebest time to start.
When you're listening to mypodcast, when we talk about
fitness and training andnutrition, you can't get in a
(08:18):
time machine and go back in time, and why would you wait to
improve your health?
So now is always the best time.
So it almost doesn't matterthat you have this intervention
window, but if you're 25 rightnow, or you're 35 or 40 or
whatever, now's the best time tostart anyway, and just know
that it's going to benefit youtremendously down the road.
So we fast forward to menopause.
(08:39):
Post-menopause, what happens?
Well, the acceleration thathappened during the transition
actually slows down.
So the menopause transitionitself is a vast pool of
accelerating fat gain and fatredistribution, and that's why
it's so tough for so many women,right, I get it Like the
research is telling us this iswhat is happening.
The visceral fat will continueto rise even after menopause,
(09:02):
but it slows down to about oneand a half percent a year.
Android fat slows to about onepercent.
Gynoid fat, which is theprotective fat in your hips and
thighs Also, that actually mightbegin to decline.
So that's not great either,right?
Your protective fat declinesabout one percent a year.
So you're watching your bodytransform from a protective fat
storage distribution to a riskyfat storage if you don't do
(09:26):
something about it, and if youhaven't and you're already
menopause, fear not, you canreverse it.
We're going to get into that.
So let's talk about thebiological mechanisms here,
because understanding the whyhelps us develop the how.
And the main drivers here areWell, there's several drivers.
The first couple arehormone-related.
So estrogen that is the biggestdriver of all.
(09:48):
Estrogen declined duringmenopause because estrogen has a
protective effect on fatstorage and preferentially
directs fat to subcutaneoussites on your body, under the
skin rather than around yourorgans.
And when estrogen drops, youlose that protective mechanism.
But estrogen is not the onlyplayer here.
(10:09):
We also have FSH, folliclestimulating hormone that goes up
during menopause, and researchshows that this is independently
associated with centraladiposity right Belly fat gain
as its own factor.
Your body is getting hit withboth issues from estrogen
dropping, fsh increasing.
Then we have the mitochondrialcomponent.
(10:29):
You know, mitochondria is likethe power plants of your cells.
Well, estrogen helps maintainthe efficiency of mitochondria
and because it declines, yourmitochondrial function declines
as well, which then affects yourmetabolic rate.
It reduces your metabolism andit makes fat storage more likely
.
And then we have inflammation,the big boogeyman of
inflammation.
But in this case we're actuallytalking about inflammatory
(10:51):
markers like IL-6 and TNF-alpha.
These are cytokines that arereleased by visceral fat.
Visceral fat is metabolicallyactive, so it increases your
inflammation, and then thiscreates a feedback loop where
that fat storage promotes moreinflammation, which then
promotes more fat storage.
And then we understand whythere are so many challenges at
this time of life.
(11:12):
By the way, I did a wholeepisode on inflammation not long
ago, talking about the biggestfactors which have to do with
lifestyle and how inflammationis misunderstood.
But there is true inflammationgoing on at the cellular level
that can be caused by lifestylefactors that we're also going to
talk about today anyway.
And then, finally, we havemuscle loss.
(11:32):
Muscle loss accelerates duringmenopause, something we hit on a
lot on this show.
Sarcopenia is what it's called.
Sarcopenia further reduces yourmetabolic rate as well and then
creates an environment wherefat gain becomes increasingly
likely.
Hey, this is Philip, and beforewe continue, I want to talk
about cookware.
We all love to make our ownfood.
(11:52):
I love nonstick pans.
The problem is I've avoidedthem for years because when they
get scratched, when they getheated, they can release
microplastics, pfas smallparticles that can accumulate
over time in the body, and somestudies have shown them to be
linked to health issues.
If you're optimizing yournutrition and making lots of
food for you and your family athome, it doesn't make sense to
(12:13):
compromise that withquestionable cookware.
So that's why I was interestedwhen Chef's Foundry, who is
sponsoring this episode, showedme their ceramic cookware.
It's called the P600 and usesSwiss-engineered ceramic coating
which has no Teflon, no PFAS,no plastic components.
It is nonstick, it works on allstovetops, it goes straight
(12:35):
into the oven All the things youneed if you're trying to cook a
lot of your meals at home.
Right now you can get the P600at 50% off by going to
witsandweightscom slashchefsfoundry.
You'll also get a bunch ofaccessories with that.
There's a whole page thatexplains what you'll get for
that discounted 50% off.
Go to witsandweightscom slashchefs foundry or click the link
(12:56):
in the show notes.
All right, let's get back tothe show Now.
Before we continue, I do want tomention that there are big
individual differences when itcomes to menopause and fat
redistribution.
So don't assume that you'regoing to be right in the middle
of the population, because thereare a lot of genetic
differences, for example ethnicdifferences.
You know white and black womenhave similar patterns of central
(13:19):
fat gain, but for example,japanese women in the study had
no increase in visceral orandroid fat.
Instead, their gynoid fatdecreased.
So there could be genetics,cultural factors, dietary
patterns that also influence fatredistribution, and these are
kind of confounding the research.
So it's very difficult to teaseall these things apart, and you
know Japanese populations havevery unique lifestyle factors
(13:41):
and there could be somethingthere that's genetics.
Then there's also the timingthat we've been talking about,
where the researchers couldpredict fat distribution changes
based on proximity to the finalmenstrual period with very high
accuracy, and so this suggeststhe process itself is more
(14:01):
controlled and predictable thanwe might have thought before.
