If you’ve ever felt like your core “changed overnight” in your 40s or 50s—you’re not imagining it.

Trust me, I’m right there with you.

In my 30s, I worked hard to heal my core after pregnancies, with one emergency C-section with my first, followed by diastasis recti abdominal separation with my second. My core felt disconnected and weak. But I was determined to feel strong again, so I educated myself through two different prenatal/postnatal certification programs and two years of graduate school, where I focused my research on postpartum recovery. I made numerous postpartum core workout videos and designed full postnatal programs. I worked hard to heal and get stronger, and I did.

Flash forward several years later, here I am in my 40s, feeling my core changing again, and I know I’m not alone. Maybe it feels harder to build muscle or recover from tough workouts. Maybe you feel your body composition shifting, especially around your torso. And despite still remembering to do Kegels, your pelvic floor muscles feel weaker, too; perhaps you’re experiencing urinary incontinence symptoms or leaking for the first time.

Perimenopause and menopause bring profound shifts in hormones, body composition, and muscle function. These changes affect not just how your body looks, but how your core and pelvic floor feel and function. The result? Changes around your midsection, decreased strength, and sometimes symptoms like back pain, leaking, or a feeling of instability.

Let’s break down what’s actually happening—and what you can do about it.

What Happens to the Core in Perimenopause and Menopause?

The “core” isn’t just your abs. It’s a pressure system made up of:

  • Diaphragm (top)
  • Superficial abdominal muscles (rectus abdominus) along the front
  • Deep abdominal muscles (transverse abdominus) around the center
  • Multifidus (back)
  • Obliques (internal and external) around the side
  • Pelvic floor (bottom)

These systems work together to stabilize your spine, manage pressure, and support movement. Ideally, they all work together synergistically as you move and strengthen, but when one system or another is weaker or less connected, other systems (or even other muscles) jump in to compensate.

1. Hormonal shifts change muscle and connective tissue

Estrogen plays a key role in maintaining muscle mass, collagen production, and tissue elasticity. As estrogen declines, lean muscle mass decreases, connective tissues become less elastic, and recovery happens more slowly.

Research shows that during the menopausal transition, lean body mass declines while fat mass increases, even when total body weight doesn’t change (MDPI).

This means your core may feel weaker, less responsive, and less supportive.

2. Loss of deep core strength

The deep core system (especially the transverse abdominis) becomes less efficient due to reduced neuromuscular coordination, hormonal changes, and even lifestyle changes.

This can contribute to abdominal bulging, or a “belly pooch,” back pain, and reduced spinal stability and strength.

What About the Pelvic Floor?

The pelvic floor is part of your core—and it’s heavily impacted by menopause.

1. Tissue thinning and decreased elasticity

Lower estrogen affects vaginal tissue, pelvic floor fascia, and ligaments, leading to increased risk of prolapse, leakage, or other pelvic floor dysfunction.

2. Increased pressure from abdominal changes

As abdominal fat increases, pressure on the pelvic floor rises. That “belly pooch” you’re stressing about may not be excess fat at all; it’s often a pressure management problem.

And yes, this can happen even if you’re consistently doing your Kegels and training your core dynamically. A 2025 longitudinal study found that higher total and abdominal fat mass is associated with increased risk of stress urinary incontinence (PubMed).

What Actually Causes the “Meno-Belly”?

The “meno-belly” is not just about weight gain—it’s about fat redistribution. Often, weight shifts from our hips to our abdomen, driven largely by declining estrogen. Fat is stored more in the visceral organs. The “apple shape” versus “pear shape” we often hear about, and why the hip-to-waist ratio is often a health marker. While every individual is different when it comes to body changes with age, research suggests a transition toward central (abdominal) fat accumulation during menopause (ScienceDirect).

1. Increase in visceral fat (even without weight gain)

One of the most frustrating aspects: You may not gain much weight, but your shape changes.

