The Fitness Advice Women Need to Unlearn

Written by: Lindsay Little, MS — Holistic Health Coach
Estimated read time: 5 minutes

For a very long time, women were given a pretty simple formula for getting healthy:

Eat less. Move more.

And “move more” usually meant cardio.

Want to lose weight? Do more cardio. The scale stopped moving? Add another cardio session. Ate too much over the weekend? Better get on the treadmill Monday morning and burn it off.

Meanwhile, the weight room was largely treated like a place for men. Women were handed little pink dumbbells and told to do lots of reps so we could get “toned” without getting bulky.

Thankfully, we're finally starting to realize how backwards some of that advice was.

Cardio isn't bad. In fact, you absolutely need it.

But we've spent decades asking cardio to do a job it wasn't designed to do.

And as women get older, that matters more than ever.

Cardio and Strength Training Have Different Jobs

Let's clear something up before anyone throws away their walking shoes.

Your heart needs cardio.

Cardiovascular exercise trains your heart and lungs, builds endurance, improves circulation, and helps you stay capable of doing things without getting winded. Walking, biking, swimming, dancing, rowing, pickleball, running, fitness classes—there are a million ways to get your heart rate up.

Do them. Find ones you actually enjoy.

I'm certainly not giving up my bike rides.

But cardio and strength training are not interchangeable.

Cardio primarily trains your cardiovascular system and endurance. Strength training gives your muscles a reason to become stronger and, when the training and nutrition are there, to grow.

That's an important distinction because muscle does things for you that another hour on the elliptical simply can't replace.

Muscle helps you lift things. Carry things. Get off the floor. Maintain physical function as you age. Resistance training also supports bone health and can improve strength and body composition.

So yes, you need cardio.

You also need muscle.

And you cannot cardio your way into having enough of it.

You Can't “Tone” a Muscle You Haven't Built

Can we finally retire the word toning?

For decades, women were told that men lift heavy weights to build muscle, while women should lift lighter weights for lots of repetitions to “tone.”

But what exactly were we supposed to be toning?

That definition of “toned” that most women are picturing—some visible shape and definition—is muscle.

You have to build it first.

That doesn't mean you need to become a bodybuilder or spend two hours a day throwing barbells around a gym. It means your muscles need enough resistance that they actually have a reason to adapt.

Those last few repetitions should feel challenging.

If you can finish a set and confidently say, “Oh, I could do 27 more of those,” congratulations on moving your arms around, but we probably aren't giving your muscles much reason to change.

Strength comes from challenging them.

And no, you're probably not going to accidentally wake up looking like The Rock. 😉

Muscle Matters More as We Get Older

This is where the conversation becomes much bigger than how your arms look in a tank top.

We naturally tend to lose muscle mass and strength as we age, particularly if we aren't actively working to maintain them. The menopause transition adds another layer for women, as estrogen changes are associated with changes in muscle and bone. Resistance training becomes an incredibly valuable tool for maintaining strength and physical function as we get older.

And here's the beautiful part: getting older doesn't mean you're simply destined to become weak.

Muscle responds to training.

Research has found that resistance training can improve strength and physical function in older adults, including people well into their 70s and 80s.

That's why I want women to stop thinking about strength training as something you do just to change your body.

Think about the future version of you.

Can she carry her suitcase?

Can she lift the bag of dog food?

Can she get down on the floor and, perhaps more importantly, get back up without swearing like a sailor?

Can she open the pickle jar without wandering around the house looking for someone with stronger hands?

Those things require strength.

And we're building that woman right now.

And Then There's Power

There's another piece of fitness we don't talk about nearly enough: power.

Power is basically your ability to produce strength quickly. And research suggests that power can decline even faster than strength as we age, partly because aging particularly affects the fast-twitch muscle fibers involved in quick, powerful movement.

Think about the last time you moved as fast as you possibly could.

For a lot of us, it might have been your last Presidential Fitness Test in high school.

As adults, we tend to stop doing things fast. We walk. We work out. We lift things. But sprinting? Jumping? Moving explosively?

Not so much.

Yet being able to generate force quickly matters in real life. It's part of standing up quickly, climbing stairs, catching yourself when you stumble, and reacting when life doesn't give you three minutes to prepare.

This is also why I'm not anti-cardio.

Smart cardio training can challenge speed, endurance, and cardiovascular fitness while strength training develops the force your muscles can produce. We need both pieces of the puzzle.

The answer isn't endless cardio.

It's becoming a more capable human.

Here's Why I Love Strength Training

I'll admit I'm biased.

I love lifting weights.

And one reason is that strength training gives you feedback you can actually see and feel.

Cardio is doing wonderful things inside your body, but you don't necessarily wake up one morning and admire your improved cardiovascular efficiency in the bathroom mirror.

Muscle is different.

One day you pick up a weight that used to feel ridiculously heavy and realize it isn't that heavy anymore.

You carry all the grocery bags into the house in one trip.

You open the jar.

You pick up the kiddo.

You haul something around the yard that you would have needed help with a year ago.

And then one day you catch yourself in the mirror and think:

Wait. Is that a MUSCLE?!

It's ridiculously satisfying. Talk about giving yourself an instant dopamine hit…which is also why once you get into it, lifting weights can become a minor addiction.

Strength training also doesn't need to mean spending your entire life in the gym. You need focused, challenging work that gives your muscles a reason to adapt—not endless hours of exercise just so you can say you did more.

More Isn't the Goal

This may be the most important shift of all.

For decades, women were taught to measure exercise by how much we did.

How many minutes?

How many calories did you burn?

How sweaty were you?

Could you squeeze in another workout?

But more isn't necessarily better. Better is better.

Instead of automatically adding more cardio every time you want to improve your health or change your body, ask what you're actually trying to accomplish.

Want better endurance and cardiovascular fitness? Great. Train for that.

Want to build and preserve muscle? Pick up something heavy.

Want to maintain your strength and independence as you get older? You'd better give those muscles a reason to stick around.

For most adults, strength training at least twice a week is a solid baseline. And those sessions need to actually challenge your muscles. Over time, that means gradually asking them to do more—whether that's more weight, better control, a harder exercise, or another appropriate way of increasing the challenge.

You don't need to destroy yourself.

But you do have to challenge yourself.

The Bottom Line

I'm not taking away your cardio.

Keep walking. Keep biking. Keep swimming. Keep dancing. Keep playing pickleball. Keep doing the cardio you enjoy, because your heart, lungs, endurance, and overall health benefit from it.

Just stop expecting cardio to do everything.

Especially if you've spent years believing that the answer to weight gain or a changing body is to eat less and do more.

Your body needs muscle too.

And as you get older, building and preserving that muscle isn't vanity. It's an investment in the life you want to keep living.

So maybe the next time you're tempted to add another hour of cardio because you think you should be doing more, don't.

Go pick up something heavy.

Your future self may be very glad you did.

Hey there! I’m Lindsay — a Holistic Health Coach with a Master’s Degree in Holistic Nutrition and a specialty in gut health. In my virtual practice, Full Bloom Acres Wellness, I help busy women over 35 decode their symptoms so they can feel like themselves again. Ready to decode yours? Click here to get started.

If you want more support on your wellness journey, you can find me on Instagram at @fullbloomacres or visit me at www.fullbloomacres.com. I’d love to connect!

Disclaimer: This information is for educational and informational use only and is not meant to diagnose or treat any disease or illness. Please work with a qualified healthcare practitioner before making dietary or lifestyle changes.