And then the last thing I wantto mention here is the research
is probably explaining why somewomen seem to have no issues,
they kind of sail throughmenopause, minimal body
composition changes.
They're like what are youpeople talking about?
It's fine.
And others are strugglingmassively, like significantly
(14:22):
right.
And it's not just genetics,it's definitely not willpower.
There are measurable biologicalprocesses at work that
potentially are the differencesbetween some of these women, and
a lot of it has to do withlifestyle and things that they
did earlier in their life.
So again, not that we can go ina time machine, we can't.
So if we have this understanding, what can you do about this
(14:43):
right now to either prevent, ifyou're young enough, or reverse
menopause, belly fat?
So let's start with nutrition.
Your approach has to be, I'llsay, strategic and not
necessarily aggressive, right?
Let's not be impatient and say,okay, I'm going to lop off the
belly fat.
How do I do it, philip, let'sdo it.
I like your excitement, but wehave to be strategic, right?
(15:05):
Severe calorie restriction, forexample, is not strategic.
It can actually do make thingsworse.
It can accelerate your muscleloss, it can worsen the decline
in your metabolism.
So that's the first thing Imentioned is if you're trying to
lose fat in general and youknow you need a calorie deficit
to do it.
This is where, for menopausalwomen, or if you're trying to,
(15:25):
you know, if you're inperimenopause going, getting
close to the transition veryreasonable deficits are a good
way to go right.
We're talking probably less than500 calorie deficits, and this
is where flexible eating thenbecomes your best friend,
because you don't have toeliminate food groups, you don't
have to follow restrictive mealplans.
That is not what we're about.
You track your calories, you'retracking your macros and micros
and your fiber and you hit yourtargets.
(15:47):
You hit your protein targets,you hit your fiber targets.
You fill the rest of the foodswith things that you enjoy that
are mostly whole foods, but notalways and make it sustainable
so that you can go out and havefun with the ladies on Saturday
night.
Right, have fun at the birthdayparty, eat your cake, it
doesn't matter.
(16:07):
We want a sustainable,long-term approach that prevents
the all or nothing mentalitythat I see derailing so many
women.
Protein becomes really criticalfor women for everybody, but
women especially because of theneed to protect that lean mass
during weight loss or even justduring this transition, and to
maintain your metabolism, andthe protein can come from a lot
(16:29):
of places.
Right, I get a lot of questionsabout well, I don't eat this,
so how do I get my protein?
I'm like there's a lot of foodswith protein yes, meat products
, animal products, chicken,dairy, lean meats, seafood.
There's soy-based products forplant eaters.
There's protein powder.
There's a million ways to getyour protein during this
(16:52):
transition, and I would focus onwhole foods most of the time,
but don't stress about it.
I like an 80-20 approach,aiming for nutrient-dense
choices 80% of the time, maybe90% of the time, depending on
how many calories you have toplay with, leaving room for
foods you enjoy.
And that's really it.
Now I've done other episodesthat go way into all the
nutrition science, into macros,all of that stuff.
(17:13):
We covered all that on theworkshop and exactly how to
calculate that stuff.
So, again, go tolivewitsandweightscom if you
want to grab the replay and theguide and all that good stuff is
going to help you out.
But when it comes to nutrition,having a reasonable deficit or
not even being in a deficit andgoing for body recomp and making
sure to prioritize protein andfiber and flexibility are going
(17:35):
to go a long way.
So that's nutrition Training.
You guys know resistancetraining is non-negotiable.
If you don't know that, I'mtelling you it now.
This is your most effectivetool to prevent sarcopenia and
to maintain your metabolic rate.
And, ultimately, buildingmuscle is the thing that's going
to help you lose fat and losethat belly.
It just is.
I'm not talking about doing abwork, although that can be a
(17:56):
tiny, marginally bit helpfulright in helping those muscles
pop and creating more definition.
I'm talking about buildingmuscle in general and how fit it
makes you and how much a fatburner it makes you, so that the
losing fat piece is easy.
It also shifts the distributionof your fat.
It also helps reduce fat goingto your belly.
So, focusing on progressiveoverload using compound
(18:23):
movements, squats, deadlifts,pressing rows, all of those
things Training sufficientlywith challenging weights, with
enough frequency.
And then cardio let's stopdoing all the excessive cardio.
The F45s, the Peloton, theCrossFit style cardio Walking
should be the foundation.
You know, 8,000 to 10,000 stepsis perfectly reasonable.
More than that is fine.
It's low stress, it'ssustainable, it's excellent for
health and fat loss.
(18:43):
Another hack I have for you ismove throughout the day.
Don't sit around for longerthan half an hour at any one
time.
Get up every half hour and walkfor two minutes.
I did a whole episode on howtremendously that increases your
muscle protein synthesis, yourinsulin sensitivity, reduces
your visceral fat storage, etcetera, et cetera.
It's tremendously beneficial.
So if you are being sedentary,even though you lift weights,
(19:04):
even though you walkoccasionally or even get enough
steps, but you're beingsedentary the rest of the day,
not being sedentary can betremendously beneficial for your
belly fat, believe it or not.
And then any other cardioshould be very, very strategic.
I'm a big fan of anabolicsprinting once or twice a week
and that's it.
That's it.
I have a lot of resources onthis.
I'm not going to go into greatdetail, but the point is you can
(19:25):
lose fat.
You can lose belly fat.
You can build muscle with verylittle.
