How Older Women Can Build Muscle Despite Hormonal Changes

(Liz Krieger/ Midi) — For nearly 20 years, I was the quintessential cardio queen. You could find me religiously pounding the pavement or in a cycling class, convinced that sweating through an hour of cardio was the only way. Lifting weights? Boring! Too hard! Not for me, thank you very much.

Then, in my mid-to-late 40s, something changed. Despite maintaining my cardio routine, I noticed clothes fitting differently. Tasks that used to be simple, like carrying groceries, resulted in elbow tendonitis that plagued me for months. My physical therapist’s advice was startlingly simple: “You need to lift weights.” I reluctantly agreed to try, certain I’d hate it and equally certain it wouldn’t make much difference. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Within just a few months of twice-weekly strength training, the changes were undeniable. Not only could I feel new strength emerging, but I also noticed definition in my arms and legs for the first time in years as well as more energy.

Now, a few years later, I understand that strength training was exactly the antidote I needed for the cascade of changes that happen around menopause—the slowing metabolism, the muscle loss, the bone density concerns, the shifting body composition. (…)