The other day at the grocery store, the cashier told me she used to be a radiology tech. She left that work when she moved back home after caring for her mother elsewhere. At 60, she said, she just couldn’t lift patients anymore.
“People are just bigger and heavier now,” she told me, “and I can’t lift them anymore.”
I simply said "yeah, that's what happens if you don't strength train", smiled and wished her a good day, but her words stuck with me. This isn’t a rare story—it’s one I hear over and over. And the truth is, it’s not about age. It’s about the conditioning women have lived under for decades.
The Story Women Have Been Sold
From the time we’re young, we’re told to be smaller, thinner, quieter. To diet, to chase a certain size, to not take up too much space. We've been fed images of women who've been Photoshopped or airbrushed for as long as we can remember. But no one told us how to build the kind of strength that keeps us capable and confident.
So when life requires strength—whether it’s lifting patients, carrying groceries, or hoisting a suitcase overhead—we often come up short. Not because we’re “too old,” but because we were never taught that strength was for us.
The Truth About Strength and Aging
Strength loss isn’t inevitable with age. It’s the result of disuse. Muscles and bones respond to training at any age. I’ve worked with athletes in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond who prove this every day.
Menopause does add a twist—lower estrogen impacts muscle and bone density—but that only makes strength training more important. Your body is still adaptable. You can still get stronger. In fact, you must.
This is why I focus so much of my coaching on menopausal and masters athletes. It’s not about “slowing down.” It’s about rewriting the narrative of what aging strong actually looks like.
Strength That Carries Into Life
When I talk about strength, I’m not talking about chasing a six-pack. I’m talking about functional strength that shows up in everyday life. Picking up your grandkids. Carrying groceries without thinking twice. Traveling with confidence because you can handle your own luggage. Moving through your day without worrying about aches or injuries.
Strength isn’t about appearance. It’s about capability. And when you feel capable, your confidence grows in ways no mirror can measure.
Choosing Strength Over Smallness
For too long, women were told the less space we took up, the better. But your body isn’t meant to shrink into invisibility. You are meant to take up space—with your strength, your voice, and your presence.
Strength training is one way of reclaiming that. It’s not just physical—it’s cultural resistance. It’s choosing to build instead of diminish.
How to Get Started
The good news is, you don’t need a fancy gym membership or endless hours of complicated workouts to get stronger. You just need a starting point—and consistency.
That’s why I created Strong Anywhere, a simple bodyweight strength guide designed for women who want an approachable, no-fuss way to begin building strength. You can do it at home, while traveling, or whenever life makes the gym feel out of reach.
And if you’re ready for something more personalized, I also offer a Custom Strength Training Plan. This option gives you a tailored program built around your schedule, goals, and current abilities so you can progress with confidence.
Whether you start with the guide or dive into a custom plan, the important part is this: you start. Because strength at any age isn’t about perfection—it’s about building the capacity to keep living life on your terms.