3 min readEnhancewell
I’m turning 40 this month.
It still feels weird to type. I see myself as 23 years old, and truth be told, I treat my body the same way. Before I turned 25, I ran 2 half-marathons. I never trained for a single one. I was fueled by Clif Bars and the cheers of the crowds. I grew up as a gymnast and cheerleader, and trained six days a week. My body was used to doing hard things.
(If we haven’t met yet, hi! I’m Brittany! I’m a writer here at Enhancewell Collective and a diehard fan afterAntoni helped me get rid of persistent back pain!)
Over the years, I’ve continued to treat my body like a fitness vending machine. There’s a 10K this weekend? Sure, I’ll run it! Never mind that I hadn’t run more than 2K in the previous six months. It was an all-or-nothing relationship.
And when I did work out, it was punishing. I did classes that made me sweat until I wanted to puke and left me sore for days. Of COURSE it wasn’t something I enjoyed.
So, in the lead-up to my milestone birthday, I committed myself to a “40 days of fitness” challenge.
I’ll admit that in the beginning, I wanted to tone up, lose weight, and look awesome in the bikini I’d wear on the catamaran I’ve rented for my party.
What happened was surprising.
I started my journey with runs and HIIT exercises. But then, I had a day of crazy cramps. So I googled exercises for “that time of the month,” and found softer movement.
I found gentle stretches that my body craved. Who knew cat-cow could feel SO good?
I found that the Pilates Reformercould stretch and challenge me in a way that felt good—in the moment and afterward. My legs? A little shaky, but in a way that felt like I was making my body stronger—not punishing it. It wasn’t just stretching. It was strength training in a completely different way, using spring resistance and my own body weight to build lean muscle, improve stability, and help combat the muscle loss that naturally comes with age. It left me feeling stronger and more energized instead of completely wiped out, which made me actually look forward to my next workout.
I found slow runs that kept my heart in Zone 2 (see this blog I wrote on working out smarter, not harder). Less exertion meant I could keep my body in fat-loss mode, rather than my usual run-until-you-can’t-breathe method, which kicked my body into burning carbs/sugars instead of fat.
I found weight-based exercises— with my cute gold dumbbells or simply using my body weight.
Why Exercise is So Important For Women Over 30
According to the Office on Women’s Health, sarcopenia (the gradual loss of muscle mass) begins around the age of 30 for women. It’s all downhill from there. Dramatic, but true. Women will lose 3-5% of their muscle mass every decade after the age of 30.
And it doesn’t stop there. After 40, hormone changes make losing weight even harder. And after 60, the rate of muscle loss per decade increases to 5-10%.
This is why strength training becomes increasingly important as we age—and Pilates absolutely counts. The Reformer uses spring resistance to challenge your muscles through a full range of motion, helping you maintain and build lean muscle, improve balance and stability, and keep the strength you need for everyday life.
It doesn’t matter so much whatyou do to stay active as long as you are staying active.
Maybe your own 40 days of fitness could help you discover movement that you enjoy. Take the pressure off of yourself. Instead of committing to hour-long workouts a few times a week, try 20-30 minute “taster” exercises every day. It takes around 21 days to form a habit, and by the time your own 40-day challenge is over, you may have a habit that will last a lifetime.
Your body will thank you.
PS. If you haven’t given the Reformer a try, sign up for your first class to find out how genuinely fun it can be to slide into a stretch!