What we think of as traditionalcardio Basically a lot of
walking, not being sedentary,and then maybe some sprinting or
fun cardio here and there.
Not being sedentary, and thenmaybe some sprinting or fun
cardio here and there.
A lot of the fat distributionis going to be controlled
through your diet, maintaining ahealthy weight and body fat.
Do not fall into the trap ofthinking you need to just
(19:46):
exercise more, eat less.
Exercise more, eat less.
Has that worked for you in thepast?
That's all I'm going to say.
Has that worked for you?
And I mean the recent past?
Right, I don't have to talkabout all the negatives from
excessive cardio, but it's goingto make you more stressed and
that's going to interfere withrecovery and stress.
Stress is one of the biggestcauses of visceral fat storage.
And that brings me to lifestylefactors, right?
(20:08):
Sleep quality.
Honestly, if I had to putsomething at the very top
besides lifting weights, it'd besleep quality.
Not just the amount of sleep,but sleep quality, consistent
bedtimes and wake times.
Lifting weights, it would besleep quality.
Not just the amount of sleep,but sleep quality.
Consistent bedtimes andwaketimes, good pre-bed rituals,
not having blue lights tooclose to bed, because poor sleep
, for sure we know, worsens fataround the organs, it worsens
belly fat.
(20:29):
When they've compared twogroups, one that was sleep
deprived versus one that hadenough sleep, the sleep deprived
group gained a lot more bellyfat period.
So, even if you're doing allthe other things, if sleep is
really bad and if you have astressful job, a stressful life,
stressful finances, stressfulwhatever, if you can work on
getting those things out of yourlife improving those things
right.
I saw a post by somebody inanother group I'm in.
(20:49):
He said he has a three-hourround-trip commute and 10 hour
work days.
So so I can only train two days, and the response was well you,
you basically need to findanother job Like that's the best
thing you could do right now.
Don't, don't worry about whento train.
That's the 1%.
The 99% is this job is killingyou.
So think about the things youcan control.
Stretch management is tied intothat, right.
(21:11):
Chronic, chronically elevatedcortisol is going to directly
promote abdominal fat storageperiod.
Now, when we talk aboutsupplementation, the only thing
I'm going to mention today forthat is creatine.
I think there's a benefit totrying creatine, seeing if you
respond to it from a trainingperspective, but also for the
potential cognitive benefits,especially during menopause.
Now, there are other thingspeople might recommend during
(21:31):
menopause, like, hey, are youtaking magnesium?
Do you have enough fish oil?
Do you have any deficienciesyou need to address?
For some women, adaptogens arehelpful, like ashwagandha, right
, but those are all veryspecific and very personalized,
and, again, they're the 1%.
I think creatine, though, canbe very helpful, and high dose
creatine I think I might do awhole episode about it Could
also help cognitive function andrelate to these things as well.
(21:54):
And then hormone replacementtherapy.
We got to mention it, hrt,bioidentical hormone replacement
.
It wasn't included in the SWANstudy, but that is, of course, a
big variable for some women.
If you are deficient in yourcertain types of hormones and
you've done all the otherlifestyle factors, this is
something you got to consultwith your healthcare provider on
, but that could be a gamechanger, whether it's thyroid,
(22:16):
progesterone, estrogen, whatever.
So I kind of mentioned beforethis.
This isn't just about vanity orfitting into clothes, even
though the menopause bellyphenomenon starts from that for
many of you.
This is a fundamental shift inyour health risk as well.
I think it's important to glomonto that and understand that
visceral fat accumulationincreases heart disease,
(22:37):
diabetes risk, mortality.
All of that Understanding themechanisms and timing that we've
talked about today.
It empowers you, it gives youthe power.
You don't have to accept aninevitable decline.
It's really about strategicallyintervening as soon as you can.
Research shows us that fatredistribution can absolutely be
slowed, stopped and reversedwith targeted approaches, and
(22:59):
that is proper training, propernutrition that is not
restrictive, that is morenourishing and fueling you,
building muscle, moving, walking, not having too much stress and
getting good sleep.
It's all of guess what thepillars that we should be doing
anyway, and that is actuallyquite empowering, because that
means pretty much everybodylistening to this podcast.
(23:20):
If you can do those things,those strategies, and stick to
them consistently, you're goingto have massively improved
results over the generalpopulation and even over where
you would have been a year fromnow.
So you've got to start now.
You've got to start as early asyou can which by definition is
now and then be consistent andfocus on those fundamentals that
drive the biggest changes andnot getting lost in the little
(23:42):
optimization details orsupplements or detox cleanses or
any of that nonsense in thefitness industry.
And we can help you.
We can help you do that if youjust listen and apply the
information in this podcast.
Or the one factor thatincreases commitment and
achievement by 50% is havingaccountability.
Join us in Physique University.
One of the best ways to do thatis go grab our body recomp
(24:06):
workshop and bonuses that we didby going to
livewitsandweightscom, becausethat'll get you right into a
method and step-by-step processthat you can start to apply to
do exactly what we're talkingabout today and focus on the
thing that you might be missingright now, and I'm excited for
you.
I'm excited about this research.
I'm excited that we arelearning that the conversation
(24:27):
around menopause and belly fatand everything has shifted.
I think for decades, women havebeen told that weight gain and
body shape changes are just partof aging.
They're just hormones.
They're just what happens.
Deal with it, accept it, focuson other things, and the
research itself shows us this iswrong.
The menopause transition doescreate specific, measurable
changes in fat storage that wecan predict, we can prevent, we
(24:51):
can reverse.
