If you’re looking to lose stubborn belly fat, kudos to you. It’s at the core of many health issues as you age, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and stroke. Following just the right diet and exercise routine is essential, and we learned four low-impact belly fat workouts that are perfect for guys over 50, so listen up.
“Many men over 50 who want to stay fit but need to be mindful of joint health and past injuries,” explains Dr. Kira Capozzolo, a chiropractor based in Solana Beach, CA and co-founder of Twin Waves Wellness Center. “Low-impact workouts are a smart way to burn belly fat without putting undue stress on aging bodies.”
For a little background, after turning 50, many natural changes occur in your body, including a slow metabolism, hormonal changes, and a decrease in muscle mass. This contributes to belly fat accumulation.
“Many men carry more visceral fat, which sits deep around organs and is linked to inflammation. Low-impact workouts are still powerful because they promote muscle retention, improve circulation, and keep inflammation in check. Importantly, they’re sustainable and reduce injury risk, making it easier to stay consistent long term,” Capozzolo tells us.
What to do? Capozzolo recommends exercises that rev up metabolism and work the core while being protective of the joints. Here are four low-impact workouts that target belly fat.
4 Low-Impact Belly Fat Workouts
Functional Bodyweight Exercises
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Training with just your body weight can be an effective way to get into shape and slim down your waistline.
“Functional bodyweight exercises—like slow, controlled squats, modified planks, and bird dogs—strengthen the core and improve posture, which can help flatten the belly by encouraging better muscle activation and reducing compensations that lead to discomfort,” Capozzolo explains.
Swimming
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Taking a dip in the pool and swimming laps is not only a refreshing activity during the sizzling summer months—it’s also an effective workout year-round. Swimming puts your entire body to work while being gentle on the joints. In fact, this exercise provides a solid challenge as you swim against the water’s resistance, resulting in a great calorie burn.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, swimming for 30 minutes can burn an estimated 180 calories for a 125-pound person, 216 calories for a 155-pound person, and 252 calories for a 185-pound person.
Elliptical Training
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The elliptical trainer can seriously rev up overall calorie burn on cardio day. Some favor this machine over the treadmill because it’s very easy on the joints.
Harvard Health Publishing reports this low-impact workout can burn 270 calories for a 125-pound person, 325 calories for a 155-pound person, and 378 calories for a 185-pound person.
Biking
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Last but certainly not least, biking offers another effective, low-impact cardio workout that’ll have you burning calories and fat. Biking at 12 to 13.9 miles per hour can torch approximately 240 calories for a 125-pound person, 288 calories for a 155-pound person, and 336 calories for a 185-pound person.
Looking for more easy ways to lose fat? Here’s How Long Your Walking Workout Should Be To Shrink Belly Fat.
Alexa Mellardo
Alexa is a content strategist, editor, and writer based in Greenwich, Connecticut. She has 11+ years of experience creating content for travel, lifestyle, fitness, wellness, F&B, home, and celeb news publications. Read more about Alexa
