Once you hit 50, your mind and body go through a lot of changes. And you may find yourself struggling with more brain fog as well as stubborn belly fat that continues to become more difficult to lose.
“Research shows that muscle loss and the accumulation of fat in the abdominal region are associated with a decline in what some call ‘fluid intelligence,’ or brain fog,” says Susane Pata, NASM-CPT, certified personal trainer with the National Academy of Sports Medicine. “And several studies have produced results that show the link between body mass index and cognitive function, where midlife obesity is tied to cognitive decline.”
But adding in exercise can help you beat both brain fog and belly fat.
“Diet and exercise can help mitigate this decline,” says Pata. “The research shows how those with higher abdominal fat measures scored lower on intelligence tests. More exercise can potentially help with this.” And there are many types of exercise that can help.
Best Exercises for Brain Fog and Belly Fat
“The key [is] to get the right type of exercise, the right balance of different types of exercise and to do it consistently—and for the long haul (for life!), in order to lose the excess fat and to keep it off,” says Pata. “It is likely to reduce the amount of adipose tissue on the body and may potentially help reduce cognitive decline.”
According to Pata, three types of exercise that can aid in weight loss:
Strength training
Cardio
HIIT (High-intensity interval training)
Here's more information about three of the best workouts you can do to get rid of brain fog and belly fat, according to a personal trainer.
Related: 17 Best Exercises to Lose Belly Fat
Strength training
Specifically, Pata points out that it’s progressive strength training that may have the most impact.
“Try not to keep picking up the same weight for each body part month after month—make the goal to lift heavier and heavier to help increase lean muscle mass,” says Pata. “Strength training that is progressive increases lean muscle mass over time. So then even while the person is at rest, they may burn more calories than the person who has less lean muscle mass. The more lean muscle mass you have, the higher your basal metabolic rate, which means your body burns more calories at rest.”