The Healthy Living Blog

Let’s flip the script on aging

We’ve been told it’s about slowing down.
That things get worse.
That we should accept being tired, soft, or sore.

But that’s not the whole story.

Midlife is not the end — it’s a turning point
With hormonal shifts, yes — your body changes.
But it also responds — when you train and fuel it the right way.

As Dr. Stacy Sims puts it:
👉 “Women are not small men.”
We need specific strategies to support our physiology in perimenopause and postmenopause.

That means:

✅ Lifting heavy to maintain muscle and bone
✅ Eating enough to support recovery (especially protein!)
✅ Prioritising rest and sleep
✅ Letting go of old training rules that no longer serve you

Why strength is your best tool for aging

When you lift heavy and build muscle, you’re not just changing how you look.
You’re changing how you age.

Here’s what muscle helps with:

💪 Joint support
🦴 Bone density
🔥 Metabolism
🧠 Mental clarity
🩺 Insulin sensitivity
🛏️ Sleep quality
💃 Balance and mobility

And this isn’t just...

Let’s have a quick chat about something I wish more women were told before hitting peri- or post-menopause:

Cardio isn’t the answer anymore.

Now, I’m not saying ditch walking (it’s great!), but if you're still doing lots of long, steady cardio (walking/running/biking) and not lifting weights… it might be why you’re feeling stuck. Maybe you’re feeling softer, more tired, and your body just doesn’t respond the way it used to—even though you're “doing all the right things.”

Sound familiar? You’re not broken. Your strategy is.

So what should we be doing instead?

Dr. Stacy Sims (who literally studies what works best for women in menopause) is super clear on this:

🧠 As hormones shift, we lose muscle and strength faster.
That’s just biology. But it doesn’t mean we can’t do anything about it.

In fact, it means we should be doing the right kind of training:
Heavier, shorter, and more focused.

What this looks like in real life:

✅ 2–3 full-body strength sessions per week
✅ Focus on...

You're training hard. You’re watching what you eat. But the results are not what they used to be.

Here’s something most women don’t know:
As we transition through menopause, our bodies become less responsive to the protein we eat.

This is called anabolic resistance—and it’s one of the biggest reasons women lose muscle, gain fat, and feel tired or frustrated in midlife.

The fix? More protein. And better timing.

🧬 The science behind it (Dr. Stacy Sims–style)

Dr. Stacy Sims, exercise physiologist, nutrition scientist and expert in female performance, breaks it down like this:

✔️ Estrogen plays a big role in how efficiently we build and maintain muscle
✔️ As estrogen declines, our sensitivity to dietary protein decreases
✔️ This means we need more protein just to stimulate the same muscle repair and growth

She recommends between 2-2.3 grams of protein per kg of body weight per day.
That’s significantly more than standard guidelines—and it’s essential for women who are active, training, ...

Forget toning. It’s time to start training for muscle—and here’s why it matters more now than ever.

There’s a narrative women have been sold for decades:
✨ “Get leaner, not bulkier.”
✨ “Tighten and tone.”
✨ “Stay small.”

But once we enter peri-menopause and post-menopause, those goals stop serving us.

In fact, trying to shrink ourselves—by eating less, doing more cardio, and avoiding strength training—can make everything we’re trying to fix even worse.

Let’s get one thing straight:
Muscle isn’t a vanity goal. It’s your metabolic engine, your strength, your stability, and your future independence.
And if you’re in your 40s, 50s, or beyond, building it should be one of your top priorities.

🧠 What’s happening to your muscle in menopause?

According to Dr. Stacy Sims, once estrogen starts declining, several critical shifts occur:

1. Your body becomes less anabolic
This means it’s harder to build and maintain lean muscle—even if you're training the way you used to. Estrogen helps stimulate ...

Over the years, I’ve worked with many clients who initially sought my help to lose weight. Surprisingly, though, the main reason most of them stick with their exercise routines isn't for weight loss but for the incredible mood and mental health benefits.

The Science Behind Exercise and Mental Health

While cardio is often praised for lifting spirits, strength training is equally, if not more, powerful in boosting your mood and mental well-being. Research shows that strength training can help with:

• Reduced Anxiety: Regular strength training helps lower anxiety levels, promoting a sense of calm.
• Lower Depression: Strength training has been shown to reduce symptoms of depression.
• Sharper Thinking: Engaging in strength workouts can enhance cognitive function.
• Better Memory: Strength training supports improved memory retention.
• Increased Energy: It helps combat chronic fatigue, leading to more sustained energy throughout the day.
• Improved Sleep: Regular strength training contribute
...