I used to be a total cardio bunny.
I ran—a lot. I reduced my calories and focused heavily on making the number on the scale go down. And guess what? It worked.
I got smaller. I wore smaller clothes. If weight alone had been the goal, you might have considered it a success.
But when I looked more closely at my body composition, I realized that smaller did not necessarily mean healthier or stronger. I had become what people often call “skinny fat.” Although I weighed less, I did not have enough muscle, and my body-fat percentage was higher than I wanted it to be.
That experience completely changed the way I think about exercise and aging.
Muscle Is So Much More Than Appearance
Many women have been taught to exercise primarily to burn calories, lose weight, or make their bodies smaller. Cardio can absolutely be part of a healthy fitness plan—I still believe in cardiovascular exercise—but cardio alone does not give us everything we need as we move through our late 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond.
Muscle is medicine.
Skeletal muscle is not simply something that makes us look “toned.” It plays a major role in our:
- Metabolism and blood-sugar regulation
- Mobility and physical independence
- Balance, coordination, and stability
- Bone health
- Ability to recover from illness or injury
- Capacity to perform everyday activities
Muscle helps us carry groceries, climb stairs, get up from the floor, travel, garden, play with our children or grandchildren, and continue living independently.
Strength is not just about what your body looks like. It is about what your body allows you to do.
Why Strength Becomes More Important in Midlife
Women can become more vulnerable to losing muscle mass and strength with age, and changes during the menopause transition may add to that challenge. Declining estrogen is also associated with accelerated bone loss, particularly around menopause.
This does not mean that muscle and bone loss are inevitable or that it is too late to make a difference. It means we need to become more intentional about giving our bodies the stimulus and resources they need.
Resistance training challenges the muscles to adapt and become stronger. Weight-bearing and resistance exercise also place healthy demands on the bones, helping support bone strength.
That is why I often say:
What builds muscle helps build and protect bone.
Muscle also provides physical support around our joints and helps improve stability. As we age, this can influence our mobility, confidence, and risk of falls.
Federal physical-activity guidelines recommend that adults perform muscle-strengthening activities involving all major muscle groups at least two days each week. The guidelines also emphasize aerobic activity, and for older adults, balance work becomes increasingly important. The goal is not to replace every form of movement with weightlifting—it is to create a well-rounded plan that includes strength. (U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines)
Strength Training Is Only One Piece
Building and maintaining muscle requires more than completing a few workouts. Our bodies also need the building blocks and recovery time required to adapt.
A comprehensive midlife strength plan should consider:
Proper nutrition
Your body needs adequate energy and protein to repair and build muscle. Constantly under-eating while increasing exercise can make it harder to recover, maintain muscle, and feel energized.
The Menopause Society specifically highlights regular resistance training and adequate dietary protein as important strategies for helping midlife women reduce age-related muscle loss and future frailty risk. (The Menopause Society)
Sleep and recovery
Training provides the stimulus, but adaptation happens during recovery. Poor sleep, chronic stress, and an overly aggressive exercise schedule can interfere with recovery and make it difficult to train consistently.
More is not always better. The right amount, performed consistently, is far more valuable than repeatedly pushing your body beyond what it can recover from.
Progression
To become stronger, your body needs an appropriate challenge that gradually progresses. That may mean increasing resistance, repetitions, range of motion, control, or exercise complexity over time.
Progression does not mean doing the hardest workout possible on day one. It means beginning at your current ability level and building from there.
You Do Not Have to Train Like a Fitness Influencer
One of the biggest barriers women face is believing that strength training has to look a certain way.
You do not need to be thin enough, fit enough, coordinated enough, or young enough to begin. You do not need an elaborate gym routine or an extreme nutrition plan. You do not need to perform someone else’s advanced workout to prove that your movement counts.
Your starting point is simply where you are today.
A beginner may start with body-weight movements, resistance bands, light dumbbells, or modified exercises. Someone with pain, an injury, pelvic-floor symptoms, osteoporosis, or another medical condition may benefit from individualized guidance from a qualified healthcare or rehabilitation professional.
The goal is to build a routine that is safe, realistic, appropriately challenging, and sustainable for your life.
Join Us for an In-Person Midlife Strength Workshop
If you want to learn more—and would love an in-person opportunity to ask questions—you are in luck.
Dr. Desiree Lyle of Raise the Bar Physical Therapy and I are hosting:
Women’s Midlife Strength Workshop
Saturday, August 8
10:00–11:30 a.m.
Antigravity Wellness—Kennewick Clinic
This will be a fun, interactive session focused on strength after 35, through perimenopause, menopause, and beyond.
You will leave with education, encouragement, and a realistic starting place based on where you are right now—not where an idealized fitness influencer says you should be.
We will discuss actionable ways to support your:
- Strength and muscle
- Mobility
- Balance and stability
- Bone health
- Confidence with exercise
- Long-term independence
We will also have refreshments, goodie bags, a door prize, and plenty of time for you to ask questions of both Dr. Desiree and me.
This is intentionally a small, intimate workshop, so seating is limited.
GET YOUR TICKETS THROUGH EVENTBRITE
We hope to see you there—and help you discover just how strong this next chapter of your life can be.
This article is for general educational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized medical, nutrition, physical-therapy, or exercise advice.
