3 Non-Negotiables For Women Who Want To Age With Strength

We need to reframe aging. Instead of viewing a future of frailty as inevitable, we should spotlight what's possible—and with the right puzzle pieces, what's possible is aging with strength.

You might hit the gym and do sit-ups, run on the treadmill, or perform 30 reps of light bicep curls, but for aging with strength, lifting heavy weights is your best bet.

While it’s common knowledge in the strength training world that heavy lifting yields the best results for muscle gains, Estima adds some essential nuance: "Heavy for me is going to be different than heavy for you, and heavy for me five years ago is going to be different from heavy for me now."

One way to ensure you’re lifting at your heaviest is by working close to failure. According to Estima, this means you should be one to three reps away from failure by the end of your set.

Protein is more than a buzzword; it's a necessity. Without enough protein, building muscle is impossible, and without muscle, your body becomes vulnerable to more than just falls and mobility issues.

“We start to become more insulin resistant. One of the ways that we can overcome that insulin resistance, particularly in the muscle, what we call anabolic resistance, is by consuming more protein,” Estima explains.

Whether you follow a plant-based diet or consume animal products, everyone should aim for their personal protein goal—it may be more difficult to reach with plant-based foods, but it is possible.

Estima recommends about one gram of protein per pound of body weight. For instance, if you weigh 140 pounds, your target would be 140 grams of protein—much higher than the RDA of 0.36 grams per pound (approximately 50 grams a day for that same person).

Building muscle requires fuel, and you won't get there with severe caloric restriction. “One of the hills I will die on is: 1200 calories is not enough for you,” says Estima. Unfortunately, the wellness space's long history of calorie demonization has led many, especially women, to believe that less is more.

Consider this: your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is likely higher than 1,200 calories, which means your body needs more calories just to function—without accounting for additional energy burned through exercise, walking, thinking, or working (yes, your brain burns calories too).

When you live in a severe caloric deficit, your body begins to deplete its reserves. At first, it may pull from fat, but soon it starts holding onto fat as an “insurance policy.” Eventually, it turns to muscle and organs for energy—not ideal for healthy aging.