There’s been increasing conversation about the “declining metabolism” women supposedly face as we enter our forties; and the recommendation is usually the same: build more muscle by lifting weights. The loudest voices in this space; wellness experts, functional medicine practitioners, metabolic health gurus, online coaches and personal trainers; all tend to echo the same advice. And to be fair, they are not wrong.
Strength training is one of the best things we can do as we age. Research consistently shows that adults begin to lose muscle mass from around age 30 onwards; with losses estimated at around 3–8% per decade, accelerating further after 60 (Harvard). Resistance training supports bone density, metabolic health, insulin sensitivity, mobility, balance, hormonal health and longevity. It really is an elixir for healthy ageing.
But what if improving your metabolism could also begin with something far simpler: moving more?
Especially if you are not hitting the gym yet; or lifting weights still feels mentally, emotionally or physically far away from where you are right now.
Stay with me.
Movement Is Messaging
My idea is this: movement is messaging.
The more you move your body; in both small and significant ways; the more you signal to your body that you need your muscles to work, you need energy to function, and you need your mind sharp enough to follow through with the tasks of daily life.
Think of it this way; the more time you intentionally make for someone you care about, the more you communicate to them that they matter. Over time, that relationship strengthens because of your consistency; whether the gestures are big or small.
The same applies to finances. If you invest even a little money consistently, it compounds. You gain more over time than if you never invested at all.
The universal principle at play here is compounding. Tiny improvements rarely look dramatic day to day; but over months and years they become transformation. Energy flows where attention goes.
Strength Training Matters; But So Does Everything Else
Please do not misunderstand me. I am not anti-strength training. Quite the opposite.
Everyone should aim to include some form of resistance training as part of their long-term health regimen if they can. It is one of the most evidence-backed tools we have for maintaining strength, preserving bone mass and supporting healthy ageing (PubMd).
But I am also aware that not everyone feels confident enough to walk into a gym. Not everyone has the physical capacity, finances, childcare, energy levels or mental bandwidth to begin there immediately.
And sometimes the way strength training is marketed can unintentionally make everything else that contributes to metabolic health feel subpar. As though if you are not deadlifting at 6am while drinking a green powder smoothie from a beige shaker bottle; you may as well not bother. I reject that entirely. It all counts. What you nurture; however small; grows.
Your Body Was Designed to Respond
Our bodies are designed to serve us; but they require us to serve them first.
That is why we nourish ourselves with food so our organs can function properly. It is why we sleep; so the body can repair itself. It is why we hydrate, stretch, rest, de-stress and move.
You are going to get from your body what you consistently put into it, and honestly; I hope the person reading this is taking care of themselves.
A helpful journal prompt here might be:
“What unhealthy patterns have I normalised; and what healthier habits am I now ready to replace them with?”
Because if we are not serving our bodies well; if we are constantly inputting stress, exhaustion, inactivity and neglect; then the body cannot fully optimise for health, strength, resilience or joy.
Turning 40 Flipped the Switch
Turning 40 this year felt significant for me. It’s been quite refelective. Forty feels like a halfway mark; a pivotal point. You have lived enough life to have made mistakes, learned lessons, gained perspective and hopefully become more honest with yourself about what truly matters.
And then; as if to welcome me into this new era, perimenopause symptoms arrived. Not what I expected AT ALL.
I shared more about that experience (HERE) but what struck me most was this: I eventually stopped seeing perimenopause as a problem to “fix” and started seeing it as my body asking for increased nutrition for the decades ahead.
The nutritional safety net of childhood is long gone now babe; your mum’s breast milk benefits expired years ago lol. The rest is on you.
And once I shifted my mindset, I stopped panicking and started doing the needful. I increased my nutrition, became more intentional with my habits and genuinely began to feel better.
So I now think about metabolic slowdown in a similar way. What many people experience as a metabolic slowdown in their 40s may actually reflect hormonal shifts, reduced muscle mass, stress, sleep disruption and a gradual decline in daily movement.
Perhaps it is not simply a body malfunctioning, but rather a body asking for more care, more nourishment, more movement, more support.
And yes; that may absolutely include strength training, but it can also begin with simply living more actively.
The Underrated Power of NEAT
There is actually a scientific term for this kind of everyday movement: NEAT; which stands for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis.
NEAT refers to all the energy we burn through daily movement outside of formal exercise. That includes things like cleaning, gardening, cooking, walking while on the phone, standing, organising, taking the stairs and even fidgeting. (Cleveland Clinic)
Research from the Mayo Clinic describes NEAT as a major contributor to daily energy expenditure; and studies show that even small physical activities performed consistently throughout the day can substantially increase metabolic output. (Mayo Clinic)
Which means your body absolutely notices the little things.
The housework.
The walking.
The pacing while deciding what to cook.
The carrying of shopping bags in from the car in fourteen unnecessarily dramatic trips.
It all counts.
Yet modern life increasingly encourages us to outsource movement in the name of convenience.
We pay for cleaners, laundry services, grocery deliveries, gardening services and food deliveries; all while spending hours scrolling on the sofa barely rotating our shoulders.
Now listen; I love convenience as much as the next exhausted adult. These services can be genuinely helpful and necessary.
But if convenience completely replaces physical engagement with our own lives; there is a cost attached to that too and not just financially.
We Were Designed for More Movement Than Modern Life Requires
When you think about the natural progression of life, it becomes obvious why movement declines with age unless we intentionally preserve it.
As children, movement is constant. We run, jump, skip, squat low to play, climb, dance and explore without thinking twice about it.
In adolescence and early adulthood, many of us continue moving through sports, commuting, socialising, university life, dancing all night and recovering with suspiciously little sleep.
Then adulthood arrives with emails, work desks, parenting responsibilities, deadlines and fatigue.
Slowly, movement becomes optional rather than automatic; and before you know it, you have reached your forties and realised your main athletic event is repositioning yourself from one seated location to another.
Personally; if I am not careful, I can become a fully indoor plant. Pitched up in my favourite corner of the house while claiming I am “recharging”. And especially if peopling drains your energy? Whew. Recluse life starts looking premium.
But what I am trying to say is this:
A slower metabolism may not simply be about ageing.
It may also reflect the reality that many of us are no longer living as physically dynamic lives as we once did or dare I say, ought to.
Maybe the Answer Is to Live More Fully
What if supporting metabolism as we age is not only about “working out”; but about fully participating in life again?
Living more.
Walking more.
Exploring more.
Dancing more.
Laughing more.
Doing the things that make you feel awake inside again.
What if the answer is becoming curious about life instead of shrinking away from it?
Trying the hobby.
Taking the class.
Going for the hike.
Travelling.
Gardening.
Swimming.
Dancing like no one’s watching in your kitchen.
Because when we are truly living; we are moving. And when we are moving; we are alive.
Perhaps the natural decline in metabolism is not always a body that needs fixing; but a life that needs adjusting.
Finally
Yes; strength training matters. It does.
Build the muscle.
Protect the bones.
Support the hormones.
Lift the weights when and if you can.
But do not underestimate the power of ordinary daily movement. Do not dismiss walking, stretching, gardening, cleaning, dancing, carrying, climbing stairs or simply choosing to engage more actively with your own life. The body responds to consistency far more than perfection.
And maybe the goal in our forties is not to become smaller, slower or less relevant; but to become more intentional, more nourished, more alive.
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