🧠 More Than the Gym: The Fat Loss Factor Most Women Overlook in Menopause

If you’re in perimenopause or postmenopause and feel like your body is working against your efforts to lose fat—despite your time in the gym—you’re not alone.

I’ve been there too.

As someone who’s been lifting weights for over 20 years and always felt confident in my routine, I hit a wall in my 40s. The workouts that used to “work” for me weren’t enough. The scale barely moved. My energy dipped. And I started to question everything I knew.

It wasn’t until I went through the Menopause 2.0 and Girls Gone Strong Menopause Specialist Coaching Certification—and experienced menopause firsthand—that things started to click.

Fat loss in midlife is about more than your workout. It’s about how you move the whole day.

🔍 What Actually Burns Calories?

Your body burns calories in four main ways:

Component	What It Does	Approx. % of Daily Burn
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)	Energy to keep you alive (breathing, organ function)	~60%
NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity)	All the movement outside workouts	~15–20%
EAT (Exercise Activity)	Your gym sessions, walking, cardio	~10%
TEF (Thermic Effect of Food)	Energy used to digest food	~10%

➡️ NEAT often burns more calories than your workouts!That's a game-changer for women in midlife.

🏋️‍♀️ Gym Time Still Matters—But It’s Not Everything

As a coach, I put a huge emphasis on:

• Strength training

• Rest and recovery

• Fueling your body well

These are essential for muscle, metabolism, bone health, and managing stress hormones. But even if you’re crushing your workouts, if your daily lifestyle is mostly sedentary, you’re missing a key piece of the fat-loss puzzle.

NEAT—your non-exercise movement—is a major driver of metabolism.

🚶‍♀️ So What Is NEAT?

NEAT includes:

• Walking the dog

• Taking the stairs

• Grocery shopping

• Gardening

• Cleaning the house

• Pacing while on the phone

• Dancing in the kitchen

It’s not formal exercise—but it counts.

🌿 Why NEAT Is So Important in Menopause

As estrogen declines:

• Metabolism naturally slows

• Muscle mass decreases

• Fat gain becomes easier (especially around the belly)

And we often move less due to desk jobs, caregiving roles, or fatigue.This drop in NEAT contributes to fat gain, inflammation, and insulin resistance.

NEAT helps:✅ Burn more calories✅ Improve blood sugar and insulin sensitivity✅ Ease joint stiffness✅ Boost digestion and energy✅ Lift your mood naturally (hello, endorphins!)

💡 Easy Ways To Boost NEAT

You don’t have to overhaul your life. Try these:

• Walk during phone calls

• Do short chores between tasks

• Take a 5-minute stretch break every hour

• Park farther away

• Use the stairs instead of the elevator

Small changes, big impact.It’s not about doing more—it’s about moving more often.

💬 Final Thoughts From Me

This shift—realizing that all movement matters—was a turning point in my own midlife journey. It helped me let go of perfection, stop overtraining, and finally feel more in sync with my body.

Now it’s one of the first things I help my clients implement. Because fat loss, energy, and confidence in menopause come from a full lifestyle approach—not just gym time.

✨ If this resonated with you, I’d love to support you.Let’s figure out what works for your body, your schedule, and your goals—without burnout.