And cultural factors, dietarypatterns, genetics, lifestyle
they all affect this, and one ofthe things you have the most
control over is your lifestyleand your nutrition.
So every woman listening hasagency in this process.
You are not at the mercy ofhormones.
You are not destined for adecline in your metabolism.
You have tools, you have thetiming, you have the science to
(25:13):
guide your decisions.
So, just to recap, what doeswork to prevent and reverse
menopause?
Belly Strategic nutritionfocused on having enough energy,
fuel, protein, fiber, with lotsof flexibility and not doing
anything too extreme.
Consistent resistance trainingto preserve and build muscle
mass, lifestyle factors thatoptimize your hormones.
And inflammation, like gettinga sufficient quality sleep,
(25:35):
eliminating stressors from yourlife, reducing your perceived
stress and being active ingeneral right, going for those
walks, not being sedentarythroughout the day the women who
take control of their bodycomposition that way during this
transition.
They don't just look better,they do, by the way, they look
great, but they don't just lookbetter.
They are altering their healthtrajectory for the future.
(25:58):
All right, if you're a newlistener dealing with these
exact challenges, here's what Iwant you to do right now.
I want you to open up yourpodcast app, scroll down to the
review section if you're usingApple, and tell us your story.
How did you find this show?
What has been your biggeststruggle with body composition
during this phase of life?
Give us a five-star review thattells us what you're struggling
(26:19):
with or how the show has helpedyou, and that's going to help
other women discover thesestrategies that actually work
and I personally read everysingle one.
I love to give shout outs onthe show, please.
I'd be so grateful if you leavea five-star review today.
Until next time, keep usingyour wits lifting those weights,
and remember that menopauseisn't the end of your physique
goals.
It's the beginning of a newchapter where you get to rewrite
(26:39):
the rules.
This is Philip Pape and you'vebeen listening to Wits and
Weights.
You've been told that belly fat gain during
midlife is just part of aging,that it's inevitable that your
metabolism is shot and there'snothing you can do about it.
But what if I told you that'snot the whole story?
Recent research found thatmenopause belly isn't just about
getting older.
It's a specific hormonalreshaping of where your body
stores fat, one that beginsyears before menopause and
(00:23):
accelerates during thetransition.
But the same research revealsthe exact timing windows when
intervention works best, plussome insights about why some
women don't experience thisshift at all.
Today we'll break down thescience behind what's really
happening to your body duringmenopause and the specific
strategies that can not onlyprevent but actually reverse
(00:43):
central fat gain.
Welcome to Wits and Weights, theshow that helps you build a
strong, healthy physique usingevidence, engineering and
efficiency.
I'm your host, philip Pape, andtoday we're gonna break down
(01:06):
recent research that changeseverything we thought we knew
about menopause and fat gain thefrustrating shift from storing
fat in your hips and thighs toyour belly, your abdomen.
This is not random, it is notjust aging and it's definitely
not inevitable.
This episode is gonna arm youwith science-based strategies to
(01:28):
take control of your bodycomposition during the menopause
transition, no matter where youare in the process, whether you
are in your 20s and it hasn'tcome, if you're in perimenopause
, if you're close to menopauseor you're past.
It doesn't matter the how todayis going to work for you,
either to prevent or reversewhat we talk about, but it's
(01:48):
important to understand the why.
So let's start doing that, andbefore I do, I want to share
something that Kate sent me.
Kate is one of our students inWits and Weights Physique
University and she said I justwant to give a shout out to
Philip Pape at Wits and Weights.
I've been listening to hispodcast for about a year now and
they're great, thoughtful,straightforward and useful
information related to strengthtraining and nutrition.
(02:09):
In a world filled withconflicting advice, philip
really cuts through all of it.
I actually liked the info somuch that I joined Physique
University and have been in itfor several months.
Since then, I've learned moreabout structuring my own workout
programs, become way moreconsistent with my exercise and
have let go of a lot of baggageabout how I eat.
(02:30):
I'm still on my health andfitness journey, but I really
appreciate the tools Philip hasgiven me to keep going, and I
love that, because that is whatwe're about on this show, we're
cutting through the noise, we'regiving you practical tools that
work and then, if you choose,to get the accelerator of
support and community, we havethat for you as well.
And related to that, we had aworkshop last week and I want to
(02:53):
mention this because it'srelevant today.
We had a 90 day body recompworkshop and, just like Kate was
talking about, with tools andcommunity and all that, we
talked about how to build muscleand lose fat at the same time,
and why I'm mentioning that nowis that when it comes to
menopause belly, when it comesto women in peri and post
menopause, I understand thatthere are fears with gaining fat
(03:13):
by building muscle and fearswith restricting and dieting and
binging and all those issueswhen going in a calorie deficit.
So there is a middle groundthat you can accomplish and you
can do it very effectively.
We held a workshop on this.
The workshop is done, but thereplay is available, as are all
the bonuses, and the bonusesinclude a complete, mapped out
90 day plan for body recomp, afree custom nutrition plan,
(03:37):
training programs whether youwork out three, four or five
days a week at a gym at homedoesn't matter your level
everything you need.
If you go tolivewitsandweightscom or click
in the show notes, you can graball of that the replay and all
the bonuses and get the supportin Physique University, get your
entire first month included allof that for $27.
So if you're interested,livewitsandweightscom and those
(04:00):
principles that we taught inthat workshop apply perfectly to
what we are discussing today,and so let's do that.
