As you get older, you might find that conventional diets, fads and weight loss plans fail to have an impact, frustrating those keen on dropping a few extra pounds.
In fact, for women, it can prove to be a challenge to lose weight during perimenopause as a result of hormonal imbalances and overall changes - and changes to your calorie intake won't help like it used to.
Having built up her online profile by promoting a healthier lifestyle to lose weight after 40, Aly said: "Our bodies change, and so should our approach."
The fitness enthusiast has warned that the weight loss approaches that worked during your 20s and 30s might have an expiry date and can backfire. Instead, she recommended a "hidden key to fat loss" that is not often cited.
The fitness fiend tossed out restrictive and punitive weight loss approaches
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In fact, practicing breathing exercises can help balance hormones. In turn, this could help increase fat loss.
From Women's Health Network, Naturopathic Clinic founder Dr Sharon Stills has similarly backed the approach, emphasising the difficulty women face when going through perimenopause to maintain a healthy body weight.
Hormonal imbalance and related changes in the body can slow down metabolism, making it much easier to gain weight and far more difficult to drop the pounds.
The doctor explained that diaphragmatic breathing can help to speed up metabolism, according to a study in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science.
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The exercise, also known as "belly breathing", can "switch on fat-burning" and is accompanied by a number of health benefits too, Dr Still said.
The method helps by, first, increasing your oxygen intake. By breathing in and expanding your lungs, you make more space for a larger amount of oxygen in your body - and each individual cell - so that it can burn calories more effectively.
The second way it helps is by aiding heart rate variability, balancing your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
The practitioner explained: "Roughly speaking, the sympathetic is your 'fight or flight' response, and the parasympathetic is your relaxation and healing response.
"Diaphragmatic breathing stimulates the parasympathetic system, which lowers our stress response, and so lowers blood pressure, supports immune function and other healthy effects."
The exercise, also known as 'belly breathing', can 'switch on fat-burning', according to experts
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Other easy "game-changing" habits for weight loss after 40
- Forget calorie counting. Focus on nourishing your body instead, Aly advised.
- Start each day with a protein-packed breakfast to kickstart your metabolism early in the day.
- Take a 10-minute walk after meals to help stabilise blood sugar, ensuring that you incorporate sufficient fibre and protein
- Switch from high-intensity workouts to strength training to maintain muscle mass. Increased muscles facilitate speedier metabolism.
She added: "These habits aren’t about restriction or punishment. They’re designed to work with your body’s natural rhythms and hormones, making weight loss not only possible but sustainable after 40."
