Why the Hardest Workout Is Not the Best Workout for Midlife Women (And What to Do Instead)
Let me say something that might ruffle some feathers in the fitness world:
Harder is not always better. Especially after 40. Especially when you're already tired.
I've watched so many women — smart, motivated, capable women — push through brutal workouts while running on empty. And then wonder why they feel worse, not better. Why they're more exhausted than when they started. Why their body seems to be working against them instead of with them.
Here's the truth nobody in the fitness industry wants to tell you: if you're depleted, adding more intensity to your body is like trying to build a house while someone's actively tearing it down. You can't outwork your way out of exhaustion.
But that doesn't mean you stop moving. It means you move *differently*.
The Intensity Sweet Spot
There's a zone of movement that hits the magic spot — challenging enough to build strength and stamina, but not so hard that it floods your system with stress hormones and leaves you wiped out for days.
It's not the hardest thing you can do. It's the *most sustainable* thing you can do.
In the fitness world, this is often called Zone 2 — a “conversational pace” where you're working but you could still string a sentence together. Think brisk walking, easy cycling, a yoga flow that makes you warm but not breathless.
This kind of movement trains your body to burn fat more efficiently. It builds what scientists call mitochondrial density — more of those tiny energy-producing factories inside your cells. And it does all of this without triggering the cortisol spike that leaves you face-down on the couch afterward.
After 40, especially after years of being told to "push through" and "feel the burn," this can feel almost radical. *You mean I don't have to suffer to get stronger?*
You really don't.
What Strength Training Actually Does for Your Energy
I want to talk about strength training — not because it makes you look a certain way (though it might), but because of what it does *inside* your body.
Every pound of muscle you have burns energy at rest. More muscle means a higher baseline metabolism. It means your body is better at pulling glucose out of your bloodstream and turning it into fuel. It means less inflammation. More stable blood sugar. Steadier energy throughout the day.
Strength training also builds bone density — and it's the *only* type of exercise that actually does this. Yoga maintains. Cardio maintains. Weights build. For women over 40, that's not optional. That's survival.
But here's the part that surprises most people: you don't need to crush yourself to get these benefits. Two or three sessions a week, with gradual progression over time, is enough. The key word is *gradual*. We're not here to do everything at once. We're here to build as slowly as possible — because that's what actually sticks.
Walking is Not “Just Walking”
Can we rehabilitate walking's reputation for a second?
Walking is one of the most underrated tools for midlife energy. It improves insulin sensitivity. It reduces inflammation. It supports digestion. It clears mental fog. It doesn't require recovery. It doesn't spike your cortisol.
It's movement that *gives* you energy instead of taking it away.
Twenty to thirty minutes a day — ideally outside, ideally in natural light — is a metabolic game-changer. And if that feels like too much on a bad day? Ten minutes counts. Five minutes counts. The point isn't perfection. The point is consistency.
The thing Nobody Tells You About Recovery
Here's a reframe that changed the way I think about movement:
Recovery is not the absence of training. It's part of training.
Your muscles don't grow during workouts. They grow during rest. The stimulus happens in the gym (or on the yoga mat, or on the walking trail). The adaptation — the actual getting stronger part — happens when you're resting, sleeping, stretching, breathing.
If you're training three or four days a week and feeling wiped out, the answer is almost never "do more." It's almost always "recover better."
Sleep. Gentle yoga. Walking. Stretching. Time outside. Breathwork. These aren't the "easy" parts of fitness. They're the *essential* parts.
The Green/Yellow/Red Light Check-in
Before any movement session, I want you to do one thing: check in with yourself. Honestly.
**Green light** means you have energy, you're feeling good, you're ready for a challenge. Do your full session. Enjoy it.
**Yellow light** means you're okay but not great. Do what's planned, but don't push beyond it. Scale back if it feels like too much.
**Red light** means you're depleted. Gentle movement only — or full rest. No guilt. No negotiation. This is wisdom, not weakness.
Changing the plan isn't failure. It's the smartest thing you can do for your long-term strength and energy
The Bottom Line
Movement after 40 isn't about punishing your body into submission. It's about *partnering* with it. Learning what it needs. Giving it challenge without overwhelm. Building strength as slowly as possible — because that's the version that actually lasts.
If any of this resonates, you might enjoy reading about what's happening at the cellular level underneath all of this: **What Your Mitochondria Are Trying to Tell You**. Understanding your mitochondria makes the "why" behind all of this click.
Try easier. It's not a compromise. It's the strategy.
Ready to move at the pace your body actually needs? It's All Yoga is built for exactly this — movement that builds you up instead of breaking you down. Come see what it feels like.
Michelle Marlahan is the founder of It's All Yoga, now a thriving online studio offering 10 live classes weekly and hundreds of recorded sessions ranging from 10-60 minutes. Her approach balances nervous system regulation with strength building specifically for women in their 40s-70s who value the privacy, autonomy and flexibility of virtual yoga practice. She also works privately with women who have pelvic pain, incontinence or prolapse to find balance and healing in the hips, low back and pelvic floor.