Women over 50 NEED to be lifting weights!
“We need women who are so strong they can be gentle, so educated they can be humble, so fierce they can be compassionate, so passionate they can be rational, and so disciplined they can be free.”
Why I Finally Started Lifting Weights
If you've spent any time reading about healthy aging, you've probably noticed one message keeps coming up: women over 50 should be lifting weights. I'll admit, after reading article after article on the topic, I was ready to scream. That said, I finally decided to jump on the weightlifting bandwagon and I even hired a personal trainer to make sure I was doing it in a safe way.
This summer as I started my journey to get healthy I was feeling really weak. I knew I was burned out and exhausted, but I also felt less physically strong than I have in the past. So, I started to do some research. I read on topics like aging, fitness, health-span and longevity. And I have to admit, what I was learning scared me. This was a case of “if you don’t use it, you lose it,” and my sedentary lifestyle was suddenly catching up with me.
So, why is strength-training so important for mid-life women in particular? There are a number of risk factors to not staying fit and strong, but here are the three that convinced me to take this more seriously:
1. Strength Training Helps Prevent Muscle Loss
Women (and men) experience a gradual loss of muscle mass as they age, a condition known as sarcopenia. On average, starting in their 30s, women can lose up to 5% of muscle mass per decade! This loss accelerates after the age of 50 as women hit menopause. By the time women reach their 70s and beyond, they may have lost as much as 30% to 50% of their muscle mass, depending on other factors like genetics, lifestyle, diet, and physical activity. I’ve seen this in my own family as older women become frailer over time as they lose muscle mass.
Although very common, sarcopenia is not inevitable! It can be countered by regular resistance training, providing your lifting enough weight and with enough frequency for your muscles to grow.
2. It Protects Bone Health as You Age
Approximately 20% of American women over the age of 70 have osteoporosis. Rates of osteoporosis accelerate after menopause due to the drop in estrogen, which plays a critical role in bone health. White and Asian women, particularly those with a small frame, are at the highest risk and a lack of physical activity (sitting at a desk for decades, anyone?) exacerbates the risk. Having osteoporosis greatly increases the likelihood of fractures in the event of a fall. Even minor falls can lead to serious injuries, such as hip fractures, which are particularly common and debilitating in older women.
Additionally, osteopenia, a precursor to osteoporosis where bone density is lower than normal but not low enough to be classified as osteoporosis, is even more common. In fact, nearly half of women over 50 have low bone mass, putting them at increased risk for osteoporosis as they age. I have 2 friends who have recently been diagnosed with osteopenia, so this is very real among women my age.
Again, strength-training and other weight-bearing exercises (walking, jogging, climbing stairs, jumping rope) help strengthen bones by making them work against gravity.
3. It Builds Confidence and Independence
Although this may seem less important than the 2 medical risks above, decreased self-esteem was one of my primary motivations for starting a strength-training program. I felt soft and weak and I didn’t want it to feel inevitable that I would continue on that path — I wanted to fight against it.
I am very aware that loss of strength for many older women eventually leads to loss of independence, but long before getting to that stage, there’s a point where you may just simply want to look and feel stronger so you can carry the Chewy box up the stairs by yourself and/or fit into that dress that you wore 5 years ago that somehow became too tight around the middle. Feeling confident in your own strength is a huge self-esteem booster and can give you the boldness to try and accomplish new things.
How I Got Started with Strength Training
The amazing thing is that there is 1 thing that can directly impact all three of these aging-related risks! Weight-training. For me, I decided that given my lack of comfort in the gym, as well as achy knees and back, it made sense to start with a personal trainer who could help me start slowly and safely. I am now going to the gym to lift 3 days per week, and I see the trainer during one of those 3 sessions. It’s been life changing and I’ve only just started!
If you’re a woman over 50, start making a plan now for how to add more strength training to your life!
If you have questions and want to talk about this topic, reach out! I’d love to support you in becoming STRONGER. The world needs more strong women!
Two-Year Update (7/7/26)
Since first writing this article for LinkedIn, I've continued lifting weights three times a week while also adding in regular cardio and prioritizing protein. The results have gone far beyond building muscle. I feel stronger carrying groceries and luggage, my balance and confidence have improved, and exercise has become one of the foundations of my sustainable success. Looking back, starting strength training is one of the best decisions I've made for my long-term health!
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And go here to read the factors most likely to increase your lifespan (and healthspan)!
