How to Tone Up After Menopause

Talk to your doctor before starting on a new fitness journey. Women over 50 and men over 40 -- as well as anyone with symptoms of heart disease, diabetes or other ailments, should get a doctor's OK before starting any type of new exercise program, reminds the American Council on Exercise.

Carve out time to exercise. Aim for at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week, if not closer to 60 minutes a day. The American Osteopathic Association recommends walking for post-menopausal women, though any exercise that you can do safely is fair game. Swimming, water aerobics, yoga and Pilates are all relatively low impact and will provide a beneficial workout. In order to tone up, you'll need to remove some of the fat that's covering the muscle you already have -- and the way to do that is to burn calories.

Consider incorporating high-intensity interval training, or HIIT, in lieu of your longer walks or workouts two days a week. This type of exercise can cut down on abdominal fat and help you boost your metabolism for the entire day following your workout. To do an HIIT workout, warm up for five to 10 minutes and then alternate between periods of high-intensity exercise such as sprinting for a period of 30 seconds to two minutes and periods of slow recovery for a similar length of time, cycling between the slow and fast periods six to eight times.

Include strength training. As you age you're continually losing bone mass, and lifting weights or doing some other type of weight-bearing exercise can help counteract this. Not only that, it can help you build muscle and help you look more toned. Aim to do weight-bearing exercises using weights, weight machines, resistance bands or your own body weight two times a week, incorporating all the major muscle groups.

Cut calories. According to MayoClinic.com, in order to maintain their weight, women in their 50s need about 200 fewer calories each day than they did during their 30s and 40s. If you're looking to tone up and slim down, you'll need to cut even more. Start by keeping a diet diary every day for one week, writing down everything you eat and drink. Use an online "calories in food" calculator to count the number of calories you're currently consuming on a daily basis, and then look for ways to cut 250 calories each day. You might cut down on sweets, alcohol or simple carbohydrates and replace them with lower-calorie, more nutritious foods such as fruits and vegetables.

Get the protein you need to build muscle. The amount of protein you should be eating will depend on your current weight, but on average you should get 10 to 35 percent of your calories from protein. If you're not sure about your exact needs, get a recommendation from your doctor. She may also recommend other supplements or dietary additions for getting additional calcium. As a general rule, though, try to eat a small amount of protein with each meal or snack. Use a whey or soy protein additive in your morning smoothie. Add peanut or almond butter to a banana. Snack on nuts, nut butters, cheese or a hard-boiled egg.