3 Tips for gaining muscle and getting consistent exercise for women in their late 30s, 40s and beyond.

 

Did you know that movement plays a critical role in perimenopause and menopause? Although it helps significantly with mood, energy and maintaining a healthy weight, the main goal here is to build muscle, improve insulin sensitivity, and reduce inflammation.

We all have a gradual loss of 3-5% of muscle mass per year starting around age 30. For women, menopause is associated with an additional "rapid decline in muscle mass" due to the loss of estrogen.

Of course, all hope isn't lost. We can build and maintain muscle in perimenopause and menopause. There are several non-exercise strategies like eating enough protein, especially the amino acid leucine for example.

The best way to build and maintain muscle is to move your body especially with resistance or strength training. Resistance movement can improve hot flashes, cognition and brain health and so many more benefits.

According to a study in 2019, just one hour per week of strength training can reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke by up to 70% (reminder: heart disease is our #1 killer).

My biggest tip for starting and sticking to a movement routine is to do what you enjoy and feels like love to your body. I unsubscribed years ago to the idea of "no pain no gain". Exercise and movement can and should bring you joy, pleasure and feel good, not boring.

You can strength train at a gym or studio, or try at-home routines with bands, weights, or use your own body weight. You can do yoga, pilates, or walk. You can break it up in chunks of 10 minute increments throughout the day. It is especially helpful to move after a meal to reduce glucose spikes. It truly is up to you what you do, there are hundreds of options!

If you are already doing a consistent movement routine, great. My challenge to you is to ask yourself when is the last time you increased your weights or challenged yourself? Maybe tried something new?

I asked Beth Hibshman, NASM-PT and Owner of Studium Fitness for her best tips for women starting out:

3 Tip’s to gaining muscle in your 40’s and beyond:

1. Have a plan. Building muscle doesn’t start with randomness. It’s so important when starting a muscle building program to seek help from a professional or do some thorough research on finding a program that meets your current physical condition, needs, and lifestyle.
2. Be consistent. Once you find a plan then figure out what times and days work best for you and never compromise. Make it an appointment that you must stick with.
3. Start small and progress over time. Often times we put way to much pressure on ourselves to ‘go big or go home’. Starting with a 10 minute workout program daily and adding a few minutes every week can be a great start to building the habit to build muscle.

Thanks Beth, great tips! You can find Beth at www.studiumfitness.com and follow her on Instagram for more great tips and inspiration.

Talk soon,

Stephanie

P.S.-Curious to learn more tips? Check out my free 10 ways to sustainable weight loss guide here.