Let me start with what might bethe most important finding in
menopause research in years, andit's about four years old now,
2021.
Dr Greil Greendale and her teamfollowed 308 women for 12 years
as part of the often talkedabout SWAN study, and I think
(04:23):
this study is referenced with alot of the Ozempic research as
well.
It's the study of women'shealth across the nation, and
they didn't just track weight,they also tracked body
composition.
I believe they use researchgrade, consistently performed
DEXA scans, which is very commonin research, to see where fat
was being stored, and what theyfound was, I'll say, remarkable
(04:44):
on one hand, but probably notsurprising to a lot of you out
there.
A lot of you women, whetheryou're in past or not yet in
menopause, you're aware of this,and that is the dreaded
menopause belly.
It isn't just women are gettingolder and gaining weight
everywhere and thus havemenopause.
Belly.
It is a specific, measurableshift in how your body stores
fat, in your fat distribution.
(05:05):
Before menopause, women arestoring fat primarily in what
researchers call the gynoidpattern, that is, hips, thighs,
butt Think pear-shaped.
And then during the menopausetransition, fat storage shifts
rather dramatically to theandroid pattern that is abdomen
(05:26):
and upper body think apple shape.
So go from gynoid, which ispear shape, to android, which is
apple shape, and the numbersare really mind-blowing because
the change pre and postmenopause is vastly different.
Visceral fat that is, thedangerous fat around your organs
, that that is representing thisbelly fat we're all concerned
(05:47):
about.
It increased before menopausebut only in small amounts.
Then, during the transition, itaccelerated to 6.2% a year.
That's a lot, that's a hugechange, a little bit of an
increase to a massive increaseevery year.
And then android fat showed adramatic change where
pre-menopause it increased by1.2% a year.
And then android fat showed adramatic change where
premenopause had increased by1.2% a year, during the
(06:07):
transition by 5.5% a year.
And this isn't just aboutappearance, even though that
might be the source of thefrustration.
Visceral fat right, the bellyfat around the organs is
strongly linked tocardiovascular disease, type 2
diabetes, systemic inflammation.
So we're talking about afundamental change in health
(06:30):
risk, and I love that improvingyour physique can also improve
your health.
There's nothing wrong with that.
In fact, to me, that's veryefficient.
Everything we talk about on theshow will effectively hit all
the check marks of longevity,health, strength, physique
fitness, function and, yes, howyou look.
(06:52):
It's beautiful, it workstogether.
So let's talk more about thattransition and when this starts,
because there's confusion there.
Most women think menopause bellybegins when menopause begins,
which is technically when yourperiods have stopped for about a
year, and the research showsthat the fat redistribution
begins earlier than that,actually three years before your
(07:12):
final menstrual period, whichis about two years before the
start of menopause.
Let's say so.
Let's just call it three years,right?
So if you're in perimenopauseright now, which is generally in
your forties, for some womenit's early, as early as their
late thirties, the phase whenyour cycles become irregular but
you haven't stopped completely,or when the hormones are
starting to decline this processhas already begun.
(07:35):
It's begun right, and I knowit's begun because I talk to
women every day and there'sstudents in our physique
university who are in theirforties.
You know they're not reallythat close to menopause yet, and
yet they're seeing some of thechallenges Some are, some aren't
right Like.
It's very individual and this,this understanding about timing,
is really important because itopens up a larger window of
(07:57):
intervention that most womendon't know exist, where, by the
time you realize what'shappening, you know you've
already gone through the mosteffective prevention period.
I'll call it.
That will make it easier whenyou get to that point.
Having said that, now is thebest time to start.
When you're listening to mypodcast, when we talk about
fitness and training andnutrition, you can't get in a
(08:18):
time machine and go back in time, and why would you wait to
improve your health?
So now is always the best time.
So it almost doesn't matterthat you have this intervention
window, but if you're 25 rightnow, or you're 35 or 40 or
whatever, now's the best time tostart anyway, and just know
that it's going to benefit youtremendously down the road.
So we fast forward to menopause.
(08:39):
Post-menopause, what happens?
Well, the acceleration thathappened during the transition
actually slows down.
So the menopause transitionitself is a vast pool of
accelerating fat gain and fatredistribution, and that's why
it's so tough for so many women,right, I get it Like the
research is telling us this iswhat is happening.
The visceral fat will continueto rise even after menopause,
(09:02):
but it slows down to about oneand a half percent a year.
Android fat slows to about onepercent.
Gynoid fat, which is theprotective fat in your hips and
thighs Also, that actually mightbegin to decline.
So that's not great either,right?
Your protective fat declinesabout one percent a year.
So you're watching your bodytransform from a protective fat
storage distribution to a riskyfat storage if you don't do
(09:26):
something about it, and if youhaven't and you're already
menopause, fear not, you canreverse it.
We're going to get into that.
So let's talk about thebiological mechanisms here,
because understanding the whyhelps us develop the how.
And the main drivers here areWell, there's several drivers.
The first couple arehormone-related.
So estrogen that is the biggestdriver of all.
(09:48):
Estrogen declined duringmenopause because estrogen has a
protective effect on fatstorage and preferentially
directs fat to subcutaneoussites on your body, under the
skin rather than around yourorgans.
And when estrogen drops, youlose that protective mechanism.
But estrogen is not the onlyplayer here.
(10:09):
We also have FSH, folliclestimulating hormone that goes up
during menopause, and researchshows that this is independently
associated with centraladiposity right Belly fat gain
as its own factor.
