Muscle doesn’t just keep us strong and toned – it’s also an essential longevity tool. Physician and bestselling author Dr Gabrielle Lyon joins Liz to explain how lifting weights protects your bones, regulates blood sugar and promotes healthy ageing – and why it’s never too early or late to start.
In this episode, Liz and Gabrielle discuss why we naturally lose muscle mass from our 30s, and how resistance training can protect against osteoporosis and metabolic disease.
Gabrielle also shares practical advice on protein intake and simple, functional strength exercises to build into your week to help you feel stronger, fitter and more resilient.
Stream the episode below, or download the recording via Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
How to build muscle in midlife (and why it matters more than ever)
Women often worry that lifting weights will make them look bulky, but according to Dr Gabrielle Lyon, we’ve been looking at it the wrong way all along – muscle is at the core of healthy ageing and disease prevention.
She describes skeletal muscle as ‘the organ of longevity’ – a powerful tissue that influences everything from metabolism and bone strength to brain health and energy levels. And for women in midlife, that message couldn’t be more important.
As oestrogen declines during perimenopause, we naturally begin to lose muscle mass and bone density. This can leave us feeling weaker and more fatigued – but also more vulnerable to conditions such as osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
An empowering tool for healthy ageing
Healthy muscle supports metabolic health throughout the body, improving blood-sugar regulation and insulin sensitivity, even helping us burn fat more efficiently at rest.
Rather than seeing exercise as a way to keep us small and slim, Gabrielle says women should move the focus to building strength, resilience and independence in midlife and beyond. This can be an empowering and liberating shift in thinking, she explains.
And the good news? Muscle is one of the few things we can actively improve at any age. “We have far more control over how frail or not we become in later life than we’ve been told,” says Gabrielle.
Even better, it doesn’t need to involve hours in the gym. A few focused strength sessions a week – even at home using resistance bands or dumbbells – can make a real difference to energy, resilience and long-term health.
The importance of protein
Alongside strength training, a protein-rich diet is essential for building healthy muscles – particularly for women over 40, says Gabrielle, when the body becomes less efficient at using protein to repair and rebuild tissue.
She recommends including good-quality protein at every meal, such as lean red meat, chicken, fish and eggs. For meat-free options, tofu, edamame, lentils and Greek yogurt are also good sources. Eating healthily, rather than restricting food, is vital to preserve and build muscle during midlife.
4 ways to build muscle for longevity
- Prioritise resistance training two to three times a week. Focus on functional movements such as squats, lifting dumbbells and carrying kettlebells.
- Add short bursts of impact work such as squat jumps, mountain climbers or skipping for bone health.
- Stay consistent – even short workouts count, as long as they’re a regular part of your weekly routine.
- Include 30g of protein at every meal to provide muscles with the amino acids they need to grow.
As Gabrielle explains, by building and protecting muscle now, we are supporting healthy ageing and greater independence for years to come. “It’s never too early or too late to start,” she says.
Also in this episode:
- Why muscle is an organ of longevity
- How perimenopause impacts muscle mass
- The link between poor muscle health and type 2 diabetes
- How building muscle can help you burn fat
- The importance of protein for healthy ageing
- Easy ways to build strength training into your week
More from Gabrielle:
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