Walking Versus Strength Training for Aging Women

I'm sharing a post today in the Blog that I just shared in my private Facebook women's group.

Please read with the premise that the following is said with LOVE .

Because while it might not seem important right now if you're 30, 40 or even 50, if you were to fast forward 20 years from now would you want to feel regret not having made changes 20 years ago knowing that you could have changed things for the better?

If walking is the only exercise you do and you're in the perimenopause/menopause/post menopause stage of life, you are setting yourself up to have less muscle and therefore less strength and independence along with more injuries and a slower metabolism as you age.

While walking is great for circulation, starting to get moving more, therapeutic benefits and low to moderate cardio benefits, on it's own it's not enough to combat the above.

In fact:

A study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology showed that using a strength circuit of just 12 sets elevated excess post-oxygen consumption (EPOC) for 38 hours after the workout (Schuenke, Mikat, and McBride 2002). Elevating EPOC for 38 hours means your body’s metabolism and calories burned stays elevated for almost two days after the workout. You’re getting a benefit far beyond the workout itself. This means instead of worrying about the calories burned during the workout, a strength training session will kick your metabolism up for the next day or two!

If you do want to run, bike, hike, or do another aerobic activity because you enjoy it, then, by all means, add it in while keeping strength training as the main focus.

If you're not sure what else to do or how to lift weights properly to get strong I completely understand. Injuries, bad experiences and the intimidation of starting something new (like strength training) can be intimidating.

You can start doing some exercises while sitting on a chair with a couple light dumbbells or mini bands.

• leg lifts

• shoulder presses

• rotations

• sit up and stand form a chair

• lateral raises

• stepping up and down onto a riser

  
  

It's time we start sharing the truth of what we need and what works to age well. There's far too much research out there to ignore the facts.

Being a woman old in age no more has to mean settling for stooped posture, using a walker, needing assistance with daily activities of life, pain, breaks or serious disease.

By improving the strength around each joint, you can ease pain and reduce the stiffness and swelling caused by arthritis (Hurkmans et al. 2009)

Improving your hip strength and mobility also can decrease back pain, which is experienced by 80 percent of adults at some point in their lives (Taylor et al. 2022)

Women can be active, strong, fit and vital well into their 80's and 90's and the time to start is now.

With love,

Coach Julie

P.S. Remember that enrollment for my 8-week strength training session is open if you're looking to begin and feel inspired to build strength!