A longitudinal MRI study found:

  • Significant increases in total abdominal, subcutaneous, and visceral fat after menopause
  • Even when body weight stayed the same (ScienceDirect)

2. Muscle loss + fat gain = a softer, less defined midsection

This combination is sometimes called “sarcopenic obesity”: when we have less muscle tone underneath, but more fat accumulation on top, resulting in less definition and more abdominal protrusion.

3. Metabolic and insulin changes

Additionally, hormonal changes contribute to reduced insulin sensitivity and increased inflammation. These factors can promote fat storage—especially around the center.

Why Core Training Matters More Than Ever

Here’s the key shift I hope we all make: Midlife core training is not just about aesthetics—it’s about function, pressure management, and longevity.  And I get it, it’s frustrating when we see changes in our midsection, and you are allowed to want to look and feel different if you want! But I will always remind you that effective core training can:

  • Improve posture
  • Reduce back pain
  • Support pelvic floor function.
  • Improve body composition
  • Help manage intra-abdominal pressure.

And guess what? All of the above is key to actually defining and refining your core muscles and having your strongest core yet.

So what actually works?

Here are my top Evidence-Based Strategies for core strengthening and improved function.

1. Strength training (non-negotiable)

Yes, it’s a must. Resistance training preserves lean muscle, is the key driver of metabolism, and helps reduce fat mass.

And it’s not just about resistance training for your ab muscles. Focusing on full-body training, featuring compound exercises like squats, lunges, rows, and presses, and progressively overloading with time while gradually increasing weights, plays a big role in your overall core strength and definition.

2. Train the entire core (not just with crunches and planks!)

Our “six pack muscles,” the rectus abdominus, will take the brunt of the work if we let it, which is why slow, intentional deep core work is so important. This includes working on alignment to improve posture and manage pressure, breathing through the entire core and diaphragm, and activating and engaging your transverse abdominal muscles, obliques, and pelvic floor so all the core muscles can fire together.  

Going fast or doing as much as we can isn’t an effective strategy for training the core. We want specific and intentional, and working from the inside out.

And listen, I love all types of planks and dynamic core movements, and there is certainly a place for them in your training routine. But building the foundation first is key to really targeting those ab muscles with more challenging movements.

3. Training the pelvic floor muscles (not just with Kegels)

Kegels, or what I like to call pelvic floor activation (PFA) exercises, can be great to include, but knowing how to both contract and relax the pelvic floor muscles is crucial. Learning to coordinate your pelvic floor and diaphragm for proper breathing patterns is also super important, as is knowing how to stabilize and engage your pelvic floor when doing things outside of deep core work (like lifting weights, carrying things in everyday activities, and when sneezing, coughing, or moving).

4. Prioritize nutrition (especially protein and fiber!)

Are abs really made in the kitchen? And what does that mean when it comes to our meals and snacks? The good news is, our dietitian Vivian has already broken this down for us and will be talking about it extensively in our upcoming CORE 360 challenge (Spoiler: it’s not all about restricting calories! ).

The Bottom Line

The “meno-belly” isn’t about lack of discipline—it’s a combination of hormonal changes, muscle loss, fat redistribution, and metabolic shifts.

Your core may feel different as you’ve gotten into your 40s and beyond, and that is not failure. Nor is it “just how it is in midlife.” And don’t let anyone tell you “there’s nothing you can do.”

You absolutely can build:

  • A stronger, more functional core
  • Better pelvic floor health
  • Improved metabolic resilience
  • A body that supports you for decades

And with the right approach—especially targeted core and strength training that builds from the inside out—you can absolutely get a stronger, more connected core, while also building confidence.

Our CORE 360 Challenge Focus Group does exactly this! This is not just an “ab program.” It’s a comprehensive, intelligent approach to building a strong, functional, and resilient core—from the inside out.

Whether your goal is to see your abs, heal your core, or finally feel strong and supported in your body again, this 8-week program meets you where you are and takes you through a proven three-stage progression: ALIGN, DEFINE, and REFINE.