How to Build Muscle in Menopause (and Why It’s Harder) 💪🌿
“Mary, I’m lifting weights, I’m trying so hard, and
I still feel weaker than I did five years ago. Why is it so hard to build
muscle now?”
I hear this question all the time, and I want to start by
saying this: you’re not lazy, and you’re not imagining it. 💛 Building
muscle really does get harder in perimenopause and menopause. Your body is
going through one of the biggest hormonal shifts of your life, and the way your
muscles respond to food, movement and rest changes right along with it.
I know this one personally too. When I went through
perimenopause, I felt my strength and stamina slipping away, and the things
that used to work for me just stopped working. It was frustrating, and honestly
a little scary.
Here’s the good news I want you to hold onto: your
muscles can still grow and get stronger at any age. Research has shown
women in their 60s, 70s and even 80s gaining real strength with the right
approach. It just takes a different strategy than it did at 30. 🌱
In this post, I’ll walk you through what causes muscle
loss in menopause and perimenopause, why building muscle feels so much harder
right now, and exactly what you can do about it, from a functional nutrition,
whole-body point of view.
Why muscle matters in
perimenopause and menopause 💪
Before
we get into the “why is it so hard” part, let’s talk about why it’s worth the
effort. Muscle isn’t just about looking toned. In midlife, it’s one of the most
powerful tools you have for feeling good in your body.
•
It supports your metabolism. Muscle is
active tissue. The more you have, the more energy your body uses, even at rest.
•
It helps balance blood sugar. Your
muscles soak up glucose from your blood after meals. More muscle means steadier
energy and fewer afternoon crashes.
•
It protects your bones. When muscles pull
on your bones during strength work, your bones get the signal to stay strong.
This matters a lot as estrogen drops.
•
It keeps you steady on your feet. Strong
legs and a strong core mean better balance and fewer falls as the years go on.
•
It helps your joints. Strong muscles take
pressure off achy knees, hips and backs.
•
It lifts your mood and confidence.
There’s something special about feeling capable and strong in your own body. ✨
After
about age 30, we naturally start losing muscle (a process called sarcopenia),
roughly 3 to 8 percent per decade, and that loss tends to speed up around
menopause. That’s why this season of life is the perfect time to start
protecting and building it.
Why is it so hard to build
muscle during menopause? 🤔
There
isn’t just one reason. It’s usually a few things working together. Here are the
six I see most often with the women I work with.
1. Estrogen was quietly helping
your muscles all along
Most of us think
of estrogen as a reproductive hormone, but it does so much more. Estrogen helps
your muscles repair after exercise, supports the cells that build new muscle
fibers, and helps your muscles respond to the protein you eat.
As estrogen rises
and falls unpredictably in perimenopause, and then settles lower after
menopause, your muscles lose some of that support. Recovery takes longer, and
the same workout doesn’t build as much as it used to. Testosterone, which women
make in smaller amounts, also slowly declines with age, and it plays a role in
strength too.
2. Your muscles need a louder
“grow” signal
As we get older,
our muscles become less responsive to the signals that tell them to grow.
Scientists call this anabolic resistance. In plain words, it means your
muscles need a bigger dose of protein and a stronger training challenge to get
the same result they used to get from less.
This isn’t a flaw.
It just means the old approach of a little yogurt for breakfast and light
weights isn’t enough of a message anymore. 📣
3. Most women aren’t eating enough
protein
This is the big one
I see in my practice. Many women eat a light breakfast (or just coffee ☕), a
salad for lunch, and most of their protein at dinner. Your body can only use so
much protein for muscle at one meal, so loading it all into dinner leaves your
muscles hungry for most of the day.
On top of that,
years of dieting have taught many of us to fear eating “too much.” But when it
comes to protein in midlife, most women need more than they think, not less.
4. Stress and poor sleep pull in
the wrong direction
Cortisol, your
main stress hormone, is a breakdown hormone. When stress is constant (hello,
work, family, caring for aging parents and everything in between 😮💨),
cortisol stays high and makes it harder for your body to build and keep muscle.
Sleep matters
just as much. Deep sleep is when your body releases growth hormone and does
most of its repair work. Night sweats, waking at 3 a.m. and restless sleep, all
so common in this season, cut that repair time short.
5. Years of dieting took muscle
with them
If you’ve been
through keto, very low-calorie plans or rounds of yo-yo dieting, you’re not
alone. The problem is that when you lose weight quickly without enough protein
and strength work, a good part of what you lose is muscle. When the weight
comes back, it tends to come back as fat. Over the years, that cycle can leave
you with less muscle than you started with.
6. Cardio alone isn’t enough
Walking, spinning and cardio
classes are wonderful for your heart and your mood, and I love them. 🚶♀️
But they don’t give your muscles the kind of challenge they need to grow.
Without some form of strength training, it’s very hard to hold onto muscle in
midlife, let alone build more.
Live in rhythm with your body ☀️
Your
body runs on an internal clock called your circadian rhythm. It tells
your hormones when to rise and fall, when to feel hungry, when to repair and
when to sleep. In perimenopause and menopause, this clock is easily thrown off,
and when it’s out of sync, building and keeping muscle gets even harder. The
good news? A few simple daily habits can help reset it.
