The decade of your 30s and 40s can feel like a relentless balancing act. For so many of us, myself included as a working mom, it’s a period defined by career growth, expanding families, and the immense weight of daily responsibilities. It’s no wonder that personal well-being often feels like an impossible task to fit in.
However, I’ve realized an incredibly powerful and surprisingly accessible tool that improves physical health, energy, and mood. That tool is STRENGTH TRAINING. It’s become my go-to for staying strong and healthy, even with the most demanding schedule.
The great thing about strength training is that it doesn’t have to be complicated! You can do it anytime anywhere and in the comfort of your own home. Using your own body weight in various ways can be just enough load to strengthen your muscles!
The Unrivaled Benefits of Strength Training in Mid-Life for Women
Our 30s-40s mark a crucial period for bone health and muscle maintenance. After age 30, we can start to lose 3-5% of our muscle mass per decade if we’re not actively working to maintain it. The old adage is so true:
“If you don’t use it, you lose it!“
Here’s the main reasons why you should consider strength training:
Combats Muscle Loss and Boosts Metabolism
Muscle helps regulate blood sugar levels by absorbing glucose for energy and making you more insulin sensitive. Think of muscle as a sponge for glucose. Strength training also leads to more efficient calorie burning by elevating your metabolism post workout. It causes microscopic tears in your muscle fibers which your body then needs to expend energy to repair and rebuild these muscles, making them stronger.
Strengthens Bones and Prevents Osteoporosis
Weight-bearing exercises put stress on your bones, stimulating them to become stronger and denser, reducing your risk of breaking bones due to a fall and/or osteoporosis later in life. I personally experienced the benefits of strong bones when I fell down a flight of stairs last year, landing directly on my hip and elbow and thank my strength training over the years for coming out of that unscathed!
Improves Energy Levels and Reduces Fatigue
While it might seem counterintuitive, regular strength training can actually increase your energy and reduce feelings of fatigue, making it easier to keep up with your demanding schedule.
Enhances Mood and Reduces Stress
Exercise, including strength training, releases endorphins, natural mood elevators that can help combat stress, anxiety, and even symptoms of depression.
In May 2024, the British Medical Journal published a comprehensive review (encompassing 97 reviews, 1039 trials, and 128,119 participants) that concluded exercise is an effective treatment for depression. It found that walking/jogging, yoga, and strength training were particularly effective. Importantly, it stated that the effects of exercise appeared to be “as strong or stronger than for antidepressants or standard psychological treatments” for various types of depression, including in people with comorbidities and different baseline depression levels. It also noted that shorter, high-intensity exercise programs often produced the greatest effect.
Boosts Functional Strength for Daily Life
Lifting kids, carrying groceries, pushing strollers, playing with your kids – these are all acts of strength! Training your muscles makes these everyday tasks feel easier and reduces your risk of injury.
Improves Posture and Reduces Back Pain
Many moms experience back pain due to carrying children and poor posture. Strengthening your core and back muscles can significantly alleviate this discomfort. My go to core exercise is the stabilizing plank. The plank engages and stabilizes the entire core muscles: Unlike traditional sit-ups or crunches that primarily focus on the rectus abdominis (the “six-pack” muscle), the plank effectively recruits a wide range of core muscles simultaneously. Unlike exercises that involve repeated spinal flexion (like crunches), the plank keeps your spine in a neutral, supported position. This makes it much safer and more joint-friendly for the back.
The Myth Debunked: You Don’t Need Hours at the Gym
I used to think that you had to go to a gym and use equipment to see strength and muscle gains. But with my busy schedule I found it hard to get to the gym consistently. Therefore I started to experiment with different home workouts and adding more frequent but shorter bouts of activity throughout the day. I realized quickly: you do NOT need to spend hours at the gym or use complicated equipment to reap the benefits of resistance training.
Scientific evidence supports the idea that shorter, more frequent bouts of activity can be just as effective as one long session. A review published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research highlighted that even brief, intense resistance training sessions can lead to significant gains in strength and muscle mass. Furthermore, recent research from Edith Cowan University demonstrated that even very short daily strength training exercises can be more effective for muscle strength than longer workouts performed less frequently.
This means you can truly “sprinkle” your workouts throughout the day.
My Personal “Strength Sprinkle” Strategy
I know that finding a dedicated hour for the gym feels impossible sometimes. That’s why I’ve started the “sprinkle” approach to strength training. Here are examples of how to incorporate strength into your day when you can’t get to the gym or don’t have time for a dedicated workout:
Morning Wake-Up Call (5-10 minutes): Do some gentle mobility and balance exercises. Think cat-cow stretches to awaken the spine, bird-dog for core stability, and single-leg stands while brushing your teeth to improve balance.
Kid-Prep Power Moves (5-10 minutes): While the kids are eating breakfast or getting dressed, sneak in some quick sets. Deep squats while putting away the dishes, wall sits while waiting for the toast. My personal go-to is lunging in the hallway from one room to another. Or I join my kids in bear crawling because at any given moment, without notice, they will do this automatically just because they like to.
Commute Core Connection (5 minutes): In the car, stuck in traffic, try gently pulling your belly button in towards your spine, engaging your transversus abdominis. It’s a subtle move, but can help you get into the habit of engaging your core.
Workday Wellness Breaks (5-10 minutes per break): Instead of hitting the closest restroom, walk to the farther one, taking the stairs if possible. After using the bathroom, try doing 10-15 squats or calf raises. If your in a meeting that ends early, do some wall sits or standing lunges in the privacy of the meeting room. When working on the laptop, squeeze your scapular muscles to improve your posture.
Evenings (5-10 minutes): While preparing dinner, try single leg calf raises or countertop push-ups. Instead of playing board games at a table, sit on the floor. Instead of sitting in one position the whole time, we’ll mimic whatever the kids do, which is basically move into weird positions every minute. You can also hold a plank or incorporate hip stretches. Or take them to the playground and walk laps while they play.
Making Movement and Resistance Training a Habit
Consistency is key, but forming a new habit can feel challenging.
Here are some tips to make resistance training a sustainable part of your daily life:
Start Small and Be Realistic: Don’t aim for perfection from day one. Even 5-10 minutes of intentional movement sprinkled throughout your day is a win.
Stack Habits: Link your new exercise habit to an existing one. For example, do squats while waiting for coffee, or lunges while the kids get ready.
Make it Convenient: The less friction, the more likely you are to do it. Use your own body weight.
Set Reminders (and Celebrate Wins!): Use your phone to set gentle reminders to move. When you hit your goals, no matter how small, acknowledge your efforts.
Find Your “Why”: Connect your strength training to something meaningful to you. Is it keeping up with your kids? Having more energy for work? Reducing pain? Your “why” will be your biggest motivator.
Listen to Your Body: Some days you’ll have more energy than others. Be flexible and adjust your intensity as needed.
Find an Accountability Partner (Optional): If you thrive with external motivation, team up with a friend or join an online community.
By incorporating small, consistent bursts of resistance training into your busy life, you’ll be amazed at how much stronger, more resilient, and more vibrant you become.
Feeling overwhelmed by the thought of changing your habits? I created The Wellthness Company to help people develop sustainable habits through time-bound challenges and tiny changes. The approach is all about making small, manageable adjustments that fit seamlessly into your busy life. You can create lasting change, one tiny step at a time. Check out the Wellthness Company – the services are free!
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