Why Women Over 40 Need More Rest to Get Results

Why Women Over 40 Need More Rest to Get Results

Fitness| Nutrition| Lifestyle| Hormones
December 24, 2025•4 min read

Why Women Over 40 Need More Rest to Get Results

If you’re over 40, still grinding away with high-intensity workouts six days a week, barely sleeping, and wondering why you’re not seeing results… let me hit you with some truth.

It’s not that your body is broken. It’s that your body is smart. And if you don’t give it the recovery it needs, it won’t give you the results you want.

I used to think more was better too. In my 30s and 40s, I trained harder, cut more calories, pushed through exhaustion, and kept asking why I was stuck.

Now in my 50s, I’m stronger, leaner, and more energized than ever, not because I do more, but because I train smarter and recover harder.

Here’s the science behind why recovery matters more than ever after 40.

Hormones Shift, So Your Recovery Must Too

By the time you hit perimenopause and menopause, estrogen and progesterone start to decline. These hormones don’t just regulate your cycle, they also affect how your body repairs tissue, builds muscle, and burns fat.

A 2019 study in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that estrogen has a protective effect on skeletal muscle, reducing damage and promoting repair. When estrogen drops, recovery slows down.

So when you’re sore longer, or feeling more drained after your workouts, it’s not in your head. Your hormones have changed, and your approach has to change too.

Muscle Recovery Slows with Age

As we age, our muscle protein synthesis, the process of rebuilding muscle after training, decreases. According to a 2016 study in Frontiers in Physiology, older adults require more recovery time due to this slower repair rate.

What does this mean for you? You can’t train like you did at 25 and expect the same results at 45. You need to build in more rest days and prioritize sleep, mobility, and active recovery just as much as your workouts.

Too Much Stress Means Too Much Inflammation

When you’re constantly pushing through hard workouts, under-eating, and sleeping poorly, your cortisol stays elevated. And when cortisol stays high, fat loss stalls and inflammation climbs.

A study published in Psychosomatic Medicine showed that women with high cortisol levels experienced more belly fat and slower fat metabolism. That’s a big deal in midlife, when most women are already battling hormonal belly.

Recovery helps lower cortisol. Sleep helps balance hormones. And rest allows your body to actually respond to all the hard work you’re doing in the gym.

Poor Sleep Sabotages Strength and Fat Loss

Sleep is where the magic happens. When you sleep, your body releases growth hormone, which repairs muscle and burns fat.

A 2010 study in Annals of Internal Medicine found that people who slept only 5.5 hours lost 55% less fat and 60% more muscle than those who slept 8.5 hours. That’s not a small difference. That’s the difference between looking toned versus looking tired.

In midlife, your sleep may already be disrupted due to hormone shifts. So you’ve got to do what you can to protect it, wind down early, stay off screens, manage stress, and keep caffeine in check.

Overtraining Hurts, Not Helps

Too many women over 40 are stuck in the cycle of overtraining and under-recovering. They force themselves to train harder, eat less, and then wonder why they still feel puffy, tired, and stuck.

A 2022 study in Nutrients confirmed that women older than 40, who balanced strength training with proper rest and protein intake, saw greater improvements in lean mass and fat loss than those who trained more frequently but neglected recovery.

Because here’s the thing, more is NOT better. Smarter is better.

Here’s What I Do Differently Now

In my 50s, I don’t train harder, I train with purpose. I follow a strength strategy, I ALWAYS make sure to get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep, and I prioritize REST AND RECOVERY like I do my lifts. Plus, I eat to build, not shrink.

And I really LISTEN to my body, not ignore it. That’s the difference when you work with your body versus against it.

The result? Defined arms. Lifted glutes. Energy for days. And a metabolism that’s working with me, not against me.

If You’re Stuck, Start Here

Here’s what you can do right now:

  • Take two full rest days each week

  • Get at least 25g of protein per meal

  • Sleep 7–9 hours a night

  • Swap your fifth cardio session for a walk or stretch

  • Eat enough to fuel your recovery

These aren’t soft rules. They’re the foundation if you want to train like a woman who actually lifts and looks like it.

If you're ready to stop spinning your wheels and finally get results that stick, it's time to join the women inside my Strong & Sexy program who are thriving in their 40s, 50s, and beyond, without starving or overtraining. Click here to get started.

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