Do you know what I love most about this BodyFit community? We come from a wide variety of ages, places, and backgrounds. I also love that over the ten years, I’ve been making videos for you (and really over the 20 years I’ve been working in fitness), I’ve been able to learn and get first-hand experience of the many life and fitness phases we go through as women. You all have been with me through the early days, through pregnancies and postpartum, and finding time-efficient and effective workouts as a working mom of two small kids in my forties. 

And yes, most recently, I’ve been navigating the fitness world in my forties! This unique perspective, combined with my 20 years of experience in the fitness industry, has led me to study for a new certification on Menopause and launch our Unpause Focus group in the BodyFit Athletic Club. While I’m not there yet, I am experiencing some of the symptoms of perimenopause, and more specifically, just the symptoms of being in my forties. Whether you’re already there, not quite there, or well past, here are a few things I want us all to remember:

In your forties, strength training is EVERYTHING.

Whether you’ve been working out for years or just starting, now is the time to prioritize strength training. Gone are the days of never-ending cardio; lift and lift heavy! As we age, we naturally lose muscle mass (called sarcopenia), and a decline in estrogen means our ability to regenerate muscle stem cells drops significantly. We must challenge our bodies with progressive overload during resistance training to maintain muscle and change our body composition (if that’s your goal). 

Recovery is not just a suggestion in your forties – it is a priority.

In my twenties, I could work all day, work hard, stay up late, and do it all again the next day. Even in my thirties, I added more mobility and flexibility because I knew I should, not because my body required it.  But these days, I feel muscle soreness, achy joints, and fatigue more quickly and intensely. Giving myself days off and varying my workouts by alternating strength, cardio, and mobility makes a big difference in how I feel during and after training. And don’t forget those warmups, cooldowns, and recovery tools like massage and foam rolling.

Focus on quality over quantity with workouts AND EAT!

I group these two because, over many years of training perimenopausal and menopausal clients, I’ve seen a consistent theme. Often, when women experience body composition changes or weight gain, the first thing they do is restrict their calorie intake and add more cardio. I get it: we’ve been told to eat less and move more, but this often works against us as we age. When we don’t eat enough or over-exercise, our bodies fall into low energy availability, which can increase menopausal symptoms and cause early fatigue in workouts. And remember that muscle loss we talked about? Not eating enough (especially protein) means we don’t have enough fuel to maintain that muscle fiber and prevent more loss.

Bodies are meant to change, and your workouts should, too!

Our lives change as we age; why wouldn’t we expect our bodies and workouts to be the same? This doesn’t have to mean drastic changes or accepting something you may be unhappy with. This means giving ourselves the grace to know we can still be strong, healthy, and fit, even when our bodies look and feel different from 20, 10, or even five years ago. It means taking what we know about training after 40 and beyond and applying it in a way that works for our lifestyles.

Want to learn more? Vivian and I are discussing these in depth in our Unpause Focus Group at the BodyFit Athletic Club, and there’s still time to join!