Your body is getting hit withboth issues from estrogen
dropping, fsh increasing.
Then we have the mitochondrialcomponent.
(10:29):
You know, mitochondria is likethe power plants of your cells.
Well, estrogen helps maintainthe efficiency of mitochondria
and because it declines, yourmitochondrial function declines
as well, which then affects yourmetabolic rate.
It reduces your metabolism andit makes fat storage more likely
.
And then we have inflammation,the big boogeyman of
inflammation.
But in this case we're actuallytalking about inflammatory
(10:51):
markers like IL-6 and TNF-alpha.
These are cytokines that arereleased by visceral fat.
Visceral fat is metabolicallyactive, so it increases your
inflammation, and then thiscreates a feedback loop where
that fat storage promotes moreinflammation, which then
promotes more fat storage.
And then we understand whythere are so many challenges at
this time of life.
(11:12):
By the way, I did a wholeepisode on inflammation not long
ago, talking about the biggestfactors which have to do with
lifestyle and how inflammationis misunderstood.
But there is true inflammationgoing on at the cellular level
that can be caused by lifestylefactors that we're also going to
talk about today anyway.
And then, finally, we havemuscle loss.
(11:32):
Muscle loss accelerates duringmenopause, something we hit on a
lot on this show.
Sarcopenia is what it's called.
Sarcopenia further reduces yourmetabolic rate as well and then
creates an environment wherefat gain becomes increasingly
likely.
Hey, this is Philip, and beforewe continue, I want to talk
about cookware.
We all love to make our ownfood.
(11:52):
I love nonstick pans.
The problem is I've avoidedthem for years because when they
get scratched, when they getheated, they can release
microplastics, pfas smallparticles that can accumulate
over time in the body, and somestudies have shown them to be
linked to health issues.
If you're optimizing yournutrition and making lots of
food for you and your family athome, it doesn't make sense to
(12:13):
compromise that withquestionable cookware.
So that's why I was interestedwhen Chef's Foundry, who is
sponsoring this episode, showedme their ceramic cookware.
It's called the P600 and usesSwiss-engineered ceramic coating
which has no Teflon, no PFAS,no plastic components.
It is nonstick, it works on allstovetops, it goes straight
(12:35):
into the oven All the things youneed if you're trying to cook a
lot of your meals at home.
Right now you can get the P600at 50% off by going to
witsandweightscom slashchefsfoundry.
You'll also get a bunch ofaccessories with that.
There's a whole page thatexplains what you'll get for
that discounted 50% off.
Go to witsandweightscom slashchefs foundry or click the link
(12:56):
in the show notes.
All right, let's get back tothe show Now.
Before we continue, I do want tomention that there are big
individual differences when itcomes to menopause and fat
redistribution.
So don't assume that you'regoing to be right in the middle
of the population, because thereare a lot of genetic
differences, for example ethnicdifferences.
You know white and black womenhave similar patterns of central
(13:19):
fat gain, but for example,japanese women in the study had
no increase in visceral orandroid fat.
Instead, their gynoid fatdecreased.
So there could be genetics,cultural factors, dietary
patterns that also influence fatredistribution, and these are
kind of confounding the research.
So it's very difficult to teaseall these things apart, and you
know Japanese populations havevery unique lifestyle factors
(13:41):
and there could be somethingthere that's genetics.
Then there's also the timingthat we've been talking about,
where the researchers couldpredict fat distribution changes
based on proximity to the finalmenstrual period with very high
accuracy, and so this suggeststhe process itself is more
(14:01):
controlled and predictable thanwe might have thought before.
And then the last thing I wantto mention here is the research
is probably explaining why somewomen seem to have no issues,
they kind of sail throughmenopause, minimal body
composition changes.
They're like what are youpeople talking about?
It's fine.
And others are strugglingmassively, like significantly
(14:22):
right.
And it's not just genetics,it's definitely not willpower.
There are measurable biologicalprocesses at work that
potentially are the differencesbetween some of these women, and
a lot of it has to do withlifestyle and things that they
did earlier in their life.
So again, not that we can go ina time machine, we can't.
So if we have this understanding, what can you do about this
(14:43):
right now to either prevent, ifyou're young enough, or reverse
menopause, belly fat?
So let's start with nutrition.
Your approach has to be, I'llsay, strategic and not
necessarily aggressive, right?
Let's not be impatient and say,okay, I'm going to lop off the
belly fat.
How do I do it, philip, let'sdo it.
I like your excitement, but wehave to be strategic, right?
(15:05):
Severe calorie restriction, forexample, is not strategic.
It can actually do make thingsworse.
It can accelerate your muscleloss, it can worsen the decline
in your metabolism.
So that's the first thing Imentioned is if you're trying to
lose fat in general and youknow you need a calorie deficit
to do it.
This is where, for menopausalwomen, or if you're trying to,
(15:25):
you know, if you're inperimenopause going, getting
close to the transition veryreasonable deficits are a good
way to go right.
We're talking probably less than500 calorie deficits, and this
is where flexible eating thenbecomes your best friend,
because you don't have toeliminate food groups, you don't
have to follow restrictive mealplans.
That is not what we're about.
You track your calories, you'retracking your macros and micros
and your fiber and you hit yourtargets.
(15:47):
You hit your protein targets,you hit your fiber targets.
You fill the rest of the foodswith things that you enjoy that
are mostly whole foods, but notalways and make it sustainable
so that you can go out and havefun with the ladies on Saturday
night.
