Fight over-40 weight gain, mood swings, and sleep struggles with this slimming yoga routine
By Jessica Cassity
Look and Feel Younger with Yoga
Menopause brings with it fluctuating hormones that mess with your sleep, pack on pounds of belly fat, and make you irritable and less interested in sex. But yoga can help. Yoga practice cut hot flashes by 31% in one study, and other research has found that regularly doing yoga improved libido, mood, and craving control.
We asked Kimberly Fowler (pictured here), owner of YAS Fitness Centers, to create this 20-minute yoga-with-weights routine. It delivers all the benefits of yoga while also increasing muscle tone, which gradually decreases after age 30.
To do this workout, you’ll need a yoga mat and, when you’re comfortable with the sequence, 2-pound dumbbells. Schedule yoga-with-weights routines on alternate days—your muscles need time to rest and recover. Move from one pose to the next without stopping, adding the muscle moves when appropriate.
Beginning Pose (shown above): Find Your Focus
1. Sit cross-legged on mat.
2. With eyes closed, take 3 deep breaths—in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Standing Forward Bend
1. Stand at front of mat, feet hip-width apart.
2. Reach right arm up, stretching right side, for 1 breath. Lower, then repeat on left side.
3. Hinge forward from hips, bringing chest toward knees.
4. Bend knees slightly. Hold elbows with opposite hands. Gently shake head. Stay bent forward for 45 seconds.
5. Slowly roll up to standing. If you're using weights, pick them up as you stand.
Chair Pose with Shoulder Press
1. Step feet together and reach arms above head, palms facing in. Sink hips back, as though about to sit in a chair.
2. Slowly bend elbows at right angles, lowering upper arms to shoulder height and turning palms forward. Straighten arms overhead.
3. Raise and lower arms 5 times. Then bring hands to shoulders and return to standing.
Warrior 2 with Mini-Lift
1. From standing position, step left leg back 3 to 4 feet and bend right knee.
2. Extend arms to shoulder height, palms down.
3. Lift hands 4 to 5 inches. Hold for 10 seconds, then lower. Do 5 times.
Muscle Move: Add 5 slow biceps curls, bending elbows and bringing hands toward shoulders.
Strengthen and lengthen your body with this warrior sequence
Side-Angle Pose with Lateral Row
1. From Warrior 2 (see previous pose), bring right elbow to right knee. Reach left hand inside right shin, chest facing floor.
2. Slowly bend left elbow up toward chest, turning torso to side. Hold for 10 seconds. Lower to start position. Do 5 times.
3. Then bring hands to shoulders and step forward with left leg to meet right.
4. Repeat Warrior 2 and Side-Angle Pose on opposite side.
Muscle Move: At top of row, straighten arm, extending hand toward ceiling.
Hero Pose with Arm Raise
1. Kneel with butt resting on heels, hands on top of thighs, palms down.
2. Slowly lift hips so body is in straight line from knees to head. At the same time, raise hands toward ceiling with straight arms.
3. Slowly lower to start position. Do 5 times.
Seated Wide-Angle Pose
1. Sitting on mat, extend legs wide, left hand behind left hip.
2. Reach right arm overhead and to the left.
3. Return to upright, bending right elbow to shoulder height. Do 5 times. Repeat on opposite side.
Muscle Move: Hold both weights in one hand.
Cobbler Pose with Chest Fly
1. Sitting on mat, bring soles of feet together, knees wide.
2. Raise arms and bend elbows at right angles in front of chest, forearms together.
3. Keeping bend in elbows, open arms to sides. Hold for 10 seconds, then return to start position. Do 5 times.
Muscle Move: After each rep, lift hands 2 to 3 inches. Hold for 10 seconds.
Bridge with Lift
1. Lie on back with knees bent and feet on mat, hip-width apart. Extend arms along hips, palms down. Raise hips off floor.
2. Next, raise arms up, then overhead.
3. Lower hips and arms to start position. Do 3 times.
Muscle Move: Lift arms and hips at the same time
Spine Twist
1. Lying on back, bend right knee toward chest, holding shin with left hand; left leg extended on mat.
2. Keeping right shoulder down, twist hips to left and bring right knee toward floor.
3. Extend right arm and turn head to look over right shoulder. Hold for 45 seconds.
4. Return to center. Repeat on opposite side.
Corpse Pose
1. Lie with legs extended and arms by sides, palms up.
2. Take a few deep breaths, then relax in this position for 2 minutes, breathing naturally.
3. Roll onto side and push up to a seated position.
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