5 Things Every Woman Needs to Start Doing Now for Her Future Self

I want to tell you about a woman I will never forget.

I was on a plane recently waiting for my luggage which was in the row behind me. A woman next to me, maybe in her 70s, looked over and said do you need that bag? Before I could answer she reached up, pulled it down like it weighed nothing, popped the handle up, and handed it to me. I said thank you for strength training. 

I have thought about her almost every day since because she did not get there by accident and neither will any of us.

I sat down with Will Harlow, physiotherapist and author of Independence for Life, and he broke down exactly what is happening to our bodies after 40 and what we can do about it starting now. 

Here is what I took away…

1. Start resistance training before you think you need to.

After the age of 30, not 50, we lose between three and eight percent of our muscle mass per decade. But we lose strength at a rate two to three times faster. For women going through menopause, bone loss can be as high as two to three percent per year in those first five post-menopausal years if nothing is done about it.

Most of what we accept as inevitable aging is actually deconditioning, and most of it is reversible. Will's starting framework is what he calls the three, two, one method. Three compound exercises, two 20-minute sessions per week, one variable progressed each week. That's it. No gym membership, no equipment, no hour-long workouts.

Compound movements are exercises that work multiple muscles and joints simultaneously. A squat, a sit to stand from a chair, a wall press up, lifting something from the floor. Two sessions a week with these is genuinely enough to begin building real strength.

And in case you think it is too late: a group of nursing home residents all over the age of 90 went through an eight-week program of two 20-minute sessions per week and increased their average leg strength by 175%. People in their 90s more than doubled their leg strength in two months.

2. Don't stop treating an injury just because the pain is gone.

This is the reason most recurring injuries keep recurring. When a joint has a mechanical problem, treating it resolves the pain. But most people stop the moment the pain disappears. The mechanical problem is still there. Before long the pain comes back and the cycle continues.

Pain is a very poor indicator of how healthy a joint actually is. Will's rule is to keep working on the exercises for about eight weeks after the pain has resolved to actually fix the underlying problem.

3. Move a frozen shoulder, don't guard it.

Frozen shoulder is triggered by hormonal changes, which is why it shows up so frequently in women during perimenopause and menopause. Despite the name it is actually a very inflamed shoulder. The instinct is to rest it and protect it, but that actually makes it worse and prolongs the suffering.

Moving the shoulder gently and consistently, even when it is painful, is what helps it heal faster. The people who guard it the longest suffer the longest. If you are in this right now, find a physiotherapist and start moving it.

4. Train your balance before you need it.

Balance is something most people never think about until they fall. Fall risk increases significantly with age, especially as muscle and bone density decline. But balance responds very well to training and there are simple things you can do at home without any equipment.

Standing on one leg for 30 seconds at a time is a starting point. It sounds almost too simple but it directly targets the neuromuscular connections that keep you stable. Will recommends making it a daily habit now, long before it feels necessary, because the time to build this is before you need it.

5. Build muscle like your life depends on it (because it does).

Muscle is now what Will calls your longevity organ. The research is clear that the more muscle mass you carry, the longer you live. Muscle protects your joints, supports your bones, regulates your metabolism, and preserves your independence in ways that nothing else can replicate.

The four pillars Will talks about in his book are mobility, strength, balance, and cardiovascular fitness. Together they are what the woman on the plane had. She didn't get there in a gym doing complicated things, she got there by being consistent over a long time with a small number of things that actually work.

You don't have to overhaul your life, you just have to start with two 20-minute sessions a week and build from there. Your future self is watching.

Listen to Build Strength After 40: How to Future-Proof Your Body Starting Today here or you can watch it here.

‍