Right, have fun at the birthdayparty, eat your cake, it
doesn't matter.
(16:07):
We want a sustainable,long-term approach that prevents
the all or nothing mentalitythat I see derailing so many
women.
Protein becomes really criticalfor women for everybody, but
women especially because of theneed to protect that lean mass
during weight loss or even justduring this transition, and to
maintain your metabolism, andthe protein can come from a lot
(16:29):
of places.
Right, I get a lot of questionsabout well, I don't eat this,
so how do I get my protein?
I'm like there's a lot of foodswith protein yes, meat products
, animal products, chicken,dairy, lean meats, seafood.
There's soy-based products forplant eaters.
There's protein powder.
There's a million ways to getyour protein during this
(16:52):
transition, and I would focus onwhole foods most of the time,
but don't stress about it.
I like an 80-20 approach,aiming for nutrient-dense
choices 80% of the time, maybe90% of the time, depending on
how many calories you have toplay with, leaving room for
foods you enjoy.
And that's really it.
Now I've done other episodesthat go way into all the
nutrition science, into macros,all of that stuff.
(17:13):
We covered all that on theworkshop and exactly how to
calculate that stuff.
So, again, go tolivewitsandweightscom if you
want to grab the replay and theguide and all that good stuff is
going to help you out.
But when it comes to nutrition,having a reasonable deficit or
not even being in a deficit andgoing for body recomp and making
sure to prioritize protein andfiber and flexibility are going
(17:35):
to go a long way.
So that's nutrition Training.
You guys know resistancetraining is non-negotiable.
If you don't know that, I'mtelling you it now.
This is your most effectivetool to prevent sarcopenia and
to maintain your metabolic rate.
And, ultimately, buildingmuscle is the thing that's going
to help you lose fat and losethat belly.
It just is.
I'm not talking about doing abwork, although that can be a
(17:56):
tiny, marginally bit helpfulright in helping those muscles
pop and creating more definition.
I'm talking about buildingmuscle in general and how fit it
makes you and how much a fatburner it makes you, so that the
losing fat piece is easy.
It also shifts the distributionof your fat.
It also helps reduce fat goingto your belly.
So, focusing on progressiveoverload using compound
(18:23):
movements, squats, deadlifts,pressing rows, all of those
things Training sufficientlywith challenging weights, with
enough frequency.
And then cardio let's stopdoing all the excessive cardio.
The F45s, the Peloton, theCrossFit style cardio Walking
should be the foundation.
You know, 8,000 to 10,000 stepsis perfectly reasonable.
More than that is fine.
It's low stress, it'ssustainable, it's excellent for
health and fat loss.
(18:43):
Another hack I have for you ismove throughout the day.
Don't sit around for longerthan half an hour at any one
time.
Get up every half hour and walkfor two minutes.
I did a whole episode on howtremendously that increases your
muscle protein synthesis, yourinsulin sensitivity, reduces
your visceral fat storage, etcetera, et cetera.
It's tremendously beneficial.
So if you are being sedentary,even though you lift weights,
(19:04):
even though you walkoccasionally or even get enough
steps, but you're beingsedentary the rest of the day,
not being sedentary can betremendously beneficial for your
belly fat, believe it or not.
And then any other cardioshould be very, very strategic.
I'm a big fan of anabolicsprinting once or twice a week
and that's it.
That's it.
I have a lot of resources onthis.
I'm not going to go into greatdetail, but the point is you can
(19:25):
lose fat.
You can lose belly fat.
You can build muscle with verylittle.
What we think of as traditionalcardio Basically a lot of
walking, not being sedentary,and then maybe some sprinting or
fun cardio here and there.
Not being sedentary, and thenmaybe some sprinting or fun
cardio here and there.
A lot of the fat distributionis going to be controlled
through your diet, maintaining ahealthy weight and body fat.
Do not fall into the trap ofthinking you need to just
(19:46):
exercise more, eat less.
Exercise more, eat less.
Has that worked for you in thepast?
That's all I'm going to say.
Has that worked for you?
And I mean the recent past?
Right, I don't have to talkabout all the negatives from
excessive cardio, but it's goingto make you more stressed and
that's going to interfere withrecovery and stress.
Stress is one of the biggestcauses of visceral fat storage.
And that brings me to lifestylefactors, right?
(20:08):
Sleep quality.
Honestly, if I had to putsomething at the very top
besides lifting weights, it'd besleep quality.
Not just the amount of sleep,but sleep quality, consistent
bedtimes and wake times.
Lifting weights, it would besleep quality.
Not just the amount of sleep,but sleep quality.
Consistent bedtimes andwaketimes, good pre-bed rituals,
not having blue lights tooclose to bed, because poor sleep
, for sure we know, worsens fataround the organs, it worsens
belly fat.
(20:29):
When they've compared twogroups, one that was sleep
deprived versus one that hadenough sleep, the sleep deprived
group gained a lot more bellyfat period.
So, even if you're doing allthe other things, if sleep is
really bad and if you have astressful job, a stressful life,
stressful finances, stressfulwhatever, if you can work on
getting those things out of yourlife improving those things
right.
I saw a post by somebody inanother group I'm in.
(20:49):
He said he has a three-hourround-trip commute and 10 hour
work days.
So so I can only train two days, and the response was well you,
you basically need to findanother job Like that's the best
thing you could do right now.
Don't, don't worry about whento train.
That's the 1%.
The 99% is this job is killingyou.
