When Sarah Baldassaro turned 50, she took stock of her health and began working with a fitness coach on strength training, a type of exercise that’s crucial for women in midlife.
“Now I would say I’m stronger overall than I ever have been at any age,” says Baldassaro, 52, of Alexandria, in the US state of Virginia. “My fitness level is much more like when I was in my early 30s.”
Medical experts say strength training keeps bones and muscles healthy after menopause, when oestrogen loss speeds up a reduction in bone density and contributes to the gradual loss of muscle mass.
This type of exercise, which involves working against resistance, also helps women maintain a healthy weight and stay on track with New Year’s resolutions about fitness.
“People underestimate how powerful it is,” says Dr Christina DeAngelis, an obstetrician-gynaecologist at Penn State Health in the US state of Pennsylvania.
But what should your workout look like and how do you get started?