Get
morning sunlight. 🌅 Step outside within an hour of waking, even for
10 minutes. Natural light tells your brain it’s daytime, helps set a healthy
cortisol rhythm, and makes it easier to fall asleep at night. Sunlight also
helps your body make vitamin D, which supports muscle and bone health. Even
cloudy-day light counts.
Finish
dinner 2 to 3 hours before bed. 🍽️ Eating late keeps your digestion
busy when your body wants to rest. An earlier dinner supports deeper sleep,
steadier blood sugar overnight, and more time for the repair work your muscles
need.
Eat
with the seasons. 🍂 Eating seasonally makes it easier to fill your
plate with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables picked at their peak. Colorful
produce is rich in polyphenols, natural plant compounds that act as
antioxidants. They help reduce inflammation and support your gut, heart and
metabolic health, all of which matter more than ever in midlife. Think berries,
tomatoes and leafy greens in the warmer months, and squash, sweet potatoes,
citrus, broccoli and Brussels sprouts when it cools down.
Just
remember to keep your plate balanced. Pair those colorful fruits and veggies
with fiber-rich foods like beans, lentils and whole grains, and always include
a good source of protein. Protein is key in perimenopause and menopause 💪
because it gives your muscles what they need to repair and grow.
Keep
a steady routine. Going to bed, waking up and eating at about the same
times each day helps your body know what to expect. When your rhythm is steady,
your hormones, energy and muscles all work better together. 💚
How to build muscle in
menopause: 7 steps that help 🌱
Now
for the part you’ve been waiting for. You don’t need to do all of these at
once. Pick one or two that feel doable and build from there.
1. Start strength training (and
make it challenging)
Strength training
is the number one signal for your muscles to grow, especially for women over
40. Aim for 2 to 3 sessions a week that work your whole body: legs, hips, back,
chest and arms. Choose a weight that feels hard by the last few reps and slowly
increase it over time. That gradual challenge is what tells your muscles to
keep adapting. Once you build that routine, you can add day 4 after the first month.
You don’t need a
fancy gym. Dumbbells, resistance bands, or your own body weight with squats,
lunges, push-ups and rows all count. 🏋️♀️
2. Eat more protein, spread
through the day
Instead of saving
protein for dinner, aim for about 25 to 35 grams at each meal. That
might look like:
•
Breakfast: eggs with sauteed greens, or
Greek yogurt with nuts and seeds
•
Lunch: a big salad or bowl topped with
chicken, salmon, lentils or tofu
•
Dinner: a palm-to-hand-sized portion of
fish, poultry, beans or tempeh with roasted vegetables
Many women in
midlife do well with roughly 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body
weight per day, especially when they’re strength training. Your needs are
personal, so this is a great thing to work out with a practitioner.
3. Eat enough overall
You can’t build a house without bricks.
🧱 Eating too little, especially while training, tells your body it’s in
survival mode, and building muscle isn’t a priority in survival mode.
Nourishing yourself well is part of the plan, not a step backward.
4. Protect your sleep
Treat sleep like part of your training.
A cool, dark bedroom, a consistent bedtime, less screen time at night and your
last cup of coffee before noon can all make a real difference. 🌙
5. Calm your stress response
Lowering cortisol helps your
body move out of breakdown mode. Short daily practices add up: a few minutes of
slow breathing, a walk outside, gentle yoga or simply sitting with a warm cup
of tea. Each one helps calm your nervous system.
6. Support your digestion
Protein only helps if your body can
break it down and absorb it. Eat slowly, chew well, favor warm cooked foods,
and pay attention to signs like bloating or heaviness after meals. Warming
spices like ginger, cumin and fennel can gently support digestion. 🫖
7. Ask about helpful supplements
Creatine is one of the most
researched supplements for supporting strength in women over 40, and vitamin D
and omega-3s may also play a role in muscle health. Supplements are very
individual, though, so talk with your doctor or a qualified practitioner before
adding anything new, especially if you take medications.
A gentle reminder before you go 💛
Your
body is not failing you. It’s changing, and it’s asking you to care for it in a
new way. The strategies that worked in your 20s and 30s were built for a
different hormonal season. This season simply calls for more protein, more
strength, more rest and more kindness toward yourself.
Progress
might feel slower than you’d like, and that’s okay. Every strength session,
every protein-rich breakfast and every early bedtime is a deposit in your
future. Six months from now, you could be carrying groceries with ease,
climbing stairs without getting winded, and feeling more like yourself again.
That’s worth showing up for. 🌸
Midlife
isn’t a season of decline. It can be a season of strength.
Let’s work on this together
If you’re tired of guessing what your body needs, I’d
love to help. In my 12-week program, Burnout to Bloom, we look at your
whole picture (hormones, digestion, stress, sleep and nutrition) and build a
plan that fits your body and your busy life.
When you’re ready, book your free discovery call at
mariholisticwellness.com. You
can also email me at hello@mariholisticwellness.com.
I’d love to hear your story. 🌿
With care,
Mary Canales, MHS
Functional Nutrition Practitioner · Level 1 Ayurveda Practitioner
Houston, TX & Virtual · hello@mariholisticwellness.com ·
mariholisticwellness.com
Comments
Post a Comment