Is It Too Late to Get Strong?

What I’ve Learnt in My 40s and 50s

When I was in my 20s, it was the 1990s, and fitness meant aerobics. Leotards, step classes and a lot of enthusiasm. Weight training for women simply wasn’t a thing. Lifting weights was something other people did, in corners of the gym I never thought to visit or was brave enough to.

By my 30s, exercise had slipped right down the list. I was juggling work and two young children, and like so many women in that period of life, I put everyone else first.

Finding myself again in my 40s

In my 40s, I started to think about me again. With my husband’s encouragement, I took up running, and something clicked. I ran three marathons during that decade, and I was proud of myself. I’d set out to do something hard and done it, and that feeling stayed with me long after the medals came off.

Running gave me confidence and a real sense of achievement. What it didn’t give me was an understanding of what my body would need as the years went on.

A new chapter in my 50s

As I approached my 50s, my daughter Brooke qualified as a physio, and we became gym partners. Having someone with her knowledge beside me changed how I thought about exercise. Over the last four years I’ve built strength training into my weekly gym sessions, and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made for my health.

People at the gym sometimes ask if I’m Brooke’s mum, and every now and then someone says how well I look for 54. I won’t pretend I don’t enjoy it! But there’s no secret. It’s years of building strength, moving in ways that suit my body and learning to listen to it. And what matters more to me than how I look is how I feel: stronger / more energetic / more confident than I have in years. That’s what I want for you too.

Here’s what I’ve learnt along the way:

• Strength matters more as we age. Building and keeping muscle supports how we move, and how we feel day to day.

• High intensity cardio isn’t always the answer. I’ve learnt that it can be hard on the joints, and that it can also affect our hormones. I wish I’d understood that sooner.

• Our bodies change, so our training should too. What worked in my 40s isn’t necessarily what’s right for me now.

  
  

And then there’s menopause. For the last five years it has been mixed into all of this, and it has convinced me that listening to my body, rather than pushing through, is one of the smartest things I can do.

What I know now

I don’t regret the aerobics, the running or the marathons. Each was right for that stage of my life. But being strong in your 40s and 50s isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing what supports you now.

If you’re somewhere in the middle of your own story, whether you’re coming back to exercise after years of putting others first, or wondering why what used to work doesn’t anymore, you’re not behind. It isn’t too late, and midlife isn’t about losing who you were. It’s about discovering what you need now.

Let’s get you to a good place

That’s why Brooke and I created Discover Better Health. I know from my own experience what it takes to get to a good place with your health, and I’d love to help you get there too. If you’d like a chat, book a free 20-minute session with us.

Author - Emma

This article is general information and isn’t a substitute for medical advice. If you’re worried about your health or symptoms, please speak to your GP.