So think about the things youcan control.
Stretch management is tied intothat, right.
(21:11):
Chronic, chronically elevatedcortisol is going to directly
promote abdominal fat storageperiod.
Now, when we talk aboutsupplementation, the only thing
I'm going to mention today forthat is creatine.
I think there's a benefit totrying creatine, seeing if you
respond to it from a trainingperspective, but also for the
potential cognitive benefits,especially during menopause.
Now, there are other thingspeople might recommend during
(21:31):
menopause, like, hey, are youtaking magnesium?
Do you have enough fish oil?
Do you have any deficienciesyou need to address?
For some women, adaptogens arehelpful, like ashwagandha, right
, but those are all veryspecific and very personalized,
and, again, they're the 1%.
I think creatine, though, canbe very helpful, and high dose
creatine I think I might do awhole episode about it Could
also help cognitive function andrelate to these things as well.
(21:54):
And then hormone replacementtherapy.
We got to mention it, hrt,bioidentical hormone replacement
.
It wasn't included in the SWANstudy, but that is, of course, a
big variable for some women.
If you are deficient in yourcertain types of hormones and
you've done all the otherlifestyle factors, this is
something you got to consultwith your healthcare provider on
, but that could be a gamechanger, whether it's thyroid,
(22:16):
progesterone, estrogen, whatever.
So I kind of mentioned beforethis.
This isn't just about vanity orfitting into clothes, even
though the menopause bellyphenomenon starts from that for
many of you.
This is a fundamental shift inyour health risk as well.
I think it's important to glomonto that and understand that
visceral fat accumulationincreases heart disease,
(22:37):
diabetes risk, mortality.
All of that Understanding themechanisms and timing that we've
talked about today.
It empowers you, it gives youthe power.
You don't have to accept aninevitable decline.
It's really about strategicallyintervening as soon as you can.
Research shows us that fatredistribution can absolutely be
slowed, stopped and reversedwith targeted approaches, and
(22:59):
that is proper training, propernutrition that is not
restrictive, that is morenourishing and fueling you,
building muscle, moving, walking, not having too much stress and
getting good sleep.
It's all of guess what thepillars that we should be doing
anyway, and that is actuallyquite empowering, because that
means pretty much everybodylistening to this podcast.
(23:20):
If you can do those things,those strategies, and stick to
them consistently, you're goingto have massively improved
results over the generalpopulation and even over where
you would have been a year fromnow.
So you've got to start now.
You've got to start as early asyou can which by definition is
now and then be consistent andfocus on those fundamentals that
drive the biggest changes andnot getting lost in the little
(23:42):
optimization details orsupplements or detox cleanses or
any of that nonsense in thefitness industry.
And we can help you.
We can help you do that if youjust listen and apply the
information in this podcast.
Or the one factor thatincreases commitment and
achievement by 50% is havingaccountability.
Join us in Physique University.
One of the best ways to do thatis go grab our body recomp
(24:06):
workshop and bonuses that we didby going to
livewitsandweightscom, becausethat'll get you right into a
method and step-by-step processthat you can start to apply to
do exactly what we're talkingabout today and focus on the
thing that you might be missingright now, and I'm excited for
you.
I'm excited about this research.
I'm excited that we arelearning that the conversation
(24:27):
around menopause and belly fatand everything has shifted.
I think for decades, women havebeen told that weight gain and
body shape changes are just partof aging.
They're just hormones.
They're just what happens.
Deal with it, accept it, focuson other things, and the
research itself shows us this iswrong.
The menopause transition doescreate specific, measurable
changes in fat storage that wecan predict, we can prevent, we
(24:51):
can reverse.
And cultural factors, dietarypatterns, genetics, lifestyle
they all affect this, and one ofthe things you have the most
control over is your lifestyleand your nutrition.
So every woman listening hasagency in this process.
You are not at the mercy ofhormones.
You are not destined for adecline in your metabolism.
You have tools, you have thetiming, you have the science to
(25:13):
guide your decisions.
So, just to recap, what doeswork to prevent and reverse
menopause?
Belly Strategic nutritionfocused on having enough energy,
fuel, protein, fiber, with lotsof flexibility and not doing
anything too extreme.
Consistent resistance trainingto preserve and build muscle
mass, lifestyle factors thatoptimize your hormones.
And inflammation, like gettinga sufficient quality sleep,
(25:35):
eliminating stressors from yourlife, reducing your perceived
stress and being active ingeneral right, going for those
walks, not being sedentarythroughout the day the women who
take control of their bodycomposition that way during this
transition.
They don't just look better,they do, by the way, they look
great, but they don't just lookbetter.
They are altering their healthtrajectory for the future.
(25:58):
All right, if you're a newlistener dealing with these
exact challenges, here's what Iwant you to do right now.
I want you to open up yourpodcast app, scroll down to the
review section if you're usingApple, and tell us your story.
How did you find this show?
What has been your biggeststruggle with body composition
during this phase of life?
Give us a five-star review thattells us what you're struggling
(26:19):
with or how the show has helpedyou, and that's going to help
other women discover thesestrategies that actually work
and I personally read everysingle one.
I love to give shout outs onthe show, please.
I'd be so grateful if you leavea five-star review today.
Until next time, keep usingyour wits lifting those weights,
and remember that menopauseisn't the end of your physique
goals.
It's the beginning of a newchapter where you get to rewrite
(26:39):
the rules.
This is Philip Pape and you'vebeen listening to Wits and
Weights.
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