We all remember our 20’s…those days where most of us could do whatever we wanted and heal from it fairly quickly. Most of my clients report they start to notice a shift around the age of 35.
Suddenly, things don’t heal as fast, they hurt more, and they start thinking more seriously about how to care for their body instead of using and abusing it to do the sports they like and start questioning using the “wait and see” approach to healing.
For women, I think this is especially true. We have the added disadvantage of hormonal changes that set us up to lose muscle at a faster rate than males after the age of 40.
A large percentage of my female clients, especially the ones post 40 years of age, report devoting a lot of their exercise time to swimming, walking, running and cycling or studio classes in which, if they do lift weights, the weights are small.
The problem here? In order to counter the muscle and bone loss that starts at 40 and progresses quickly through the following decades, we need to start loading our bones and challenging our muscles more than what these cardiovascular-based types of exercise provide.
So, in this blog post, I’m sharing the conversation and resources I’ve started having with ALL my female clients over 35 years of age.
1. Start taking your protein intake seriously.
Without adequate protein intake, we don’t have the building blocks we need in order build muscle. Additionally, the body will start breaking down our existing muscle. The timing of that protein intake matters as well. For women, the current expert advice is that we need to be getting at least 30g of protein at our first meal of the day as well as another 30-45g of protein within 45 minutes of finishing a workout.
Consulting with a registered dietician can be great way to start to design your eating habits more efficiently for building and keeping muscle. We have a couple of dieticians on our Team page under community referrals if you need a recommendation.
Additionally, the podcasts I have listed below in the resources are a great start in beginning to educate yourself about protein intake needs.
2. Get comfortable being in the gym and lifting heavier weights.
This is a tough one for many women, especially those over 40 who do not feel comfortable in the gym setting with the “dudes”. The truth is, in order to keep our bones strong and build and keep muscle through the years, we need more than the 2-10 pound weights that are used in many studio classes.
Learning to weight lift properly as well as starting to challenge yourself to lift as heavy as you are able to is the key to ageing better.
If you deal with injuries, working with a Physiotherapist who is experienced with weight lifting can be a great way to start out initially. They can build a program that will can be specifically tailored to meet your rehabilitation goals. Our Physiotherapist Sam Bellhouse is an Cross-fit athlete and I send many of my clients with back problems to him for program design and safe lifting education.
Additionally, we refer out to many kinesiologists and trainers within our community who work one-one with clients in the gym and design excellent weight lifting programs. They are listed on our Team page under Community Referrals.
Since Covid, there have also been some amazing online resources for those that feel comfortable with this option. You can also supplement the online programs with some one-one Physiotherapy sessions to adjust them to your rehabilitation needs. Any of our Physiotherapists would be happy to work with you on this.
In the resources below, I’ve listed a few online programs aimed at women helping women over 35 get into the gym safely.
3. Respect your hormonal health and start building a team that can support you through your peri- and menopausal years.
Admittedly, this can be a tough journey. There is starting to be more respect and awareness among our healthcare communities for how difficult the perimenopausal years (usually 35-52) can be and all the physical, mental and emotional challenges that come with it. Working with a physician or specialist who is able to assist you with accessing Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) can be a game changer for many women. For some, caution is needed and an intelligent approach to the process of finding what is right for your specific needs, but many of my clients have reported their quality of life and physical health improving drastically once starting HRT.
Again, I have listed a few podcasts and books below which can be great starting points for beginning to educate yourself better on this stage of your life and all the challenges that may come with it. Knowledge and sharing it (with your healthcare providers and friends) is power.
RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:
Podcasts:
The Huberman Lab:
- Dr. Mary Claire Haver – How to Navigate Menopause and Perimenopause for Maximum Health and Vitality.
- Dr Gabreille Lyon – How to Eat and Exercise For Optimal Health and Longevity.
- Dr. Stacy Sims – Female-Specific Exercise & Nutrition for Health, Performance & Longevity.
Dr Gabrielle Lyons Show:
- The Real Truth About Menopause Treatments – with Dr. Mary Claire Haver
Books:
- Roar by Dr. Stacey Sims
- Forever Strong by Dr. Gabrielle Lyons
- The New Menopause by Dr Mary Claire Haver
Online Weight Lifting Programming for Women 35+ Years of Age:
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Written by:
Katrina Sovio
Registered Physiotherapist & Clinic Director. BHK, BScPT, MClSc, FCAMPT, CGIMS.