The Healthy Living Blog
Why building muscle is the most important thing you can do in menopause
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 ...
